<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[HelenaSips - Wine & The Art of Living: News & Events]]></title><description><![CDATA[Details of live tasting events  with Helena as well as need-to-know food and drinks news for the epicureans out there. ]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/s/events</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Recu!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee201589-2729-48de-8256-72b8086d58a6_256x256.png</url><title>HelenaSips - Wine &amp; The Art of Living: News &amp; Events</title><link>https://www.helenasips.com/s/events</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 22:08:30 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.helenasips.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[helena@helenasips.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[helena@helenasips.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[helena@helenasips.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[helena@helenasips.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[The UK's Best Wine Lists 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8230; And one&#8217;s on the Isle of Wight!]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/the-uks-best-wine-lists-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/the-uks-best-wine-lists-2026</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:20:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ySVG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd438e353-2f3f-4be9-9f39-e7c2d598f774_2048x1152.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>When it comes to official restaurant guides, the priority has always been food. This makes sense on many levels but for real wine lovers like us, it misses something - the main something!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For those unfamiliar, Star Wine List was born out of a very real gap in the industry: the need for a global, trusted way for wine lovers to discover genuinely great wine lists while shining a light on the people quietly curating the most exciting, thoughtful selections in the world. It is the wine lover&#8217;s shorthand for where to drink well; a guide to the finest restaurants and bars across 46 countries, assessed and recommended by wine professionals who actually know their stuff including Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers. The annual awards tour takes that mission on the road, shining a light on the teams behind the lists as much as the lists themselves.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A couple of weeks ago, the Star Wine List of the Year UK returned to London for its sixth UK edition and I was lucky enough to be in the room to celebrate the winners as they were announced. Results are below but firstly, here&#8217;s what the stars mean:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How the Stars Work</strong></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Star Wine List operates on two separate strands. The first is the guide: an ongoing global directory of great places to drink wine, where venues hold either a <strong>Red Star</strong> (personally visited and recommended by someone on the team) or a <strong>White Star </strong>(wine list reviewed and approved, but not yet visited in person).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The second strand is the annual awards competition, which is what the London ceremony was all about. Any restaurant or bar can enter their wine list to be judged. Finalists receive a <strong>Silver Star</strong>; winners get a <strong>Gold Star</strong>. These are entirely separate from the guide stars and a venue doesn&#8217;t need to be listed to compete.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This year, 13 Gold Stars were handed out across as many categories. All but one went to London venues with the Best Ros&#233; Wine List coming home to the Isle of Wight for the second year running with my dear friends, Ashley &amp; Tom at <a href="https://www.theterraceventnor.co.uk/">The Terrace, Ventnor</a>. Huzzah!</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>This Year&#8217;s Gold Stars</strong></h3><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhFj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6be63312-2246-4df4-9bc6-6001d953e775_1560x878.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhFj!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6be63312-2246-4df4-9bc6-6001d953e775_1560x878.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhFj!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6be63312-2246-4df4-9bc6-6001d953e775_1560x878.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhFj!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6be63312-2246-4df4-9bc6-6001d953e775_1560x878.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HhFj!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6be63312-2246-4df4-9bc6-6001d953e775_1560x878.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Seek out these venues for the most epic and imaginative of wine lists:</p><h4><strong>INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES</strong></h4><p>Best Long List, presented by Bibendum ( lists with 600+ wines)</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/dopposoho/">Doppo, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Medium-Sized List, presented by Dreissigacker( 200-600 wines)</p><p><strong><a href="https://trivetrestaurant.co.uk/">Trivet, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Short List, presented by The Buyer (fewer than 200 wines)</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/dakadaka.london/">DakaDaka, London</a></strong></p><p>Best By-the-Glass List, presented by Lingua Franca</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.rowon5london.com/">Row on 5, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Sparkling Wine List, presented by Laurent-Perrier</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.rowon5london.com/">Row on 5, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Newcomer List</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.labombe.co.uk/">Labombe by Trivet, London</a></strong></p><p>Sustainability Prize, presented by Esterh&#225;zy</p><p><strong><a href="https://restaurant-stbarts.co.uk/">Restaurant St. Barts, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Austrian Wine List, presented by Austrian Wine</p><p><strong><a href="https://newcomerwines.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorDi56DqIG9zc9X6VxGAKr0uIWCqTXdmrecC6JB5Ng3dBbbQFEA">Newcomer Wines, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Italian Wine List</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/dopposoho/">Doppo, London</a></strong></p><p>Special Jury Prize (Rewards a place that does something out of the ordinary)</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.oma.london/">OMA, London</a></strong></p><p></p><h4><strong>LOCAL CATEGORIES</strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W18L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd551ed0d-8bbf-4829-9725-51ec0aa5d62d_1560x878.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W18L!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd551ed0d-8bbf-4829-9725-51ec0aa5d62d_1560x878.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W18L!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd551ed0d-8bbf-4829-9725-51ec0aa5d62d_1560x878.jpeg 848w, 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Best Ros&#233; Wine List, presented by Ch&#226;teau Galoupet</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theterraceventnor.co.uk/">The Terrace Rooms &amp; Wine, Ventnor</a></strong></p><p>Best Spanish Wine List, presented by Familia Torres</p><p><strong><a href="https://mountainbeakstreet.com/">Mountain, London</a></strong></p><p>Best Riesling Wine List, presented by Dr. Lippold</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.maybourne.com/en/hotels/claridges/restaurants-bars/claridges-restaurant?