Wine recommendations have been a bit thin on the ground in recent months, I've just been feeling rotten and even wondrous wine has not been perking me up. However, I am feeling slightly better today and so here are some good wines you might want to pick up.

Grande Année 1999, Bollinger: Streets ahead of the dreadful 1997, if not quite up to the 1996 in terms of quality. £49.50 from Magnum Fine Wines.

Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Moss Wood: My favourite affordable Cabernet based wine. It is really quite fun and not in the slightest bit hard work. I had it last in November. £36 from the Wine Society.

Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru les Folatieres 2005, Alain Chavy: A gentle, refined, elegant white Burgundy that is very keenly priced. £23.50 from Magnum Fine Wines.

Chardonnay 2005, Moss Wood: If you are getting some of the excellent Cabernet why not have some of the Chardy as well? It is a reasonably complex and stylish wine, considering its scale and oakiness. Well worth the £19 from Jeroboams.

Riesling Kabinett Oberhauser Leistenberg 2005, Donnhoff: Something light and refreshing to drink over what is left of summer. Helmut Donnhoff is a wine god. £13.15 from Berry Bros. and Rudd.

I am just drinking another bottle of Chablis Grand Cru Bougros "Cote Bouguerots" 2000 from Fevre. I had this last in July. All I can really say to add to that note is how completely fantastic the wine is. It may be big and bold, but is also racy, elegant and exciting. It is perfectly mature and up for drinking now, not that it won't hang around. If you have any spare and don't know how to get rid of it do drop me an email. It is tits.

Now that is what a call a fine wine. Jean Boxler hits the spot once again even in this difficult vintage

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg L31D 2003, Domaine Boxler
The nose explodes with an array of exciting, compelling flavours. There is peachy fruit there, along with fresh redcurrant, it has a rich minerality, and is extraordinarily complex. Yummy, smells good, I rather fancy. The palate has some breadth, but is kept lively by a sharp mineral tang and good acidity. The acid and the fruit persist on the finish to make this a very refreshing drink, despite all of its size and complexity. Tasty stuff. Long, stylish, complex and even tasty, what more could a loony ask for? Excellent.

No, it is not being expected to drink Claret; that appalls me.

In recent days the head of the Cheshire police force has been calling for an increase in the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 to help combat underage drinkers. Firstly, increasing the drinking age is a foolish idea, as it increases the view amongst those too young to drink that they are doing something special and "cool".

If one wants to encourage responsible drinking, surely it would be better that alcohol use be portrayed as a normal part of life for adults. Youth will not feel the need to go and get violently drunk if they do not think there is anything special about drinking alcohol.

Secondly, the idiot chief constable conveniently seems to have forgotten that those pesky drunken kids causing a problem in his area are already underage and so covered by existing law. Raising the legal age would only increase the number of underage drinkers and with it the burden of policing that he would have to carry.

Finally, it is unacceptable for the police to call for a change in the law like this, even vicariously. It is their job to enforce the law, not to dictate what laws they enforce.

Moreover, he has called for a ban on drinking in public places, which further takes drinking out of mainstream behaviour and penalises the majority of people with a responsible attitude to alcohol. Again such a change in the law would only make alcohol seem special to underage people and not encourage them to see it as a normal part of adult life.

It really irritated me that the ravings of this police officer have been reported entirely uncritically by the media. He has been given free-rein to speak without anyone pointing out the obvious flaws in his demands, which make him seem misguided about drinking culture at best and pernicious in his attempt to change the law at worst. He should get on with his job of policing the laws that exist and stop trying to abuse his position of authority to interfere with our lives.

Notes have been a bit thin on the ground of late, I am not feeling happy and even the mystic power of wine does little to cheer me. However, tonight we have popped one of the loveliest bottles of wine I've had in... oh... I period of time. I know I've had this many times before, but this is the best bottle that has been popped.

Meursault "Les Tillets" 2001, Domaine Roulot
The nose is really nutty and mineral. It has a very pleasing, round character, but it has real precision and purity of aromas on the nose. It is very stoney, but has some really good lemon fruit. The palate is a delight of pure flavours, precisely defined fruit, minerality and acidity. This is quite lovely, real depth of flavours and great length. It is really stylish too. This is a fine wine, and up for drinking (with a lot of pleasure) now. Top bunny.

This is quite the nicest bottle of white Burgundy I've had in, oh, a period of time. It is a beast, but is really elegant and refined.

Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2001, Paul Pernot et fils
A huge round nose of nuts and sweet fruit, this has odd hints of Frangelico it is so hazelnutty. It is also extraordinarily mineral and deeply complex. It has to be admitted, there is a bit of sulphur there. The palate is utterly brilliant: broad, nutty with plenty of fat, yet with precision, lively acidity and brilliant minerality. It is very long with great complexity. This is really stylish. A stunning wine that only really needs more time to shed the sulphur and become properly mature.