The end result which has been dubbed "Vinbovin" has been very well received by Paris restauranteurs.

The original idea to rear the cattle on wine was developed by Jean-Charles Tastavy. Carried out in Lunel- Viel,  he took three cows - one Camargue and two Angus - and fed them wine over a four-month period.

First he mixed wine in with a special feed - a combination of barley, grapes and hay. He then allowed the cows to enjoy a wine produced in a local village, near Montpellier.

Claude Chaballier, the owner of the farm where the experiment was carried out, stated: "The cattle loved what was on the menu and drank it with relish."

Michelin-starred chef Laurent Pourcel waxed lyrical about the meat produced.

He said: "It has a very special texture - beautiful, marbled and tender, and which caramelises during cooking. All the best Parisien restaurants will take it."

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Sir Alexs side finished second to their local rivals, City, on goal difference. Donning a big grin the Scot admitted "red wine helps," when asked about how he dealt with the disappointment.

He refused to go into anymore detail on his title anguish, although he did take his usual three-week trip to the South of France and was spotted at last weekends Wimbledon final - in which he saw fellow countryman, Andy Murray, beaten by Roger Federer.

The 70 year-old United boss is known to enjoy a glass of wine with opposition mangers after a game. Away from football he also lists wine as one of his major interests and has a collection of clarets stored in his cellar.

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An image posted on her Twitter page showed Kim taking a sip from a glass of wine whilst with her brother, Rob and sister, Khloe on Wednesday (June 6).

The three enjoyed a steak dinner, after which Khloe took to Twitter.

Notably absent from the occasion was the 31-year-olds current beau, rapper, Kanye West; hes currently on tour in Europe with Jay-Z .

Rumours have suggested that Kim - who is currently in the process of divorcing ex-husband, Kris Humphries - is set to move in with the 35-year-old rapper having begun dating him back in April.

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Oyster farmer Joel Dupuch, wine maker Bruno Lemoine and barrel maker Pierre-Guillaume Chiberry carried out a test to determine whether wine stored below water tasted better than that stored in a château.

To do this they took barrels - designed by Chiberry - of a 2009 Bordeaux and stored them in two locations - one in the cellar of château and other under water on the oyster beds of the Bay of Archachon.

After six months, the three then tasted the wines determining that the Bordeaux stored in the sea was the best tasting. The wines also underwent lab analysis which displayed that the wine submerged in the sea had been changed by the process of osmosis.

Commenting on the experiment, Lemoine, stated: "I had heard a bunch of stories about wines ageing at sea.

"I found the whole idea amusing and intriguing. So when in 2009 we found ourselves with an exceptional vintage, full of rich tannins, I decided to put it to good use.

"It started out as a lark among friends. One of use came up with the idea and the others ran with," he said.

Chiberry added: "It was much better than it should have been."

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In a reversal of fortunes - with concerns previously surrounding a significant amount of surplus wine - the wine grape harvest for 2012 came in at 269,000 tonnes - representing a fall of 18 per cent compared to 2011s haul.

Trade body New Zealand Winegrowers also revealed that the amount of Pinot Noir produced during 2012 was also down by 25 per cent, with Sauvignon Blanc down by 19 per cent.

Commenting on the results, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers, Phil Gregan, stated: "The 2012 vintage is very similar in size to 2010, but given sales growth in the past two years, the reduced crop will introduce a new tension to the sectors supply demand balance."

David Cox, New Zealand Winegrowers Europe director, also added that while it was disappointing to see a much lower level of Sauvignon Blanc being produced, it wasnt all disappointing news.

"I think this year will allow us to focus on building profitable growth and returning value and so I do predict that the incidence, and historic need, to discount some of our Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc will disappear and that has to be a good thing," Cox said.

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Denis Lefranq was jailed for two years and four months by Leeds Crown Court in October 2011. He has been ordered to pay back just £30,000 - over a six month period - of the £380,000 he amassed from the fraud.

At the time of the crime Lefranq was running a fine dining restaurant at 3 York Place, Leeds; he then set up a website, SurplusWines.co.uk in 2010, which claimed to be a seller of fine wines from restaurants that had been hit by the recession and forced to close.