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_campaign=local">Claridge&#8217;s Restaurant, London</a></strong></p><p><em>Want to know more about Star Wine List and the winners? <a href="https://starwinelist.com/wine-story/star-wine-list-of-the-year-uk-2026-winners">Click here</a>! Star Wine List is also available as an app.</em></p><p>*****</p><p><strong>#ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)</strong></p><ul><li><p>The HelenaSips Podcast is now live! <a href="https://www.helenasips.com/s/the-helenasips-podcast">Check here</a> to see who&#8217;s on&#8230;</p></li><li><p>C&#244;tes du Rh&#244;ne: Boyband of Wine Styles. <a href="https://www.helenasips.com/p/cotes-du-rhone-wines-an-overview">Read it here. </a></p></li><li><p>Get Midweek French Bistro Vibes with this Croque Monsieur Recipe &amp; Wine Pairing. <a href="https://www.helenasips.com/p/midweek-french-bistro-vibes">Read it here. </a></p></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The HelenaSips Podcast is LIVE!]]></title><description><![CDATA[With 3 episodes to binge...]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/the-helenasips-podcast-is-live</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/the-helenasips-podcast-is-live</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:15:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TdcI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6cf852f1-8596-48d5-ad7f-7c65259dd900_2048x1152.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.helenasips.com/s/the-helenasips-podcast" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TdcI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6cf852f1-8596-48d5-ad7f-7c65259dd900_2048x1152.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TdcI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6cf852f1-8596-48d5-ad7f-7c65259dd900_2048x1152.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TdcI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6cf852f1-8596-48d5-ad7f-7c65259dd900_2048x1152.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TdcI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6cf852f1-8596-48d5-ad7f-7c65259dd900_2048x1152.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TdcI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6cf852f1-8596-48d5-ad7f-7c65259dd900_2048x1152.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" 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Join me every fortnight as I meet special guests over a virtual drink to find what makes their creative minds tick.</p><p>It may come as a shock that this is NOT a drinks podcast - although wine and spirits may feature more strongly in some episodes rather than others (I&#8217;m looking at you, actor and winemaker Sam Neil and you, Champagen president Vitalie Taittinger!) Instead, this is a series of intimate conversations exploring how successful creatives structure their lives for joy through the lens of their senses and personal rituals. From scent and memory, culinary pleasures and music that moves them, to the hobbies that replenish their creative wells and how they stay grounded when the world feels chaotic.</p><p>This is the Art of Living for 2026 and beyond.</p><h3><strong>Listen Now!</strong></h3><p>You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or via Helenasips.com. A new episode will be out every fortnight from now on but we&#8217;re launching with a bang with these three legends&#8230;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://www.helenasips.com/p/podcast-joanne-harris" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s4Pz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6af278d7-f8e3-488b-843a-7e35e4cbfd39_1456x250.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s4Pz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6af278d7-f8e3-488b-843a-7e35e4cbfd39_1456x250.jpeg 848w, 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class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://www.helenasips.com/p/podcast-vassos-alexander" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg" width="1456" height="250" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:250,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:48202,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/p/podcast-vassos-alexander&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/192883426?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sgcp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F842c5974-fabc-40b1-9e6a-0bb3966c9b54_1456x250.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p style="text-align: center;">Want to know what it&#8217;s all about? You can give the trailer a listen too here&#8230;</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/p/trailer-the-helenasips-podcast&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Listen to the Trailer&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.helenasips.com/p/trailer-the-helenasips-podcast"><span>Listen to the Trailer</span></a></p><p>If you like what you hear, please do spread to word to help me bump this up the charts and get more exciting guests in for a chat.</p><p>Thank you for all your support. It means the world.</p><p>Helena</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe for drinks wisdom, top recommendations and podcast episode alerts!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wine & Spirits Chocolate Pairings]]></title><description><![CDATA[At Cowes Fringe 2026!]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/wine-and-spirits-chocolate-pairings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/wine-and-spirits-chocolate-pairings</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:39:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/debff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:119436,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/192647492?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2Zzv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdebff007-349b-481d-9ccf-a8542062962b_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Join me with Chantal Coady OBE, founder of The Chocolate Detective, for TWO ridiculously delicious, fine chocolate and drinks tastings as part of the Cowes Fringe Festival 2026! Come and taste what real chocolate actually means and learn how to pair it to drinks like pro. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Premium Chocolate &amp; Spirits Pairing</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>When?</strong> Sat 23rd May, 5-6pm</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Where?</strong> Bar 46 in Cowes, Isle of Wight</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Price? </strong>&#163;26.35 (inc booking fee)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.ticketsource.com/cowes-fringe/fine-chocolate-spirits-pairing/e-xpovzz&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Buy Tickets!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.ticketsource.com/cowes-fringe/fine-chocolate-spirits-pairing/e-xpovzz"><span>Buy Tickets!</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Fine Wine &amp; Chocolate Pairing</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>When?</strong> Sun 24th May, 2.30-3pm</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Where?</strong> Bar 46 in Cowes, Isle of Wight</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Price? </strong>&#163;26.35 (inc booking fee)</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.ticketsource.com/cowes-fringe/premium-wine-chocolate-pairing/e-emrkpm&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Buy Tickets!&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.ticketsource.com/cowes-fringe/premium-wine-chocolate-pairing/e-emrkpm"><span>Buy Tickets!</span></a></p><p></p><p>Want to see what else is one? take a look here: <a href="https://www.cowesfringe.com/">cowesfringe.com</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[I'm Back with Alan Carr & Lee Peart]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's episode 15 and it's a corker!]