Growing up in the early 2000s-2010s meant the rite of passage into alcohol inevitably involved terrible choices, from alcopops (RIP) to grim beers (Coors) and nasty wine. Mostly white, rarely red, while rosé that both looked and tasted like Ribena was a world away from the delicate pale provencal style we’re so au fait with now. Then as now, the cheaper the better. Location, grape variety, acidity levels – it all meant absolutely nothing. Hell, taste didn’t matter either. Slurp it fast enough and you’d barely notice a slight whiff of paintstripper on the nose or a lingering hint of vinegar on the palate. It was just your (well below) average plonk. The number one important factor was price – swiftly followed by ABV, of course. The rough budget for a bottle was the mighty sum of £3-4. A tenner was a good night out. Remember those days? It was around this time that sauvignon blanc began its world domination. It was the IT wine to buy. Rocking up to your friend’s house with a bottle in tow made you look like you knew something about wine, maybe even had great taste (despite still buying the cheapest bottle possible, of course). It was even better if it was from New Zealand – top points if it came from Marlborough, the top of the South Island, where about 70 per cent of the country’s wine is produced. Love wine but don’t know where to start? The Independent Wine Club features curated cases from small growers and expert advice on how to enjoy wine. Sign up now for free. While Gen Z seem to have broken free of British booze culture altogether, when I was at university, rosé was the go-to pre-drink before a night on the tiles. And lots of it. It’s been off the table ever since. The mere smell of it takes me right back to those heady, alcohol-drenched days. Perhaps it’s just a case of unfortunate timing for my age group – victims of the wine’s popularity surging at the height of early-Noughties boozing culture. But why did sauvignon blanc become so popular 15 years ago? ​​Emily Harmen, wine consultant at Firmdale Hotels and Vina Lupa, says it’s “simply because when people get into wine, they usually like wines that are quite fruity”. Sauvignon blanc offers these fruity notes, as well as freshness. It’s famed for its notes of crisp asparagus, green pepper and often a grassy or herbaceous flavour too. High acidity makes it very dry. The New Zealand sauvignon blanc vines were planted in the Seventies, and its arrival on the British scene a few decades later served as a pointed change in taste from the overly oaked Chardonnays and sickly syrupy rieslings (the latter is now cool again; more drinkable and less sweet) that were popular at the time. Sam Tendall, co-founder of online wine shop Smashed Grapes agrees, and says sauvignon blanc’s prominent rise is owed to consumers wanting “lip-smackingly thirst-quenching drinks… that are naturally high in acidity with tropical fruit flavours”, and wines from Marlborough had that sort of fruitiness people were looking for. It wasn’t just in wine that tastes were changing, either. “This taste shift was mirrored in other drinks such as the boom of gin and flavoured tonics, or tropical IPAs in the beer world, which are all high in acidity and fruity,” Tendall adds. It quickly became Britain’s most popular white wine choice, both in supermarkets and restaurant wine menus, whether that’s by the glass or bottle, or even served as the house wine. Lauren Denyer, an educator at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), says that along with New Zealand’s “tropical fruit, such as passion fruit and mango, which many drinkers find very appealing”, it’s also its “lightness which make it easily quaffable”. However popular it may be, it can still divide opinion in the upper echelons of the wine world, especially among the more commercial labels that everyone is familiar with (Oyster Bay, we’re looking at you). Sauvignon blanc grapes originate in France, where the premium wines, Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (from the highly regarded French regions of the same names) are still made. These are usually seen as a step up from your average savvy B, despite being made with the same grapes, and not just because they’re more expensive, but because they’re more complex. A lot of the Kiwi sauvignon blanc’s popularity is down to marketing. They do it very, very well to us Brits, who largely bought NZ’s green image (although there’s nothing green about shipping wine to the other side of the world). The price point of New Zealand’s offering also made them appealing. “People probably know the New Zealand sauvignon blanc more as it’s a more accessible price point… wines from the Loire region are more expensive because it’s a more challenging climate