I always feel I am tempting fate when I write about wines for summer in Ireland — I feel as if the weather gods are waiting to thwart me should I even mention the garden or the word barbecue.

FOR some reason, Irish cities and towns rarely make the best use of their waterways, either ignoring them or turning their backs. 

Tell someone you are visiting Portugal and they assume you are visiting the Algarve on a sun or golf holiday, or perhaps taking a weekend break in Lisbon.

The Indian Summer we have been experiencing in recent weeks is not just putting us in better form, but also the winemakers across Europe. 

FINALLY the summer seems to have arrived with a run of warm days. The barbecue has been on standby all week in my house and the heating has been turned off for the first time this year. Now I fully admit that summer drinking is a little more complicated in Ireland given how unpredictable our weather is, but warmer weather does demand a slight change in drinking habits.