Agony Aunt: How to achieve the right tone when writing your wine list

We don't have a fully trained sommelier on site to explain wines to our diners. How can I make sure that our wine list is written in such a way that it encourages people who don't know much about wine to order with confidence without talking down to customers who do know a lot about wine?

Much can be overcome when you have a well-composed wine list. I find that it really pays to take the time to do this properly when it comes to helping guests select wines in either of our restaurants, especially The Dining Room, as there are so many different levels of knowledge about wine.

I go about this, first of all, by separating the whites from the reds on the list. If you have a large number of wines, you might separate them by country. If the list isn't too big you should also consider listing them according to the style of the wine, for instance dry, medium dry, full bodied or medium bodied. The description of the wines is also important; however keep it clear and concise. Consider your dinner guests, who do not want to have to study the list for too long.

Arranging the wines by price can also save the guest time and assist them when it comes to selecting a wine. At the end of the day its all about ensuring that your guests have fun and discover new wines along the way.

Magali Duclos, a former sommelier, is now restaurant manager at Whatley Manor.

• Sommeliers