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/im-back-with-alan-carr-and-lee-peart</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/im-back-with-alan-carr-and-lee-peart</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:46:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-xme!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01e942b7-dd50-4a1c-983b-847e6f071bdb_2044x1124.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b5UY3LgJbw&amp;t=526s" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-xme!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01e942b7-dd50-4a1c-983b-847e6f071bdb_2044x1124.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-xme!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01e942b7-dd50-4a1c-983b-847e6f071bdb_2044x1124.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-xme!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01e942b7-dd50-4a1c-983b-847e6f071bdb_2044x1124.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-xme!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F01e942b7-dd50-4a1c-983b-847e6f071bdb_2044x1124.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This week, my second appearance on the Bottoms Up! podcast with Alan Carr and Lee Peart went live. It was the most unhinged episode to date, thanks largely to a very non-spitty epsiode filmed just before mine with Alex James. What can I say? It&#8217;s all a Blur. </p><p>You can listen to it AND watch it live on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ENV4UyL6tsQJsXX1fQnDJ">Spotify </a>and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b5UY3LgJbw&amp;t=526s">Youtube</a> as well as other pltforms. My entrance is at 30 mins :) If you liked it, please leave a comment saying you think I should come back on!</p><p>The full name of this episode is <em>Alan Gatecrashes Judi Dench&#8217;s Party?! The Oscars, A Guinness Challenge &amp; Wine That Made Alan Cry.</em></p><p>You can watch my first appearance in episode 3,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SH1XzC0ynQ"> here.</a>  That one&#8217;s <em>Dating App Disasters, Dinner Ladies and Celebrity Lookalikes.</em></p><p>Bottoms Up!</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe for more drinks wisdom in your inbox!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>H x</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">HelenaSips - Wine &amp; The Art of Living is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bottles & Bites: Portuguese Pleasures]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Sips Safari around Portugal]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/portuguese-pleasures</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/portuguese-pleasures</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 12:55:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:91491,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/181421134?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FTax!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36967845-ca79-4349-aae9-67cb468c2875_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Portugal is arguably the most underrated European wine region out there for wonderfully complex, brilliantly inexpensive wines and the reason is clear: they tend to use local grapes that people can&#8217;t pronounce and the wines tend to be blended too, which can be an extra barrier to understanding immediately what they are. Once you get over that however, you&#8217;ll know to seek out these stunning Iberian sippers because you&#8217;ll know they&#8217;re relatively undiscovered gems that will knock it out the park for price.</p><p>Here&#8217;s what we tasted and the bites we paired them with:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:294660,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/181421134?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VYva!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88f1e1c4-d4c6-45f8-872d-a699d8b97edf_1280x720.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Flor&#227;o 2023 - <a href="https://www.ocado.com/products/symington-florao-portuguese-white/581482011?srsltid=AfmBOopojn9rB-9_rvTdUuOeadsGqCr7ukFdMUWPy98oJeGcPV8vbz-7">Ocado (&#163;15)</a> or <a href="https://www.portugalvineyards.com/en/alentejo/11181-quinta-do-fonte-souto-florao-white-2023-5608309019027.html?SubmitCurrency=1&amp;id_currency=4&amp;id_country=17&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=17004937675&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADn7sNRUBcTAqKzCIXgW_eQh42QEU&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAl-_JBhBjEiwAn3rN7enaF_ofLwtqeEvTLvp9KFqR-pLraOjvrHw6y0x-jwvHg5IUx6QlShoCPYUQAvD_BwE">Portugal Vineyards</a></strong></p><p>This is a bright and breezy white from northern Alentejo, where higher vineyards and cooler nights bring a welcome lift to this sun-soaked part of Portugal. It&#8217;s made from Verdelho and Arinto, two native grapes that thrive on freshness rather than weight and you can expect ripe citrus, pineapple and a hint of apricot blossom, followed by a clean, lightly textured and gently mineral palate, with a refreshing line of acidity that keeps everything in check. It tastes like warm days, cool evenings and the sort of holiday where lunch quietly turns into dinner. A seriously drinkable white that is  equally happy with grilled fish, salads, or poured generously just because it&#8217;s open.</p><p><em>Paired with Vietnamese prawn and avocado filo cups</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe for free for more recommendations, drinks learnies and future event details!</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:55901,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/181421134?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AywW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F38bdc4b4-7330-4611-818d-a44c30637da3_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Altano Rewilding Douro 2022 - <a href="https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/312098320?srsltid=AfmBOorPkCRYL8nHRK048QJxQ34sTSyJOoh2Rc2ynUNHnRkDjk1eksLr">Tesco (&#163;11)</a></strong></p><p>A partnership with Rewilding Portugal, money from every bottle sold goes towards rewilding the Portguese countryside. It&#8217;s a vibrant, easy-going red from the Douro is made in a lighter, fresher style than you might expect from this dramatic region, which is famous for Port. Crafted from a classic local blend of Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca, it&#8217;s all about drinkability rather than heft. You can expect juicy black cherry, wild berries and a flicker of spice, followed by a supple, softly textured palate with bright acidity and gently grippy tannins that keep things fresh and moreish. It tastes like lazy Sunday roasts ending up by the fire and the sort of wine that disappears faster than planned. An effortlessly likeable red that works just as well slightly chilled, with roast chicken, veggie dishes or a midweek supper.</p><p><em>Paired with hot mushroom toasts and gruy&#232;re cheese</em></p><p><strong>Graham&#8217;s Blend No.5 White Port - <a href="https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/grahams-blend-no5-white-port/409893-731228-731229?srsltid=AfmBOorDIFbcLzB6-ve5Q1LxoF3fZMoQ4AeVsKnNMvAoh1Do6lZKismT">Waitrose (&#163;26.50)</a></strong></p><p>A funky looking WHITE Port again from the Douro Valley, this is a fresh and modern take on the style, made to be lighter on its feet than the after-dinner classics. It&#8217;s bright and floral, made with local aromatic varieties including Malvasia Fina and Moscatel (Muscat) Gallego and you can expect citrus peel, orange blossom and a soft honeyed glow, with a clean, medium-dry palate that feels crisp rather than cloying. It tastes like sun on white stone and it equally wonderful sipped chilled with hard cheese or mixed with Mediterranean tonic and a slice of orange.</p><p><em>Paired with brie and fig toasts with a walnut topping</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:73972,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/181421134?