It's been a good week for … a wee sherry

It's been a good week for … a wee sherry

It has long been consigned to the back of the drinks cabinet, gathering dust from one year to the next, only wheeled out to give granny her annual festive tipple. But sherry is seeing a revival.

Marks & Spencer has announced that sales of the Spanish fortified wine are already up 33% on last year, with a new generation of fans driving demand for pale, dry varieties. The retailer said it expects that popularity to continue to grow, doubling every week between now and Christmas.

While Britain has been importing sherry since the 15th century, it has been a good few years since the drink was considered the height of sophistication around these parts.

In fact, it was probably last openly enjoyed around the era when friends were invited round to gaze enviously upon your new shag-pile carpet, orange patterned wallpaper and freshly installed swanky avocado bathroom suite.

Here's hoping for a resurgence in all much-maligned classic Christmas drinks, to be sipped in front of a roaring fire while wearing a snowflake-bedecked jumper and listening to Bing Crosby. In fact, make mine a Babycham.

It's been a bad week for … misogyny

Despite being sacked by Channel 4 for being "unpalatable to a wider audience", former horse racing pundit John McCririck - he of the most alarming mutton chops since Noddy Holder from Slade - clearly doesn't know when to stop.

Appearing on Sportlobster TV last week, he referenced his time in the Big Brother house, saying: "I was on with Germaine Greer, who has ruined the lives of millions of women. The Female Eunuch gives women ideas above their station. Ideas they keep striving for but cannot reach."

A guest on the internet sports-related chat show, he added: "At Wimbledon in the tennis, women get paid the same as the men but women play three sets and the men play five. It's absolutely indefensible. If they want to be paid the same, go with five sets."

Er, John, the Victorian era called. It wants its chauvinistic and outdated views back. Deliberately provocative? Perhaps. But more to be pitied than despised.