It may be rivalling beer as a favourite UK tipple but most Brits are still novices when it comes to wine drinking.

So what better time to learn than in the approach to the great festive season of gastronomic indulgence - Christmas?

And offering up the secrets will be Joe Fattorini, one of the leading wine writers and broadcasters in the country.

He has set up Wine School in the Yorkshire Dales, in an ancient granary within the mediaeval walls of Skipton Castle.

His first goal in a six-week course is to help people have the Christmas of a lifetime.

So he will be looking at the various wines suitable for the festive season ranging from the cheapest - but not necessarily most cheerful - to wines costing up to £30. They will all be available locally.

"People often like to crack a bubbly at Christmas but not necessarily spend a lot of money," said Joe, who lives in Grassington with his young family.

"I'll be doing some tasting in which we'll be looking at some cheaper wines and comparing them with more expensive ones. Hopefully, people will taste the difference and some will even prefer the cheaper variety."

But people would often find much better value for money if they spent around £7.99 a bottle rather than £3.99, he said.

His family, the Fattorinis, have long associations with this part of Yorkshire and in particular with Skipton Castle, which is one of the main reasons he chose to establish his wine school there.

He has been establishing his expertise over the last ten years and is studying to become a Master of Wine. There are only 250 in the world.

His career has involved writing a wine column, appearing on TV, talking about wine on the radio and speaking at food and wine conferences around the world.

To book, contact Joe or Caroline Fattorini on (01756) 752287 or e-mail joseph fattorini@o2.co.uk.

e-mail: clive.white@bradford.newsquest.co.uk