When I set off on this wine column adventure I was determined it wouldn't be full of gobbledegook.

Whatever a wine geek may look like, I didn’t want to look like them.

But eek. In the past few weeks I’ve found myself talking about “lees” and “new oak” and “hand-harvested grapes”. Which is all well and good but what does it matter if all you want is to  enjoy the wine you’ve just bought?

All that background stuff isn’t important – or is it? Well it is in the sense that various techniques can produce different wines.  Liking the  result is a matter for your own tastebuds.

If you read on a label that grapes have been “hand-harvested” it could  indicate  more care has gone into their selection; that the vines could have been growing on ideal, grape-growing slopes where machines simply can’t operate.

What if a wine is placed in “new” oak barrels, other than old ones? Well the expense for a start - this shows the producer is willing to spend money on new barrels.

New oak imparts more flavours to the wine than old oak.  Think of it as adding seasoning. 

American oak or French oak? French oak gives toast and vanilla flavours, whereas American oak, with its bigger grains, has more “in your face” aromas like coconut.

As for the lees, well that's the sediment left after fermentation. Some winemakers leave the wine on the lees as it adds more creamy, yeasty, flavours and adds body. Some wines – like Champagnes – are left on the lees for years and years.

In my glass this week... Blandy’s Ten Year Old Bual (£17.99 for 50ml  morrisonscellar.com). Now here’s a wine which was wonderful with a plate of Stilton. 

The fortified wine must have graced Regency drawing rooms, as Blandy’s have been making  it since 1811.

It’s still a winner with two silver medals this year.

It is medium sweet, rich and nutty with  toffee, raisins, vanilla and a glug of coffee.

The wine is aged in American oak and is slowly transferred from the warmest top floors of the Blandy’s lodge to the cooler ones as it ages. Why?

Well, Madeira is a “cooked” wine. Centuries ago as ships carrying wine from Madeira passed through the Equator, people noticed the heat had an effect on the liquid, changing its flavours. Now winemakers replicate that effect.

I love wine facts. Just call me a geek.