Wine

SOMETIMES you’d think wine was made in only half a dozen places on Earth.

France and Australia principally, along with say New Zealand, Chile, Spain and California. Whether it’s premium-priced bottles you ill-advisedly spend too much on to impress the neighbours, or more budget-friendly wines you actually enjoy, those parts of the world (and particularly France) do tend to be the ones to grab our attention.

But the shelves of even a modest bottle shop will be sagging under a delightfully diverse array of wines, while a specialist drinks shop will stock a rainbow of styles from 20 countries or more.