You’ve already bought her chocolates; you’ve already given her flowers. This year, the best way to truly indulge your mum this Mothering Sunday is with some home-grown, English sparkling wine. Chapel Down has the perfect gift for every mum, ranging from a single indulgent bottle to a whole set of her very own vines.

Now I must confess that I have never been convinced about wine with Indian food. I’ve been to no end of press events where a top sommelier hired by a fancy Indian restaurant has introduced a wine and food pairing menu. Some have been fun, all have been interesting, but throughout I have been unable to rid myself of one cynical thought – they want to convince us to drink wine with Indian because there’s a bigger mark up on wine than on lager. There I’ve said it.

Joe Wadsack, the former Wine Communicator of the Year, will be at Richard Phillips at Chapel Down on Friday 30 January to give budding food and wine connoisseurs the opportunity to enhance their understanding of wine making by explaining the entire process, from tank to table and grape to glass.

Fairhills, a progressive Fairtrade wine brand, is using Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 as a way to urge its customers to think about ‘what’s in a glass’. This year, Fairhills is investing over £220,000 in Fairtrade projects across South Africa, Argentina and Chile. In one glass of Fairhills wine, drinkers can not only enjoy fruity reds and whites, but they can also be assured that 5p from every glass will go toward helping people in South Africa, Argentina – and now Chile, which has just this month been awarded Fairtrade accreditation.

Tradition dictates that the sale of wine ‘En Primeur’ is not something that generally happens to the blushing pinks of the wine world, but is the preserve of more ‘serious’ wines from a particular left or right bank. The decision by the novel online wine retailer www.fromvineyardsdirect.com to release the 2008 vintage of Château Pontet Bagatelle Rosé En Primeur is, therefore, likely to raise a few eyebrows – with orders limited to a maximum of five cases per person.

Croft has shaken up the Port category with a lip-smaking rosé called CROFT PINK which will tickle palates pink on Valentine’s Day. No longer considered as only an after dinner drink, CROFT PINK has revolutionised Port drinking bringing it right up to date for year round enjoyment. Smart drinkers will enjoy its sweet, vibrant aromas when served chilled, over ice, or with soda accompanied by roasted almonds or olives.

Let it never be said Foodepedia didn’t have fun with puns! With Christmas fast approaching, it is time to wrap up warm and choose some delicious wines to enhance those festive occasions. Chilean wine is perfect for Christmas entertaining with its innovative and diverse wine styles. Popularity of Chilean wines continues to rise with around a third more sold this year to date *. So whether or not it is a white Christmas, why not make it a ‘Chile’ Christmas with some of these stunning Chilean wines.

While most of us have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to cook for the Christmas meal, wine choices often get made during last-minute sweeps of supermarket aisles. To make choosing wine less stressful, bone up on the many varieties of Beaujolais that might be a perfect match for your holiday meal. The light, fruity red wines, best served slightly chilled, match menus all year round but really come into their own during the holiday season.