I am a fan of wine boxes for everyday drinking and cooking so was interested to see that they have got smaller. The normal sized 3 litre box has reduced to a slightly smaller 2.25 litres. It seems with the price of wine boxes having gone up they have become less popular and fewer people are choosing to buy them. The boxes then have been downsized with a smaller price tag of around the £11.39 mark rather than the previous price more than £15. Sainsbury’s who have made the change have said it has resulted in an increase in sales of more than 5%. Personally it has been a while since I brought wine as I am currently unable to drink so have not noticed the change. I do tend to buy more premium boxed wine, however, paying in region of £20 to £25 a box. I wonder whether these have also been downsized or if it is just a change to the Sainsbury’s brand?

If this article is to be believed Australians are increasingly choosing wine over beer. If the trend continues it is thought wine sales will overtake beer sales within 10 years. In fact the consumption of beer has dropped by almost half to its lowest level in 50 years. Wine sales, however, have increased three fold over the same period.

According to this article Aldi and Lidl are both selling a bottle of champagne for just £9.99. Aldi’s Vue Monsigny and Lidl’s Comte de Brismand both sell for just under £10. They get mixed reviews from critics with some experts suggesting the taste is not that great but others calling it elegant and fruity. Unfortunately I don’t have an Aldi or a Lidl near me otherwise I would buy some and post a review. Have you tried either of these bottles of champagne and if so what were they like?

According to this article wine sales in Britain have fallen for the first time in ten years. Figures show that the average British household does still drink more than a bottle of wine a week, however, it appears that people are cutting back. 1.16 billion litres of wine were sold in Britain in 2008, a two per cent fall on the previous year and the first time there has been an annual fall since 1995. One factor that might be behind the fall is the increase in wine duty last year which means a duty of £1.61 on a standard bottle. It might also be that people are spending their money more wisely in the current economic climate. What do you think? Are you buying less wine?

According to this article wine sales have plummeted as people begin to feel the effect of the recession. The article says that the amount of win brought in pubs and clubs has shrunk by 1%, that's the equivalent of around 12 million bottles. The figures from The Grocer also show that supermarkets, convenience stores and garage forecourts are also selling less wine, whilst off licenses have recorded a drop of 6% in sales value. Personally I haven't been buying less wine to drink at home but I do tend to drink less if I go out to a pub or restaurant as prices are usually overinflated.

A British schooner has started carrying bottles on wine in a move that could revive the merchant shipping industry. Its first commercial cargo consists of French wine and is being transported on a six day journey to Dublin on the 108 year old ship called the Kathleen & May. The initial contract is with 80 vineyard owners from the Languedoc Roussillon region of France and will carry their bottle from France to Dublin on the tall ship. This form of transport has the advantage that it is pollution free as the ship simply uses wind power rather than emitting carbon dioxide like conventional merchant ships.

Scientists have found a way to make white wine as good for you as red. Red wine is generally thought to be better for you because it contains high levels of polyphenols which lower cholesterol. However, these are present in the skins of the grapes which are taken off when making white wine. However, research has found that leaving the skins to ferment with the pulp for a short time and adding a small amount of pure alcohol can preserve the polyphenol content of white wine. The downside is that the wine tastes like a dessert wine because the added alcohol inhibits the ability of the sugar in the grape to convert to alcohol.

According to this article music can enhance the way a wine tastes. Research by psychologists has shown that people perceive a change in taste when different music is played. Researchers found that cabernet sauvignon was most affected by powerful and heavy music whereas chardonnay was affected by zingy and refreshing sounds.

An environmental study has found that some bottles of wine from France are contaminated with pesticides. The survey analysed 40 bottles of wine and found that 34 bottles contained pesticides, some of which are classified by the EU as health threatening. Among the affected wines were three Bordeaux cru classé wines and a Burgundy Santenay. On average the bottles tested contained more than four different pesticides but they were found to exceed EU pesticide limits.

I just opened a bottle of Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 which I purchased from Sainsbury for £6.99. The wine is from Boekenhoutskloof in South Africa. I was browsing the South African wine section at Sainsbury and I must admit my attention was caught initially by the bottle because it has a picture of a porcupine on it. The blurb on the back of the bottle says very little about the wine and more about porcupines, making me wonder exactly how this is relevant to the wine. Apparently the only connection is that porcupines live in the area where the wine is produced. This said, the wine itself is really good and even my husband who is not that keen on red wine loved it. It is quite full bodied and fruity, tasting a little of blackcurrants. At 14.5% it’s a rather strong wine but good value for the price and very drinkable. I give it a rather respectable 4 out of 5 stars.

