Am I alone in being thoroughly confused with the various press reports on alcohol and health - especially those in relation to cancer and heart disease?  I have looked at many articles and think I need to analyze what disease I am most likely to suffer before making any decisions. For example, if I stop drinking I am less likely to get cancer but as this does not run in the family and heart attacks do, I would be better having a large glass of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon every day which apparently will help prevent heart disease (thank the Lord!). Of course I also have to eat bunches of fresh fruit, take masses of exercise and go to bed early as well and with luck I should live to one hundred (which would not go down very well with the family!). Or should I sit sedately, not get stressed, not drink but still possibly expose myself to a heart attack and not get cancer? The reports are certainly confusing but any excessive lifestyle is likely to come back to haunt you at some point. The message seems simple to me - be aware of the issues and do as you please. Some are lucky - some are not! There is an old boy down the road who smokes heavily, drinks copious quantities of Guinness and probably eats badly but I bought him a drink last week - to celebrate his 92nd birthday!!

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So the Oddbins estate has been broken up after the chain went into administration recently.  Someone has bought 37 of their shops  - mostly in London and Scotland but also including two of the Oxford ones. The Summertown shop has closed however along with 57 others around the country. A further 50 or so are for sale individually and some may well be purchased by the employees and renamed as small independents. This is what happened when the Thresher/Winerack chain went under. The Oddbins name has also been purchased separately but as yet we do not know by whom - it may be by the purchaser of the top 37 shops! Whatever the case it's yet again all change on the high street. 

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Is it a gimmick that the Queen is planting 16,700 vines in Windsor Great Park  or do her advisors genuinely feel that the soil there is perfect for wine? Whatever the case within three years she will be able to serve an English sparkling wine for her guests. The success story for English wine is undoubtedly in the sparkling area where excellent examples are produced in Sussex and Kent, the most famous being Nyetimber, Chapel Down and Ridge View, though another great example comes from Camel Valley in Cornwall. These wines are serious and often win awards when pitched against Champagne in blind tastings but I have also recently tasted some very poor examples too so it will need a little more than just planting the famous Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay to make something acceptable. I just get the feeling that no expense will be spared to get it right and I have no doubt this decision will be a massive boost for the English wine industry. The big question is - will the wine be ready for Prince Harry's wedding?

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We all had a marvellous evening whilst narrowly beating The Cambridge Wine Merchants in the first of the annual Oxford v Cambridge blind tasting challenges overseen by Dr Hanneke Wilson, the Oxford University's blind tasting team coach. The teams were made up of 5 employees from each company and the individual scores were added up to reach a result. We were given 7 minutes per wine and had to identify the grape variety, country, region, sub region and vintage as well as commenting on the acidity, alcohol, nose and palate etc. The whites in particular were extremely difficult and Hanneke came out with the immortal comment "you did very well getting the grape varieties - unfortunately you did not necessarily get them in the right order!!". Nevertheless a challenging and enjoyable evening with John Chapman emerging as the champion taster of the evening.