Forget the wacky races of Beaujolais Nouveau, says Alan Kingsbury,instead go for the Beaujolais Crus as he did by tasting six of the best to be found.

Named after a town in California, Zinfandel is a characteristic grape variety of the U.S.A with its early ripening fruit producing a juice with relatively high sugar levels. This means that the resulting red wines are rich and powerful and ones that will appeal strongly to all those with a taste for the New World.

2009 was a good year in Fitou. There could be more concentration in the fruit but the winemakers here have clearly gone for elegance and balance; more charm than power, serving as a reminder that wines from the south are working towards comparison with their classic counterparts further north.

We all want to drink responsibly but that doesn’t just mean simply not getting hammered. We should all be drinking wines that are local, so as to cut the carbon footprint, and wines that are well priced, to cut the shopping bills. Welcome to Bordeaux.

The Meat & Wine Co is delighted to announce that its recently launched wine club, The Meet & Wine Club, will be holding it’s third meeting Tuesday 1st September 2009. CALL MY BLUFF MR CHANCELLOR will be the evening’s theme.

‘This summer, from 7th June to 1st August, Carluccio’s will take you back to the ancient vineyards of Sicily with a season of Vini di Famiglia (wines from families) as they celebrate their annual wine festival.

Wine Couture is the ultimate wine club for women. This first event in the capital is a unique occasion – a tutored tasting of German wines, including the exclusive wine from the Handel family vineyard.

With summer iseemingly started, diaries are slowly beginning to fill up with picnic days, lazy lunches and alfresco drinking sessions. Now all that’s left to do is find a vibrant wine, full of character that’s the perfect match for any social occasion.

If you’re looking for a guilt-free way to enjoy summertime drinking with friends, Fairhills – the world’s leading Fairtrade wine brand – makes it easy with its wide range of reds, whites and rosés from South Africa and Argentina.

Argentine restaurant specialist, Gaucho, which lists 199 Argentine wines, has grown its own label range to include nine specially produced wines.
The Terruño range, Terruño being the Spanish translation of ‘terroir’, has been put together by Gaucho Director of Wines, Phil Crozier to represent all of the major grape varieties in Argentina.