to grow wine, so you produce less,” explains Harmen. Its popularity knew no boundaries during the Noughties. So much so that wine makers couldn’t grow enough of the grapes. According to the NZ Winegrowers association’s annual 2020 report, between 2003 and 2015, sauvignon blanc vine planting increased five-fold to keep up with the demand. Although now, as climates warm up around the world leading to more extreme and freak weather, experts think it’s only a matter of time until this changes the wines beyond their signature characteristics. This has seen as recently as February when New Zealand felt the force of cyclone Gabrielle, which saw unprecedented amounts of rain and devastating effects including flooding some vineyards and burying others in silt on the North Island, just ahead of harvesting. In 2021, a harsh frost combined with an early budburst meant the crop yields were down by 30 per cent. The knock-on effect is already being felt, along with the rise in inflation and cost of living crisis, as Tendall says, in the wider market: “Sauvignon blanc is going up in price and big branded pinot grigio has stayed at the value end, so with the cost of living we are seeing a small decline in sauvignon popularity.” The pandemic has also contributed to a change in tastes and buying habits. Some people stopped drinking altogether, while others used the time to nurture their passion for it. As shopping in person became harder, subscription boxes and independent online sellers introduced lesser known varieties to the market. Dayner explains: “Prompted by the pandemic, drinking the same wines regularly became less desirable”, and instead, people were “increasingly willing to try a wider range of wines and sales of wine for home consumption increased hugely as drinkers looked to mix things up a little bit”. Harman doesn’t see any indication that the guests of the hotels she consults for (which are mostly high end including London’s Ham Yard Hotel and The Soho Hotel) are changing their mind on sauvignon blanc. However, she deals in artisan, handcrafted and mostly organic wines, rather than the commercial wines we buy in supermarkets for less than £10. Instead, what Harman is seeing more of is some producers experimenting with skin contact styles, and more natural varieties, a style which sauvignon blanc grapes lend themselves well to. “A producer in Australia called Tom Shobbrook makes a wine called giallo (yellow in Italian) which is one of the benchmark examples of the more experimental natural wines,” she explains. Skin contact sauvignon blanc feels a world away from my entry level days into savvy B, which were so atrocious that I steered clear of white wine for many years. It was the reappearance of viognier on menus that enticed me back – in particular an organic viognier from South Australia’s Yalumba vineyard. But if you really can’t hack it, I asked the experts for their advice, and these are the wines to drink if you don’t like Sauvignon blanc: 1. Verdejo All three experts mentioned this wine. “From Spain’s Rueda region, it’s the country’s favourite white wine, loved for its brisk acidity and vibrant fruit. It’s now starting to become more popular in the UK market,” says Denyer. 2. Picpoul For something more mineral, that’s lighter and fresh, Harmen suggests Picpoul, which is quickly growing in popularity again. Denyer adds that “although grown somewhere that can get extremely hot, the wines are super-fresh with apple, lemon and hints of peach on the palate”. 3. Bacchus Denyer says: “It’s a grape variety that is originally a German cross. It has all the appeal of Sauvignon Blanc and a plus point is that the wine does not have to travel far. You can even get sparkling versions, great for summer picnics and gatherings.” 4. Albariño “Also from Spain, the main grape in Vinho Verde and is a cracking patio wine, jam-packed with the lemon sherbert refreshment sauvignon blanc drinkers love,” says Tendall. 5. Austrian Grüner Veltliner “Forgot its old reputation of tasting like antifreeze, it’s full of those classic gooseberry flavours long associated with top Marlborough varieties,” says Tendall. 6. Trebianno “This Italian white has delicate aromatics with white flowers, it’s quite savoury with more peachy fruit flavours,” says Harmen. For more white wine inspiration that’s not sauvignon blanc read our review of the best dry whites here Read More The Independent Wine Club best cases 2023: Wine from small growers Win a mixed wine case, perfect for pairing with food Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic? The Independent Wine Club best cases 2023: Wine from small growers Win a mixed wine case, perfect for pairing with food Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic?

