The name Nepenthe is drawn from one of the most famous works of historic Greek poet, Homer. In the Odyssey Homer described Nepenthe as an ancient herbal drink so powerful that it eases grief and banishes sorrow from the mind. Do these Nepenthe wines have magical qualities that raise the spirits? I’m not sure, but what I can say is that they are great quality and absolutely worth seeking out.

The Little Beauty wines come from Marlborough in New Zealand, the country’s principal wine producing region, where the climate and terrain is renowned as being ideal for growing grapes that make excellent wines. The two wines that I tasted recently, the Dry Riesling 2009 and the Pinot Noir 2009 are prime examples of this.

Auchentoshan from Glasgow is, we are told, Scotland’s only triple distilled single malt whisky producer, with a history dating back to 1823. Auchentoshan has, over the years, developed a reputation for creating single malts with a smooth delicate flavour and they have recently launched two limited edition whiskies.

I have written about wines from Australia’s First Families of wine before, but with Australia Day coming up it seemed appropriate to check out a few of their wines for those Aussies among us and those Aussiephiles who might just want to celebrate the day with some quality wines from this Australian collective of winemakers.

Start the New Year 2011 with a Tea-infused Cocktail at 108 Marylebone Lane Restaurant & Bar, located in the heart of Marylebone Village. Aromatic teas have been blended with a variety of liqueurs and spirits to create the perfect pick-me-up cocktails, available throughout January 2011, priced at £9.75 each.

We decided to taste some Gallo wines to see how they would stand up to the usual range of festive fayre. All of these Gallo wines were very reasonably priced and we thought they were absolutely an affordable addition to your Christmas or New Year celebrations, or any special meal.

I tasted a selection of Robert Mondavi wines recently, the 2008 Woodbridge Shiraz,a deep red wine, the 2008 Private Selection Fumé Blanc, a crisp, barrel-aged white and the 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a luscious rich, dark, ruby red.

Hayman’s Sloe Gin is made from wild English sloe berries, gently steeped for several months with Hayman’s Gin before being blended with natural sugar creating a rich ruby red liqueur, making it a great gift for someone special.

A beautifully deep dark red wine and as you drink it you get a fruity acidity on the palate with blackberry and blackcurrant flavours coming through. The chocolates are attractive creations their shell of dark chocolate has a fruity aroma. In the mouth you get the intensity of the 64% chocolate with a clean fruit tang.