Growing up in the midlands in the 1970s there was not a lot of wine consumed in our house except at Christmas or when the English cousins arrived in the summer — it was usually Blue Nun. However, my dad did occasionally buy red wine and that was almost always Rioja, a byword for quality then, as now.

I heard good news from the wine world this week, it seems the irrational fear of Chardonnay has begun to dissipate.

Germany doesn’t feature on this page as often as it probably should but the reason is fairly straightforward – there just aren’t all that many German wines available here.

Back to southern France again this week, as I find myself enjoying the wines from here more and more.

Christmas is approaching rapidly and it is wise to begin planning a little and thinking about your wines for the season. 

Just a few days left to pick up some last minute presents and to prepare for Christmas.