I loved this wine, and would recommend it without hesitation at £63 from Berry Bros & Rudd (tel: 0870 900 4300, www.bbr ). All the others were outstanding, even the L?ille-Las-Cases 2001 that came last overall in the Bordeaux section. And in both the Bordeaux and the Californian Cabernet sections, there often seemed little to choose between them - it was a question of preferred style, not absolute quality. Only one Californian wine seemed out of its depth here; it scored sixth on both continents. Given another 30 seconds, I might well have preferred something else.

In the Bordeaux reds, for instance, I made a last-second switch of number-one choice from Ch?au Margaux 2000 (first choice of both panels) to Ch?au Haut Brion 2000 (joint second with Ch?au Latour 2000). Served at perfect tasting temperatures, they gave me the opportunity to taste wines at a level to which I rarely have the opportunity to access.The most fascinating thing about this tasting, for a relative ignoramus like me, was the way the best wines evolved in the glass from minute to minute This undoubtedly affected my assessments. This one was of younger wines divided into two groups: claret side by side with Californian Cabernet, and white Burgundy with Californian Chardonnay. Last month's tasting was different in crucial respects from the original, but the headline result was clear: when the same red wines from the same vintages were tasted 40 years on, the top four rankings were all of Californian wines, with Ridge Monte Bello 1971 in first place. Another tasting, much less heavily publicised, took place on the same evening, and I was lucky enough to attend. The organiser of that tasting, Steven Spurrier, arranged a similar tasting on the 30th anniversary of the original This one took place in London and in Napa. Why? Because California wines scored better (tasted blind) than their much more famous counterparts from Bordeaux. You might have read or heard a few weeks ago about "the judgement of Paris", a replay of a famous wine tasting that took place in Paris back in 1976 and caused shock waves throughout the wine world.

Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, will this week demand an end to the pay gap that persists between male and female tennis players at the world's oldest tournament. In a strongly worded letter to the chairman of the All England Club, Tim Phillips, Ms Jowell will say that the reputation of British tennis is being "tarnished" because the event is now the only one of the four major championships to give women less prize money than men.. Just two weeks before the Championships start, a cabinet minister will fire an accusation of sexual discrimination against the All England Lawn Tennis Club, whose officials organise the event. Its name is Wimbledon, and it is about to get a well-timed volley straight in the middle of its comfortable, blazered midriff.

Even in 21st-century Britain, there is still an enclave of tradition where women are "ladies", curtsies are bobbed, and knickers are frilly. Graham Rooney Far from Manchester United's Theatre of Dreams, Wayne Rooney's 18-year-old brother currently turns out for Liverpool and District side Lobster, having recently transferred from local rivals Oyster Andy Sharman. Christina Thorpe Swimming phenomenon Ian "Thorpedo" Thorpe was actually led into the sport by his older sister. A top swimmer herself, Christina harboured Olympic dreams before her career was cut short by a shoulder injury. Vijay admits Krishna had a "better swing" as a youth, but lacked the cool head that has become Vijay's trademark.