The thirty-six year old then placed adverts in both local and national newspapers - leading to hundreds of orders being placed; the orders were never completed though and Lefranq shut his restaurant and fled to Europe once the funds had cleared.

He was then arrested in Prague during December 2010 and brought back to the United Kingdom, where he admitted to conspiracy to defraud.

Victims of Lefranqs scam have reacted angrily to the news that he will only pay back a small amount of the total he amassed.

Roger Burgess placed an order with SurplusWines.co.uk and stated: "If there is some way of tracing those people who lost physical amounts of cash that should be the bare minimum thats taken back, and it should not go to the state but to those customers."

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Around one million bottles of each variety have been ordered in to be sold at the Olympic Park, Stratford, as well as most of the other venues set to be used at the games. The red is a shiraz tempranillo and the white a chenin blanc; each wine variety will be sold in a 187ml bottle, with some sold in full-size 75cl bottles.

Commercial director of Bibendum, the distributor of the chosen wines - all 2012 vintages - Kirstie Papworth stated that the wines had been chosen with the "taste profile" of a typical spectator in mind.

Describing the flavours of each variety, she added: "The rosé is slightly sweeter and fruitier but not too sweet; the chenin blanc is very crisp and fresh; and the red is really smooth, soft and rounded.

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The Emerging Opportunities in the Chinese Wine Market report has been put together by Wine Intelligence; its author, Jenny Li, states that whilst red wine currently accounts for in excess of 85 per cent of the total amount of wine sold in the country, white wine is quickly growing in popularity - particularly in the southern provinces.

She stated: "It is a reflection of regional palates; southerners tend to dislike astringent and tannic styles. In addition, lighter southern cuisine is a more appropriate match for white wine.

"White wines are perceived to be "fake-free" due to the relative lack of counterfeit white wine products in the market," she added.

However, not all wine producers are buying into the notion that white varieties will become favourites country-wide.

Carlos Serrano of Montes Wines commented: "China is a very regionalised market with major cultural differences, ie what works in one area does not necessarily work in another."

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Held in a hand-blown glass "ampoule" that provides the wine with an ideal environment, the 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon was created with grapes grown in the Barossa Valley, South Australia.

When a buyer decides that he or she wants to open the bottle they will have to contact Penfolds; one of the firms senior members from its wine-making team will then travel out to uncork the bottle.

Commenting on the vintage, Ildi Ireland told AFP: "It is our understanding this is one of the most expensive Australian wines released in this unique format.

In an official statement Penfolds stated: "The wine contained within the ampoule, first released in the 1950s holds a particular significant among generations of Australian and international wine collectors."

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Around 150mm of rain fell in June - in excess of double the average amount - which hasnt benefitted wineries at all. However, despite the poor weather, marketing manager at Ridgeview, Mardi Roberts, stated: "We got through the frost season very well."

She continued:  "and now weve just started to flower. The next couple of days are crucial for fruit set."

Roberts also added that the company were utilising machines to blow the caps - which can get stuck in the rain and hinder pollination - off of the flowers.

Camel Valleys Bob Lindo was slightly less optimistic though.

He stated: "We dont necessarily need sun, but we need a good temperature and no rain. If it continues to rain like this for the next two weeks were in danger of losing a large proportion of the crop."

Owen Elias of Hush Heath held a similar opinion, stating: "We need dry, warm weather now, and I dont know if were going to get it. But something usually happens - its very rare to get a complete failure, and at this stage there is no point trying to predict the harvest."

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Although at a higher price than last year (2011), the average price for this years vintage was just $457 (AUD) per ton - the second-lowest in ten years.

Industry body The Winemakers Federation of Australia stated that profits would not return until more grape growers had left the wine industry.

The amount of 2012 vintages produced increased by four per cent - a figure kept down in a season hit by flooding in certain areas of Australia.

Meanwhile it was also reported that Shiraz production had increased by 16 per cent - overtaking Chardonnay production. The production of a greater amount of Shiraz has been attributed to the fact that last years Chardonnay vintage was hit by grapes soaked by the rain and infected with botrytis.

