If you find wines from France a bit of a mind field then this Syrah-Viognier from micro-négociant Nicolas Perrin is a great introduction to where contemporary French winemakers are heading. Très down-to-earth in it’s approachability this is a traditional blend from the Rhône Valley made in a full and fruity New World style. Predominately Syrah (aka Shiraz) it’s ripe with purple fruit characters, violets and black cherry. A splash of Viognier is mixed in the blend (typical of Rhône reds) which adds a fresh and floral touch to a wine I could happily drink day in, day out.

Eton Vintners, Windsor (etonvintners.co.uk) RRP £10.95

Since baby Bouquet arrived a few weeks ago life has been a little topsy turvy. Nighttime resembles day, daytime resembles night and memories of my former life of wine tasting and marketing now seems extraordinarily glamourous in comparison to my current role of milk-manager and nappy-sniffer-in-chief! ………

I read in one of my cookery books this Christmas that to ensure a succulent and tasty bird you should spend as much money as you can afford on your turkey. So, as any rookie Christmas chef would do, I immediately popped down to the local butcher for advice and walked out with an order for a turkey that will feed twice as many guests as we’ve got coming. Don’t ask me how many kilos it is, this is a bird that should be weighed in Great British pounds!

If we took this tack with everything for our festive meal we’d be paying off each Christmas so far in arrears it’d make even the Greeks blush. So when it comes to the credit crunch where can we cut back but still balance that feeling of affordable luxury this Christmas? Wine is a good place to start. ………

Pairing chocolate and wine is emerging as a party season favourite. Although we’re well past Chocolate week it’s a trend that that’s appeared partly thanks to the wine trade’s obsession with food as much as it is to do with our love for indulgence at this time of year.

Getting to grips with dry whites with fish and chunky reds with beef is elementary by most people’s standards but there is a fine line between loving the sound of two of our favourite festive groceries pairing perfectly in one sitting and actually achieving the balance perfectly in practice. Here are a couple of ideas to try to sweeten up your food and wine repertoire….

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Where’s the line between good value and suspiciously cheap? These are two questions I wish I’d asked myself in detail before handing over money to the builders we’ve employed to refit our bathroom. Of the quotes we got it was hard not to be lured by the most affordable, especially when they came recommended by friends. Now in week three of a one week job we’re still without a bathroom and I can’t help thinking Mr B and I have been screwed. ………