A huge, huge thank you goes out to Armit for sponsoring the wines this year.

This mega annual fundraiser hosted by Chris Evans is one of the highlights of a four-day BBC Children In Need Drive And Dine extravaganza. Guests who have bid thousands of pounds to take part in this terrific event will gather on 6th July with a five course dinner cooked by Georgio Locatelli with bread baked by Paul Hollywood – and wines selected and presented by Olly.

Live music will be provided by Gary Barlow followed by dancing in the Disco Teepee of Love….ooo!

MENU & WINES

Green beans and potato salad, shallot dressing and summer black truffle:

Batàr 2010, Toscana, IGT, Querciabella

Pasta Twists with Tuna Tomatoes, Black Olives and Mint:

Montessu 2010, Agricola Punica, IGT Isola dei Nuraghi

Pea and Sausage Risotto:

Rosso dei Notri 2011, Tua Rita 

Roast Fillet of Cod, Stewed Lentils and Parsley Sauce:

Valpolicella Superiore 2010, Musella

“Pick Me Up” Tiramisu:

Passito de Pantelleria 2008, Cantine Rallo DOP Pantelleria

Can beer ever be as complex as wine? Absolutely.

Just as there are everyday bottles of vino that are simple and fruity, you can find beers with stunning layers of fine flavours.

Despite having only four basic ingredients – water, grain, hops and yeast – there are some beers with flavours that are as endless as they are enthralling.

Which is why I ended up spending £5,000 to obtain my perfect pint.

Before you think I’ve gone mad, let me explain.

My pal Steve is a gentle drinks wizard – formerly the head wine buyer at Oddbins, he’s famed for detecting corked wine at 50 paces, while his home brew is legendary.

Steve started brewing his own beer in his kitchen, creating a prototype with a massive mango aroma and huge, hop-fuelled, zesty flavours, which quenched and exhilarated with every sip.

I fell in love with it. Investing in ramshackle fermentation tanks (christened ‘Gunter’, ‘Jeff’ and ‘Yeti’ by his son), a year ago Steve needed an extra five grand to turn his home-brew dreams into a high-street hit.

I worked overtime to help out, and today Rocky Head is in Selfridges in London and Oddbins nationwide.

Steve now makes Selfridges’ own-label 1909 English Pale Ale too.

His triumph isn’t just an isolated case: worldwide, the culture of beer is thriving, with collaborations between breweries, blogs such as Beervana, books like Mark Dredge’s excellent Craft Beer World – and lots of passionate fans.

Meanwhile, experts such as Melissa Cole and The Beer Beauty are helping spread the word about the awesome flavours on our doorstep.

I’d urge you to dive in and experience some craft beers for yourself – whether from Meantime in Greenwich or Magic Rock in Huddersfield.

There’s a wealth of styles on offer in pubs and bars across Britain, from Port Street Beer House in Manchester to The Craft Beer Co’s establishments in London and Brighton.

Traditional cask beer in a jug, a zesty fruit beer or a turbocharged dose of modern craft India Pale Ale – whatever your favoured brew, Britain’s beer is something to be proud of.

And, thankfully, it doesn’t have to cost five grand every time you order a pint.

First published in EVENT magazine on 5th May 2013.

Olly will be presenting his own ‘Waxes Lyrical’ masterclasses, which you can book when you buy your tickets.

8th & 9th June – Manchester, Museum of Science & Industry

29th & 30th June – Edinburgh, Assembly Rooms

6th & 7th July – London, Lord’s Cricket Ground

28th & 29th September – Harrogate, The International Centre

5th & 6th October – Cardiff, The Parc Hotel

23rd & 24th November - Manchester, Museum of Science & Industry

7th & 8th December – London, Lord’s Cricket Ground

Get more information and buy your tickets here.

The Three Wine Men want to get everyone in the country tasting, experiencing and enjoying new wines and discovering different foods. Their events bring together wine and food retailers and producers to show you just how much fun your taste buds can have in a day.

You can buy wines on the day too – just ask one of the Men for help and they’ll introduce you to wines they think you’ll like. And, if you want to learn more then why not attend a masterclass?

