THIS summer why not enjoy the ultimate of taste-and-buy wine experiences? A guided tour of English and Welsh vineyards where you can see the grapes growing before you taste and buy.

But don't go alone. Take a copy of the new colour guide to The Vineyards of England & Wales that has just been published by The Wine Guild of the United Kingdom. This lists, by region, 167 vineyards from Pemboa, close to Helston, Cornwall, and St Martin's in the Scilly Isles, to Mount Pleasant in Bolton le Sands, Lancashire, and Leventhorpe, near Leeds, West Yorkshire. Worcester is conveniently placed between two of the largest regions. We are in the South West with 31 vineyards, and on the edge of Mercia with 15. Some of them you can get drive out to in an afternoon, while others could well be part of a weekend break in the country. Two of them, Llanerch near Cardiff, and Three Choirs at Newent, in Gloucestershire, have accommodation, while Wroxeter Roman Vineyard close to Shrewsbury, has a small caravan park.

The 79 page pocket-sized booklet contains some fascinating information about English wines, how they are made and the grapes most commonly used.

However, at only £3.99 it is unashamedly a highly subsidised promotional document and therefore written, in part, in more glowing terms than one would expect from an unbiased guide. Nevertheless, the compilers and editors, Colin Vaughan, Tim Hazell and Michael Hildesley are to be congratulated on putting together such an excellent guide. I know from bitter experience just how difficult it is to get information out of wine growers, whose ideas of urgency and copy dates seem to have little or no commercial reference.

Although some of the vineyards are in every sense well-founded businesses, others are simply smallholdings run by a family. In these cases you should always telephone in advance to make an appointment before your visit.

Copies are available from Julia Trustram Eve English Wine Producers, Tel: 01 536 772 264 or e-mail her at info@englishwineproducers.

com. I have some copies of The Vineyards of England & Wales here at the Worcester News to give away.

To receive one, simply send me a postcard, or even an envelope with English Wine Guide at the top and your name and address and write to me, Philippe Boucheron, Worcester News, Hylton Road, Worcester WR2 5JX by Friday, July 15.

First come, first served.