Roll out the budget barrel – wines for under a tenner Christine Austin December 1, 2017 Drink, Wine Having tasted my way through over a thousand wines in recent weeks, here are the most wallet friendly wines that will keep costs down in the build up to the festive season. All limbo under the £10 mark and...
Marks and Slender – lower alcohol and best buy wines at M&S Christine Austin November 18, 2017 Drink, Wine If you are watching your weight but still want to enjoy a good glass of wine then three new wines on the shelves at Marks and Spencer might be of interest. Sumika Sauvignon Blanc, Sumika Shiraz and Sumika...
Women’s Libations – positive discrimination in a glass Christine Austin October 30, 2017 Drink, Wine The wine department in a supermarket used to be referred to as the ‘husband’s playpen’. This was generally regarded as a safe place to leave men while the wife dashed around the rest of the store,...
Detour de Force – take a trip to Booths Christine Austin October 25, 2017 Drink, Wine As a retailer, the Northern chain of Booths, with just 28 stores is a minnow in a sea of sharks. Compared with the 6000 Tesco outlets, Aldi’s 700 and even Waitrose’s 355, Booths seems more like a chain of...
Flowing Cape – Top wines from South Africa Christine Austin October 10, 2017 Drink, Wine Regular readers of this column know just how much I love South Africa. Not just because you can fly there overnight leaving cold British weather far behind and have breakfast in Cape sunshine. What I love most...
Hail be to Soave Christine Austin September 21, 2017 Drink, Wine The sky turned from blue to black in just a few minutes and as we headed down the mountain, huge hailstones, the size of conkers, rained down on the car. We sheltered under a large tree, although this was not...
Educated palates Christine Austin September 5, 2017 Drink, Wine The last few weeks have been traumatic for anyone with teenagers in the house. A rollercoaster of hopes, worries and fears brought on by exams have, in many cases, been transformed into results and plans of...
What’s in the Wine Box? Christine Austin September 5, 2017 Drink, Wine Is that it? Here we are at the last Bank Holiday of the summer and whatever good weather we have had seems to have gone all too quickly. The great advantage of the long summer break is that the main London...
Chilled out Reds – cool red wines for hot summer days Christine Austin August 16, 2017 Drink, Wine I have spent the last couple of weeks visiting family in Canada and eating out in restaurants that have ranged from friendly local bistros to fine dining. The weather was warm to hot and while I have enjoyed...
Wine – Bargains in a Bottle Christine Austin August 2, 2017 Drink, Wine As austerity becomes a way of life it is tempting to cut down on expensive items such as wine but while the sun shines and there is fun to be had just by lighting the barbecue and inviting a few friends round,...