Here’s a sobering thought: spend £5 on a bottle of wine and more than 60% of the cost is tax. That’s £2.23 on duty (gulp) plus another 20% on VAT. And whilst beer and spirits have enjoyed duty freezes in recent years, tax on wine has been rising for a decade (39% since since 2010 …
So, I’ve had a nightmare this half term. The washing machine broke. Honestly, it was terrifying. Piles of washing everywhere. On top of that, there’s Saturday’s Trickle Treat (as Youngest Girl calls it) outing to think about. Our kids usually bring home enough sweets to open a shop, thanks to us being one of only …
This has been a cracking week for your wine questions (one of the things I love about writing this blog is being able to help with them). Here are some of my favourites: 1. Which are the best wines to look for in a French supermarket? 2. Why is my glass of chablis so yellow? …
Last weekend, the sun came out. And so did the rosé. There is something about pink wine that hints at summer better than any other wine – and it definitely shines in the sun. This is me, on Easter Monday, at a restaurant on the Isle of Wight called The Hut. If you are ever …
Last weekend, Youngest Girl was 5 years old. She had a little party at home with her friends from school, involving a game of Pass the Parcel, Musical Statues and an early Easter Egg Hunt in the garden. I decorated the house with bunting and the cake with a tub of Betty Crocker chocolate fudge …
“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.” So said a friend, or rather so said her shared photo on Facebook. My immediate response was lovely idea, but if I do that nowadays I slightly wee. Then I thought some more and given the …
I realise that for Red Nose Day I could a) shave all my hair off or b) do a sponsored bike ride or even c) climb a mountain but there are already people I know doing exactly that. So instead, I’ve sponsored them and can now stay at home with a glass of wine knowing …
A while ago, I made this little vlog about tasting wine. It explains the basics behind that rather ridiculous sniff/swirl/spit action, essential if you want to discover what’s really in your glass. But in fact, the best way to taste wine is to compare and contrast, with a number of different wines lined up in …
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