Greg Mulholland, a Liberal Democrat MP has called for pubs to introduce smaller wine glasses. He says that many licensed premises have stopped selling wine in smaller 125ml glasses and now only serve it in 175ml and 250ml glasses. His view is that these larger glasses can lead to people drinking more than they want to and more than is safe if they are driving. He plans to introduce a sale of wine bill that will force all licensed premises to offer the standard 125ml measures alongside the bigger glasses. One of these large glasses contains twice as much wine as a small glass or around a third of a bottle.

I just opened a bottle of Vashon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. This is a really fruity full bodies red wine. It has a slightly oak like taste. I thought this was a really nice wine and good for the price of £6.49 a bottle. Slightly strong at 14% volume but it still gets five stars.

This is a pleasant enough wine with a slight taste of oak. Its not the most exciting wine, I have tried recently, and could almost be called bland. At £8.99 a bottle I think it’s a little overpriced for what is it. I give this one a rather generous four stars, pleasant but unexciting.

I just opened a bottle of Trois Calices Vin de Pays de Mont Baudile, 2006. This is a really full and fruity red wine with hints of hers. It is sweeter than I expected it to be, but still not overly sweet. This is one of the nicest wines; I have tried recently and at £6.99 a bottle, really good value for the price. I give it a full five stars out of five. The only bad thing about this wine, is that it will not last very long.

I just opened a bottle of Araldica d’Aria Pinot Grigio, 2006. This is a really nice fruity white. It has a lovely crisp flavour and is great for drinking on a hot summer’s day. I gave this wine a four star rating out of five, although its possibly a four and half, it really is good and only £5.99 a bottle.

I just opened a bottle of Fenwick Estate Barossa Valley Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, 2006. Personally I liked this wine, but a word of warning; it’s probably not to everyone’s taste. The wine is very dry and has a sharp, crisp flavour with citrus undertones. This really is a wine that needs to be chilled to perfection in order to fully appreciate the flavour. This wine was from Virgin wines and came with useful tasting notes that ask you to rate it out of five. I gave it a rather good four stars, but bear in mind if you don’t like dry wine, you will find it too sharp. At £6.99 a bottle, it’s a good buy.

I just opened a bottle of Las Casas de Vaqueria Merlot 2006. The wine is from Chile and is 13.5% volume, so stronger than it first appears. The wine whilst not having a great deal of aroma to it is surprisingly fruity. It has a really pleasant taste of plums and blackberries and is a particularly smooth wine. At only £5.99 a bottle this is a really nice wine and certainly one that I will buy again. The only problem with it is once you have opened it, you will find it hard not to finish the whole bottle.

I just opened a bottle of Spier Shiraz 2005. The wine is from the Cape of Good Hope. It has a fruity smell and a full bodied colour. It doesn’t taste as fruity as it smells but has a plum like flavour with oak undertones and a hint of spice. At only £4.99 it’s a good wine for the price.

The heat wave in Italy is taking its toll on the local crops especially grapes. A poor grape harvest is predicted for this year meaning we could see a shortage of Italian wine. The heat means that the vines flower too early leading to small grapes. The expected production for this year is expected to be done by around 10%.

The Treasury Department is considering new labelling for alcohol in the US. The new rules would require companies to put the alcohol content, serving sizes and nutritional information on all alcoholic drinks. Everything from beer cans to wine bottles would have the new labelling. This kind of labelling is already widely used here in the UK, although it is currently not on every alcoholic drink.

New research has indicated that a daily pint of beer or a large glass of wine could raise your risk of developing bowel cancer by 10%. The study was based on data collected from 480,000 people. The risk is further increased for those who both smoke and drink.

I just opened a rather nice bottle of Circular Quay Shiraz 2006 Bin 30. From South Eastern Australia it is a rather smooth wine with a slight blackcurrant taste and a hint of cedar wood. For around £6.00 a bottle, I think its quite a good buy.

I found a bottle of Fetzer Barrel Select Merlot 2005 in Tesco. I must admit I brought it because it was on offer at Tesco for £3.99 and I thought at that price it was worth a try. The bottle blurb boasts of a range of tastes including plums, vanilla, raspberries, cherries and chocolates. When I tried it the taste of plums was evident and it was a really fruity wine. It did however lack body, although to be honest at £3.99 I was not surprised. In all, it was a nice enough wine that went down fairly well, but about what I would expect from a £3.99 offering, ok, but not great. Not a wine I would buy again.

As a wine lover I found this article interesting. It lists the top 10 most expensive bottles of wine ever sold and includes a slideshow with information about each of the wines. Much as I love wine I can’t imagine why someone would pay over $100,000 for a bottle.