Production of Pinot Gris and muscat Gordo Blanco also increased - by 40 and 30 per cent respectively.

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Carried out by Swedish scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the study looked at 34,100 women - aged between 39 and 84. Each participant filled in a survey, indicating how often they indulged in wine, beer or spirits over the course of a year.

The results displayed that those women that drank at least three glasses - measuring 150 ml - of wine, a pint of beer or two measures of spirits during a week-long period were around 52 per cent less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

Around 400,000 Brits suffer from this particular type of arthritis; women between the ages of 40 and 70 are the group most affected by this disorder.

PhD student Daniela Di Guiseppe contributed to the research.

She stated: "The results of this study indicate that moderate consumption of alcohol may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis among women.

"These results are in accordance with the inverse association between moderate alcohol consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and add to the evidence that moderate alcohol consumption is not harmful and can be protective against such a chronic disease as rheumatoid arthritis.

"However, the effect of higher doses of alcohol on the risk of rheumatoid arthritis remains unknown," she added.

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But deciphering a wine list doesnt have to be stressful. Just follow these five simple tips:

1) Dont be afraid to ask for help

If the restaurant youre eating in employs a wine professional, then ask for their advice. Theyre not there to snarl at wine amateurs: rather, theyre a library of wine knowledge. Plumb it, ask whatever you like, and youll no doubt find your perfect wine.

2) Show courage

Huge wine lists can look scary: but really, theyre not. If youre a little lost, why not take the plunge and go for something youve never heard of. Do it with confidence, and impressed wthet able wth your courage - even if they know youre blagging it - and youll learn something new. Which is bound to come in handy next time.

3) Less expensive wines

A great wine list is full of great wines. So it doesnt matter if you go for the most expensive bottle, or the least expensive: the wine is bound to be good.

4) Try before you buy

Waiters are used to people being fussy about their wine: asking for a quick taste before ordering a bottle is part and parcel of the tradition. Dont be afraid to ask to sample a wine before committing. Take this approach throughout the evening and youll have the chance to try a huge variety of wines with your meal.

5) Remember, you are in charge

If your wine is too warm, ask for an ice bucket. If your server is refilling your glass too quickly, ask them to slow down – you could even insist on finishing your glass before its refilled. And dont feel pressured to spend more than youd like. If you dont want to let your guests know how much youre spending, point to the price youre thinking and ask for something similar.

Simple. Happy ordering!

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And thats exactly what Decanter and the Royal Opera House did on Tuesday March 13, by hosting this years Wine Gala Dinner, following the success of their 2008 event.

The evening began with the Royal Opera House chorus giving a recital, which was directed by Renato Balsadonna, and featured internationally-acclaimed soloists Ekaterina Siurina, Christine Rice, Robert Murray and Mathew Rose.

Guests were then treated to a six-course dinner, and with each course, a wine  donated by one of the six wine makers attending the evening. And for that extra special touch, the producer of each wine took to the stage to personally introduce their wine.

Next came an exciting 12-lot auction. Where, as well as large format bottles, exclusive tastings and vineyard stays, a private violin recital and the chance to sit in the Royal Opera House orchestral pit during a performance, were also up for grabs. There were several heated bidding wars throughout the auction, with the highest-grossing lot selling for £21,000.

The evening was a roaring success, raising £87,000 in total for the Royal Opera House foundation. Well drink to that!

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The results from the test suggest that a persons choice of tipple says a lot about them.

Customers who regularly bought a particular type of drink participated in the study. They were asked to pick one of five car brands which best described them.

Well focus on the wine results here.

43% of red wine drinkers chose a Volvo Saloon. Ms Taylor says that this suggests red wine drinkers are discerning and mature, and very organised. "They tend to be organised professionals and the type of people who alphabetise their CD collections,” she said.

53% of white wine drinkers chose a Mercedes SLK/Audi Quattro. From this, Ms Taylor concludes that white wine drinkers are entrepreneurial, and might be a bit bossy: "They also tend to be opinionated and independent," she added.

Ms Taylor said the study suggested a link between your personality and what you drink. "It is not the drink that makes the person," she said. "But rather its the person who, quite literally in this instance, makes the drink."

