While I was in the unlikely position of having a Mexican lunch at London’s most British of department stores Fortnum & Mason yesterday (on which more in due course*) I discovered they have a tempting offer on wine for the rest of this month (October 2009). Which is that you can buy any wine in their wine shop and drink it in their Fountain restaurant without paying corkage.

Now Fortnum's, I know, aren’t exactly offering high street prices but if you compare the price of the better known brands with the list price you’d pay at other upmarket Piccadilly establishments you’re getting a bargain. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc for example is selling for £20 as opposed to £60 down the road at the Ritz while Krug is a mere £130 compared to the £220 you’d pay at the Terrace at the Meridien, opposite the store. Or if your pocket doesn't quite run to that you could save £19.50 on a bottle of Billecart Salmon Rosé by drinking it at The Fountain where it costs £50 rather than down the road at the Wolseley where its list price is £65 (Fewer opportunities for star-spotting though, I admit . . . )

You’ll probably get the best value for money if you stick to their own bottlings - a half bottle of Fortnum's Brut Reserve from Théophile Roederer will cost you an affordable £15.50.

* I should add that I was dining as a guest of Fortnum's