Tapas-style cuisine is taking off across the UK, and it’s no longer limited to restaurants. James Wilmore talks to the bars and pubs who are finding that sharing plates makes business sense

With most Brits firmly off splurging and back to counting the pennies, there has probably never been a better time to consider adding some extra New World fizz to your list. Andrew Catchpole joins a panel of sommeliers to see what’s on offer and work out how you could sell it

There’s a battle going on for premium position on the digestif trolley, and it’s one that doesn’t favour the little guy. Our panellists strike a blow for the underdog with a flight of 15- to 20-year-old Armagnacs. Clinton Cawood report

Get involved with an exciting campaign to promote authentic Protected Designation of Origin food and drink, as Discover the Origin returns for 2012. A series of free masterclasses will focus on world renowned Ports and the iconic wines of Burgundy and the Douro Valley

There’s no shortage of classic cognac cocktails – but which brands and styles work best? Andrew Catchpole joins a bevy of tasters as they go in search of mixing heaven

In New Zealand’s warmer North Island, there is a growing feeling that the best reds are being made not with Cabernet and Merlot, but Syrah. Rebecca Gibb heads to Hawke’s Bay and discovers a battle between winemaking idealism and hard-nosed pragmatism

Grappa, so the old gag went, came in two styles: leaded and unleaded. But a revival of the artisanal distillery scene has turned this into a high-class – and hugely varied – category. Cin cin! says Norman Miller

The UK's biggest dedicated tasting of biodynamic wines

Bibendum to host events timed to fit in with sommeliers' schedules

With the shortlist of hopefuls drawn up, Chris Losh sat in as the judges deliberated over the winners of the 2011 Louis Roederer Wine List of the Year

It might be best known for its reds, but the Rhone’s whites have an awful lot to offer too, as Clinton Cawood and a team of tasters discover

His original plan foiled by looters, Will Beckett calls in his very own A-Team to a secret underground lair (the decidedly un-secret Hawksmoor) and kicks off his very own beer-based Battle of Britain

Will it be a sweet success story pairing a selection of St Urbans-Hof’s off-dry Mosel Rieslings with modern European food? Andrew Catchpole finds out

Another day, another new absinthe brand...After years of promising to be the next big thing, absinthe’s time may have arrived. Clinton Cawood gathers a high-alcohol-tolerance panel to put a dozen to the test

Premixes are the Vauxhall Astra of the barworld: as sexy as corduroy, but practical? Hell yeah! Nushi Wijewardena and a team of bartenders put a stack of time-saving contenders to the test.