It's the love that dare not speak its name: the unholy marriage of chocolate and wine. For years, experts have agreed that whilst a family sized bar of Dairy Milk Whole Nut and a bottle of Chardonnay may seem like a great night in, in proper tasting terms chocolate and wine are notoriously difficult to match. Rather than complimenting each other, when paired, chocolate and wine destroy each other's good points; chocolate suddenly feels cold, granular and saccharinely sweet, w

I am forever grateful to whoever had the very bright idea of giving Kings Cross a makeover; it's given us some great places like Grain Store, Camino and now the new Vinoteca is here and I couldn't be happier. There are already a few branches of Vinoteca dotted around London - and I've spent many an enjoyable evening perched in their Beak Street one - but this is my new favourite. I first visited on a Sunday a few weeks ago and was blown away by how utterly charming all of the

If your house is anything like mine then by the time Christmas lunch rolls around (last year, 7pm, mentioning no names) you're already onto your fifth Baileys, which is not so much with the turkey. Instead of whacking a few 'half price' bottles of mediocre white into your trolley during the big Christmas shop, it might be an idea to think about what would be nice to drink with your festive meal this year. I popped into my local butcher / deli / fromagerie / winery Hampstead B