Observations from a novice: Week 9: Our family outing to Vinopolis

So not to be defeated by the wide valley that seemed to separate my Lebanese family's taste in wine from our experience of the UK market, we decided to take visiting family members to Vinopolis. As some of our wine is now shortly to be part of the tasting tables, we were keen to show them the environment that our wine would soon be displayed in.

However, on this particular occasion, I had an ulterior motive. Vinopolis provided the perfect opportunity to right the wrongs of the wine tasting episode we had in Lebanon just a couple of weeks ago. So, determined to try and understand my family's palate a little more and armed with 5 tasting opportunities to do so, we ventured forth.

The introductory session, guiding people through the look, smell and taste of wine was all great and created a great deal of hilarity...seems as though my Lebanese family also, predictably, have a different vocabulary for explaining what they are sensing... I mean, when your country has a million more fruits let alone variety of fruits, then it goes without saying that smells and tastes will be identified differently. But to be honest, through all the amusement, I was chomping at the bit to get through to the tasting hall and try my hand at predicting what my lovely relatives might like.

Unaware of my eagerness, the introductory session drew to an end and my family casually collected themselves and their things and started wandering through the tour. Having rushed ahead, I had to check myself and return to find them pondering over information here and there. I calmed myself down and relaxed a little trying to let the experience be the focus not the tasting...which I did actually manage until confronted with the tasting tables.

Specifically engaging my brain to recollect comments made about various wines, I went to task, looking at the wines, their labels and a glimmer of something I thought that they might like. They too, to be fair, were also tasting away, and to be honest, it would have been a lot better if I had just relaxed and listened to them as they tasted, but, typical me, wanted to work it out for myself.

I tried wine after wine slowly getting side tracked by my own surprising revelations when finally I stumbled upon a wine that seemed to tick all the boxes. Taking an initial sip, I thought I would give it a try with the family. They obediently stumbled forth, finding a gap amongst the milling wine tasters and loudly ripped away a token. Wide eyed and excitable, I watched as the wine was poured, initial analysis took place (which all seemed very favourable) and the tasting began...I can categorically say, that the first sip and subsequent facial expressions immediately alerted me to the fact that, once again, I had got it wrong. Fortunately, the said relations controlled themselves enough to stifle their disregard for that particular wine before finding the nearest spittoon and rapidly separating themselves from a wine that would not, apparently, be their first choice...and by the way how glad they were to know that without having made the mistake of buying it first!

My husband swiftly moved them on to another sample that he guessed might be a little more successful. (To be fair to myself though, any wine that followed my suggestion would probably have tasted like liquid nectar!) With a combination of grapes and oaking that I would not have chosen in a million years, I decided to temporarily hang up my investigatory senses, their smiling faces being an indication of a new found respect for wine, and my husband's taste. Oh well, at least all the excitement together with the combinations of judgement errors and joy in final success provided an amusing afternoon and a break from weather and economy, both of which were equally gloomy on a Sunday afternoon in London!

Lucy Khoneizer is the owner of new (and hopefully very successful) company, Lebanese Fine Wines.

• Harpers Says...