Tapas Fantasticas returns on Saturday 15th and Sunday 14th June 2013 to Potters Fields Park, next to Tower Bridge, London for a weekend of Spanish wine, food, music and entertainment! Entry to the event is absolutely free. Purchase a tasting glass and receive four tokens to exchange for Rioja wines (tapas and Rioja by the glass also available for purchase).

Olly will be hosting wine workshops and wine walks on both days, giving you a lively and fun guide to Spanish wine with lots of top tips.

Tickets can be booked for these workshops here.

Workshop Times:

Saturday 15th June: 12:15, 15:30

Sunday 16th June: 12:30, 15:30

Wine Walk Times:

Saturday 15th June: 14:30, 16:45

Sunday 16th June: 14:15, 17:15

Check out the Tapas Fantasticas website for full details

Olly has chosen a fabulous line up of wines and beers to to match the stunning menu by Ascot’s Executive Chef, Steve Golding.  What Olly loves most about wine is that it brings people together alongside food and with this in mind he has created the perfect pairings for the Parade Ring Restaurant’s crisp and fresh menu.

Situated at the centre of the Grandstand; the Restaurant offers outstanding views over the Parade Ring and Winners’ Enclosure, as well as boasting trackside viewing adjacent to the Royal Box.

Olly  says, “I am massively excited to be involved in Royal Ascot, a huge week in the British social calendar and I feel a surge of exhilaration at the thought of cracking into and sharing a trove of splendid bottles for us all to revel in. With all my recent training for the London Marathon combined with my delight at being involved at this year’s Royal Ascot, I may need a bridle and harness to prevent me galloping full tilt for glory!”

Royal Ascot is a unique event in the summer social calendar and one of Europe’s most famous race meetings and is steeped in tradition, heritage and pageantry.  Every year Royal Ascot is attended by Her Majesty the Queen and various members of the British Royal Family, who arrive each day in a horse-drawn carriage to watch some of the greatest racehorses in the world battle it out on the hallowed turf in front of nearly 300,00 people.

Hats at the ready!

Why not visit the online shop for Olly’s unique wine glasses or decanter? The Glass is for red and white wine, fits in the dishwasher and is both elegant and practical.

The Bottle takes it inspiration from the nostalgic shape of a milk bottle, fits in the fridge and doesn’t take up too much room on the table.  Decanting your wine brings out the best in it, so why not dive in and see if your dad would like one of these?

Special offer for Father’s Day - free signed message from Olly with all purchases and a free stopper with every Bottle. You can also buy signed and personalised copies of my books Eat & Drink and Wine: Both Barrels.

Offer valid 26 April –  7 June 2013

Manchester Star Ale, 6.5%, 500ml (Sainsbury’s, £2.09) A rich, dark beer that’s deliciously moreish and performed well in Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt 2012.

BUY IT

Top picks

Sambrook’s Wandle, 3.8%, 500ml (alesbymail.co.uk, £2.80) A modern session beer from London with impeccable complexity, a thirst-quenching hoppy twist and real malty depth.

BUY IT

Black Sheep Ale, 4.4%, 500ml (Tesco, £1.97) The sort of beer the ploughman’s was made for, fruity and tangy in equal measure.

BUY IT

Sierra Nevada Torpedo, 7.2%, 350ml (Waitrose, £2.29) An intense, turbocharged dose of utter refreshment, with big flavours and massive hops.

BUY IT

The Kernel IPA Citra, 6.6%, 330ml (beermerchants.com, £3.35) An amazing beer with bright, arresting verve and zesty power.

BUY IT

These recommendations also appear in Olly’s column in Event, Mail on Sunday.

All prices, stockists and availability correct at time of going to press.

Tamdhu will be officially re-launching on 3rd May 2013 with a stunning new 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt, as part of the Speyside Whisky Festival.

Acquired in June 2011 by Ian Macleod Distillers, leading Scottish independent family owned distiller and bottler, Tamdhu Distillery was established in 1897 by a consortium of pioneering businessmen who embodied the ‘can-dhu’ spirit of their generation.

