Good news might be thin on the ground at the moment but I’ve got something cheering to share. To celebrate the launch of This Changes Everything the – frankly – beautiful people at Lime Wood are offering one lucky winner a 24hr getaway for two along with dinner & breakfast at their heavenly hotel in the New Forest. I wrote most of the book, in my head that is, whilst having my weekly swim in the pool here (I live just down the road). That’s probably why it took me so long but anyway, it really is a Very Special Place and the chance to offer this prize makes my heart soar. And just so you know, I’m definitely gatecrashing for a drink. To enter, pre-order an ebook, audiobook or paperback copy of This Changes Everything by Helen McGinn, and send proof of purchase or your order number, format purchased and retailer to competitions@boldwoodbooks.com. Links for pre-ordering the book and T&Cs for the competition are here:

Pre-order: https://buff.ly/39jqRTc
Competition T&Cs: https://buff.ly/2SrIqak

I’ll do drinks recommendations next week ahead of you-know-what. Bubbles, red, white, rose, sweeties – whatever you need. But for this week, in celebration of the book, some Italians for you.

Current sparkling in the fridge: Prosecco Rose

Price: £10.00 - Buy From M&S

New to the shelf in the last few weeks, expect to see a LOT of pink Prosecco from now on. Actually it’s been around for years, just not labelled as Rose (Italian laws didn’t allow it). Now you can as long as the blend has at least 15% of the Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir in Italian) grape in, is made from a single vintage and aged in tanks for twice as long as normal Prosecco. In theory this means better bubbles – but that’s not always the case. I did a big tasting recently of as many as I could find and this is definitely one of the best, made from a family-owned producer. Crucially, it’s fresh, balanced with light red fruit flavours and soft, frothy bubbles. Properly fun.

Current red in the rack: Asda Extra Special Barbera d’Asti

Price: £6.00 - Buy From Asda

One of the highlights of my day job is being a wine judge for the International Wine Competition and we’ve just finished eight days of solid tasting to find the latest crop of medal winners. This wine was already a favourite so I’m thrilled that it won, when tasted blind by a whole panel of tasters, the IWC Great Value Red Award this year. Made from the Barbera grape in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, it’s bright and bold with gorgeous cherry fruit flavours and an absolute joy to drink. Unbelievably good value for money.