Introducing wine boffin and all round angel…. Halo:

I spent New Years Eve with five of my oldest and dearest school friends. Well, who better to wave a spirited goodbye to 2009 with? Who better to offer a tipsy welcome to 2010 with and poke a sozzled stick in the eye of January’s smug guilt–tripping mug? Not so, three were pregnant and two were breastfeeding, very bad form indeed! And so it fell to me (and the boys) to raise a glass of something good ‘for the sake of Auld Lang Syne’ (it means ‘Days Gone By’ – hmm, how very appropriate). ………

Heritage Road Merlot Reserve 09

The last week or so has been uncharacteristically celebrity filled. I’m not talking X-factor finalist or Big Brother ‘stars’, I mean like Bob Geldof, Kristen Scott-Thomas, David Tennant…. you know, real famous people! They joined me at the opening night of Legally Blonde The Musical at The Savoy Theatre. If you enjoyed the film then the show is a must. “OMG, its-like soooo full of energy!”

Not wanting to sound blasé or anything but Sir Bob and David T weren’t even almost the highlight of my week. No, it was on Tuesday afternoon when I bumped into Steven Spurrier at The New Zealand Wine tasting that my heart really started to pound. Who?! I won’t be too surprised if you haven’t heard of him, he’s never appeared on the pages of Grazia magazine or Vogue, and I doubt he ever will. He’s a gentleman of a certain age and a walking, talking, wine trade legend. So great is the impact he’s had on the world of wine that Hollywood has recently made a film about him. It’s called Bottle Shock, put it on your January DVD viewing list you won’t be disappointed. ………

Wine: Lindauer Brut Cuvée, New Zealand

Style: Sparkling

Outlet: Sainsbury’s, Majestic

Price: £8.38, £9.99 respectively

Occasion: Night in, Party wine

Trend: Utility wine ………

Last night I had take away from Ukai for the second time this week, maybe you already know it, they’ve got three branches in London so far. If you don’t and you like sushi then may I introduce you to a great calorie minimal treat for January. Forget readymade sushi platters from your local supermarket, this is freshly made on site and eco friendly, all their fish is sourced sustainably.

Anyway, the girls were coming over and I’d promised them an evening of DVD’s, NYE wine left-overs, xmas stocking chocolates and a January friendly guilt free meal – sushi take away from Ukai. Saturday nights in don’t get much better than this!

I decided I should reward my pals for their efforts for crossing London in the snow and dutifully stocked my fridge with three sparkling wines:

1. ‘Taste the difference’ Champagne, Vintage 2003
2. Prosecco Beato Bartolomeo Breganze Extra Dry
3. Lindauer Brut Cuvee from NZ

A mixed bag for sure and of varying quality. ………

It’s January, your Christmas tree’s had it and let’s face it so have you. The party season has taken its toll and you’re ready to continue the traditions of the season and write your new year’s resolution list. This year I’ve taken a more than an average interest in my friend’s lists and now they’ll know why. Here are their top 5:

* lose weight
* get fit
* pay off credit cards
* drink less wine….. (eek)
* get married (double eek!)

If you’ve put ‘drink less wine’ on your list don’t write it off as another resolution lost just yet as drinking less wine is the wine trend for 2010. Follow my three step guide and you’ll see you can drink less, still have fun and feel good about keeping to at least one of your NY resolutions! ………