Lemon & Lime Wine - Final Bottle (6), 8th-9th August 2017

I had remembered this wine as somewhat worse that this bottle proved. Yes, it was too sweet - and in the unlikely event that I make it again, I will reduce the sugar. But it was drinkable, and not the Punishment Wine that a bottle opened on a Tuesday might suggest. It was unmistakably lemon-flavoured and more like lemonade than wine.

Both nights I drank my glass while watching I Know Who You Are, which is a superb Spanish thriller that surprises at every turn.

Lemon & Lime Wine - Fifth Bottle (4), 31st July - 3rd August 2016

This was not my most popular bottle of wine taken to Rydal Hall. That it took four evenings to finish speaks for itself. Janet said that it was evocative of her teenage years, which were apparently spent drinking Cinzano. Other than me, only one person braved a second glass. It was spurned at the next day's gin o'clock in favour of sloe gin and rhubarb schnapps. I can't think why.

Lemon & Lime Wine - Third Bottle (3), 14th-15th July 2015

Claire has specifically asked me to note that this wine tastes like an artisinal floor polish. One made from organic ingredients with great care and attention. Personally I thought it very quaffable - sweet, lemony with a hint of fizz. I considered putting in a touch of gin, but that would have been decadent on a work night.

Neither Tuesday nor Wednesday were remarkable - to the extent that I have forgotten what I did. I am reading two books: Gone Girl for Book Group, which I am not enjoying much, and Brew It Yourself by the Two Thirsty Gardeners, which is genuinely fabulous - and which I will review here properly when I have finished it.

Lemon & Lime Wine - Second Bottle (5), 13th March 2015

One of life's great pleasures is spending Friday nights at home, sinking slowly into inebriation with my wife. It is not an unusual experience, and objectively probably not interesting either. But right here, right now, it is just lovely. I have known Claire for nearly 20 years and have never stopped loving her. And I'm not sure what it is about lemon & lime wine that is making me all gushy. But I have a charmed life, and the greatest charm of all is the woman I married. That is all.

Lemon & Lime Wine - First Bottle (2), 10th-11th January 2015

I put this bottle in the fridge three days before it was opened. My suspicions were that Lemon & Lime Wine needs to be as cold as possible for full enjoyment. Certainly the icy temperature helped. The wine is too sweet to be entirely successful but some sweetness is required. Without, it would taste too much like a bathroom detergent. In fact, the wine was okay and was a particularly good remedy when I ate a chilli-stuffed olive, which was hotter than anticipated. The sharp, cold lemon flavour neutralised the heat. It was also a fine accompaniment to the pissaladiere I made (basically a non-cheese pizza), and that is down to the anchovies.

If you want to see how I made this wine, click here

Lemon & Lime Wine - The Making Of ...

If the first day of the year is any portent, 2014 will be dark and miserable. Just at this moment I am in a 'glass half empty' mood. My bassoon practice has gone badly and I can better understand why Claire becomes down when her viola has not done what she desired. At Airedale Symphony Orchestra we are playing The Polotsvian Dances and I can't play it quickly enough. And try as I might Morning from The Peer Gynt Suite refuses to stay in tune. Oh well. At least I began my Lemon and Lime Wine today. This is a brand new flavour and ticks off yet another letter from my wine alphabet.

Before Christmas I saw that Noshis was selling 11 lemons for a pound. The limes were also good value at five for a pound. Never one to miss a bargain, I snapped them up and used all the lemons and four of the limes for this wine.

I began by thinly peeling five of the lemons and two limes, trying to avoid the pith. The peel is now in a bowl and covered with a pint of boiling water and a layer of clingfilm. I then squeezed all fruit, which produced a pint of juice, and put this together with the citrus detritus collected in the squeezer into my bucket. I added three pounds of sugar and five and a half pints of boiling water. My current worry is that the lemons were all really rather small (hence the price) and this may result in a bland wine.

On Thursday morning, before my first day back at work following the Christmas break, I added the yeast, a teaspoon each of pectolase and nutrient, and the water which had covered the peel. We went to Newcastle on Friday for the weekend so the wine did not get its twice-daily stir.

I put the liquid into its demijohn on our return - the evening of Sunday 5th January, sieving out any solid (mainly pips). Rather than a bright lemony-yellow hoped for, the wine is biege.

If you want to see how this wine turned out, click here