What we'll be drinking at my son's baptism

So, perhaps it's not the first thing on all parent's minds for their child's baptism. But, it will be a huge celebration of our son's life and so, for us, what we drink with our friends will be a huge part of it.

We decided to go to our local Majestic in order to try a couple of options. And, to be honest, they couldn't have been more helpful. I think people know that Majestic provides this sort of service for weddings, but perhaps people don't know how helpful they are for other events, such as Christenings.

I'd emailed them beforehand to let them know that I wanted sparkling wine and what my price point was. I also said what style of sparkling wine I prefer, so something clean, crisp and without too much biscuit/toasty notes. And, Chris came back with some options which he said he'd put on ice and we booked in an evening to pop down to have a taste!

Eventually, we chose the following:

• Le Berceau Piquepoul-Chardonnay Brut Frisante. This was the one that Chris actually recommended and I was intrigued as I love a Picpoul (it was the first wine I ever got drunk on). It was very clean and crisp with super fine bubbles.
• La Marca Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. We've had this one before at other parties and know it to be a crowd-pleasing all-rounder. Plus, we got married in Italy so a prosecco seemed appropriate.
• Southcott Pewsey Hill Classic Cuvee Brut 2011. We didn't actually get to try this one, but we wanted a couple of English sparkling wines for the "important people". My first ever job was in Pewsey and this is where this vineyard is located (sorry, I couldn't find this wine on the Majestic website). 

I really hope all our guests are pleased with our selections. We've probably bought far too many bottles, but thankfully, Majestic has a use and return policy, which means we can take back any unused bottles.

Added to the sparkling wines, we are planning to have a keg of beer from our local Hopback Brewery. Perhaps some of their delicious Summer Lightening. However, this was my husband's ONLY job for the baptism and he has utterly failed to sort it. However, two weeks to go, so fingers crossed!

I'll report back on how the event goes and what all of our guests thought! Thanks again to Chris and the team at Majestic Salisbury.

Must be talking to an angel

I discovered Naked Wines when I went to a marketing event in Norwich. I was supposed to be learning about building successful brands. Instead, this hot, Irish man stood up and started talking about wine. By all accounts I listened to that presentation!

The hot, Irish guy introduced me to the concept of wine buying with a social purpose. I love wine, but unless I'm in a vineyard, eyeball to eyeball with the producer, I rarely think about the people behind the bottle. I guess most wines fall into the category of what I view as the "mass produced wines you see on the shelves of Tesco or Waitrose". And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with those wines, lots of them taste pretty good.

In England, we often hear about local farmers campaigning about the cost of milk. About how the big, bad supermarkets squeeze farmers to beyond levels where any living can be earned. But it never occurred to me the same could be true of wine. 

Lovely Picpoul and how you rate the wine

Naked wines supports independent wine growers. This means that when you buy wine from them, you'll never have heard of the brand and sometimes the stocks run out of the wines you really like. But each of the wines has been made by a family vineyard or a small, artisan producer. And, by you buying the wine, you are directly investing in that vineyard and personally helping to ensure that winery continues to be in business. And, you pay a fair price for a bottle of wine.

And do you know what, maybe I do feel a bit better about drinking the wine when I feel I am doing good for the world (#fact, by me drinking wine, I am helping someone). But that's not even the best bit.

You know those adverts where you give money to charity and you receive updates from the children, or ponies or forest you have helped to save? Well it works just the same for Naked Wines!

When you invest in Naked Wines, you become an Angel. As an Angel, you receive updates from the growers to let you know how they're getting on. How the grapes are ripening this season, new wines they have on the market and other little things they happen to be excited about.

OK, so I haven't exactly saved a breed of endangered snails, but it makes me feel pretty good.

Another great thing about the site is that you can share your experiences with others. So, if I had a particularly enjoyable session on a case of Picpoul de Pinet, I can let other people know about it. And they can let me know what they liked and didn't like too. It's not even that poncey either, as the people talking about the wines are mainly normal people, like me.

And the wines have been pretty good too. I have especially enjoyed:

•  The Benjamin Darnault Picpoul de Pinet which is light and soft and highly coiffable
• The Filigrana Alvarinho from Antonia Venturo - a lovely pear drops wine that comes in a surprising, blue bottle (pictured above)
• The Mauricio Lorca Lorico 2010 which tasted like a glass of ripe cherries

My only complaint would be that they claim to be a social brand, yet they are rubbish at acknowledging and responding to mentions on social media. I talk about them all the time on Twitter because I think they are great. I talk about when a new delivery arrives, which wines I've liked, what I'm doing when I drink the wines... Look, basically I love them.

All I ask, is show me a little love in return. Just the odd tweet. Just a tiny mention. Let me know you're listening! After all, you are talking to an Angel.

Disclaimer: drink sensibly n that ;)