I knew it was going to be dangerous soon after I arrived there, having rocked up at L’Atelier des Chefs for an event that was part of the launch of Red Stag. I was immediately brought a cocktail, which had been predetermined by my answer to a multiple choice question when responding to the invitation. My Claremont Julep went down very easily, a little too quickly and it confirmed that the evening was likely to be a slippery slope.

This is an exciting development and I selected six of these new wines to these shores, two white and four red, to give you an idea of the flavours you might expect as well as their quality. These were some lovely wines with good fresh vibrant flavours; they’ve been well selected by Bruno Murciano, Iberica’s sommelier.

It has to be said and perhaps many of you will know already, I’m not a lover of going to wine tastings. But having found some gems at the Languedoc Grands Crus tasting I was actually quite pleased that I had gone. I got to taste some lovely wines. Now it’s up to you, if you feel inspired, check them out.

Celtic Marches Beverages has created two liqueurs, both brandy based. The ‘Bloody Furlong’, flavoured with apple and maple and the ‘Number Nine Liqueur’ flavoured with apple and blackcurrant. Each of these liqueurs is made from fruit grown on the family owned farm where the liqueurs are produced.

Wines made entirely from Grenache Blanc aren’t commonly available in the UK, making this wine something new for most people’s palates to savour. L’Ancien Comté Grenache Blanc has body from its oak ageing giving it a slightly syrupy feel in the mouth, yet retaining a lovely tingly effervescent quality, particularly at the edges of your tongue. It’s a nicely challenging white with great character.

Champagne is seen by many as a drink to have just at special times, but why restrict ourselves to just those occasional moments? Champagne is an ideal wine to drink and share with your partner or introduce to your guests at any time. If the sun’s out and you’re relaxing having a pleasant afternoon, that’s reason enough in my book.

The Redwood Creek range of wines from Californian is being marketed, to some extent, to those who are ‘rugged’ and outdoorsy. So as non-outdoorsy people, OK neither are we rugged, we decided to try some of these fruity Californian wines and let you know if this was a pre-requisite to enjoying them.

Looking for something a little more special and elegant as a Mother’s Day gift, or indeed a gift for any celebration? You might like to consider a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuveé Rosé, a lovely Champagne that’s presented well in its characteristic bottle. It looks and indeed is, an excellent bottle of wine.

We have looked at a four wines that you might want to consider buying for your Mother’s Day meal, these might help you select the right ones for your table on this special occasion.

If Chile is still keeping the best wines for themselves, they must be very good indeed because Cono Sur are making some remarkable bottles at a sensible price point. For the money the ones we tried trashed same price wines from other New World producers.