Mont Tauch is the largest co-operative in Fitou, southern France and their Cellar Reserve Terroir d’Altitude Vieilles Vignes is made from grapes grown at high altitudes on old vines. The Mont Tauch Fitou is available Morrison’s at £7.99 which is good price for this lovely wine, it is versatile and worth putting on your shopping list this summer.

Intrepid dipsomaniac, Douglas Blyde headed to Clerkenwell’s Coach and Horses pub for a tasting of ‘Marc Fine Wines’…

Under Greek sunshine, Douglas Blyde tasted three renditions of one of Scotland’s finest whiskies in glamorous company…

On, reportedly, the hottest day of the year, when the temperature in London had been predicted to rise to a sweltering 32 degrees I attended the New Wave Spain wine tasting at The Worx in Heathmans Road, Parson’s Green. The wines were lined up on long trestle tables set up end to end, a little like the set up for a jumble sale or a bazaar.

The people at Grand Marnier have created this lovely cocktail, The Grand Esprit, a long fruity drink to enjoy with friends on a lazy summer’s day. We tried it at a gathering recently and it went down very well with everyone, so much so, that we had to make a few batches up!

The summer social season would be incomplete without a spot of polo accompanied by champagne cocktails. This year’s Cartier International Day, the most prestigious polo event in the world, takes place at the Guards Polo Club on the 25th July.

Following on from its Wimbeldon afternoon tea, Swissôtel The Howard is offering a range of cocktails for sharing…

I have never been a real fan of Beaujolais, my experience has mainly been the race each November to get and drink your first glass of that year’s vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau as soon after its release as possible. So having been invited to ‘Fabuleux Beaujolais 2009’ in Paris, how fortunate that I accepted, my eyes were opened to the great diversity of the produce from this part of France.

To compliment the Finlandia dishes on our recipe page, how about trying one of the many delicious cocktails from Finlandia Vodka. With five variants in the range, each dish can be perfectly matched to an easy-to-create cocktail to tantalise those taste buds whilst chilling out on the picnic blanket.