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A new item on the Burger King Thailand menu has gone viral for being the perfect meal for cheese lovers... The "real cheeseburger" doesn't contain meats but instead gets its size from the 20 slices of cheese packed between the buns - and nothing else. No sauce for anything, just pure cheese... Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter To get your hands on this food item, it will cost customers the price of 109 Thai baht ($3.1 and £2.41). Given the insane amount of cheese, it's no surprise the burger quickly went viral on social media as people bought the item to try it out for themselves. @thefadd_official กินเรียล ชีส เบอร์เกอร์ 5ลูก 11500 แคลอรี่ รีวิวตามจริง @Burger King #realcheeseburger #burger #cheese #burgerking #ชีส #เบอเกอร์ชีส #เบอเกอร์ #10000calories #10000caloriechallenge #โป้งปั้น #โป้งปั้นเดอะแฝด #thefadd #เดอะแฝด #นักกินจุ People have been sharing their reactions to this burger online, and let's just say some aren't exactly keen on trying the burger themselves. One person said: "Who the f*** thought this was a good idea." "20 slices of American cheese I think if you order this you become a paranormal creature," another person wrote. Someone else added: "wake up babe, a new abomination against god just dropped." "Death sentence for lactose mfs," a fourth person commented. Meanwhile, others believe that because there is no meat or patty that it should be classed as a grilled cheese rather than a burger. "So does this make it a grilled cheese?" one person asked. Another added: "Well now… that isn’t a burger, is it? Grilled cheese on a bun." "Forbidden grilled cheese," someone else commented. Elsewhere, last year Burger King Germany sold pregnancy Whoppers with oddly popular food pairings such as a vanilla ice cream and olive burger to help with women's pregnant cravings. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Defining Dishes is a new IndyEats column that explores the significance of food at key moments in our lives. From recipes that have been passed down for generations, to flavours that hold a special place in our hearts, food shapes every part of our lives in ways we might not have ever imagined. I got my first job in Hanoi as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher and taught a kindergarten class at the weekends. The school had a mix of Vietnamese and other EFL teachers, so I was able to make a lot of really great friends who were very keen to educate all of us foreigners on the best local food. On my first day at the school, they took me to a bun cha stall nearby that was really, really popular and it was always full. They served it with strips of pork belly, which is uncommon. Quite often, you’d have to wait a little while to get a seat, but it was always worth it. Once, I saw a bride and groom dining there in their wedding outfits! My favourite thing about bun cha is the smell of smoky meat coming off the open-air grill. It would fill the air around you while you sat and waited for your food to arrive. That delicious smell is what I miss the most when I try to make it for myself in the UK but it’s really hard to recreate indoors. The way my Vietnamese friends taught me to eat it was to pour the nuoc cham – a sauce made from fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and water – all over the dish and mix it all up, but I know other people just dip the meat in it. I’m sure there’s no one correct or incorrect way to do it, but the sauce is so delicious, why wouldn’t you want to soak the whole thing in it? I spent one year in Hanoi and moved back to my parent’s house in York, where I grew up, in 2011. By this time, I’d done a few embarrassing TV adverts and little acting jobs in Hanoi, and I went on to do quite a lot of presenting work on little local channels and corporate videos. Then I came across a Sainsbury’s magazine, I think, that was running a competition by the British Herb Association, which I’d never heard of before. They were looking for people to cook a recipe using British-grown herbs. I decided to try making a bun cha at home by adapting a recipe by New Zealand-born US chef Bobby Chin. I’m sure I butchered it and Anglicised it (all those terrible things) because I’d never made it before. But I did use some fresh British herbs, coriander and mint that my parents grew in their garden, which was quite sweet. I filmed myself making it and submitted it for the competition, and in the end, I was invited to take part in the final. I’d really like to highlight that I am not a chef. I like my food and I enjoy cooking, but I’ve never pretended to be a chef. Anyway, I went to London and participated in the cook-off against two other ladies and was judged by Masterchef’s John Torode. Of course I’d seen him on TV quite a lot – he was fairly intimidating, to be honest. He was very friendly off-camera, but he plays a part when they’re rolling. I remember he came up to me and said: “Oh, you obviously much prefer cooking in your own home than in a professional kitchen.” I said: “Well, yes, I’m not a professional.” He was very complimentary about my dish, although he did highlight that there was a lack of smokiness in the meat, which was a very fair point. But I won the competition somehow and that’s how it linked me to getting my