This year marked a return to form for the Naples Winter Wine Festival auction, the top-earning charity wine auction in the country since 2004. After diminished success last year that reflected the dire economic circumstances of early 2009, the Naples, Fla.-based auction experienced a turnaround, with totals from Saturday’s event cresting over $8 million, a 60 percent increase over last year’s $5.06 million figure.

While it is too soon to know if the rebound at Naples is a bellwether of recovery for charity wine auctions in 2010, this is now already a celebratory year for the auction beneficiary, the Naples Children and Education Foundation, and for the 100,000 at-risk children aided by its many health programs.

The success at Naples this year, though still well shy of the blockbuster $15.67 million haul in 2007, is subject to multiple interpretations. But Francis Rooney, festival chairman and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, thinks that the resilience of compassion, even in lean times, accounts for much of it.

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When I heard Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2003 had come out top in a blind tasting at the world sparkling wine championships in Verona, beating super-brands such as Louis Roederer 2000 (who make the famous Cristal), my reaction was: so what? Blind tastings throw up weird results. When judges' scores are averaged out, the least offensive wine often comes out on top.

Until now I've been impressed but not bowled over by English sparkling wine. The best small-batch luxury cuvees can be good, but their price puts them into competition with people who have been making champagne for centuries. Then, this morning I tasted the latest release of the Nyetimber, which kicked up such a storm in Italy. It is made in West Sussex from a blend of the classic champagne grapes, chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. It has enormous concentration and persistence of flavour – longer than the train journey from London to Penzance.

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From Sainsbury's: SO Organic Chardonnay 2008 Vin de Pays d'Oc (£4.99; 13% abv) tastes as if it's been made by ­numbers ­using a duff calculator. A couple of horrendous sauv­ignon blancs – Sainsbury's Chilean ­Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (£3.22; 13% abv) and Sainsbury's Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Vin de Pays d'Oc (£4.39; 12.5% abv): yes, they're cheap, but that's no excuse for undrinkability.

Chartreuse de Bonpas Réserve 2008 (£8.99; 13% abv) is a red blend that's very disappointing for the price. Sainsbury's Argentinian Pinot Noir 2009 (£4.99; 14% abv) is turgid, while Taste The Difference McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache 2008 (£7.99; 14.5% abv) tastes like an extra­terrestrial ­attempt to recreate Earth wine. I could go on, but it hardly seems fair to dwell so long in one place.So I'll move on to Tesco.

Bad claret reminds me of a cardboard box that's spent the past year in the porch with dirty shoes sat on it – if you want to know what I mean, try Tesco Vintage Claret 2007 (£5.99; 12% abv). Storks Tower ­Tempranillo Shiraz Rosé 2008 (£6.12; 12.5% abv) is flabby and ­apathetic. Then there are wines that fail to live up to their price tag. Tesco Finest Hermitage 2005 (£22.47; 13% abv) is OK, but a £22 wine should not be OK.

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Wine consultant Barry Alberts, well known for his weekly Coconut Grove tastings, is offering a six-class series, The Grapes, beginning next week at the Deering Estate at Cutler Bay, 16701 SW 72nd Ave., Miami. Meeting every other Wednesday, the 7-8:30 p.m. sessions will focus on top varietals, comparing the properties and pairing possibilities of wines made from the same grape in different parts of the world. Here's the lineup: Wednesday, riesling and sauvignon blanc; Feb. 17, chardonnay; March 3, pinot noir; March 17, merlot; March 31, syrah; April 14, cabernet sauvignon. Cost is $240 for the series.

Malbec from Argentina is arguably the best value in wine today. While other countries produce plenty of good-value wines, Argentina's malbecs offer unusual complexity at prices that don't break the bank.

Even a $10 bottle can have you searching the glass for hints of mocha, berries, lavender or spice. Market forces bear much of the credit for this.

The dollar has remained strong against the Argentine peso even as European wines increase in price because of the euro's rise. Vineyard land and labor in Mendoza are much cheaper than in California. These factors keep prices for malbec low even as quality continues to improve.

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A wine auction organized by Sotheby in Hong Kong on Saturday exceeded all expectations, reports Bloomberg. Rich wine lovers bid for ten hours on 800 lots and eventually spent HK$52.9 million (4.81 million euros), against Sotheby’s estimate of HK$40 million.

