April has been declared ‘Natural Wine Month’ by Le Caveau wine merchants in Kilkenny which specialises in organic, bio-dynamic and ‘natural’ wines.

Is that wine worth its price? This is a question I am frequently asked, mainly regarding expensive Bordeaux.

This week I want to share with you some of the reasons why good Champagne is expensive. One reason is our punitive tax system (fizzy wine is double the tax of still wine), but also because this is not an easy wine to get right.

New Year Resolutions are usually tedious things such as “visit the gym more than once a week”, “pay off the Visa bill every month” etc. This week I am proposing some pleasurable resolutions which will be no hardship.

Terroir is one of those frustrating French terms that is beloved of winemakers and wine-writers but remains little understood by most of the wine-buying public. 

I RETURN to the wines of Spain again this week which I realise is starting to become a bit of a habit.

AH SPAIN. Is there any wonder so many of us go there on holidays every year.

I find the best way to make dark January evenings pass is to eat exotic food.

I AM frequently asked what wine is the best value at the moment and I have had a stock answer for a number of years: buy from Chile and Spain.

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.

SO how many new year’s resolutions have you broken yet?

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

Pichet15, Trinity Street, Dublin; 01-6771060; pichetrestaurant.ie

ST Valentine’s night is peak season for dinner à deux and I’ll be looking at some smoochy wine ideas next week.