Fifty Shades of Grey is a publishing sensation and wines mentioned in it are getting attention from fans who want to eat and drink as well as read. Peter F May looks at wines and food featured in the book and proposes candidates where the author has not named the exact wine.

Merlot is an important grape variety in Bordeaux and California. Peter F May looks at Merlot and discovers that it is much closer to Cabernet than just a blending partner.

Jancis Robinson's long waited book on grape vines is out and it is huge covering 1400 grape varieties in 1300 pages. DNA evidence has revolutionised grape identification and this book has original research and the latest information. Peter F May has been enthralled with it.

Writing about the taste of a wine requires both the reviewer and reader to have shared the same experiences, and that doesn’t always happen, says Peter F May

New Clairvaux Vineyards in Vina, California, is owned by the Abbey of New Clairvaux which is the first Cistercian Monastery in the Americas to grow, vinify and bottle its own wine. Peter F May visited and tasted their wines.

When Peter F May went to taste wines at California's New Clairvaux Vineyards he had a surprise. Accidentally joining the wrong tour he was amazed to find an 800 year old monastery Chapter House.

Carbonic Maceration is a winemaking process used to produce fruity light red wines with little tannin. Peter F May learns what it means and what happens during Carbonic Maceration that from winemaker Josh Rude in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Cold Soak is a phrase you hear winemakers casually throw out but many wine lovers aren’t too clear about what it actually means. So Peter F May was keen to get the low down from Oregon winemaker Josh Rude.

Where do you keep your corkscrew? Chances are that it is tucked away in a drawer in the kitchen. La Flute is a new corkscrew designed with aesthetics in mind and it is meant to be put on display when not in use. But Peter F May queries whether looks are more important than function.

Even within the same grape variety there can be big differences in the wines produced that have nothing to do with how they were made or where the grapes were grown but how the vine has mutated over time. Peter F May experiences four different Pinot Noir clones in Oregon.