Now, I'm the last person in the world to be pernickety about how wine is served. I'd rather be served an everyday wine in a tine mug with good friends than drink classed growth red Bordeaux out of crystal glasses with people I don't care about. But, on the other hand, if I've gone to the trouble of selecting wine I'm really going to enjoy, and then made the effort to store it properly, it seems silly not to serve it in a way that will make the most of its flavour. So, bearing in mind that not all wines need or want the red-carpet treatment, and there are plenty of picnic and sundowner wines that demand nothing more than a corkscrew and a clean tumble, let's lay down a few guidelines.

By this I don't mean soft music and the person opposite, I mean the air. The commonest wine-killer is tobacco smoke. You can't smell tobacco and wine at the same time. Some cooking smells, in particular highly spiced oriental food and greasy fried good, do taint the air in a way which makes it impossible to smell godd wine. So if you can't avoid having those sorts of smell in the house, open all the windows or don't open any special bottles.

As for oriental food itself - as well as all the other types of food that used to be considered exotic and are now pretty everyday - wine matchingis now easier than it's ever been. Partly it's the ever-greater abundance of good flavours from all over the world, and partly, I think, it's because we've all spent so much time thinking seriously about what to drink with chocolate or eggs or Thai food or other supposedly difficult partners for wine. Chocolate still won't flatter any wine, but Australian liqueur Muscat will match it well, as will decent quality (though not the best) young Sauternes. Alsace wine, particularly Gewurztraminer, Tokay-Pinot Gris or Riesling, or good German Riesling goes well with may Chinese dishes; Sauvignon Blanc is good with Thai. Young, fruity reds can be good with Indian food, providing it's spicy but not too hot. Simple unoaked Chardonnay can be nice with eggs.

With more traditional dishes, the old rule of white with white meat and fish, and red with read meat is a reasonable starting point, but remember to take into account the flavour of the whole dish, including the sauce, not just the main ingredient. And match the weight of the flavour, the level of acidity, and of course the occasion.

Serving young wines before old is kind to them both; likewise, serving dry wines before sweet brings out the best in each and is easier on the palate. In the chart (right) I've indicated approximate serving temperatures, but remember that it's always better to serve wine too cold than too hot. You can always warm a glass in your hands, but wine served too warm tastes soupy and over-alcoholic.

People sometimes worry about this one. Not just should we or shouldn't we, but how long before? An hour before? Two hours before? Well, my advice is, don't worry. Old wines - particularly mature red Bordeaux, red Burgundy, northern Rhones and vintage or some crusted Ports - may need decanting if they've thrown a sediment, but don't give old wines too much air. Red Bordeaux may develop its bouquet if you give it an hour or two in a decanter, but if in doubt it's better to wait for the wine to develop in the glass than decant it too early and find the flavour has dissipated by the time you come to drink it. In general , most wines don't need decanting, but if you've got a nice decanter you might as well use it. It'll look lovely and the wine may even soften up a bit.

If you have some left over in the bottle, you can usually recork it, put it in the fridge and drink it the next day. But if you want to keep it longer it may be worth investing in a Winesaver, which is a canister of inert gas which, when squirted into the bottle, sits on top of the wine (not the oldest and most fragile) will keep for several weeks. But, frankly, most young white wines, re-corked, will be alright for a day or two in the fridge. Young red wines will last a day or two if kept cool.

Sparkling wine is also pretty easy to keep, though only for a day or so. You can buy Champagne stoppers, and the carbon dioxide in the wine will help to prevent oxidation. But remember that as the carbon dioxide escapes the wine goes flat - and the wine oxidizes.

If you have several open bottles of everyday white wine after a party top them up, recork them and keep them in the fridge. They'll be fine for several weeks. But never, ever, keep wine for longer than a few hours in that elegant, cut-glass decanter that sits so invitingly on your sideboard. Oxygen is the enemy of opened wine. Keep it away from oxygen, and your wine will last much longer.