I seem to be writing about New Zealand wines a lot of late and it has to be said, quite justifiably. I have tasted some excellent vibrantly fruity produce from this part of the world. So when invited along to a wine tasting at The Vintner, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all the wines on the table for tasting were also from New Zealand.

We surveyed the shelves of Sainsbury’s looking for some interesting wines that you might like to pick up over the coming weeks. We selected four wines that, with Shrove Tuesday coming up, could well go with dishes you are preparing if you are doing something special with friends or relatives on or around that day and would like a wine to go with your pancakes, whether they are sweet or savoury.

I have written about the Mont Tauch co-operative in Fitou before. Renowned for their adopting an environmentally friendly, sustainable approach to their winemaking, Mont Tauch recently launched its Les Garrigues Grande Reserve Grenache Noir 2010. I would unhesitatingly recommend you seek this one out; it’s delightful.

We tasted the Marisco Pinot Gris, The Ned and The King’s Favour Sauvignon Blanc, two bold white wines each with big distinctive character.

The name Nepenthe is drawn from one of the most famous works of historic Greek poet, Homer. In the Odyssey Homer described Nepenthe as an ancient herbal drink so powerful that it eases grief and banishes sorrow from the mind. Do these Nepenthe wines have magical qualities that raise the spirits? I’m not sure, but what I can say is that they are great quality and absolutely worth seeking out.

The Little Beauty wines come from Marlborough in New Zealand, the country’s principal wine producing region, where the climate and terrain is renowned as being ideal for growing grapes that make excellent wines. The two wines that I tasted recently, the Dry Riesling 2009 and the Pinot Noir 2009 are prime examples of this.

Auchentoshan from Glasgow is, we are told, Scotland’s only triple distilled single malt whisky producer, with a history dating back to 1823. Auchentoshan has, over the years, developed a reputation for creating single malts with a smooth delicate flavour and they have recently launched two limited edition whiskies.

I have written about wines from Australia’s First Families of wine before, but with Australia Day coming up it seemed appropriate to check out a few of their wines for those Aussies among us and those Aussiephiles who might just want to celebrate the day with some quality wines from this Australian collective of winemakers.

Start the New Year 2011 with a Tea-infused Cocktail at 108 Marylebone Lane Restaurant & Bar, located in the heart of Marylebone Village. Aromatic teas have been blended with a variety of liqueurs and spirits to create the perfect pick-me-up cocktails, available throughout January 2011, priced at £9.75 each.

We decided to taste some Gallo wines to see how they would stand up to the usual range of festive fayre. All of these Gallo wines were very reasonably priced and we thought they were absolutely an affordable addition to your Christmas or New Year celebrations, or any special meal.