David Beckham used to splash out thousands on wine when he first started dating wife Victoria Beckham - even though they had no idea what they were drinking.
The former England captain, 46, has talked about his love of wine in a new interview, but he used to fork out for the best wine and champagne in Manchester's Midland Hotel when he was trying to woo the Spice Girls singer in the 1990s, and has confessed they didn't know much about the bottles they knocked back.
He said: "I'm from the East End of London so I only saw my mum and dad drinking either Blue Nun and Lambrusco, that's as good as it really got.
"When me and Victoria first started dating we used to go to this restaurant in the Midland Hotel in Manchester called The French Restaurant. It was very fancy, we used to go in there and sit in the corner and we used to order the most expensive bottle of champagne and the most expensive bottle of wine. Not knowing what we were drinking.
"We just wanted to have a nice night out and wanted to drink something great. Even though we had no idea what we were drinking. And I think that was my first introduction into tasting a great wine. I want to say it was either a '62 or '67 Latour. That was my first introduction into tasting something that I thought was great. Even though I had no idea whether it was great or not, I knew I was tasting something special.
"At that point, I was still a professional player so I was never really a big drinker. I used to have a glass of wine every now and again. But I never drank throughout my career."
But now Beckham insists choosing the right wine can "make or break" his evening, and he admits Victoria, 47, is the better wine taster of the pair.
He added: "I really started loving wine when we first moved to LA and we used to go to Napa Valley a lot and sit with people like Bill Harlan and Ann Colgin (vineyard owners). There's nothing better than sitting at a table with someone who knows what they're talking about, what they're drinking, what they're smelling.
"Annoyingly, Victoria is very good at that. She'll always say, 'David's the expert.' Then all of a sudden she'll come out with, 'That tastes a little bit smoky.' But I love wine."
When asked how it makes him feel if he orders a wine he might not be happy with, he said: "I think it can make or break an evening in my opinion. I really do think it does. Even though you know you're going to get great food in the restaurant wherever you are, for me, if I have picked the wrong glass of wine or bottle of wine, I wouldn't say it ruins my evening. But it does ruin my evening."
While David admits Victoria is spot on when it comes to tasting different wines, she doesn't branch out much in terms of her food choices.
He said: "I get quite emotional about food and wine. When I'm eating something great I want everyone to try it.
"Unfortunately, I'm married to someone who has eaten the same thing for the last 25 years. Since I've met Victoria, she only eats grilled fish, steamed vegetables. She'll very rarely deviate away from there.
"The only time she's shared something that's been on my plate is when she was pregnant with Harper, and it was the most amazing thing. It was one of my favourite evenings. I can't remember what it was, but I know she's not eaten it since."
David also revealed he enrolled on an Italian culinary course when he was playing for AC Milan in 2009 because he wanted to make the "perfect" ragu and risotto for his and Victoria's kids, sons Brooklyn, 22, Romeo, 19, and Cruz, 16, and 10-year-old daughter Harper.
Speaking on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast, he added: "When I left Manchester and had to leave Manchester United, I was obviously devastated at the time, but it's really educated me in living in different countries, eating different foods, trying different things.
"When I was playing in Italy for 11 months, I was on loan at AC Milan. I'd train in the morning and in the afternoon I decided to take a culinary course in Italian cuisine. I absolutely loved it. I had a few private lessons and then it was in a class.
"But everyone was very focused on what they were all doing, so they weren't even bothered that I was ...
"I did the course because my kids' favourite food is Italian, so I wanted to perfect making the perfect ragu and doing the perfect risotto.”
In January last year it was reported that David and Victoria were granted planning permission for a super cellar housing 7,000 bottles of wine under their £6million Cotswolds home.
The couple were said to have gained approval from West Oxfordshire District Council for plans submitted to renovate their basement under the garage into a wine treasure trove which would be 81 sq metres to 117.5 sq metres.
The full interview with Beckham is on the latest River Cafe Table 4 podcast, out now
