Swapan seth

The fact that Graham Harding is chairman of the Oxford Wine Club does give him a rather scholarly view on wines and vineyards. Yet at no point during the read is A Wine Miscellany professorial. Instead it traces the history of wine and its infinite intricacies with both detail and delight. It is, as it title suggests a “jaunt through the whimsical world of wine”.

And whimsical wine is. The book is filled with facts and trivia. It covers the confusion over claret as well as the pheromones of a Pinot. There are references to the rather troubled Michael Jackson as well, who apparently has a weakness among other younger things for Pinot Noir, and who refers to his whites as “Jesus Juice” and his reds as “Jesus Blood”.

I suppose the lad’s going to be in trouble with the Church now. Overall, Harding’s book is enchanting. It has recipes for Marijuana Wine and even clothing analogies for wine: a Merlot is like a soft, silky, cashmere sweater, as well as important fiscal information. Did anyone, for instance, know that the nose of Angela Mount, senior wine buyer for Somerfield, is insured for a modest $18 million. For any purveyor of Petrus, A Wine Miscellany is great fun.

Let’s face it; the French aren’t exactly famous for their thrillers. But when you have stalwarts such as Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil, you can’t go horribly wrong. 36 Quai des Orfevres is the Scotland Yard of France and the film is precisely about two cops, both chasing the same bank busters.

Evidently at some point they were mates, but over the years one’s love for the other’s wife becomes a bit of a bummer. The other point is that both are chasing the Chief’s title. And for both, there is one rule: there are no rules. In 36, we’re talking about France’s finest stars coming together. Auteuil is remarkable as ever. Depardieu shines like the ever-shimmering star that he is. Valeria Golino as Auteuil’s wife, plays her own part rather faithfully. Not the most riveting thrillers of all time, 36 is still recommended for the cast that it has cobbled together.

Since compilations seem to be much the order of the day, All Angels is perfectly in place. Produced by Ian Tilley and Steve Abbott, it sees the coming together of four teenage girls who bring a much surprising maturity to the microphone. Originally, good choir chicks, Charlotte, Daisy, Melanie and Laura were selected after a nationwide search.

Together, they have put together an album that is vividly enchanting. But it’s not all oh-so-classical. The ladies have also played their tributes to little crushes such as Fleetwood Mac and Robbie Williams. In particular, I like their version of Angels. But I would give top marks to The Flower Duet from Lakme and their wonderful take on the ever-amazing Ave Maria.

With a bit of Silent Night and Hosanna thrown in, you also have the makings of a nice album to scratch while waiting for Santa to do justice to your stockings. Trust me, All Angels has all the ingredients to make Christmas rather merry.

Photographs by Rupinder Sharma