Sir Cliff Richard, one of Britain's most enduring pop stars, has proven his vintage in the world of winemaking: the new yield from his vineyard in the Algarve has provoked a scramble among supermarkets back in the UK.
Tesco has been receiving scores of queries as to when Vida Nova ('new life') will be hitting the shelves. The retailer has promised the tipple will be available from its website, tesco.com, from this Thursday, but Waitrose seems to have pipped them to the post, as they are already offering it via Waitrose Direct.
Supplies to Britain are limited because an allocation is reserved for Portugal's leading restaurants and, of course, for Cliff himself. And the new vintage, which is said to be more elegant than last year's, is in hot demand in its home country.
One person who can be sure of a glass or two, however, is Tony Blair. Because Cliff will be sending a few bottles to his Barbados mansion, where the prime minister and his family are to spend their summer holidays.
Photo: Alphapress.com
