It’s cold out and you’re longing for lazy summer days on the beach. So instead of opening up the big, meaty Cabs and Shirazzes this weekend, why not fast-forward to summer and treat yourself to some Sangria?

Or better still, knock up some tapas or a quick paella (here’s how) and pretend you’re in Spain.

Sangria is easy to make (5 mins tops), it’s cheap (so it’s ideal for making a cheap bottle of red more drinkable) and for those of you with Masterchef tendencies, you can indulge your creative side by spicing the basic recipe up with your own additions. Maybe a little cinnamon or nutmeg? 

Even those of you with a limited imagination can have a go: we’re just talking wine, brandy and fruit, so it’s hard to go wrong.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Shiraz)
  
• 1 apple cut into wedges or slices, skin on
  
• 1 orange cut into wedges or slices
  
• 1 banana sliced (take the skin off)
  
• 3 shots brandy
  
• soda water & ice
  

Preparation:

Throw the fruit and the ice into a large jug, add the brandy and the wine, and top up with soda water. Job done!

If you don’t want to use ice, you can make the wine/fruit brandy base the night before and leave it in the fridge, then top it up with the soda water just before you serve it.

Too easy!

And if you’re not in a red wine mood, why not make a white or a pink Sangria? Think peaches, strawberries, kiwi fruit, lime… you’re only limited by your imagination.

What’s your favourite Sangria recipe?

Marc's blog about Australian wines in Japanese supermarkets last week raised the question about how to sell better quality wines abroad and how to get rid of the cheap and cheerful "sunshine in a bottle" image which has been promoted so successfully in recent years and which has so effectively shafted the industry's quality winemakers.

Trevor at Milldale has left some interesting comments about Wine Australia and about wine exports, and I'm interested to know what YOU think.

• Does Wine Australia represent the industry?
• Do they help or hinder the smaller winemakers?
• How can we promote quality boutique wines abroad?
• Is an export licence necessary and why is it so expensive?

This is YOUR wine industry and you should be in the driving seat.

Okay, so I know that Australian Regional Societies (ARS) isn't the way they're usually billed, but I had to come up with something catchy for the title. Forgive me? Come round and I'll buy you a drink...

Today I want to know what you think of your Regional Association (RA).

In my last blog I said I think RAs are an under-used resource, but I mentioned a couple which are clearly making the effort:

Heathcote Winegrowers Association                     Granite Belt Wine Country

I had some emails from wineries saying "ours is good too" but I also had emails telling me their RA is useless.

So I want to know what YOU think of YOUR Regional Association.

Is it worth its weight in gold? Or is it a waste of time?

Are you getting your money's worth? Or do you wonder why you still subscribe?

Do they provide support? Or is it every man for himself in your region?

Times are tough, and we really should be working together to help market regions, not just individual brands. And to help share best practice instead of going it alone all the time.

That's what the RAs are for.

So log in and leave your comments below with a link to your RA's website and let us know if it's working for you or not.