The 2019 European harvest is mostly picked by now and reports are mixed but positive.

The annual Spanish Wine Week runs from next Monday (April 8) until the following Sunday (April 14) with wine and food events around the country. For a full list of events and promotions visit www.spanishwineweek.ie.

The alarm was raised at around 8.30am when smoke was seen billowing from the roof of L’Atitude 51 wine bar on the junction of Anglesea St and Union Quay.

From starters to the end-of-the-day movie, Christmas can be a long haul but with the perfect drink in your hand, you won’t want it to end.

Readers of this column may be getting tired of my raising the issue of excise duty on wine but bear with me for just a few sentences.