Rumour has it that teetotaller Nicolas Sarkozy is at this very moment sitting there not drinking the Chateau Margaux 1961 that is being served at Windsor Castle in his honour. Stupid, stupid homme. Me? I’m on more Big blands. The thing that depresses me most about having to drink my way through a mound of best-sellers is that I will have wasted three weeks worth of opportunities to tuck into much better wines. As Len Evans put it, ‘People who say you can’t drink good stuff all the time are fools. You must drink good stuff all the time. Every bottle of inferior wine you drink is like smashing a superior bottle against a wall: the pleasure is lost forever. You can’t get that bottle back.’

Kumala Colombard Chardonnay 2007, Western Cape
Simple lolly water that is getting worse as it warms up. When it was cooler, there was a vague greengage-y freshness to it. Now it’s turning paunchy and looking rather flat – I reckon it would have been better without the Chardonnay.

Hardy’s Stamp Series Semillon Chardonnay 2007, South Eastern Australia
There’s a little more pzzazz here, with citrus and guava flavours and some smoky, burnt sugar and nut edges in the background. But this is still basic undemanding wine that the late, great Len would have banished from his presence.