This column tends to mention French wines quite often but I can be forgiven this week, given the day that is in it — l’amour and all that.

THIS is an interesting time in the world of wine.

SEPTEMBER is never a good month money-wise with the summer holidays a distant memory, the children arriving from school with requests for extra books and sports equipment, and the radio programmes beginning their doom-laden countdown to the next austerity Budget.

ALTHOUGH increasing numbers of us buy our wine at the supermarkets, this week I want to encourage you to remember the independent wine shops who can often provide more variety and unusual styles.

REMOVING plants (or people) from their native soil and transplanting them to far off climes is not always successful but sometimes they thrive.

MOST of us think of red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) when we think of Spain, but this week I want to highlight one of my favourite white wines.

FROM the 1970s until recently, if someone mentioned Spanish wines your first (and only) thought was Rioja.