first proper TV presenting gig. I saw an advert for a TV channel in Mumbai that was searching for a presenter who could also cook, so I sent off my details and a video of me making bun cha in the competition. A couple of days later, they got in touch with me and seemed quite pleased by my enthusiasm. I was flown out to Delhi just two weeks later. It seemed too good to be true, but I started presenting on a show called Quest, which was initially only broadcast in Mumbai on Travelxp. It’s now an international channel that broadcasts in about 30 countries. The show had me visiting chefs and families around India and learning about “forgotten dishes” that people were rediscovering and cooking. It was an incredible opportunity and I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do. Maybe I should be thanking Sainsbury’s magazine. But it’s bun cha and Hanoi that I have the most love for. When I make it now, I have this image in my mind of the place that I would go with my teacher friends and I’m doing my very best to emulate that flavour. I’m sure if I went back now and tried the authentic version again, I’d think: “God, I’m just butchering it.” But you know, I’m doing my best. Alex Outhwaite is a travel TV presenter. She has hosted several travel shows, including ‘The Wanderer’ on Prime Video. Read More It’s easier to make baklava at home than you might think Get set for Wimbledon with top pastry chef’s strawberry recipes Pinch of Nom: Healthy eating doesn’t have to cost the earth

Ohio voters have resoundingly rejected a measure that would make it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution, a proposal that Republican officials bluntly admitted was an effort to kneecap an upcoming ballot measure asking voters to enshrine a right to abortion care. That proposal has failed, with roughly 65 per cent of the vote tallied by Tuesday night after polls had closed, according to projections from the Associated Press. Issue 1 would have required that proposed amendments to the state constitution receive at least 60 per cent of the vote, raising the threshold substantially from a current simple majority vote. It also would have increased the minimum number of petition signatures that groups would have to collect before qualifying an issue to get on a ballot. The proposal’s failure means that a November referendum on abortion rights will need only 50 per cent of the vote to enshrine those protections into the state’s constitution, a major victory for abortion rights advocates and democratic campaigns in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v Wade. President Joe Biden called the measure a “blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions.” “Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won,” he said in a statement. Within the last year, voters have also turned out in record numbers to protect abortion rights in California, Kansas, Michigan and Vermont, underscoring the overwhelming unpopularity of the Supreme Court’s decision and the volatile landscape for reproductive healthcare in its wake, while scrambling anti-abortion campaigns from Republican officials emboldened by the ruling. Issue 1 campaign Protect Our Constitution was largely supported by GOP mega-donor and Illinois businessman Richard Uihlein. A coalition of abortion right, civil rights and democratic advocacy groups joined a No On Issue 1 campaign. “Tonight was a major victory for democracy in Ohio,” the group said in a statement following projections of the measure’s defeat. “The majority still rules in Ohio, and the people’s power has been preserved – because Ohio voters showed up and overwhelmingly voted down Issue 1.” Ohio voters saw the proposal for “what it was: a deceptive power grab designed to silence their voices and diminish their voting power,” the group added. Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, said the results mark an “incredibly profound and inspiring day for democracy”. “When faced with the choice of whether to allow politicians and special interests to consolidate power and strip voters of their rights, Ohioans fought back,” she said in a statement. “The defeat of Issue 1 should send a clear message to other extremist officials around the country that democracy will not die; people are ready to defend their rights against blatant attacks like Issue 1.” The upcoming proposal for a constitutional amendment in November will ask Ohio voters whether “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s reproductive decisions.” After the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization last June, Ohio lawmakers swiftly outlawed most abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, a law that is currently suspended by a state court injunction but could be reinstated by the state Supreme Court. A vote to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution would effectively overrule any such law. Abortion rights advocates and providers have warned that Ohio’s ban, which does not include exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest, ignited a healthcare crisis that endangered patients and their families across the state, forcing people to seek care hundreds of miles out of state and navigate complicated legal and medical minefields while experiencing pregnancy complications. Ohio Republicans initially canceled August elections altogether, which have historically low turnout. But in May, they reversed that decision to put Issue 1 on the ballot – a decision that appears to have backfired for them. Nearly 600,000 Ohio voters cast their ballots early, with voters reporting busy polling locations across the state on election day. Read More Texas judge sides with women after harrowing testimony over anti-abortion law DeSantis won’t rule out national abortion ban but suggests there’s no ‘mileage’ left in Congress

