Daniel Marzotto on how he ended up at Osteria dell'Angolo in Westminster

Daniel Marzotto, the assistant manager at Claudio Pulze's latest restaurant, Westminster's Osteria dell'Angolo, on the twin challenges of learning English and convincing customers that food and wine matching is still worthwhile in a recession.

Comments - Duncan Watts

It's not enough just to list a good selection of wines in your restaurant, says Duncan Watts, owner and managing director of the Rocket group, you also have to find ways of making that list accessible to your customers

Latour first of the blocks with lower price

Opinion: The Tate's Hamish Anderson on holding your ground in tough times

Hamish Anderson, head sommelier at the Tate, explains how to get your priorities right in challenging times.

Sotheby's sales soar

Sotheby's has bucked the trend of economic gloom after the auction house's latest wine sale netted receipts of nearly £600,000, some 10% above its top estimate.

Laughing Matters

Croak Rotie is the latest wittily named wine brand to poke fun at traditional French wine regions.

Laughing-matters-Croak-Rotie

Laughing matters
First we had Goats do Roam, then Bored Doe.  Now Croak Rotie is the latest wittily named wine brand to poke fun at traditional French wine regions.

Tastings

Winetraders Portfolio Tasting, Hallgarten Druitt Annual Tasting, Maisons, Marques et Domaines Portfolio Tasting, Mentzendorff Portfolio Tasting, Australia Day Tastings and Pol Roger Portfolio Tasting.

Wines in the press, February 14-15

Our review of what the critics had to say in this weekend's national press

Burgundy favourite makes on-trade debut

Blason de Bourgogne has made its on-trade debut, almost seven years after it first appeared in the UK take-home market.

Life of a salesman: Week 2: Anyone for Beaujolais Nouveau?

As I write this, the wine bar across the street is doing a Beaujolais Nouveau Day breakfast, complete with red, white and blue bunting and a blackboard shouting Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivée! Despite a steady decline in popularity since its heyday in the '70s and '80s, the Beaujolais breakfast is a wine world idiosyncrasy that refuses to die, blithely rooted in a time when blackberries were fruit and latte was Italian for milk.

Wines in the Press: The clash of the titans

The focus is very much on Europe this week. Victoria Moore and Jancis Robinson MW hone in on France, with Robinson concentrating on Bordeaux and Moore pitting the same region against other French "titan" Burgundy. Susy Atkins and Tim Atkin MW tell us why they're into their Italian reds, whilst Anthony Rose rounds things off with a look at UK retail stalwart Oddbins.

Wines in the Press: sake, Constantia and the trouble with single varietals

Jancis Robinson mulls over the mysteries of sake, Jonathan Ray visits the Western Cape, and Anthony Rose joins the wine club. Meanwhile, Jane MacQuitty considers what to drink in a recession and Tim Atkin tires of the domination of the big five grape varieties in New World wine.

Wines in the Press: From old wines to sweet wines

Paragon re-establishes Australian connection

UK distributor Paragon Vintners has re-established an Australian representation in its portfolio by winning the full UK distribution for South Australian winery Jip Jip Rocks.

Wines in the Press: Malbec, Muscadet and wines in the desert

This week Jane MacQuitty assesses the future of Oddbins, Victoria Moore goes back to her roots and Jonny Beardsall takes a trip to the Namib desert to meet a remarkable winemaker. Meanwhile Joanna Simon is surprised by the following on new website thewinegang.com.

Wines in the Press: Chardonnay and PX are back in vogue

Some unfashionable wines get some good publicity this week; Jancis Robinson sings the praises of sweet Spanish PX varieties and Jamie Goode attempts to reverse some of the damage Bridget Jones has inflicted on Chardonnay in recent years. Elsewhere, last month's Dispatches programme on the use of chemicals in wine is still a talking point; this week Jane MacQuitty has her say.

ZGM appoints award winning winemaker

International wine producer ZGM has appointed award-winning winemaker Julian Grubb to its team.

Didier Dagueneau dies in plane crash

Acclaimed Pouilly Fumé producer, Didier Dagueneau, has died aged 52. Dagueneau was tragically involved in a microlite accident last Wednesday in the Dordogne region of western France.

Wines in the Press: Washington, South Africa and the rise of M&S

Peter Grogan sings the praises of Washington wines, Jamie Goode comes over all fruit and nut, and Jancis Robinson's tastebuds experience something of a sense of déjà vu this week. Tom Atkin meanwhile might not be a fan of Marks & Spencer's undies collection, but when it comes to its wines it's a different story...