The finest Rhône I have ever tasted

The medics would have one believe that alcohol is a depressant. That may be their conclusion drawn from test tubes in laboratories. Fortunately, however, it bears little relation to real life, which is just as well. The world has rarely been in greater need of antidepressants, in every form. One tries to tease American friends out of their gloom, reproaching them for taking their independence too early. Last time I attempted that, it did not work. ‘If Washington and Jefferson had foreseen Trump vs Harris, they would have asked George III for forgiveness.’

In the rest of the world, there is a charming paradox. A few years ago, Signora Giorgia Meloni was reviled as a neo-fascist, and plenty of critics were ready to omit the ‘neo’. Now she deserves to be recognised as the strongest leader of any major western power.