ONE of the biggest wine scandals of the past few decades reached its final chapter in a New York court on August 7 last when Rudy Kurniawan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling fake wine.

THERE was a time when around 70% of the wine we bought was from France but those days are long gone.

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.

It’s too late now, the cake is eaten, the wine is drunk and Christmas is over for another year. It is safe to say that everyone puts on a few pounds over the Christmas season, if for no other reason than that we are rarely as active and are not eating at regular times.