Robert Mondavi opened his winery in 1966, his reported intention – to produce Californian wines that belonged in the company of the great wines of the world. Given the producer’s prominence in the Napa Valley, we decided to sample a couple of Robert Mondavi’s premiere wines and let you have our thoughts.

Ultra-premium Ketel One vodka has partnered with Future Shorts to present The Spirit of Film – a celebration of the skills and craftsmanship of short film-making, in selected venues around the UK.

Short of Christmas gift ideas and running out of time to find a present with the X-factor? Treat the gastronome in your family to the ultimate gourmet indulgence – a bottle of Harveys Pedro Ximénez, made exclusively from sun-drenched Spanish PX grapes. Smooth and velvety, this delectable dark mahogany-coloured dessert wine is bursting with aromas of raisins and dried figs.

Russian Standard Vodka has teamed up with MasterChef 2009 winner Mat Follas to bring you something different for your dining table this Christmas and has come up with four alternative recipes to serve your hungry guests. Instead of the traditional turkey and Brussle sprouts this year why not indulge in alternative high dining with some tantalising Russian Standard cocktails to celebrate in style!

The RNLI Talisker gift pack is a great Christmas present for whisky connoisseurs and with one pound from every sale of the pack being donated to the RNLI, you and the loved one who receives it will know that you are helping support this incredibly worthwhile charity.

Credit crunch eating into your champagne budget? Think the stuff is overpriced anyway? Then why not turn your gaze toward Spain where sparkiing wines may not have the snob appeal of Champagne, but in the glass and on the nose can often hold their own against fancier tipples. Reina Maria Cristina is a Chardonnay blended sparkling wine, full of fine persistent bubbles and fresh, intense aromas.

Retailing exclusively at Selfridges, Smirnoff have introduced two gift packs that could be the answer to one or more of your Christmas present worries this year.

Manager’s Choice is Diageo’s first complete collection of single-cast Scotch whiskies. Aimed at collectors and connoisseurs it’s been chosen over time, and by the expert managers, to represent each of the 27 distilleries authentic whisky signatures. Unique and delicious they make the perfect present for the man who has everything and a special date coming up.

One hour after consuming my promo bottle of Organic Yang mei Juice, I think I may have OD’d on the stuff. My vision seems super sharp, there’s a slight pressure behind my temples and I am feeling oddly energised. The keyboard is floating about a centimetre off the desk and there’s a slight buzzing noise inside my ears. All I need now is the bats to descend and it’s Fear and Loathing in Carnaby Street.

Apparently they serve Fevertree mixers at the Fat Duck and El Bulli, so one assumes they must be good. Nothing like a bit of Blue Peter-ish practical testing though is there, so we lined up some Fevertrees against some of the more usual suspects and did a blind (drunk) testing.