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wzJu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff35eb041-39ce-44d7-8367-2304b257c316_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Cockburn&#8217;s 10YO Tawny Port -<a href="https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/cockburns-aged-10-years-tawny-port-75cl"> Sainsbury&#8217;s (&#163;18.50)</a></strong></p><p>A great example of a Tawny Port, this is a beautifully mellow, nutty style of Port, where wines are aged slowly in small oak casks to develop their signature tawny character. Made from a traditional blend of local grapes including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz and hailing form the Douro Valley, it&#8217;s all about time, texture and quiet complexity. Tasting-wise, think toasted nuts, caramel and dried fig, with hints of orange peel and warm spice, followed by a silky, gently sweet palate that feels polished rather than heavy. The acidity keeps it lively, the finish lingers, and it tastes like the luxury of not rushing anywhere. A brilliant bottle to keep on hand  and it&#8217;s perfect with hard cheeses, nutty desserts or simply poured slowly at the end of the evening, when one glass really is enough. If that is ever true.</p><p><em>Paired with milk chocolate discs with pistachio dried cranberry and clementine</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:67834,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/181421134?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!83xp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F63b3b801-d8c3-4574-939e-77569bc43ec9_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Cockburn&#8217;s Special Reserve Port -  </strong><a href="https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/cockburns-special-reserve-port-75cl">Sainsbury&#8217;s on offer (&#163;11)</a></p><p>The step up form the norm Ruby Port is a rich, crowd-pleasing sipper from the Douro Valley, blended for depth, fruit and immediate appeal rather than long ageing. Made again from the classic local varieties including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, it&#8217;s bold, generous and unapologetically comforting. A benchmark example of a Ruby, this oozes ripe black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate, with a hint of spice and a plush, warming palate that feels smooth and satisfying without tipping into heaviness. A brilliant-value Port to have on standby, especially at this promotion price. It&#8217;s perfect with chocolate desserts, strong cheeses, or poured by the fire when the evening calls for something indulgent but familiar.</p><p><em>Paired with warm dates stuffed with stilton wrapped in prosciutto</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q1Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fafb29119-bca0-4a4f-8d00-d0a0a53295d2_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Graham&#8217;s 2020 Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port - <a href="https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/257587527?srsltid=AfmBOornklouWWLZLwCCE5DuubTfyvV5MlJL9yOahJWlP_38hHz9uqNn">Tesco (&#163;18)</a></strong></p><p>Drawn from a single standout harvest in the Douro Valley, this ready-to-drink, Late Bottled Vintage Port sits beautifully between youthful fruit and early maturity. Made from a traditional blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, it delivers depth and structure without the need for years of cellar patience. The nose leans into blackberry compote, damson and cocoa, with a flicker of spice. On the palate it&#8217;s rich and generous, yet still composed and fresh, with firm but polished tannins. It has that classic LBV confidence: bold, assured and quietly impressive. Ideal with chocolate desserts or blue cheese, but just as satisfying on its own when you want something warming, reassuring and a little bit special at the end of the day.</p><p><em>Paired with Christmas cake bon bons</em></p><p>&#8230;And that cheeky English wine? That was this:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:51832,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/181421134?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jqK-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e4dc44c-f720-4b5c-b5ec-f10b5b6fb17e_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Hambledon Classic Cuv&#233;e, Hampshire - <a href="https://www.waitrosecellar.com/products/hambledon-classic-cuvee-nv-899146?gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=19754229838&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD2mEOZNKIM1xh9VqXRisuhlf03Xg&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAl-_JBhBjEiwAn3rN7RhTw-Suj7YcxIkFJdvT4Tijpyow2CaFDz1mQGBDsKeSEbtEbe_4gBoCOLcQAvD_BwE">Waitrose (&#163;32.50)</a></strong></p><p>Hambledon sits on the chalk slopes of the South Downs in Hampshire, a stone&#8217;s throw from where England&#8217;s wine story properly began. This was the country&#8217;s first commercial vineyard, planted in 1952 by Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, long before English sparkling wine was fashionable or even particularly welcome at the dinner table. The Classic Cuv&#233;e is made by the traditional method, the same laborious, process used in Champagne, from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown on deep chalk soils that mirror those across the Channel. Long ageing on the lees gives the wine its quiet complexity and fine, persistent mousse. In the glass, it&#8217;s all about green apple, lemon peel and fresh bread, with a subtle creaminess and a cool, chalky finish that speaks clearly of its place. If this wine were a person, it would be the calmly spoken guest at the table who&#8217;s been there longest, knows exactly what they&#8217;re talking about, and doesn&#8217;t feel the need to prove it.</p><p><em>Paired with Smoked salmon with watercress dressing and lumpfish caviar</em></p><p><em>Make sure you&#8217;re subscribed to hear about more events and get recommendations and wine learnies into your inbox!</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Wine Event: Portuguese Pleasures!]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Masterclass in Portuguese Wine on the Isle of Wight]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/launching-soon-corks-and-canapes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/launching-soon-corks-and-canapes</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:25:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png" width="1248" height="832" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:832,&quot;width&quot;:1248,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1356367,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/173926074?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aqw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb3885b04-30f8-4084-a1d1-f5a10ec24576_1248x832.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>If you&#8217;re an Isle of Wight resident or visitor with a penchant for wine and food, lamenting the lack of fun things to do during the winter, then listen up! These themed, standalone evening events combine relaxed wine and spirits masterclasses led by me, with a selection of paired nibbles to go with them.</p><h4><strong>PORTUGUESE PLEASURES &#127477;&#127481;</strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg" width="1280" height="200" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:200,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:58510,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/173926074?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ztBG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F529fb5be-fdcc-4d07-8e97-b34c43c82798_1280x200.