Not included in those amounts are the auction charges. It seems the economic crisis is forgotten at least in Asia. According to Bloomberg one of the reasons for the higher than expected revenue is the fear of inflation in China. Rich Chinese are trying to secure their wealth by converting some of their cash position into valuable assets such as fine wines.

Some wines fetched remarkable prices. An imperial (6-liter bottle) of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild fetched HK$363,600 (33,000 euros) or more than twice the estimated value. A Swiss dealer currently sells a 6-liter bottle of Lafitte for 12,468 euros (VAT and shipping not included).

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Here's the scoop: In the wild and wacky world of B.C. wine, beer and liquor labeling, the race for gold is already well under way.

And the Hired Belly is now thinking that maybe the Cellared in Canada debacle is a mere drop in the ocean (so to speak) of what awaits unsuspecting Olympic visitors.

(We should note that as far as "C in C" goes, not only has Vincor applied itself to ensure that all Esprit wines are now labelled VQA; and that the official sponsor expects to contribute some $1.5 million the Canadian Olympic Team and VANOC come Games time.)

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It's a wine lover's paradise -- hundreds of wines under one roof, waiting to quench your palette.
     The 9th Annual Wine on Ice, presented by WENY-TV and the Williams Auto Group is on.
     This weekend, 65 wineries and vendors are converging on downtown Elmira giving visitors a taste of Finger Lakes.
     “It’s cool to check out different wines without worrying about buying a whole bottle.  Just check it out and see what you like,” said Melissa Schoonover of Elmira.
     Schoonover is a Wine on Ice veteran. She comes to first arena every year to try to find the perfect wine.
     But it's not just wine or the vendors or the music, it's the people that make wine on ice the tradition that it is.
     “Meeting the people, getting out there and talking to the people.  Pouring wine for someone and having them end up loving it is a lot of fun,” said Lindsay Colegrove on Red Newt Cellars.
     Colegrove says educating the locals is part of the reason Red Newt comes back to Wine on Ice year after year.
     “I think a lot of people in Elmira don't even know there are wineries, on the other hand, there are some people who live at the wineries,” said Colegrove.
     But you don't have to be from Elmira, or even like wine to have a good time.
     There's plenty to munch on too.
     “Chocolate and wine just make a great pair,” said Lacey Kennedy of Highland Chocolates.
      Kennedy says chocolate-covered handcuffs are selling fast.
     Wine on Ice continues Saturday.  The evening session is already SOLD OUT, and tickets for the afternoon session are limited.

With the Australian trade tasting less than two weeks away, OLN teamed up with the name behind award-winning brand McGuigan, Australian Vintage, to host a round table on the future of Australian wine. Ten industry experts came together to discuss the direction Australian wine should take in the UK.

Rosie Davenport, OLN: How do consumers perceive Australian wine? Paul Schaafsma, Australian Vintage: I think what Australia has always tried to do is deliver what customers want – if you go back and ask why we became relevant and so big so quickly, it’s because we delivered quality, consistency, flavour and trust.

Dan Jago, Tesco: If you went up to someone in a Tesco and asked them what Australian wine meant to them they would say Jacob’s Creek. Jamie Hutchinson, the Sampler: We sell on regionality, personality and value for money but not on a price-point basis. A lot of consumers of fine wine – which is a small part of the market – are moving away from Australia because they say it’s lacking in personality and elegance.

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Seldom has there been a greater contrast between the makers of a product and those who consume it.  For while the Benedictine monks of Buckfast Abbey in Devon rise at 5.25am to begin a day of prayer, some of those who drink their famous fortified wine are in a police cell.

A documentary has revealed that Buckfast tonic wine  -  aka Buckie, Wreck the Hoose Juice, Commotion Lotion, and Liquid Speed  -  has played a part in more than 5,000 crimes in Strathclyde in the past three years. The bottle is also a popular weapon.  As a result, the Right Rev Bob Gillies has said St Benedict would be 'very, very unhappy' with the monks who make it.

So just what exactly is this Devil's brew? A red wine-based aperitif, it is 15 per cent alcohol, costs just £5.49 and is largely drunk by the young and underprivileged. Born out of religious devotion, it is believed that the original French monks who settled in Buckfast Abbey in the 1880s brought the recipe  -  still used today  -  with them.

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