Christine Austin's wines of the week from Waitrose, Booths and Sainsbury's

De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2023, South Africa, 13.5%, Waitrose down from £11.99 to £8.99 until March 11: Seriously good Sauvignon with crunchy Granny Smith freshness and a light lemongrass style. Team with fish.

Taste the Difference Gavi di Gavi 2022, Italy, 12.5%, Sainsbury down from £13 to £11 until March 18: Light, fresh and dry, with pear and apple fruit, lemon zest, and a light sprinkle of herbs. Perfect as an aperitif.​

Marchesini Rosso 2023, Piemonte, Italy, 13.5%, Co-op down from £8.50 to £7.50 until March 11: Barbera, Nebbiolo and a splash of Merlot and Cabernet give cherry and bramble fruit with good food-friendly structure.​

Rustenberg RM Nicholson 2021, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 14%, Booths down from £13.50 to £11 until March 11: A rich-tasting, cassis-loaded, pepper-edged Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot blend from one of the best estates in the Cape. Perfect with a roast Sunday lunch.​

Sake masterclass

Latitude Wines will hold a sake masterclass on Thursday, March 27 when Miho Komatsu who is the international ambassador for Akashi-Tai sake will talk about the way this wonderful Japanese drink is made and show seven different expressions of sake.

So, if you are not sure about the difference between Junmai and Daigingo or Honjozo and Namazake styles of sake, then this is the masterclass to go to.

There will be cheese and nibbles to taste alongside the sakes. Tickets cost £45 each and you need to log on to the Latitude website and follow through to events to sign up.

Alternatively, ring them on 0113 2453393 and they will steer you through the website.

Winemaker dinner

On Wednesday March 19, Nicolas Kozik from Viña Progreso in Uruguay will present a range of wines from this extraordinary winery. Viña Progreso is the ‘experimental’ winery of Gabriel Pisano based in the heart of Uruguay’s best grape growing region.

Here he makes wines using techniques he has learnt during tours and working periods with many of the best winemakers in the world.

This is fabulous opportunity to see what Uruguay can produce, alongside an excellent dinner. The event is hosted by Martinez Wines and will be held at Quinta Bar and Grill in Ilkley.

Tickets cost £70. Contact Quinta on [email protected] to book your place at the table.

The bubbles have burst

Last year’s champagne shipments were down by 9.2 per cent from 2023, and while the drop in sales of over 27 million bottles is not solely down to the UK, we are a significant market for champagne, so clearly, we have not been popping the cork as much as usual.

Apparently, the Champagne producers are not worried, they expected this reaction after Covid drove us all to drink and retailers overstocked their warehouses, however this might be the time to keep an eye on champagne prices in case special offers come along.