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Portugal is arguably the most underrated wine country in the world as well as one of the most versatile. Join me this winter for a guided tasting that sweeps from vibrant, food-friendly still and dry wines of all colours to decadent, fortified classics like Port. I&#8217;ll also sneak some festive food pairing tips along with some simple, yet perfectly paired canap&#233;s. You&#8217;ll enjoy a welcome glass of one of fine sparkling wine then taste and learn about the following, all with lots of nuggets of general wine wisdom thrown in:</p><ul><li><p>Still , dry Portuguese white wine</p></li><li><p>Still, dry Portuguese red wine</p></li><li><p>White Port (We&#8217;ll also try it with tonic. It&#8217;s immense!)</p></li><li><p>Ruby Port</p></li><li><p>Tawny Port</p></li><li><p>LBV Port</p></li></ul><p><strong>When?</strong> Dec 12th 2025 @ 7pm</p><p><strong>Location? </strong>Gurnard, Isle of Wight (address revealed upon booking)</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> &#163;10 Charity donation on the night</p><p>To book your place, email me on <strong>helena@helenasips.com!</strong></p><p><em>Want to hear about upcoming events? make sure you subscribe for free by clicking the button below!</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe for free recommendations, wine learnies and upcoming event details. </p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>********************************************************</p><h3><strong>PAST EVENTS</strong></h3><h4><strong>RAVISHING RUEDA! &#127466;&#127480;</strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://www.epicureansailor.co.uk/event-details-registration/corks-canapes" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg" width="1280" height="200" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:200,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:35587,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.epicureansailor.co.uk/event-details-registration/corks-canapes&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/173926074?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6Yt9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f92db7f-a736-4abf-a5b8-3f9a0009f88a_1280x200.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>From crisp, citrusy Verdejo that rivals Sauvignon Blanc, to silky, lees-aged whites with creamy texture and even oak-kissed bottlings with spice and depth, Rueda is Spain&#8217;s secret playground for white wine lovers. It&#8217;s a region that takes you from refreshing aperitif sippers to food-friendly fine wines in one flight. Come taste the journey with some locally inspired canap&#233;s!</p><p>Location: <a href="https://www.montereyegyptpoint.co.uk/en">Turnstone House at Monterey, Eygpt Point</a></p><p>Price: &#163;45pp</p><p>Book your tickets <a href="https://www.epicureansailor.co.uk/event-details-registration/corks-canapes">HERE</a>!</p><p></p><h4><strong>Why learn about wine anyway?</strong></h4><p>Wine is so much more than a drink; it&#8217;s geography, philosophy, language, culture, community and so much more. Here&#8217;s why you should join us at out tasting events:</p><div id="youtube2-pDdBs4DjxqY" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;pDdBs4DjxqY&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pDdBs4DjxqY?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Hit subscribe for my free newsletter and event updates! </p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[LitFest '25 Wine & Chocolate Tasting]]></title><description><![CDATA[With chocolatier Chantal Coady & author Joanne Harris]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/litfest-25-wine-and-chocolate-tasting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/litfest-25-wine-and-chocolate-tasting</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:11:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8xNr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67c1decf-389d-443f-a69e-4345162e52bf_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The 2025 Isle of Wight Literary festival saw the coming together of several extraordinary women who have each forged a career though their senses: chocolatier Chantal Coady, author Joanne Harris and in perfumed spirit, fragrance designer Sarah McCartney. This multi-sensory event was a celebration of their work and our own senses. It was my pleasure to host and to bring my wine and chocolate skills to the mix. Here&#8217;s what we tried:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:72304,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/171255521?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7_3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4481fba2-c7b8-46c2-a8d0-cd8ab5536467_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>The Chocolate Detective, Caramelised Proven&#231;al Almonds</h4><p>&#163;16.50 from <a href="https://chocolatedetective.co.uk/product/caramelised-provencal-almonds-in-dark-chocolate/">The Chocolate Detective</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.jackthompsonandco.com/">Jack Thompson</a>, Cowes.</p><p>Always a best-seller, these crunchy dusted almonds have just the right balance of nut, mellow dark chocolate and caramel.</p><p><em>Paired with</em></p><h4>L&#8217;Occhiolino Sparkling Rosato Modena</h4><p>&#163;10.99 from <a href="https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/l'occhiolino-sparkling-rosato/4455923?queryID=5796e8684fc2b5a07a616783042fbba1">Laithwaites</a></p><p>An off-dry, light Lambrusco di Sorbara from Modena DOP in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Think ripe, red berry fruit, floral hints and a zingy, fresh acidity.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:78521,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/171255521?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_5y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43f83a8e-0482-427c-88e3-de499de577b5_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>The Chocolate Detective, Madagascar Menako Chocolate Buttons</h4><p>&#163;16.50 from <a href="https://chocolatedetective.co.uk/product/madagascar-menakao-63-cooking-chocolate-buttons/">The Chocolate Detective</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.jackthompsonandco.com/">Jack Thompson</a>, Cowes.</p><p>Superb fruity single origin chocolate for snacking or cooking.</p><p><em>Paired with</em></p><h4>JJ Cabernet Sauvignon</h4><p>&#163;11.99 from <a href="https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/jj-cabernet-sauvignon-2023/4554623?queryID=97b263719faabfe397a28a10fe88df68">Laithwaites</a></p><p>A fully powered, lush and fruity Australian Cabernet Sauvignon  showcasing juicy cassis and vanilla notes with dark cherry and mulberry spice. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Subscribe for FREE articles &amp; learnies</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:66411,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/171255521?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sRMA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4b5b5c5-7fd7-4b38-b197-6c2e79f26aca_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>The Chocolate Detective, Dark chocolate with whole sour cherries</h4><p>&#163;16.50 from <a href="https://chocolatedetective.co.uk/product/dark-broken-chocolate-with-whole-sour-cherries/">The Chocolate Detective</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.jackthompsonandco.com/">Jack Thompson</a>, Cowes.</p><p>Fruity dark chocolate and whole organic sour cherries. Simple but difficult to beat.</p><p><em>Paired with</em></p><h4><strong>M&amp;S Collection Amarone</strong></h4><p>&#163;25 from <a href="https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/mands-collection-amarone/p/fdp60713829">M&amp;S</a></p><p>Rich and full-bodied, this structured, yet velvety red is all about dark cherry and cocoa with subtle notes of baking spice.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/aa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:74606,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/171255521?