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.

If you are planning your wedding you might want to visit Visit Wedding Bitz r Us Ltd. They have a wide range of products including napkins, confetti, cake serving sets, toasting sets, guest books and party favours. The website makes is easy to choose matching products, for example when you click on a guest book, you also see recommended co-ordinating items. The prices are quite reasonable and they also offer venue decorations, so you can buy everything in one place. The site is based in the UK, so all orders are sent via recorded delivery and they have a 14 day money back guarantee.

Businesses selling takeaway meals may soon have to include a traffic light health label on their menus. The scheme which is being backed by the government would show how much salt and fat a product contained. For example a chicken tikka masala which has a high salt and fat content might have a red logo, whilst something healthier would have a green one. The system will be piloted in Liverpool with plans to introduce it elsewhere if it is successful.

I found this really interesting website that supplies 3D artwork and floorplans. The website www.locationmaps.com has specialised in online digital mapping and map printing services since 1989. Initially they supplied quality maps for organisations throughout the UK and digital mapping to a global market but they have now also moved into providing 3D maps. Their 3D maps go one step further than a normal printed map. They are hand drawn to give an artists impression of your premises so are great for promoting a business.

To produce a 3D map they start by conducting a full photographic survey of your premises. They take hundreds of photographs of the establishment. From this they agree create some rough drawings based on the photographs. They then agree a rough perspective with you. The next step is producing a proof of the map for your approval so you can see what the final product will look like. The final illustration is then created by working both from the rough designs and the photographs to help ensure the colour is applied correctly and that all the detail is correct. The finished article is something like you see below, in the example of a map created for Worth School.

The custard cream has been voted Britain's favourite biscuit in a recent poll. Nine out of ten people named it as their favourite. Secons place was the bourbon, with the cookie and ginger biscuit coming much further down the list. Personally I have never liked custard creams, what are people thinking?

Bid4prizes.com is an sweepstake game where the lowest unique bid wins. You can play for free online or can sign up for a monthly plan that provides you with multiple bid opportunities. Some of the current auctions include a $50,000 cash prize, a 52 inch plasma TV and an ultimate race weekend. The site also offers free gifts that you can claim just by playing the game.

All you need to do to play is to enter your unique bid and your mobile phone number. You will then receive a text letting you know, if you currently have the lowest bid. If you win then there is nothing to pay and bid4prizes even pay for the shipping. 

The Royal Bank of Scotland has launched a touch and go payment card. The card can be used for purchases of up to £10 and is designed for customer making small purchases. The card is swiped over a reader for purchased of £10 or less cutting down on the need to carry change. Currently it can only be used in a few outlets but more are planned soon.

I was looking around at cosmetic dentist services, mainly because my teeth are discoloured due to fluoride damage.  Unfortunately when I was growing up, my dentist suggested I had fluoride supplements as well as fluoride toothpaste and this combination as well as drinking water with fluoride in it, has left me with permanently yellow tinged teeth which I hate. One website that I came across was a San Diego cosmetic dentist and although it’s a little far for me travel to have the work done, it made me think that perhaps I should get a similar treatment done closer to home.

Sony is going to launch a new add-on to the Playstation 3 which will allow people to watch digital channels and record TV. The service is similar to the current Sky + service and is called PlayTV. It is due to go on sale early next year. It will include the current freeview channels and well as the high definition channels when they become available. Users will be able to store programmes on the hard drive and watch them via Sony’s PSP portable games console. It is not yet known how much the service will cost, but Sony have said there will not be a monthly fee.

I came across this website called webbyplanet.co.uk. It’s basically an online community that is designed to help shoppers save money. The website has product reviews which are updated by the staff and other members of the forum. It also has a voucher search so that you can download internet vouchers for stores that you already use. I have seen a lot of similar websites out there that are aimed at US users but it is really nice to see someone has come up with one for people in the UK. Among some the retailers they currently have vouchers for are the Body Shop, Woolworths, Currys, Comet and Flying Flowers. I will certainly be visiting this site in the future to try and save myself a bit of money.

A recent survey suggests that customers are being misled about the salt content is food. The problem is with ready meals and other processed foods. Manufacturers of some products have been deliberately understating the portion sizes on food labels. This gives the impression that they have a lower salt content. One example given was a packet of chicken nuggets, where the salt content given for a portion weighing 15g, which is the equivalent of just one nugget.

UVme is a new social networking site which is due to be launched in September. Once you have registered on the site you will be able to play the skill games for money. The winner can choose to keep the money or use it to play other people. You will also be able to make money by promoting the skill games site. For every member you introduce you will be paid a commission. The site will also run games tournaments where each player will pay a small fee, going into the prize fund, which the winner then takes. Registration is free, up until launch day.

If you are thinking of buying a new car you might want to read this article first. It suggests that new cars lose half their value within the first year and that after three years it will only be worth two thirds of the purchase price. A typical example is a Ford Focus Style 1.8 which would lose 48% of its value in the first year, 58% in the first two years and 65% after three years. Personally I think I will save a bit of cash and get a used car that’s a few years old.

TCA is a company that specialises in computer cables, network cabling and power cords. They have USB cables, Firewire cables, DVI and HDMI cables and also have a range of peripherals including keyboards, mice and graphics tablets. All items are shipped the same day by UPS as long as you order before Noon, otherwise they are shipped the next business day.

A report suggests that eating food prepared with virgin olive oil can be good for the heart. The oil is rich in phenols which can help to prevent harmful blood clots in people who have high cholesterol. The researchers carried out a study where they monitored the VII antigen factor in people who had been fed a diet contained olive oil. They concluded that the olive oil does have real benefits for the heart.

Its bad news for all chocolate lovers, you could soon be paying a lot more for your chocolate fix. One of the largest chocolate makers has warned that prices will soon rise. Lindt and Sprungli have said the rise is due to the increased cost of materials including milk, cocoa and cocoa butter. Cadbury has also warned they will need to raise the prices of their products.

Waitrose has issued a recall of some of their smoked salmon products because they contain high levels of listeria. The products affected are Waitrose Smokes Salmon Parcels and Waitrose Poached Salmon Terrines dated up to the 28th August. It was found during routine testing that the levels of listeria in the products were above the permitted levels. It is thought the problem is isolated to a few hundred products. Customers have been advised to return them for a refund.

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.

If you are looking for a new interest free credit card you might want to look at Mint. They are currently offering 0% on balance transfers until 1 October 2008, as well as 0% on purchases until 1 March 2008. They offer a credit limit of 7,500 and have no annual fee. You can also get a free additional card for a friend or partner. With a Mint card you can also take advantage of a host of additional offers through their Mint+ scheme. This includes saving money on travel and wine as well as other offers.