Agony Aunt: How to achieve the right tone when writing your wine list

We don't have a fully trained sommelier on site to explain wines to our diners. How can I make sure that our wine list is written in such a way that it encourages people who don't know much about wine to order with confidence without talking down to customers who do know a lot about wine?

Raymond Blanc wins dessert wine trophy

Raymond Blanc's two Michelin-starred Manoir aux Quat' Saisons has won the European final of the Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2009.

Profile - Dawn Davies

After stints at Zuma, Boxwood, The Square and the Ledbury, Dawn Davies has gone on to become head sommelier at Selfridges department store. She explains how working in retail has given her a whole new perspective on the world of wine.

Agony Aunt: What should I do if a customer knocks over a bottle of wine and demands it is replaced?

A customer knocked over a half-full bottle of wine the other day, then insisted I replace it with a full bottle. How should I have dealt with the problem?'

Tastings

Winetraders Portfolio Tasting, Hallgarten Druitt Annual Tasting, Maisons, Marques et Domaines Portfolio Tasting, Mentzendorff Portfolio Tasting, Australia Day Tastings and Pol Roger Portfolio Tasting.

Comments - L'Anima's Gal Zohar looks at Piedmont's culinary and winemaking synergies

L'Anima's Gal Zohar examines the reasons why Piedmont's culinary tradition and changes in winemaking techniques are inextricably interwoven.

Anthony Worrall Thompson latest on-trade casualty

Wine merchants and producers are facing a year of spiralling bad debt as increasing numbers of restaurants go bust, leaving them with unpaid bills.

Two becomes one for Harpers Wine & Spirit

The first issue of the newly merged Harpers Wine & Spirit Trades Review was revealed to the UK drinks industry this week following the acquisition of Harpers by William Reed Business Media in November last year.

SITT 2009 - latest news

The SITT (Specialist Importers Trade Tasting) brochure is now available on-line.

Comments - Doug Wregg

When compared to currencies like the euro and the dollar, the value of the pound has crashed over the past few months. Les Caves de Pyrene's Doug Wregg looks at the implications for your wine list.

Profile - Ronan Sayburn

Ronan Sayburn quit his job as Gordon Ramsay's head sommelier to go and travel the world. Now he's back in London, heading up the wine team at The Greenhouse. He tells us how his twin inspirations are Hugh Johnson and Gérard Basset, and why a wine-mad restaurateur makes a great boss for any passionate sommelier

Agony Aunt - Katie Exton

A customer recently asked me whether we would allow them to bring in a bottle of their own wine - and that's when I realised that we don't have any kind of corkage policy at my restaurant. What are the pros and cons of allowing people to bring their own bottles, and how should I go about working out an appropriate corkage charge?

News - New Chilean region

Viña Errazuriz has launched its first wine from Chile's new Aconcagua Costa region.

News - Heatwave hits Australia hard

Australia's ongoing grape glut will see wine producers and growers go out of business despite the reduction of this year's crop by the record heatwave, according to John Angove.

Tastings - Liberty, Bibendum and Washington/Oregon

Liberty Wines Annual Portfolio Tasting, London, 20 January 2009

News - Surviving the recession

Profits, margins and customer service were the clarion call for the on-trade at this week's Wine + show held at London's Olympia.

News - Tough sell for 2007s

Merchants are likely to struggle with their 2007 Burgundy en primeur offers as the strong euro and lower yields force up prices. Prices for the vintage, which has had a mixed response from commentators and buyers, are up by as much as 20% on 2006, leading some merchants to delay their offers until later in the year.

News - Rosé to drive wine

Rosé sales will be the powerhouse in the UK wine market over the next five years, according to research commissioned by Vinexpo.

Tastings - IWC Library Collection results announced

The IWC Library Collection is a newly developed competition that focuses on 5 and 10 year old wines. This category is integral in the development of greater wine awareness and will help expose wines that benefit and reward consumers with patience. The results represent a wide variety of wines from around the world expressing true ageability. The Library Collection is unique as it demonstrates the merits of premium aged wine and encourages the consumer to invest in wines with cellaring potential.

To view the wines that achieved 85 out of 100 or higher visit: http://www.internationalwinechallenge.com/competitionpage1.aspx

Comments - Christine Parkinson on the Credit Crunch

Times may be tough, but the only way you'll get through 2009 in one piece is by being straight with your supplier, however bad the news, argues Hakkasan's Christine Parkinson.