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x3JP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa1a6690-bc52-40e6-9b64-e76a5e9d49ff_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>The Chocolate Detective, White chocolate with fennel &amp; cardamom</h4><p>&#163;16.50 from <a href="https://chocolatedetective.co.uk/product/white-broken-chocolate-with-foraged-fennel-cardamom/">The Chocolate Detective</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.jackthompsonandco.com/">Jack Thompson</a>, Cowes.</p><p>Broken shards of white chocolate flavoured with foraged wild fennel seed, cardamom and a touch of Blackthorn Scottish sea salt. Finished with the lightest brush of gold colouring.</p><p><em>Paired with</em></p><h4><strong>L&#8217;Or du Ciron Sauternes</strong></h4><p>&#163;13 (half bottle) from <a href="https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/lor-du-ciron-sauternes/p/fdp60062804">M&amp;S</a></p><p>Made with botrytised S&#233;millon and Sauvignon grapes from France&#8217;s famous Sauternes region, this an aromatic, delicately sweet wine wit zippy, citrusy acidity keeping it fresh and light. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:62157,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/171255521?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nfzL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F03af7644-77bc-436e-92d8-4a25b5abc5ed_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Jack Thompson Salted Caramel Seagull Eggs</h4><p>&#163;14.95 from <a href="https://www.jackthompsonandco.com/">Jack Thompson</a>, Cowes.</p><p>Layers of dark and milk chocolate are filled with a buttery ganache and gently salted caramel before being wrapped in a fine sugar shell and life-like speckles.</p><p><em>Paired with</em></p><h4><strong>Cockburn&#8217;s 10 Year Old Tawny Port</strong></h4><p>&#163;25.25 from <a href="https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/cockburns-aged-10-years-tawny-port-75cl">Sainsbury&#8217;s</a> </p><p>A sumptuous, viscous Tawny Port from world famous producer, offering complex, nutty aromas of salted caramel, candied peel and vanilla, thanks to a decade ageing in oak. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:77792,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/171255521?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bWQg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9f052740-cc7e-4bdd-a5c9-7938c7654292_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>The Chocolate Detective, Dark Chocolate Orangettes</h4><p>&#163;16.50 from <a href="https://chocolatedetective.co.uk/product/dark-chocolate-orangettes/">The Chocolate Detective</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.jackthompsonandco.com/">Jack Thompson</a>, Cowes.</p><p>Crystallised citrusy orange peel coated in mellow Ecuadorian origin dark chocolate.</p><p><em>Paired with</em></p><p>Delamain Pale &amp; Dry XO Cognac, &#163;115 from <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/spirits/delamin-pale-dry-xo-70cl-49911?srsltid=AfmBOopdHpp0h0LSIYoQF5kbEJvuAoZX0oI97wnuGAikS7sLIWE46UohLKc">Majestic Wines</a></p><p>The <a href="https://www.delamain-cognac.com/en/collections/pale-dry-xo/">House of Delamain</a> has produced exceptional Cognac for over two centuries and this XO has been aged for an average of 25 years. Made exclusively from eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne, which is widely considered Cognac&#8217;s finest terroir. It&#8217;s remarkably delicate and elegant, with notes of apricot, orange peel and spice. </p><p><em>Join me at more tasting events as I team up with The Epicurean Sailor for a host of Corks &amp; Canap&#233;s evening this Autumn and Winter. <a href="https://www.helenasips.com/p/launching-soon-corks-and-canapes">See more here!</a></em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gig in the Garden: The Drinks!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Here's what we're tasting this weekend chez Chris Evans...]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/gig-in-the-garden-the-drinks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/gig-in-the-garden-the-drinks</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:55:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:156637,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/168458403?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MfmC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F609b87ca-9714-43d4-9ef7-27a1ab721f13_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>It&#8217;s that time again - Gig in the Garden at the home of legendary radio DJ Chris Evans with James Blunt, Jack Savoretti and Danny Jones entertaining us all. I am back presenting the drinks offering, and here&#8217;s who I&#8217;ve brought along this year:</p><h4><strong>THE WINE</strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:56267,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/168458403?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UkRD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3f4efa07-1173-4172-902d-d2f60615698c_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Tasked to pair just one white, one pink and one red with the sumptuous menus from Jos&#233; Pizarro, Chris Mackett, Atul Kochar and Mark Wogan, I chose some great all-rounder styles:</p><p><strong>WHITE - Terra Organica, Parcel Series No. 1 Grillo, Sicily</strong></p><p>Sicily produces some phenomenal, seriously accessible wines made with their indigenous grape varieties and Grillo is one of my favourites. A great crowd pleaser, this organic white is elegantly tropical with notes of orange and pineapple and a slick of refreshing salinity. This will be a winner with Jos&#233;'s fish and Atul&#8217;s samosas particularly.</p><p><em>Available at <a href="https://www.ocado.com/products/terra-organica-parcel-series-no-1-grillo-644859011?srsltid=AfmBOooOVzkjxt9YH7JH3yURMqlYHsflrn24hrl9c1kltVSfDKe5UJ6y">Ocado</a> and<a href="https://terraorganica.co.uk/products/grillo?srsltid=AfmBOooBkJvyXKfJCBvoFVj537rhWfZhjNKLHDb6Tp-VHgQwfBWXlout"> terraorganica.co.uk</a></em></p><p><strong>PINK - Isola d&#8217;Amore &#8216;Love Island&#8217; Ros&#233;, Corsica</strong></p><p>Here&#8217;s something a little different from the classic pink Provence: a ros&#233; from Corsica! While still pale and pretty, this blend of Syrah and Grenache with the local Niellucciu and Sciaccarellu varieties gives a floral and strawberry-scented hit on the nose, followed up by a creamy, flavoursome palate of grapefruit, peach and pomegranate. A great, all-rounder, foodie pink with enough texture to cover all the food bases.</p><p><em>Available at <a href="https://www.ocado.com/products/isula-d-amore-love-island-rose-corsica-630065011?srsltid=AfmBOopM1YvldQg6q3XGgnD1e9fK3ca9Iw_8DwQimTEDvSRvFnXTOMDy">Ocado</a> </em></p><p><strong>RED - Terra Organica, Primitivo, Italy</strong></p><p>Another organic wine - from Puglia this time. This grape makes bold red wines that are famously juicy, packed full of figgy, dark chocolate notes and a generous splash of blackberry. This is what you want with a steak (Hi Chris Mackett) but it will also be spicy with spicy pepperoni on a pizza (Hello Mark Wogan). It&#8217;s like a huge hug in a class.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><em>Available from <a href="https://www.ocado.com/products/terra-organica-primitivo-478751011?srsltid=AfmBOoqm1uM_kSiNDzpO_M4Sc9zWesCCyMvgH7rx_DRcztgTZ9AYBXAx">Ocado</a> and <a href="https://terraorganica.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOooL7UZ1h8EORq0FEjkEsGyQR1PuaWx3q7-38rhWd-ID4udq7eOq">terraorganica.co.uk</a></em></p><h4><strong>THE NON-ALC SPARKLING TEA</strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/deebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:114501,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/168458403?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!96_H!