On the grapevine

With flavour, without waste: Mail order specialist Laithwaites have come up with a new wine packaged in 100 per cent recycled glass. Apparently, this is known as ‘wild glass’ and it possibly the first wine in the UK to use completely recycled glass. It means that bottle colour may change slightly from batch to batch but the advantages are a reduced carbon footprint, and a lot less pollution. The wine inside the bottle is organic, the label is biodegradable and there isn’t a capsule. Because the label is small there is a QR code on it so you can click on your phone to find out all about the wine and its provenance. And the taste of the wine – terrific. It is a Frappato 2020 (£11.99 or £9.99 in a mixed dozen) from Sicily, packed full of juicy fruit. Named w/o which stands for ‘‘without compromise’’, this wine was launched only last week. You can put your name down for a bottle on the Laithwaites website: wwww.laithwaites. co.uk/product/805962

Booths offer: There are some cracking bargains in the Booths Wine Event which runs until March 15. Prices are reduced by 25 per cent but you need to choose three bottles from the selected range, which can be mixed. This brings the price of Ch Preuillac 2012, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc, down from £20 to £15. This is drinking well now but won’t come to any harm if you keep it a year or so. I have a soft spot for Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir 2020 from Chile, now down from £14 to £10.50, for its rounded, raspberry and strawberry fruit with enough structure to partner a grilled duck breast. This offer also brings the price of the cool, fresh, minerally flavours of Jackson Estate Sauvignon Blanc down from £14 to £10.50.

When offers like this come along it is always tempting to buy the same wines you normally buy and make the saving, but this is the chance to try something new at a bargain price.