Rosé wine hits retail price index, EU upsets producers

For some reason the newspapers took great delight in the ascendancy of rosé wine to the "nation's shopping basket" - "people are turning to pink wine, hot cooked chicken and parmesan as boxes of wine and tinned cat food fall out of favour", reported the Times in fairly typical fashion. I guess its just easier for journalists to write about the shopping habits of those with 2.4 children than address what's actually happening to the retail price index and the implications for our economy. We're not even going to pretend we understand, content to simply jump on the bandwagon with this genuinely fantastic rosé offer - £3 off the stunning Arbaude of Provence.

Those with a taste for the pink stuff may also be interested in EU proposals that would allow wine producers to mix red with a splash of white, and bottle the result as rosé - heresy as far as France is concerned (particularly in Provence, the spiritual home of rosé itself), and more fun for newspaper headline writers (e.g. "French rose producers pink-faced over EU wine plans").

To placate the French, the European Commission is proposing that its rosé wine would be specially designated and labelled as "traditional rosé", with "rosé" itself up for grabs by anyone who wants to make a pink wine drink. Given the questionable heritage of much of the rosé in the UK, it probably won't make much difference to the "average consumer", but then nor apparently does the taste. Learn more about traditional Provence rosé here.

Wine is bad for you, but not as bad as Facebook

In a week when the Daily Mail carried the story that “Facebook causes cancer”, we should probably take claims that "a glass of wine each evening is enough to increase your risk of developing cancer" with a pinch of salt. Especially as you might also have read this week that a "glass of wine 'could prevent gullet cancer'", "a couple of glasses of beer or wine every day is good for your bones" and that "white wines improve the digestion of low fat food and help prevent cardiovascular diseases".

Mixed messages indeed. I'm not a real doctor but i recommend giving up the newspapers. That, or taking one cancer-beating glass of wine with every cancer-causing one. Sadly the contagion's even spread to France, where the current official "drink with moderation" is to be replaced with cigarette style warnings that "the consumption of alcohol is detrimental to your health". In case you're wondering, the idea has been around in the UK since at least 2006. Perhaps we should start preparing for pictures of pickled livers on our pinot?

Minimum price per unit for alcohol to stop alcoholism

As the war on drinking looks to upstage even the failures of the wars on drugs and terrorism, the Scottish government has has proposed a range of measures including the "radical" step of a minimum price per unit. It would be the first country in Europe to take the step. Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Plummeting prices and aggressive promotion have led to a surge in consumption, causing and adding to health problems ranging from liver and heart diseases to diabetes, obesity, dementia and cancers". It's not at all clear whether she's talking about the government or the alcohol. Let's just make everyone pay more for everything, and then everything will be better.

The art of wine by Sandro Chia

To make a great wine one needs
a madman to grow the vine,
a wise man to watch over it,
a lucid poet to make the wine,
a lover to drink it.
- Salvador Dali

Castello Romitorio is the sort of wine that sells itself. The Tuscan hilltop, the 12th century castle, the allure of the legendary Montalcino appellation, and the fact that the whole operation is run by one of Italy's most famous living artists: Sandro Chia. Sandro says that as soon as he bottled his first 'Romito del Romitorio' in 1984, he could not escape what he then realised were symbiotic passions - "the pursuit of an artistic perfection that displays itself not only on the painted canvas, but also in the glass". This may sound like the perfect line for a brand trying to cash in the reputation of its founder, but it reflects a truism that tells us as much about the wine industry as the great man himself.

It is an old adage that "the best way to make a small fortune is to start with a large fortune and set-up a winery". Sandro Chia is man whose art is exhibited all over the world, whose canvases and sculptures routinely sell for six figure sums - a man who is quite plainly not in the wine business for the money. Instead he is living the dream of pretty much everyone who loves fine wine – the Tuscan estate, the grapes, the viniculture. In the words of Sandro Chia: “We understand wine as the ultimate, seductive fusion of art and agriculture. I have heard some say that grapes are the language of Mother Earth is the – but her dialect is difficult to understand. It is up to us to interpret her and reveal our own character with her Bounty”.

The bottles are works of art and the wine itself is nothing short of magical. The Italians can’t get enough Morellino di Scansano and its always been a favourite of mine. On offer at under £10, I defy anyone to find an Italian red to better the Morellino di Scansano (2007) at this price point. Its big brother, the Morellino di Scansano ‘Ghiaccho Forte’ (2006) is even better. It has a wonderful dollop of syrah in the mix that provides a rounder, fuller palate, spicier overtones and an altogether more complex wine. I had the Brunello di Montalcino with my Christmas dinner and it doesn’t disappoint – a huge tannic wine of incredible structure rivalled only by the best Barolo’s. I decanted this in the morning and while it opened up nicely, the leftover glass I had that evening was as pleasurable as anything I drank over Christmas, suggesting that about 12 hours prior decanting will reward drinkers. I haven’t tried the Costanza or the ‘SuperTuscan’ Romito yet, but needless to say I’m looking forward to it. And when I grow up/win the lottery/sell enough wine, I want to be just like Sandro Chia.