On the grapevine
The EU has relaxed its rules and now New Zealand will be allowed to send us some of its delicious sweet wines. The trade barrier was a historical one, which other countries got around years ago, mainly by agreeing not to mis-use European wine names. Now New Zealand can join Australia, Chile, Canada and California and send us their glorious late harvest Rieslings.
Bottle bank
Fine wine has seen a meteoric rise in value over the last decade.
A case of 1982 Ch Lafite Rothschild has increased in value by 857 per cent, from 2,613 to 25,000. To find out more about wine investment, check the Liv-ex site, www.liv-ex.com. But remember, invest with care.
Fiendish quiz
I hope that everyone who intended to enter the 2009 Fiendish Wine quiz has sent in their entries by now. I shall start marking next week and hope to publish the result on January 30.