The Guardian

Fiona Beckett says from the lists of supermarket promotions she receives every month, you'd think the British drank only Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and occasionally Chardonnay, or Shiraz and a Rioja for reds.

She thinks some of it must be to do with anxiety about what friends and colleagues might think of our inability to remember or pronounce wine names. If you're a relatively new wine drinker, how do you break out of this rut? She asks. Beckett recommends setting a target to try a new grape variety every four or five weeks. The Dominio del Plata's 2011 Torrontes (pronounced ‘torron-tez' £7.99, Marks & Spencer) could be the first, she says. It's from Susanna Balbo, who in Beckett's opinion is one of the best producers in the Salta region of Argentina. Or she suggests going Greek with the "crisp, zingy" Hatzidakis Assyrtiko 2010 (ass-ear-ti-co, down to £8.24 Waitrose), from Santorini. It's perfect with chargrilled squid, she says.

The Telegraph

Victoria Moore was reacquainted with an "old friend" the other day in Pizza Express, the Camillo de Lellis Biferno Rosso Riserva. It was unknowingly ordered from its wine menu, which she says only relays the name of the grape and the region it comes from, not which vintage it is or, who made it. In other words: none of the information you need to make an informed choice, she adds. The wine is a blend of Montepulciano, Trebbiano Toscano and Aglianico, and has a "soft, dusty-bramble lead-in" and a "warm but gentle spice". It's aged for up to three years in old Slavonian barrels, at five years old hasn't been churned through the winery, pushed into a bottle and sold at the earliest opportunity, she says. So now you know what to order at Pizza Express, says Moore. It's the fourth one down on the list, the one with the parchment-style label.

The Financial Times

When the FBI arrests someone for wine fraud, you know the crime has moved into the mainstream, says Jancis Robinson MW. Young wine enthusiast Rudy Kurniawan (he used several aliases) was rumoured to have been recently arrested and photographs of counterfeiting equipment, including wads of labels of Châteaux Pétrus, Lafleur and Lafite were circulated. Château Latour is to stop selling its wine en primeur and will only be sold form its château from next year, concerns about provenance is a significant factor in this decision, she says. Very soon, Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, will also offer a new tracability system, which should be relatively easy, says Robinson, since all DRC labels are individually numbered. There is no such obvious numbering on the labels of Château Pétrus, but a subtler verification system for each bottle was instituted in the mid-1990s and other top Bordeaux have followed suit.

The Mail on Sunday

James Bond fans were recently shocked to discover that in the 007 movie, Skyfall, Daniel Craig is to swap his dry Martini for a Heineken. It's caused quite a furore on Smith's Twitter feed, because while most people seem relaxed about Bond with a craft beer, the ubiquitous nature of Heineken has made the news harder to swallow, says Smith.
Smith is always keen to hear what people's favourite flavours and tastes are so he can find a wine that'll appeal to their beer palate. If you adore the light, bright, refreshing lemony edge, of lager then look for unoaked wines such as New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, he says. Or if you prefer a more full-flavoured IPA, then Smith recommends a rich and mineral-fresh white, such as a top-notch white Burgundy or Austrian Grüner Veltliner. For best bitter lovers Rioja is the place to go, and for stout fans there are two paths. You can go sweet with some nutty Oloroso or Pedro Ximénez sherry, or, if you prefer the coffee flavour in stout, have a crack at South African Pinotage. With Bond embracing beer, let's follow his lead and sip something unexpected. Anyone for a glass of mead? He says.