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Jonnie Irwin has revealed that he has been admitted to hospital as he deals with terminal cancer. The Escape to the Country presenter, 49, said in November that he “doesn’t know how long” he has left to live, after first being diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020, which later spread to his brain. He went public with his diagnosis in November 2022, after keeping it a secret from his fans for more than two years. Since his announcement, Irwin has been keeping his social media followers up to date with his condition. In the latest update, the father-of-three revealed he has gone into hospital to be “monitored” but hopes to be released in time for a scheduled appearance at A Place In The Sun Live in London this weekend (2-4 June). He wrote in an Instagram post: “In hospital this week monitoring a changeover in my pain management regime.” “Fingers crossed I’ll be out in time to make an appearance on Sunday for this weekends @aplaceinthesunofficial LIVE event at @olympialondon in Kensington,” he continued. If he is released from the hospital and attends the event, Irwin will be joined on stage by fellow presenters Jasmine Harman, Ben Hillman and Laura Hamilton. He concluded the post: “Hope to see you there…x.” In a new podcast OneChat released last week, Irwin said that he was living under a “dark cloud” for the two years he hid his cancer from the world, adding that he kept his condition a secret so that he could continue working and “provide” for his family. Irwin and his wife Jessica have three children; three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac. Elsewhere in the interview revealed that he had been close to death’s door “at least twice”, emphasising that he prefers to think of his situation as “living with cancer, rather than dying from cancer”. Irwin explained how he began to feel “alive” again after going public with his illness, but noted that didn’t mean his journey had been easy. “I have been close to death’s door, twice at least,” he said. He added: “You lose your memory, you lose your patience. I have got a very short temper. It’s not made me a better person, that’s for sure.” In March, Irwin gave a health update, telling The Sun: “I’m weak now, fragile and my memory is terrible… but I’m still here.” Read More Triathlete proudly shares ‘beautiful’ racing photo where she bled through swimsuit while on her period Parents defend Nick the Fairy Godmother’s apprentice at Disneyland after viral video Jodie Marsh takes swipe at Phillip Schofield years after heated This Morning clash 5 myths about lung cancer everyone needs to stop believing Jonnie Irwin says he’s been ‘close to death’s door twice, at least’ Jonnie Irwin says going public with cancer diagnosis was when he began ‘living again’

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Max Verstappen finished fastest in the sole practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix – as Mercedes were fined £86 after Lewis Hamilton was caught speeding in the pits. Verstappen saw off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by 0.241 seconds at Red Bull’s home race, with Charles Leclerc third. Hamilton finished fourth. Spielberg is hosting Formula One’s second sprint event of the year which will see two qualifying sessions – one to decide the order for Sunday’s grand prix which takes place at 5pm local time (4pm BST) – and the other determining the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint race. Practice has been slashed from three hours to just one to create greater jeopardy with the teams unable to gather as much data as they would like. Red Bull are undefeated at the opening eight rounds of the season with Verstappen taking six victories to head the championship standings by 69 points. And the Dutchman, perhaps predictably, raced to top spot in the first running of the weekend without even posting a lap on the speedier soft tyre compound. Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finished in fifth, half-a-second off the pace and one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Mercedes team were hit with a 100 Euro (£86) fine after the British driver breached the pit-lane limit. Hamilton, who earns £40million-a-season, was adjudged to have broken the 50mph limit by just 0.12mph. Aston Martin were also hit with a fine – this time worth 300 Euros (£258) – after Fernando Alonso and team-mate Stroll drove too quickly in the pits. Elsewhere, Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell finished ninth for Mercedes, almost a second down on Verstappen, with Lando Norris bringing up the rear in his revamped McLaren machine. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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