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdeebf298-ff71-4b20-b053-a125dddd8109_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>For the non drinkers and zebra stripers, we have generously been sent a range of elegant sparkling teas from Saicho. These beautifully presented drinks are made with single origin teas</p><p><strong>Saicho Jasmine</strong></p><p><em>They say:</em> Scented with jasmine blossoms, this green tea from Fuding, in Fujian province, China, has a delicate floral aroma and notes of apple sherbet, lychee and vanilla, making it a refreshing aperitif.</p><p><strong>Saicho Hojicha</strong></p><p><em>They say:</em> Originating in Kyoto in the 1920s as a way of utilising leftover leaves, stems, stalks and twigs, Hojicha is a roasted green tea from Japan. The tea has a deep umami character and notes of nori seaweed, roasted hazelnut and delicate smoke, with dry and woody tannins.</p><p><strong>Saicho Darjeeling</strong></p><p><em>They say:</em> This black tea was grown in the foothills of the Himalayas in Darjeeling, India. Harvested in the summer to develop its unique Darjeeling muscatel flavour, the tea has notes of mandarin, ginger, wood spice and gentle, dry tannins.</p><p>See more at <a href="https://www.saichodrinks.com/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21661341818&amp;gbraid=0AAAAACaE18psQRV4STBqmjfrF_G5JLJ33&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwm93DBhD_ARIsADR_DjEOfAtFwhu65iVREM63cV9QWAtt8EbOoKpnoID9Vpc2ZvLdf6ffWF4aApUjEALw_wcB">saichodrinks.com</a></p><p>For the beer and spirits, we are joined by a trio of drinky friends from the Isle of Wight, where I now live:</p><h4><strong>THE BEER &amp; SPIRITS</strong></h4><p><strong>Wight Knuckle Brewery</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:58952,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/168458403?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Oq5g!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ba613cb-4cc1-43a1-925f-867f4bc7450d_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Wight Knuckle has exploded onto the craft brewing scene to become the name to know in its home on the Isle of Wight. Sustainably made, vegan and made with local ingredients, Rob Oglander will be pouring unfiltered lager, pale ale, black IPA and a medium cider from the Beerfender. See more at <a href="https://www.wightknucklebrewery.com/">wightknucklebrewery.com</a></p><p><strong>Wight Whisky</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:78243,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/168458403?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ajZ9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F212159a4-3f76-41fb-9de2-61c1c0652fb8_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Wight Whisky is the island&#8217;s only dedicated whisky distillery. Made with local water and local barley from Isle of Wight grain, this is a modern company who are making their mark on the world of English whisky. We&#8217;ll be trying the signature malt blend as well as their brand new, No. 1 single malt. Come and meet the founders, Lucy &amp; Matt Gregg. See more at <a href="https://wightwhisky.com/">wightwhisky.com</a></p><p><strong>Mermaid Gin (Vodka &amp; Rum)</strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:113325,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/i/168458403?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i-JG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56b8ff4c-48de-4f42-8294-59ead0483a92_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The Isle of Wight&#8217;s famous gin brand joins us from the Isle of Wight Distillery to showcase their original gin in its iconic blue bottle plus its friends, Zest gin, Pink gin, Salt Vodka and Spiced Rum. Founder Xavier Baker will be there himself mixing things up! See more at <a href="https://isleofwightdistillery.com/pages/mermaid-gin">isleofwightdistillery.com</a></p><p><strong>Non-Alc Functional Beer</strong></p><p><strong>Impossibrew</strong></p><p>Back again in the non-alcoholic beer camp is Impossibrew with its deliciously refreshing, functional beer that uses GABA technology and nootropics to give you that slight chilled out buzz without the hangover.  See more at <a href="https://impossibrew.co.uk/?tw_source=google&amp;tw_adid=646775592198&amp;tw_campaign=19634671395&amp;tw_kwdid=kwd-1603237491092&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=19634671395&amp;gbraid=0AAAAABeaqXKQUxUlFgROpabeb0-L5yXOg&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwm93DBhD_ARIsADR_DjEgVfyPUKgkGWJgtckht6LKgc4Q6Ae9Je6i7aFt_on602av--kWivwaAqy8EALw_wcB">impossibrew.co.uk</a></p><p><em>Want to know more about wine and spirits and get recommendations straight into your inbox? Subscribe to my substack here!</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"></p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wine & Chocolate at Cowes Fringe]]></title><description><![CDATA[Here's what we tasted...]]></description><link>https://www.helenasips.com/p/wine-and-chocolate-at-cowes-fringe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.helenasips.com/p/wine-and-chocolate-at-cowes-fringe</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Helena Nicklin]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 May 2025 12:58:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:123154,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://helenasips.substack.com/i/164401085?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zKXK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4cac925c-2915-4e2e-9455-fd84ce811bee_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This weekend saw the third Cowes Fringe Festival go off with a bang and I was lucky enough to be invited to run two tasting events, one on wine and fragrance pairings (you can see what we tried here) and the other, an ultimate wine and chocolate pairing session. I wrote earlier about some classic, general pairings and rules of thumb on a different piece <a href="https://helenasips.substack.com/p/how-to-pair-wine-and-chocolate">over here</a> but here&#8217;s what we tasted below with chocolates by Rococo, which are all available at Jack Thompson on Cowes High Street. </p><p></p><h4><strong>Cabernet Sauvignon X Dark Chocolate </strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:119462,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://helenasips.substack.com/i/164401085?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BmrL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9bcb9a8b-8c50-4cb2-8e31-cb3f897c832c_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em><strong>Why it works</strong></em>: You can just about get away with pairing dry red wines with very dark chocolate as there&#8217;s very little sugar and fat in the chocolate. Cabernet, with its bolder tooth drying tannins, works nicely with the high acidity and astringency in dark chocolate and if you add a touch of sea salt, it brings out the fruit in the wine. Cabernet also often has minty or eucalyptus note, especially when from Australia, so that was enhanced when we tried it with the mint too. Both cracking pairings.</p><p><em>Cape Mentelle &#8216;Marri&#8217; Cabernet Sauvignon, &#163;18.25 <a href="https://www.ocado.com/products/cape-mentelle-marri-cabernet-sauvignon-640077011?srsltid=AfmBOoqqVf4DwlcsUmkpHXkER3yifgUNuQWFRxyVfXUSxbFtm8gsCEGK">Ocado</a></em></p><p><em>Rococo Dark Chocolate Thins with Sea Salt, &#163;18.95  </em></p><p><em>Rococo Dark Chocolate Thins with Sea Salt, &#163;18.95</em></p><p></p><h4><strong>Amarone X Rose Milk Chocolate</strong></h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/dadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:116677,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://helenasips.substack.com/i/164401085?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2S54!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdadbdafd-03bc-48d4-a8a6-7f89aa314e2f_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em><strong>Why it works</strong></em>: Firstly, you&#8217;ll either love rose chocolate or you will seriously dislike it. If you fall in the latter camp, then look away now! Amarone is made by the appassimento method which makes it full-bodied and richer than other styles of dry red wine with notes of cherry and cocoa powder. With the rose chocolate, the floral notes are enhanced and the cherry in the wine really sings. The higher alcohol (around 15%)also feels dialled down too. The dark chocolate with sea salt also really brought out the ripe red fruit and chocolate flavours in the wine. Both are fab!