So this Mothers Day, dont just give your Mum any old bottle of wine: choose one which really says something about her.

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However, it now seems to be the in-thing for celebs to not just drink wine, but to release their own bottles too.

Last year, Bob Dylan came out with a limited edition of vintage releases, and the rock band AC/DC partnered with the Australian Warburn Estate, to release a set of wines with epic names, such as You Shook Me All Night Long Moscato and Highway to Hell Cabernet Sauvignon. Even the heavily-made-up rockers of Kiss - who, over the years, have become well known for a huge range of branded spin-off merchandise - will soon be able to collect their favorite Kiss album covers on wine bottles.

Bob Barry of Winebow, a national wine and spirits distributor, says: “Celebrities serious about wine attach their name to a winery or vineyard because they enjoy wine and want to be part of wine culture.”

Its not just musicians in the vineyards: actors Dan Aykroyd and Kyle Maclachlan, and director Francis Ford Coppola, have both worked on their own wines, too.

Of course, celebrity endorsements dont instantly make a classic bottle of wine: the actual drink itself isnt guaranteed to be great just because it has a famous name on it.

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Industry experts have predicted that crop levels could be down by as much as 30 per cent - compared to the 328,000 tonnes yielded by 2011s harvest.

Chair of industry body, New Zealand Winegrowers, Stuart Smith, commented on the potential shortage.

He said: "I expected that the vintage will be around 300,000 tonnes. However, even if we had a 328,000 tonne harvest like last year, we would still be short by about 10 per cent. We now have very low stocks on hand and export sales are growing at a good rate.

"If we get a 300,000 tonne vintage, growth will stop because we wont even have any stock; even if we get 300-328,000 tonnes there will be practically no growth," Smith added.

The amount of wine exported from New Zealand has increased by a massive amount in the last decade, with 154 million litres exported during 2011 - compared to just 23 million exported in 2002.

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The Spaniard, who was at last nights Academy Awards ceremony, launched Anta Banderas wines  at the annual South Beach and Food Festival.

Dressed casually, the 51-year-old took time out to speak to fans and sign bottles in what was an intimate affair.

Speaking to MiamiNewTimes.com, Banderas said: "I always wanted to produce my own wine, but it requires time that I do not have. Then I found the Anta Project.

"Maximum quality vineyards and grapes, and ultimate technology in the bodega (winery).

"I travelled with my family in 2008 and we loved the place and the team. The decision was made, it was a family winery, just what I was looking for," he added.

Unfortunately for Banderas, his film, Puss in Boots, lost out to Rango in the category for Best Animated Feature Film.

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An article in Decanter cited research carried out by Dr Antonia Mantonakis, a professor at Brock University.

Tthe study found that consumers gave wines, whose makers names they found difficult to pronounce, a higher rating in a blind taste test; they were also prepared to spend more money on the same wine.

Dr Mantonakis commented on the results of her study.

She stated: "Wines associated with more difficult-to-pronounce names are associated with higher ratings.

"Things that are difficult to pronounce are unfamiliar because they are usually rare.

"Perception of tastes are different if they are associated with a more disfluent winery name and that result is especially pronounced for high wine-knowledge participants," she concluded.

Despite her findings however, Dr Mantonakis said that her findings might not necessarily be reflected in standard wine purchases; she added: "Whether these results would replicate in a more natural setting is something we dont know."

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In what has been called the worst winter for 50 years, temperatures in Russia have plummeted to -30c in some places.

Located in the Krymsk district of Krasnodar, Chateau Le Grand Vostock has recorded average temperatures of -15c over 15 days - leaving grape harvests seriously affected.

Winery director, Frank Duseigneur, stated: "It is really the limit of resistance for vitis vinifera - especially Merlot - even if we cultivate them with a plough.

"The weather is milder and we are now pruning again... The reality of the damage will only be seen in May," he added.

Abrau-Druso also suffered from the harsh conditions, with Pavel Titov stating that while it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage, he forecast that around 40 to 50 per cent of their harvest in the area had been lost.

He said: "Right now it is difficult to speculate how much, but everybody was on the brink of a wipe-out."

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