Commentators seemed divided. One went as far as to suggest that most red wines subjected to this process were improved by it, though many others were more hesitant. Thinking about this gave me the idea that, really, this disagreement was all about a basic division between what people want from their wine, and about wines that are made to appeal to those different wants. I realised that, when it comes to exploring the world of wine, you could do worse than starting with a basic distinction: wines you’d be happy to put in a blender, and wines that you would not. Forget, for now, all the confusing language, endless grape varieties, nuances of region, soil type and climate. You’ve spend your hard-earned cash on a bottle, brought it home, opened it. Happy to blitz it, or not?

We are all tempted by the idea of getting to where we want to be, and getting there quickly. And it’s certainly not a new idea that our culture’s obsession with having what we want, and having it right now, risks missing out on a lot of good things on the way. Hyper-decanting is a great example of this attitude as it exists in wine. It’s all about treating wine as an end product, about the idea that this wine is better like this, and that’s it. No more questions asked, black and white.

Some wines work along these lines. They’re not bad – hopefully – just forgettable. Many wines exist without aspirations beyond simple lubrication – for conversation, laughter, relaxation… whatever. The point is that these wines are happy in the background. The tasting notes read like a horoscope; so general, they could apply to anything. Red fruit, wood, spice. Pair with meat, fish, vegetables, probably cheese as well. These are wines that aim for easy, pleasant flavours that could come from anywhere. If you can add softness to that list of pleasing characteristics by hyper-decanting, then all the better.

On the other side, however, we have wine which is all about experiencing something special, perhaps unique. Usually this something is quite delicate, quite subtle, and requires a little attention – like all the best things in life. Even the same wine can have surprising differences between vintages, between bottles, and between glasses of the same bottle – some of the best wine experiences are to be had being sips, seeing how a bottle evolves right before your eyes. Traditional decanting is designed to gently enhance this process; hyper-decanting will blow right past it.

Neither approach to wine is better than the other, but for me the second experience is more rewarding, because more personal. There’s an infinite number of experiences to be had with wine beyond merely soft = good; and most are likely to be obliterated by a few pulses of the blender.

Juicy currant, berry and cherry aromas with spicy hints. Big, powerful palate with concentrated fruit and firm, powdery tannins. Balanced, cool and long.”

Find our notes, and get your hands on some of our limited stock here.

I will begin by saying I am not a wine expert and nor do I have any wine-based qualifications and, you may think, what is she doing writing here? Well, I would class myself first and foremost as a food-lover and cook, who likes to match good food with interesting wines - the two must work together. I am passionate about the provenance of my food and my wine, for me I look at wine with a little knowledge, but always from a food perspective and that is why I want to raise the issue of ‘battery wine’.

When out and about food shopping in Brighton’s fab local shops or supermarkets, I like to have a nosey at what people are buying. I see baskets/trolleys being filled with free range or organic meats (rightly so, as I am an avid Compassion in World Farming fan), organic veg, organic juices and then a finally a bottle of some awful plonk as an afterthought. This always makes me feel a little sad that it is possible to go to that effort for food but not for wine. Personally I don’t feel it matters what level of wine knowledge you have, what is most important is that you enjoy it. Most people would say they thoroughly enjoyed their purchases regardless, but my point is just to consider all the angles of your purchase, try and experiment - sometimes it’ll work and sometimes it won’t but enjoy the challenge. I’d say, as with your local butcher or fishmonger, chat to your local wine merchant. If they are worth their salt, they should know their wines inside out and, with a bit of luck, the winemakers too - they should always be able to tell you what to expect, how best to enjoy the wine, and how it was made - and if not, try another one.

Years of celebrity chefs campaigning for food and animal rights has made us sit up and think about why and what we are putting in our bodies. Alas, food’s greatest partner - wine - does not get this level of coverage so it is not so much on our busy radars. One issue is the severe lack of ingredients listed on our bottles of wine. The FSA is (apparently) demanding change in the EU regulations that would see the 1.5 billion bottles we consume having to display what’s inside.

Examples of the ingredients that could appear in mass-produced ‘battery wine’, vary from oak chips added to create the impression that they have been fermented in a traditional barrel - I wonder why so many people hate ‘oaky Chardonnay’?, excessive amounts of sugar in a vague attempt to balance and/or boost the alcohol content of the wine, hydrochloric acid, excessive fertilisers to ensure every grape can be harvested, many large producers use tartaric and ascorbic acid, many top-name Champagnes have had traces of fungicides found inside them, and the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s like reading any ingredients label, some additives should potentially be in the wine - for example, sulphites - a little can really help preserve a wine but a lot can cause problems for people sensitive to it. I feel it is wrong for us not to know what is in our wine, and wrong that the producers of the wines are using these things in the first place, when plenty of winemakers can manage just fine and have done since winemaking began. This isn’t something off the radar of wine professionals: Jancis Robinson MW has been quoted as saying, ‘Sadly it may be that we will see even more of these techniques of confecting wine, adding the wood chips, even (perish the thought) adding flavouring’.

