With Carnival just two weeks away, I thought it the perfect opportunity to give you a couple of tips in getting the best out of the red wine you choose to go with your last meat dish before Lent starts.

Generally speaking, white and rosé wines do not really need time to breathe. But there are elements in a red wine, like tannins, that will almost always benefit from a little exposure to air before drinking

I am also giving some recommendations on what to pair with your delicious prinjolata (dome-shaped sponge cake) to make it taste even better.

If your last carnivorous meal entails white meats or poultry, such as chicken, quail, rabbit or pork, go for a light to medium-style red that is low in tannins and full of ripe jammy fruit flavours, such as Medina Sangiovese, Pjazza Reġina red or Medina Syrah Carignan Grenache. And if you are going for heavier, strong-flavoured red meats like beef, lamb, veal steaks or venison, try a fuller-bodied, robust red wine with higher tannins and lots of concentrated fruit, such as Grand Vin de Hauteville Shiraz Cabernet, Medina Syrah or Victoria Heights Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc.

However, whatever the choice, to get the most out of the chosen bottle of red wine, you will have to let it ‘breathe’, or aerate a little.

This will enable you to maximise the wine’s potential and enjoy all the attributes it has to offer; something you might not get to enjoy if you drink it as soon as you uncork the bottle.

Generally speaking, white and rosé wines do not really need time to breathe.

But there are elements in a red wine, like tannins, that will almost always benefit from a little exposure to air before drinking.

Almost all red wines taste better if you just open them up beforehand (30 minutes will help), and let the wine ‘breathe’ in the oxygen which will allow it to soften a little and release all its flavour.

If you are just left with time to remove the cork, that is fine, (but do not push it back in the bottle) and if possible simply dispense the wine into a decanter or carafe. Failing that, directly pour it into your wine glass 20 minutes before drinking it, as this will speed up the breathing process and make your wine taste better, quicker.

To enhance your Carnival sweets, try drinking them with a luscious and fragrant dessert wine. To many people, the dessert can often be the crowning glory of any dinner party and serving another wine at the end of your meal takes your gathering to another plateau – ending your evening on a high note.

The good news is that matching your dessert with a wine is often far less difficult or critical than with other dishes.

With most desserts, sweetness is the over-riding factor, and as long as your accompanying wine is as sweet or slightly sweeter, you should be on safe ground.

To accompany a dessert like prinjolata, which can have a whole stack of mixed ingredients such as pine nuts, glazed cherries, chocolate, condensed milk, vermouth, cream etc, a cold glass of sweet white liqueur wine like Grand Vin de Hauteville Moscato D.O.K. Malta or Casella Moscato will go fantastically.

Even a nice chilled glass of Delicata’s rosé Ġellewża Frizzante will accompany it well, as the fizz will help cleanse the palate of all those sweet, sticky flavours.