THE lights are on, the music is on the radio and the trees are up — there is no getting away from it: Christmas is imminent.

AFTER an admittedly disastrous spring the Irish summer has been quite respectable so far with reasonably warm days and nights and just occasional bouts of rain.

IF you haven’t yet stocked up yet for tonight’s fun, there are still plenty of options for festive fizz and I take a look at some of the best value ones below.

HERE’s a particularly good example of the top-class fun and great value offered by winemaker dinners.

THE recent public tasting in Cork organised by the Spanish Embassy was, as expected, both a great way to survey what’s on the market in Ireland today, and a thrilling immersion in total sensory pleasure.

THERE’S this funny inspirational poster you may have seen: The first drawing shows a giant fish, mouth agape, chasing a tiny minnow.