</p><p><em>Amarone Valpolicella DOCG, &#163;14.99 <a href="https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/specially-selected-amarone-valpolicella-docg-000000000000594438">Aldi</a></em></p><p><em>Rococo Rose Milk Chocolate Thins, &#163;18.95  </em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://www.helenasipswinecourse.com/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg" width="1280" height="180" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:180,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:34608,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasipswinecourse.com/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://helenasips.substack.com/i/164401085?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5l7f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7da6eeee-ceb6-42a1-8b04-de0a1e2adaa5_1280x180.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4>Moscato &amp; Tokaji X White Chocolate</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:66791,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://helenasips.substack.com/i/164401085?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!39gq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88538200-d284-441e-bd57-c7b62f65f62f_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em><strong>Why it works</strong></em>: We all know that white chocolate isn&#8217;t technically chocolate as there&#8217;s no cacao BUT it&#8217;s still creamy, rich and delicious. You&#8217;ll definitely need sweetness here so a frothy, low alcohol Asti Spumante (moscato grape) served super cold balances up the fatty cocoa butter and cleanses the palate while moderating the sweetness of the wine. For a more opulent and seriously decadent pairing, Hungary&#8217;s famous sweet Tokaji Aszu wines give unctuous, orange peel and honey complexity to the pairing with the high acidity keeping it all fresh</p><p><em>Moscato Spumante Asti, &#163;4.69 <a href="https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/no-brand-moscato-spumante-asti-docg-000000000000489888">Aldi</a></em></p><p><em>Royal Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, &#163;30 <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/royal-tokaji-5-puttonyos-21062">Majestic </a></em></p><p><em>Rococo White Chocolate and Cardamom Truffles, &#163;29.95  </em></p><p></p><h4>Tokaji &amp; XO Cognac X Dark Orange Chocolate Thins</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg" width="1200" height="630" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/efe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:630,&quot;width&quot;:1200,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:86059,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://helenasips.substack.com/i/164401085?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NNEL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fefe5338c-83fd-46ac-8941-98717fc9937d_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em><strong>Why it works</strong></em>: Any kind of sweet wine or spirit with a hint of orange peel will be a glorious match for orange chocolate, whether its dark or milk. Here, the high acidity in the Tokaji combined with it&#8217;s incredible sweetness and layers of complex flavours stood up to the creamy nature of the chocolate and made the citrus zing! Another totally indulgent pairing was the XO <a href="https://www.delamain-cognac.com/en/collections/delamain-xo/">Delamain Cognac</a>. &#8216;XO&#8217; stands for Extra Old and this spirit has seen many years ageing in French oak before release giving it a dark auburn colour with complex notes of incense spice, orange citrus and a salty, mineral seam. This works as the high alcohol cleans the palate perfectly and those notes of bitter citrus peel, fudge and spice really harmonise with the fresh orange aroma in the chocolate. </p><p><em>Royal Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, &#163;30 <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/royal-tokaji-5-puttonyos-21062">Majestic </a></em></p><p><em>Delamain Pale &amp; Dry XO Cognac, &#163;79.99 (50ml) <a href="https://www.virginwines.co.uk/spirit/brandy/Z39854100003/Delamain-Pale-and-Dry-XO-Cognac-Z39854100003?ref=VE1582&amp;media_code=VGN_REC_SHOPFEED_SPIRITS&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=shopping&amp;utm_campaign=VE1582&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=18201775625&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD9Of1MXKGdxurSgN5nC0iRKrB-Uc&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw_8rBBhCFARIsAJrc9yATM4OgNgqlEzWxTz6BT-gaBNCs-rej1piF8mydUHZ6nv16sRUSvfIaAhAnEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Virgin Wines</a></em></p><p><em>Rococo Dark Orange Chocolate Thins, &#163;18.95  </em></p><p></p><h4>Madeira &amp; Vin de Constance X Salted Caramel Truffles</h4><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VPss!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F572a7bfe-1593-4489-8d27-34842233ee10_1200x630.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VPss!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F572a7bfe-1593-4489-8d27-34842233ee10_1200x630.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VPss!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F572a7bfe-1593-4489-8d27-34842233ee10_1200x630.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VPss!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F572a7bfe-1593-4489-8d27-34842233ee10_1200x630.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VPss!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F572a7bfe-1593-4489-8d27-34842233ee10_1200x630.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VPss!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F572a7bfe-1593-4489-8d27-34842233ee10_1200x630.jpeg" width="1200" height="630" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em><strong>Why it works</strong></em>: Fortified wine Madeira is a glorious catch-all for many kinds of chocolate from dry and dark to flavoured and sweet. With it&#8217;s tangy, salted caramel and hazelnut skin notes coupled with its famously high, refreshing acidity and sweetness makes the salted caramel flavours in the chocolates pop. For a very different combination, the renowned, unctuously sweet white wine Vin de Constance offers a more citrussy vibe with its notes of bitter lemon peel and orange. Served well chilled it&#8217;s a clean and lighter pairing. This is an iconic, historic wine from the renowned Klein Constantia estate in Constanta, South Africa as is made with Muscat de Frontignan. See more about Vin de Constance <a href="https://www.kleinconstantia.com/our-wines/vin-de-constance/vin-de-constance/">here</a>. </p><p><em>Klein Constantia Vin de Constance &#163;75 <a href="https://www.fortnumandmason.com/vin-de-constance-klein-constantia?&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=Pmax+-+Wine+&amp;+Spirits+-+Generics&amp;utm_term=&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=18152693274&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADpHNw12MStpo8LvxuDYY67yYOxMC&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw_8rBBhCFARIsAJrc9yDsREGHaxL8ccEyxnxlwCuCu1zOfNoKJscRp7CAMgNRZrMbJ0EPdnoaAqedEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Fortnum &amp; Mason</a></em></p><p><em>H&amp;H Madeira Full Rich Doce, &#163;12.50 (50cl) <a href="https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/hh-3-year-old-full-rich-madeira-17009">Majestic</a></em></p><p><em>Rococo Salted Caramel Truffles, &#163;18.95</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.helenasips.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! 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