Heather Dougherty

Sparkling wines are on the crest of a wave in the UK. In a shrinking market for wine consumption overall here between 2009 and 2013, sparkling wines have been the only growth category; and they are forecast to continue the positive trend in future.
Prosecco has been the fizz making all the noise in recent years, but, perhaps surprisingly, in tough economic times, Champagne has managed to hold its ground against its rivals, and the UK remains its number one export market....

If you enjoy actually tasting wines, as well as just reading about reading about them (and who doesn't?), then you might be interested in going along to one of the Wine Gang Live events coming up in London, Bath and Edinburgh in the next few weeks.
The Wine Gang of five is Tom Cannavan, Jane Parkinson, Anthony Rose, Joanna Simon and David Williams, who are some of the most high profile and well-respected wine writers in the country.  At the events you'll get the chance to sample hundreds of different...

Food and wine matching can be a minefield.  Recommending food to go with wine can often either be alarmingly precise (“perfect with a herb and polenta-crusted roast rack of lamb”) or hopelessly wide-ranging (“serve with red meats, stews and casseroles...

British barbecues are for wimps.
Here, we wheel out our garden centre supplied, rickety barbecues at the first hint of a sunny Sunday and try to coax heat from last year's slightly damp charcoal and firelighters, before chucking on a few bangers and burgers and hoping they'll cook before...