To get a feel for the world of wine you need to get a feel for geography and do a bit of driving – perhaps from Napa to Sonoma, from Bra to Barbaresco or take a drive up the D2 from Bordeaux through Margaux, St. Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe. 

IT ALL comes back to France. That country’s wine sales may have fallen dramatically in recent years, but it is still the benchmark producer for most grape varieties and wine styles.

WHEN we think of Bordeaux wine we think of quality and the famous châteaux.

THE Cork Wine Fair hosted by O’Donovans off-licences last week provided some new discoveries and interesting new themes for the attentive wine fan.

* CORKSCREW Winter Wine Fair takes place tomorrow from 1pm to 6pm at the Westbury Hotel just around the corner from the shop on Chatham Street, Dublin 2. Tickets €25, from 01 674 5731 or www.thecorkscrew.ie.