Advantages: Cheap
Disadvantages: Very harsh, has a acidity taste

...& Spencers the day before. The wine in question wss the Vin de Pays du Gers and the culprit for my purchasing this wine was none other than our "In-House Wine Connoisseur" Miss Blurbubble. A bit about the wine before I start bubbling (intended mention) about the wine itselft. Vin de Pays du Gers is basically the second most produced wine in France. 1,800,000 Hl of the wine is produced yearly and produced in an area referred to as the "Gers" in France. Marks & Spencers, like other makers such as Tesco etc, have joined in the band wagon of having their names attached to economically viable and economically priced wines, by linking up with French companies that provide and produce the respective labels of wine. Unforunately the wine in question is absolutely horrible. It was lucky that I was already "happy" after my lavish consumption... Read review

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Advantages: Pleasant, easy drinking, cheap wine
Disadvantages: Sometimes Aldi run out

...We have all been beefing about being reduced to writing ops in the new Food & Drink category, then it hit me – an excuse to drink more wine! Where I used to go to the cinema with a notebook, to write film reviews, now I can sit at home, slurp and try to write something coherent. Great. I thought of attempting to write a proper wine review, of a really good bottle, then thought I’d be honest and tell you what I normally drink. Baron Saint Jean Vin de Pays du Gard is sold exclusively (as far as I can tell) by Aldi. They sell is at an unbelievable £2.09 a bottle. A proper, 75cl bottle! I can’t remember why I first took a chance and bought a bottle – either extreme woolyheadedness or a week when I was totally skint. But I was very glad that I did. It’s alright! Now I usually like a full, well-rounded red... Read review

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Advantages: Distinct flavour
Disadvantages: Can be pricey, bit too sour

...OH gawd! I’m at it again! Another alcohol opinion – seems I can only go one or two opinions without writing one but the food categories – well, let’s just say that I don’t eat a lot! Today’s subject – Marks and Spencer Vin De Pays du Gers – a French white table wine, though what the “du Gers” bit means I couldn’t tell you. I bought two bottles of this just before Christmas and took one bottle over to the parents for Christmas dinner and kept the other in my fridge. We polished off the first bottle over the turkey and I have just hauled the other bottle out of the fridge and finished it off myself. The description on the bottle made us all laugh -“ refreshing and vivacious” – VIVACIOUS?! How so with a wine? It didn’t dance around the table or tell us jokes or anything! Although it certainly was refreshing and unusually tangy – I... Read review

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Advantages: Absolute bargain basement!!
Disadvantages: Sharp acidic taste, not good if your a recovering Alcoholic

...choice was two cases of Chalis Premier Cru (1999) at £12.99 a bottle. This is one of my all time favourite wines and is perfect for any occasion. (Goes very well with wild salmon canapés) and of course I also purchased the obligatory case of Moet and Chandon. Since having a sense of humour, this dictated that I should to get them all pissed on good wine (as one does!) and then pull out the ‘battery acid’ and see if they noticed…well to cut a long story short they didn’t, although it could have had something to do with them all being as drunk as lords!! On to the Wine! Vin de pays du Gers (2001), at what can only be described at the amazingly low price of £2.99. I surprisingly liked this wine, described as being a ‘full of palate-tingling sharp apples, lemons and limes’ Vin de pays d Gers is a popularly produced wine in France and comes... Read review

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Advantages: They ask you to take the `freebies` away !
Disadvantages: Gets very busy and may need to book well in advance.

...History : Many years ago when I was a young under age alcohol drinking teenager living in a small village outside Winchester, Hampshire my friends and I would go to what was then called the `Southgate Hotel` to sneak inside the stale smelling bar to pretend we were 18 and sip martini and cinzanos believing we were the height of chic...................... In 1994 some one had the good heart to transform my illegal drinking den into the first Hotel Du Vin, a hotel built on its reputation of quality and turn it into something so chic, smooth and luxurious that I had to pinch myself the first time I revisited it. This is now one of several Hotel Du Vins and has been an adult retreat for me for 3 times now - I like to think that both myself and the hotel have improved with age ! Location: The Hotel Du Vin Winchester... Read review

