This Week I’ve mainly been drinking… Two issues down and two men so far…hmmmm. Time to re-address the balance of the sexes and let Ros have her say on what is great, good, not so good and even downright tawdry – maybe not Ros! So Ros, you’ve been with Alliance for a year, hadn’t been in wine before and have, amazingly, survived! What has got you through the first, daunting months?

During my first few months at Alliance I tried to get through as much of the range as possible! I considered this to be homework.

I did favour the Italians and a trip to Vinitaly allowed me to taste all the new vintages from our Italian suppliers. From the North I enjoyed the zesty Pinot Grigio from Villa Brunesca, while Bibbiani’s Chianti Montalbano is classic Chianti with deep cherry flavours. I also loved the fantastic Apollonio range from Puglia in the South.

Apart from your faintly masochistic streak, what got you interested enough in wine to persuade you to come and work for Alliance?

My interest in wine simply stems from an enjoyment of it. This was enhanced by a trip round the world that took me to some of the most fantastic wine producing regions. Having visited various spots in Australia and then the Marlbrough region in New Zealand I was interested to taste our own range of Sherwood wines from Waipara in the South Island. The final leg of the trip took me to South America where I visited some wineries in the Mendoza area though not Agricola where our Santa Rosa range is produced.

You’ve just returned from your first “Alliance adventure” in South Africa. What were your abiding memories of the trip? (Ed. Are you sure you want to ask this?)

Alliance’s ‘South African Adventure’ as it was quite rightly named took us to one of the most stunning and breathtaking winemaking areas I have visited. We tasted our way through the rolling hills of McGregor to the stunning pearly mountains of Paarl and back to spectacular Cape Town, via the coast. The memory that stands out most for me was visiting Havana Hills winery and tasting their wines. The winery is situated on top of a hill that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Town and Table Mountain.

Ros is a bit of a thrill seeker away from work – not to say that her work isn’t thrilling! Never happier than when she’s whizzing down some slope, probably towards a wee drinking hole, we wondered what she would choose to drink at the end of a long day on the piste?

I would probably want to drink a Vin Chaud to warm me up again! Though I would love to be able to drink a large glass of Two Hand’s Bella’s Garden, Barossa Valley, somehow I don’t think you would find an Australian Shiraz in the French Alpes.