Non-alcoholic wine is a tricky category. Tricky, because it's difficult to get right and also because the market for it isn't that clear. Gen-X, Y, Z, millennials, anyone who wants to give up alcohol or go zebra-striping on a night out, regular wine drinkers or non-wine drinkers …? So are we any closer to finding the holy grail of flavour, texture and wine-like character in the alcohol-free sector? Well, Roberto Vanin, founder and wine maker at BOLLE Drinks, thinks that the gap is narrowing.

Italy is a great source of volcanic wines. While Sicily and Campania might immediately spring to mind, there are areas of volcanic soil many miles away from Etna and Vesuvius. In the North, the Veneto region is also home to ancient soils formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. One of these wineries is Cavazza, founded in 1928 in Montebello Vicentino, a town located between the commune of Soave and the city of Vicenza.

Umbria is known as the 'Green Heart of Italy'. The only landlocked region in the central part of the country, Umbria borders Tuscany, Le Marche and Lazio. With Rome to the south and Rimini to the north, it's an area full of forests olive groves, medieval towns and scenic hilltop views.

In the UK market, Orvieto, a full-bodied white wine based on Grechetto and Trebbiano Toscano, has had some success over the years, but other native and international grapes shine brightly too. One winery combining Umbrian tradition and modern thinking is Madrevite.

I recently enjoyed a fantastic lunch at Passione Vino, sampling wine with Erika Barbieri, oenologist at Collio estate Tenuta Stella. Twenty-five years ago, I worked in the building directly opposite for nearly nine years. In those days, liquid lunches and beer ruled, and it was a hard task to find wines of high quality in this part of London, near Old Street Station. Fast forward to today, and Passione Vino, an Italian wine importer/supplier with a boutique wine shop and bar, was the perfect setting to enjoy these delicious wines which they also sell.

At a time when hazy, tropical fruit bombs and bitter, hop-heavy brews are everywhere, is there a place for traditional beers that fly in the face of craft beer's excesses? Well yes, for exactly those reasons. Although real ale hasn't completely shed its image as an 'old man's drink', there are some encouraging signs that it may be reaching out to a new audience. CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) reports a 10% increase in cask ale brewed by Britain's independent brewers, with darker beers increasingly popular. However, only 16% of 18-24 year-old beer consumers drink cask ale, so there's still much work to be done. Many modern drinkers are seeking lower-strength, lighter, more sessionable beers and Mild is one category that could potentially help fill that gap.

Welsh winemaking has come a long way since the days of Lord Bute at Castell Coch in Cardiff at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries. This was the last great experiment into commercial viticulture before the start of the modern revival. On a recent visit to south Wales, the passion, spirit and enterprising nature inherent to modern Welsh winemaking was very noticeable and several common themes became apparent, as The Write Taste reports …

Over the years, there have been several reports on The Write Taste about high quality Prosecco. For example, one article here discusses whether Prosecco is the world's most misunderstood wine due to misconceptions about what it really is and can be. The globally successful Italian sparkler continues to benefit from its popularity and brand familiarity. However, at the same time, its all-too-often perceived image as a cheap, light, sweetish, easy-drinking bubbly for celebrations and after-work chilling out is not advancing the category's reputation. One winery trying to do something about that is Andreola.

What better excuse to visit an English vineyard than English Wine Week, which this year took place from 21^st to 29^th June? With the sun playing hide-and-seek before blazing mercilessly across the country's vineyards, multi-award winning Hampshire's Hattingley Valley opened its doors for a tour, tasting and insight into its uniquely English story.

The weather is hot, hot, hot! We're in the middle of a heatwave and a can or bottle of refreshing lager is oh so appealing! … but what if you want a beer and lager just isn't your thing? Is there a thirst-quenching alternative? Well yes, there are many and one superb option is Keltek Brewery's Engine House Copper Ale.

There's nothing old-fashioned about Warwick-based That Gin Company, even if they use a copper pot still to make small batches of their gin. With over 100 uniquely made-to-order flavour infusions, their gins offer something for every palate, from traditional juniper and floral expressions through to fruity, spicy and more unusual styles. One of their most distinctive creations is That Jalapeños Gin, a chilli-infused gin with a spicy kick!

Mondo Brewing Company is one of London's most exciting craft breweries. Saved from insolvency earlier this year by Rupert Thompson, owner of the legendary Hogs Back Brewery, the Battersea-based outfit is shining brightly once again. Each year, Mondo brews a beer for International Women's Day beer, created by the women who work at the brewery. This year, the new beer is 'Drama Queen', a 4.7% ABV New England Pale Ale.

One of the vinous jewels of Italy has to be Chianti Classico, a DOCG appellation lying between Florence and Siena in Tuscany. San Felice is a renowned estate in the region. The wine producer is particularly well-known for Vigorello IGT, made since 1968. This was the first of a new generation of Tuscan wines that subsequently became known as Supertuscans. San Felice has now launched its new Vitiarium line. The name reflects the long-standing journey that began with the revival of ancient, forgotten Tuscan grape varieties that inspired the creation of a 2.5ha experimental vineyard, The Vitiarium.

Established in 2004, Licorera Cihuatán is the first and only rum distillery in El Salvador and part of Ingenio La Cabaña, a century-old sugarcane business in the Cihuatán valley. Drawing inspiration from their Mayan heritage, the distillery has mixed traditional and experimental production methods to create distinctive, cask-aged rums that reflect their culture. All of these are carefully crafted by master blender and chemical engineer, Gabriela Ayala.

Kent may be the garden of England, but perhaps it's the cradle of ambition too. Whether Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Balfour, Domaine Evremond or others, there's no shortage of wineries with big ambitions. However, perhaps the biggest player coming is one that has been shouting the quietest … so far … It's Silverhand Estate.

I first discovered All Angels wine a couple of years ago at the WineGB Trade Tasting. Their Classic Cuvée 2015 was one of my star wines of the day in a really strong line-up of England's finest. So it was with great pleasure that I had the opportunity to visit and enjoy a tour, amazing lunch and special tasting which included the launch of their 10 Year Anniversary Release Classic Cuvée 2014.

It's not as if the Languedoc is unknown, but as a region, it's not always on the average wine drinker's radar. So what better way to promote these wines than an über-cool 😎 tasting with chilled jazz, a manageable number of wines, delicious food, three mini sensory experiences and, if the weather had been better, great views of the London skyline!

Fifth generation Camus Cognac is the largest family-owned, independent Cognac House, founded in 1863 in the Borderies, Cognac's smallest sub-region famed for the intensely aromatic character of its spirits. The same year, Jules Verne's book 'Five Weeks in a Balloon - A Journey of Discovery by Three Englishmen in Africa' was first published. So what better reason to celebrate the two achievements in a famous and historic building that was built around the same time, only 10 years later.