Wine

January has arrived and the nation's mood has switched from chestnuts roasting on an open fire to wet socks drying on an exposed radiator. With the nights still long and the weather unremittingly miserable we pick at life's little pleasures to see out the worst of the winter, and what better place to start than with a warming, full bodied bottle of red. La Bohème, Act Four is a fine wine shipped from the famed Yarra Valley in Australia. Like its...

A fish and chip shop have shunned traditional fizzy pop in exchange for a more upmarket taste - Britain's best English wine list. Olley's Fish Experience stock nine separate English wines from the south coast including bottles from Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Dorset. The bottles made from English grapes and produced entirely in Britain, have been matched with fish dishes. Owner Harry Niazi, 55, has run the takeaway and restaurant for 30 years but only began stocking the native wines...

What is the secret to making a good wine? Ask the French and they'll say they'll say its the terroir. Ask any New World grower and their more likely to say its the human input that really makes the difference. But ask the Leaf Plucker vineyard on the Western Cape of South Africa and they'll put it down to one rather unusual factor: sheep. Winner of the Gold badge at the Quality Drink Awards for Best White Wine Under £7, Leaf Plucker is a lovely example...

By Katherine Dart, Master of Wine and Buyer at Berry Bros. & Rudd Unbeknown to many, the UK wine industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy, generating £9.1bn in total contribution to the public purse, employing 170,000 directly and a further 100,000 in the supply chain. And this isn’t a new phenomenon; globally, the UK has played a central – but often overlooked - role in the world’s wine industry from as far back as the Middle Ages, with...

One of the best wine scenes I've ever come across - other than the classic "I'm not drinking f*cking Merlot" line in Sideways - is the last supper in Of Gods and Men. The monks share red wine to the accompaniment of Tchaikovsky's Grand Theme from Swan Lake, playing on an old tape machine in the corner. Xavier Beauvois's camera does nothing but pan slowly around the table while this happens, minutely watching these men's careworn faces as they absorb the mystery...

Last year something remarkable happened in the wine industry. For the first time an elite group of Parisian experts judged English sparkling to be better than champagne in a blind tasting, with many even saying they were convinced that some of the UK-produced fizz was from their own country. It was the first of many signs that a cross-channel wine war has commenced. English wine has been making a significant ascent for several decades now, and thanks to a warmer climate...

How is rose wine produced? It's a question that has been mused over by many a drinker on a hot summer's day as they nose the fruity aromas of refreshing pink vinos that provide cool, crisps refreshment for parched palates. Some search their memories for instances when they've spotted pink grapes and some deduce that it must be a process of mixing white wine with red wine. But although the latter is a legitimate process for creating rose wine, it...

The most prestigious space on the Monopoly board, Mayfair is home to some of London’s most excessively expensive restaurants and bars. Tucked away on Down Street, however, tiny authentic tapas bar El Pirata is celebrating the end of summer by introducing four new Spanish wines, all of which are available for less than £20. This offer is available until Saturday 16th September and cannot be found elsewhere in the area. El Pirata’s new wines include Colegiata Malvasia Blanco D.O Toro,...

If there were superheroes of the wine world, Masi's Tour would undoubtedly be one of them. Considered “the Valpolicella of tomorrow” this is intense and full-bodied wine would fill out a muscle chest Superman outfit with ease. It's name, which derives from the volcanic rocks of its vineyards of origin, has kryptonite qualities and its punchy qualities owe their heritage to Oseleta, the forgotten native variety rediscovered by Masi. The nose combines familiar Corvina aromas with the firm character, power and...