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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:
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;
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