My Love for Wine is inextricably linked with my love of food, quality time with friends and family and my first wine-tasing course with a good friend many years ago.
Im interested in the traditional technique of wine making and I love to taste wine in the country it was made. Hence I have fond memories of holidays in Burgundy, Italy and even a memorable trip Austria, where I was pleasantly surprised by the bottles on offer.
But the highlight of my journey with Wine was learning to be a sommelier at Tom Aikins Michelin-stared restaurant in London.
It’s easy to get carried away buying expensive bottles, but you can buy some fine varieties quite modestly. Waitrose and Majestic are among the best suppliers and some of their bottles end up in my home cellar - the major selling point for our house in Corbridge when we bought it!
I particularly admire the wine Producer Anne Leflaive for her bold approach in going organic and biodynamic and I was delighted to find one of her wines on the table for the tasing session:

Tasting Session:
Mont du toit 2003 Wellington
£15.99 a bottle, £95.94 case x 6
This is a powerful blend of Cabernet Sauvingon and Cabernet Franc with Merlot and Shiraz which spends 23 months in oak. The result is actually a bit too big for me. The alcohol content is very high and the flavour big, fruity and spicy with an almost rasin / port like flavour. It definately needs food - a good roast beef or lamb.

Macon-Vere 2006 Domanines Leflaive
£15.99 a bottle, £191.88 case x12
This is a beautiful wine from my favourite producer of white burgundy, Anne Lefaive of Domaine Leflaive, who I have actually had the pleasure of meeting. Her wines are organic and biodynamic and this is one of her excellent entry level bottles which is elegant and top quality. Crisp, clean, lemony and great with fish.

Wines and prices were obtained by the Independent Wine merchant Corney & Barrow.