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Advantages: Pure unadulterated luxury and great service
Disadvantages: erm... nope can't think of any

...I like doing really daft spontaneous things. That's why I told my partner we were going out for dinner at the Hotel Du Vin in our nearby town of Tunbridge Wells, but secretly booked us into a luxury double room upstairs too. Now seeing as Tunbridge Wells is only a few miles away, it was a tiny bit of a decadent gesture but hey, let's go mad once in a while. I nearly managed to blow the whole surprise when in the bar for an aperitif I told him the glass of wine had already gone to my head! 'How are we going to drive home then?' he said worriedly. He then preceded to spend the whole evening weighing up the options of trying to catch the last train home, or splashing out on a cab and collecting the car the next day. Knowing our bags were already upstairs from when I'd checked in that afternoon I smiled to myself. Luckily the food... Read review

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Advantages: read review
Disadvantages: read review

...Today is the lucky day that I tell you all about the most delicious creamy yum cheese in the world. I am also going to tell you how to make a chicken and Boursin recipe which is absolutely divine, have I ever lied to you? Ooh you are excited aren’t you! Now you must have heard the of the advert “Du pain, du vin et du Boirsin (bread, wine and Boursin for you non French speakers). It was one of the most famous and successful French adverts in history. Packaged in a delightful aluminium cover, Boursin is recognised as one of the best French cheeses, by me anyway. The Boursin Dairy was started in 1957 at Croisy-sur-Eure and in 1964 Boursin Cheese was created, it is a cousin of some of the normal traditional Norman triple crème and unripened cheeses and since its start has been produced with pasteurised milk, creme and spices... Read review

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Advantages: catchy tune
Disadvantages: you decide

...He's into mohawk hair dos Pink nails and diamond rings He's always on the eve news That man does it all but sing She's into pub li ci ty Short frocks and a bigger chest She just adores her hubby Though with his sarong should come some breasts He'll make you turn to Vodafone And stick bryl cream in your hair She'll make you starve to the bone That talentless little mare Say g'bye to such a pair Up side in side out He's Lea vin for bloody Re al It's a long way from th'East End Lea vin for bloody Re al Headlines drive ya round the bend United fans will wail He will wear you out Lea vin for bloody Re al Lea vin for bloody Re al They're lea vin for bloody Re al Woke up in New York C ity In a Posh swanky hotel She took his sperm And she took his money Brooklyn came, Romeo as well She ne ver drinks the wa ter... Read review

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Advantages: cheap and cheerful!
Disadvantages: goes down too easily!

......late december back in '99, we discovered that this REEF was fine, from a bottle, glass or through a straw... it will throw you to the floor!! du-du-du-du-du du-du-du-du-du Walk into wetherspoons. 99p. Oh lets have another. seriously, this drink is just to easy to down. The 5% volume of vodka soon adds up at such a great price and flavour. The drink really does taste like pure fruit juices and is reasonably priced in most bars and clubs. It comes in a selection of flavours including orange and passionfruit, red berry and kiwi and apple and mango. I've had some good times with this drink including winning a racing bet for downing the bottle in the fastest possible time (3.5 seconds!)! I recommend a taste of delight from this cutely packaged beverage when your next at the bar, or chilling at home!... Read review

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Advantages: Delicious, Creamy and unusual taste, fairly cheap
Disadvantages: Rancid smell, unpleasant colour, Woah! those calories

...The thing about cream cheese is it’s just so decadent, it turns previously healthy food items (Ryvita, Oatcakes) into little crunchy slices of sin, and you know what? I love it! I’m a committed fan of Roule cream cheese, the taste is divine and the smell is actually quite nice (for a cheese) but recently I have been getting bored of it, so I decided to try something different. That different thing is Boursin (you know: Du pain, Du vin, Du Boursin). It comes in a little 80g box for 90p, which I think it a bit of a bargain. Open the box and slide out a squat cylindrical foil package about the size of the palm of your hand (unless you have very large hands, common sense here people). Uncurl the foil around the edge and pull out the circular piece of foil in the middle, you will almost certainly get some cheese under your fingernail... Read review

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