Tamdhu 10 yo Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky is available from Waitrose, specialists and independents across the UK from 6 May 2013 with an RRP of £34.99.

This week Monica Galetti cooked a seafood pasta in a light curry sauce.

For this, Olly selected Finest Soave Superiore Classico 2011 (Tesco, £7.99). 

If wine be the food of love, drink on! Cheers!

This week Shaun Rankin cooked an inventive combo of grilled skate and lamb ragout.

For this, Olly chose the fragrant and fresh Domäne Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner 2011 (Waitrose, from £7.99).

Cheers!

Morrisons Vaucluse Grenache-Syrah, France, 13% (Morrisons, £3.99) Easy to unwind with, this neat glugger represents cracking value – a simple, tangy red French vino.

BUY IT

Top picks

Tesco Simply Riesling, Germany, 11% (Tesco, £3.79) Elderflower-scented with a sherbert-like buzz and a dose of gentle sweetness.

BUY IT

Paul Cluver Ferricrete Riesling 2012, South Africa, 10% (M&S, £11.99) Floral and fresh-lime aromas plus fruity, zesty flavours.

BUY IT

Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese Selbach-Oster 2011, Germany, 8.5% (Berry Bros & Rudd, £19.95) Sweetness of mango, glorious with strawberries.

BUY IT

Dr L Riesling 2010, Germany, 10.5% (Asda, £5.78) Fruity fragrance like a sherbert lemon – sweet at first, but with a zingier finish.

BUY IT

These recommendations also appear in Olly’s column in Event, Mail on Sunday.

All prices, stockists and availability correct at time of going to press.

To me, it’s a nudist: rather than  hiding behind oak, for example,  each bottle is usually fuelled solely by the quality of the actual grapes.

But it can seem like an enigma, with sweet, dry and even sparkling variants available. Let’s strip it bare.

First up, some of the best dry Riesling comes from Oz. Look to Clare Valley and wineries such as Grosset and Paulett’s for wines so sharp it’s like sipping lightning from a cloud of limes.

Western Australia also has some great examples, such as Plantagenet Riesling 2011 (12.5 per cent, £14.99, Morrisons), which is beautifully snappy.

You can find this fresher style of Riesling elsewhere in the world, too – from New Zealand to South Africa to the U.S.

Top names in Austria include Pichler and Rabl, with vino so radiant and crisp it gleams on  your palate like tasty diamonds.

At the other extreme, there are some lusciously sweet Rieslings, including Paul Cluver’s Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2011 (10.5 per cent, South Africa, £14.99 for 37.5cl, Marks & Spencer) and Peller Estates Riesling Icewine (10.5 per cent, Canada, £33.99, Morrisons).

Such wines are thrilling for their Starburst-style balance of sweetness and zing. Serve them chilled on their own or with a slice of blue cheese.

In Germany, Riesling’s spiritual home, such very sweet wines are known as ‘Beerenauslese’ or – sweeter still – ‘Trockenbeerenauslese’.

For drier German kit, look for the word ‘Trocken’; Stefan Winter’s 2011 Riesling Trocken (12.5 per cent, Rheinhessen, £12.95, swig.co.uk) is turbocharged with juicy, bright fruit.

I also adore the lower-alcohol, hyper-fruity German Rieslings labelled ‘Spätlese’ (see below).

And nearby Alsace makes some  fabulous Riesling – Trimbach’s Cuvée Frédéric Emile 2006 (13 per cent, £39, greatwesternwine.co.uk) is a lemony stunner that ages beautifully.

Speaking of ageing, over time fine Riesling can develop ‘boot polish’ or ‘petrol’ aromas.

If that’s not your bag, stick to young, fresh stuff such as Villa Maria’s Private Bin Riesling 2011 from New Zealand (12 per cent, £9.49 at Majestic, or £7.99 if you buy two from Tuesday).

You could say, then, that Riesling is the Madonna of grape varieties: iconic, ever-changing, capable of maturing gracefully.

But I prefer to think of it as being gloriously naked.

First published in EVENT magazine on 28th April 2013.