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GRAHAM'S GRAPES It's no secret that chat show

host Graham Norton enjoys a cheeky glass of vino while

chatting to his guests. In fact, the picky presenter will

only drink Invivo Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough,

New Zealand, on his show. To reward his loyalty, the

winery shipped a container of grapes to the UK for

Norton to tread; then fl ew the grape juice back to NZ

where it was made into a signature Graham Norton

blend. The wine will be released in August, with profi ts

from sales donated to the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Small sips

All aboard!

Explore the vineyards of

the South Downs this

summer on a vintage

Routemaster bus. Departing

from Brighton, trips

include tours of Ridgeview

Wine Estate and Bolney

Wine Estate, with lunch

courtesy of Cantina supper

club, cheese tasting and

cocktails at Be At One.

Tickets cost £75. To book, visit:

brightonfoodfestival.com

Cool hand

A Royal Flush is not just a winner at the poker table; sweet

sip Royal Tokaji declared 2008 to be so good, it released a

whole set of single vineyard vintages for its Aszú wines.

A limited-edition red lacquered gift box contains bottles

from all � ve vineyards as well as Gold Label 6 puttonyos

Aszú. There are just 1,000 boxes available because one

of the vineyards yielded only 1,000 bottles of wine.

£411.84, Farr Vintners

New for New Zealand

Fans of Peter Gordon's The Providores and Tapa Room will

be pleased to hear that the wine buyer behind its terri� c

New Zealand wine list has launched an online wine store:

The New Zealand Cellar. Melanie Brown has sourced

a cracking selection of more than 150 wines from 50

di� erent NZ vineyards, available by the bottle or case.

Visit thenewzelandcellar.co.uk to explore the range.

BOXING CLEVER New to the UK, subscription service My Vitibox is an easy and fun way to learn

more about French wine. Simply sign up on the website and each month

you'll receive a box of two wines with

an instruction booklet that guides you

through how to taste them.

Wines are selected by Alain

Grousse, the former head sommelier

at French Michelin-starred

restaurants including La Tour

d'Argent, Le Crillon and Pavillon de

la Rotonde. Little surprise then

that your Vitibox

also includes recipe

ideas and foodpairing

suggestions

for each wine.

Prices start at

£26 a month;

myvitibox.co.uk

Heroic eff ort

Charity Help for Heroes has joined forces with wine distributor PLB to launch

a wine range. Sales of the two wines - a Shiraz and a Sauvignon Blanc,

which are both made by South African winery Spier - will raise money

to support wounded servicemen and women.

'We are incredibly proud to work with such a worthwhile charity,' said

PLB chairman Simon Fredericks. 'Wine drinkers can really make a di� erence

through purchase of these wines - every penny raised will help to enhance

the quality of life for these servicemen and their families.'

The wines cost £7.99 each, with £1 from every bottle sold going to Help for Heroes.

They are available from Ocado and Rude Wines.

Heroic eff ort

Charity Help for Heroes has joined forces with wine distributor PLB to launch

a wine range. Sales of the two wines - a Shiraz and a Sauvignon Blanc,

which are both made by South African winery Spier - will raise money

to support wounded servicemen and women.

'We are incredibly proud to work with such a worthwhile charity,' said

PLB chairman Simon Fredericks. 'Wine drinkers can really make a di� erence

through purchase of these wines - every penny raised will help to enhance

the quality of life for these servicemen and their families.'

The wines cost £7.99 each, with £1 from every bottle sold going to Help for Heroes.

The wines cost £7.99 each, with £1 from every bottle sold going to Help for Heroes.

They are available from Ocado and Rude Wines.

The wines cost £7.99 each, with £1 from every bottle sold going to Help for Heroes.

They are available from Ocado and Rude Wines.

WINE TOUR