If your January is looking a little too dry, head to Reverend JW Simpson for a session of spritzing n’ mixing.

Cruisin’ for a boozin’? The Cocktail Trading Company has just opened a brand new hotspot on Brick Lane.

Alan Kingsbury contrasts two vintages of Waipara West’s delicious Sauvignon Blanc and can’t quite get to grips with the fact that these world class wines are so affordably priced.

Alan Kingsbury pops down to Aldi in search of a cheap bottle of Champagne; but is it any good (and will he tell his wine-buff mates how little he paid?)

Choosing wines for Christmas usually has him dithering undecidedly over the regional shelves; but this year, Alan’s in the mood to bring some Mediterranean sunshine into the depths of a British December.

Supermarkets vary in their ability to offer genuine regional wines at value prices so I was happy when a pre-Christmas reccy of my local Morrisons led me to the conclusion that, here at least, ‘Seek and ye shall find’.

With a few days of fine weather forecast, it’s absolutely imperative to roll out the barbeque one final time this year and use up the last of your briquettes before they end up sitting dolefully in your garage for the next nine months.

Stuck for Father’s Day Ideas ? Our drinks department comes up with some suggestions.