On the grapevine

Bordeaux by the book: To the casual observer, the structure of Bordeaux is simple – left bank, right bank, the 1855 classification and en primeur prices. To get deeper into Bordeaux you either have to visit many times a year or just go and live there. That is what Jane Anson did several years ago and since then she has become an undisputed expert on the region. For Inside Bordeaux, she has visited hundreds of properties, talked to owners and winemakers and tasted thousands of wines. Anson manages to compress detail about châteaux into just a few paragraphs, while still adding snippets of fascinating information. She mentions Roman remains, wildflower meadows, dovecotes and a pirate sailor who bought vineyards long ago. There are also maps and pictures which detail soil types and the landscape. If there is one wine book you should buy, for yourself, or for the wine lover in your life, it is this one. Unusually it has been published by wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd, priced £60. Go to www.bbr.com to reserve your copy, to be released on May 27.

Wine deliveries: While York’s small but beautiful restaurant Le Cochon Aveugle is closed it is accepting orders for takeaway food, to be delivered or collected. It is also selling wine from its sister business Cave du Cochon and will deliver within the York ring road. There are selections of everyday wines, Cochon favourites and premium wines. Go to www.lecochonaveugle.uk. Yorkshire Vintners, in Ripon, is also delivering free within the whole of Yorkshire. It is one of the few merchants which stocks Yorkshireborn winemaker Richard Kershaw’s excellent Clonal Selection Chardonnay from South Africa (£36). Other wines to check out include Zorzal Garnacha (£12), from Spain, and Hoffman and Rathbone’s Barrel Fermented Bacchus (£17.50), from England. www. yorkshirevintners.co.uk