Another key problem is pricing, as I believe you should spend what you can afford. As with everything else in life, wine is no different from any other product - you get exactly what you pay for. And if a supermarket’s offer looks too good to be true, then it probably is. A lot has been said in the press lately about the true cost of wine since tax went up at the start of the year - a £5 bottle of wine comprises £2.52 of tax and duty, on average of £1 on packaging, and then there is shipping and storage, another 50-70 pence perhaps. Which leaves around 98-78 pence worth of wine.  Exponentially, once you are over the £5 mark you can only being to get better and better quality wine and hopefully less and less chemicals and other unnamable things added, so the winemaker can make some sort of living/margin.

So why don’t we do something about it? We can, as consumers we have the right to say no to ‘battery wines’ we can vote with our feet and our wallets/purses. We can say no to vineyards that strip the land of nutrients and use harmful pesticides that get into the water tables and our bodies. We can say no to wine that is pumped full of unnecessary chemicals, and if you thought forget food miles were an issue, ‘wine miles’ can often be far more excessive, but are often off people’s agenda when purchasing their locally grown food alongside a bottle of wine from the other side of the world.

Related articles:
‘Almost’ organic

Cheap wine: The bargains that cost us dear

Why many top-selling wines are not much more than alcopops dressed up with flavourings and fancy labels

There was a slight spanner thrown in the works when we discovered that Giorgio didn’t speak English, but Sam was on stand by and translated perfectly into English. Not only did was get to enjoy some of Giorgio’s fabolous wines but he has also brought over some amazing cheeses and proscuttio for everyone to sample.

The wines tasted were Reisling, Sauvignon, Malvasia, Friulano, and a superb Pinot Grigio (contradiction in terms?). If you would like to know more about our wine tasting events please click here.

Independent wine merchants have a reputation as being expensive. But set preconceptions aside, and there are bargains to be had the equal of any in a supermarket, says Fiona Beckett…

Ten Green Bottles is altogether funkier. This shop and wine bar in Brighton supplies restaurants as diverse as the Fat Duck and MsMarmitelover’s Underground Restaurant. They specialise in hard-to-find bottles such as biodynamic Saumur producer Domaine de la Paleine’s Scherzo 2008 (£10.99; 14% abv), a lovely, off-dry chenin that would add real class to jazzed-up turkey leftovers (creamy or spicy).

Domaine de la Paleine Saumur Blanc Scherzo, 2008, 14.5%vol, Italy (£10.99; www.tengreenbottles.com; 01273 567176).

© Guardian News and Media Limited 2010

A little about the producer
Domaine de la Paleine is located in the heart of the Loire Valley, close to the beautiful Collegiate in Le Puy Notre Dame. The Domaine’s extensive wine cellars run for 2 kms underground and maintain a constant temperature of 12° all year round, providing an ideal environment to lay down more than 100,000 bottles of vintage wines from the AOC Saumur appellation.

The vines of the ‘chenin blanc’ and ‘cabernet franc’ grape make up the majority of the 32 hectares of the vineyard. Leaving grass to grow in between the vines encourages her roots to grow deep into the limstone soil, exceptionally chalky the soil acts as a sponge retaining surplus water. A natural reservoir during the hot summer months the vines are able to feed their growing fruits. It is this action that gives the wines of Domaine de la Paleine their unique character: full bodied, yet subtle and fruity.

Ten Green Bottles, importers of fine wine and The Spanish Food Company, the UK’s newest, importer of Spanish speciality foods are teaming up at The Wine Shop & Tasting Room opposite the Jubilee Library in the heart of Brighton.

You’ll be able to sample everything from smoky Spanish chorizo to cheese from La Rioja and the wines that match it, all available to buy on the day. If you like what you try, buy a bag of goodies and some bottles to recreate the magic at home. As gift giving season hurtles toward us, take this opportunity to step away from the stress.

We will also be showcasing our wonderful hampers that can be taken away or will be available to order as gifts for pre Christmas delivery nationwide.

We hope to see you there!

This was our first big tasting event at the new shop, and it was great to see a full house eager to taste through Gerald’s selection of superb - and relatively difficult to hold of in the UK - Loire reds, whites, sparkling and sweets, with food to match. Pauline’s post pretty much says it all, so I won’t repeat here, but will post a few more photos from the event.

Our next tasting is on the 7th November, kicking off our winter Italian season with Dominic Faccini from L’Astore Masseria, Italy. Details can be found here.

Tenuta del Priore Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, 2009, 13.5%vol, Italy (£5.99;  www.tengreenbottles.com; 01273 567176).

Ten Green Bottles is the new kid on the Brighton block. Hitherto an online merchant only, specialising in French, Italian and Spanish producers too small for the supermarkets, it opens its first shop this week. This is a great value, terroir-expressive red from Abruzzo, full of ripe, savoury red fruit and silky tannins. Ideal to drink with rich pasta dishes.

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010

A little about the producer
Tenuta del Priore consists of 30 hectares of vineyards on steep hills, arranged in an amphitheatre on the banks of an artificial lake. The vineyard is 80% red grapes, mainly a native clone of Montepulciano. Trebbiano is well placed in this environment, and covers almost all the white grapes grown here. The soil is rich red clay, sometimes mixed with limestone. The Mediterranean climate lies under the influence here of the Adriatic Sea, bringing dry and cool breezes that allow exceptional concentration of fruit.

Thanks to those of you who came last night, and who have come along to see us so far. Below are a few photos from the event…