Wine: Terrasse du Moulinas Blanc, Pays d’Oc, France — €10.99

THIS is an interesting time in the world of wine.

In the past two decades wine quality at all levels has improved substantially, but the type of wine the world drinks has changed utterly. The pace of change has been steady and is continuing and it is arguable whether this is for good or ill. Recently published research on what grapes are planted where, and in what quantities, makes fascinating (if rather nerdy) reading. You can download the study for free from the University of Adelaide’s website: www.adelaide.edu/wineecon/databases

The world’s vineyard area is shrinking (down by around 8% over the last decade) and just eight grape varieties account for over half the world’s wine (the figure was 21 at the turn of the millennium).