Andy Neather and Victoria Moore discuss when to decant wine; what wine to enjoy at Christmas with your Stilton cheese; brain food for Christmas, including a podcast with Coravin inventor Greg Lambrecht, plus Ruby Tandoh's new book; a party game with AI wine tasting notes; and some Christmas wine recommendations.

Featured:

Taittinger Champagne NV Brut

Waitrose Blueprint Amontillado Medium-Dry Sherry

D'Oliveiras Medium-Sweet 5 year-old Madeira

Talisker 10 Year-Old Single Malt Whisky

Domaine Bousquet "Ameri" Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Gualtallary, Argentina https://vintageroots.co.uk/domaine-bousquet-ameri-gualtallary-sauvignon-blanc/

Tim Atkin's Cork Talk interview with Greg Lambrecht: https://timatkin.com/cork-talk/cork-talk-with-greg-lambrecht/

Ruby Tandoh's book: “All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now"

Music: Rosa Neather https://open.spotify.com/track/6U2rMSG1sTA3DAvYlXmE9f?si=Xh4HdR2nQhe6C79hYumNlw

Which Champagnes are good to look out for thisChristmas? As one East London pub draws the line: children out after 7pm, is this the future for drinking culture? And exactly how much of the price of your bottle of wine goes straight to the taxman? Andrew Neather and Victoria Moore pull apart some of the big issues in wine.Christmas Champagne: we recommend two stand-out affordable buys and look at how the quality stacks up when you’re comparing cheap Champagne and classy crémant or Cava, tasting Gavin Quinney’s Château Bauduc Crémant de Bordeaux 2021.

Leyton’s William IV pub says its ban on children in the pub after 7pm comes in response to customer feedback. So should pubs be looking after drinkers or families first?

Following the Budget, we look at how higher duty has added to a host of cost pressures on wine. How does Britain’s alcohol tax measure up against that of other European countries? Andafter duty, VAT and the new EPR recycling levy, plus transport, packaging and the rest, how much of the cost of an £8 bottle is left for the wine itself?

Recommendations:

Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears: The Story of the 1990s Restaurant Revolution by Andrew Turvil

The Wines of Beaujolais by Natasha Hughes MW

This year's English grape harvest as been hailed as one of the best ever. So why has one of the country's biggest and best producers, Ridgeview, just gone into administration? We look at the harvest and at the challenges of making money from English wine - when you're in competition with Champagne. Also: Prosecco and why the Champagne authorities are threatening model Cara Delevingne; on the road in Galicia, Spain after devastating fires in its vineyards; and what we've been drinking this week.