Don’t fall for false vino and why Bedford’s the place to be

A wine scandal in Paris

Clearly there are some restaurants and cafés in Paris that think British tourists don’t know the difference between a good Bordeaux and dish water. In fairness, many probably don’t. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that some bistros in the French capital are serving their customers cheaper wine but charging for premium.

The Times newspaper dispatched two sommeliers to investigate and they found the practice was widespread. A waiter called Tristan told the newspaper: “Only once did a customer discover the trick. He was a sommelier.”

What’s next? Horse meat in your haute cuisine menus? Basically, people think they can con customers and tourists are probably easy prey. I know what I like when it comes to wine but, let’s face it, we could all easily be duped if you order by the glass and they bring it to your table.

I think I’ll insist the wine is poured in front of me from now on. Hopefully with the story published and many caught out we might get what we pay for… for now.

Paris, treat tourists like this at your peril. 

Bedford is the new Hollywood

Universal Studios has theme parks and resorts in Hollywood, Orlando, Japan, Singapore and Beijing. So with the aim of global domination, it’s next venture will be in… Bedford!

This is a market town in need of a pick-me-up and with a sad looking high street so being added to this impressive list of destinations will be a real shot in the arm when it opens in 2031. But we all know that they won’t call it Universal Studios Bedford (wouldn’t it be brilliant if they did). And surely it’s too far north of the capital to even attempt to label it as ‘London’.

This corner of Bedfordshire is feeling a sense of excitement coupled with trepidation at the thought of a 476-acre mega resort full of blockbuster rides, a 500-room hotel and a range of shopping and entertainment options. 

But just think, when it does open you’ll be able to combine a visit to the Group Leisure & Travel Show in Milton Keynes with a trip to Universal Studios. Now that’s a line I thought I’d never write.

The digital revolution could leave some behind

I am all for progress and the use of technology and consider myself fairly savvy for someone in later life. But I worry that the digital revolution will alienate people and make travelling confusing to the point some won’t bother.

A case in point are changes that could result in the biggest shake-up of air travel for half a century. I’ve read that the International Civil Aviation Organisation is in favour of changing the rules to allow everything to be on your smartphone, including passports and boarding passes.

The latter is something I already use but passports I am not so sure. It’s OK automating some processes at airports - such as making check-in obsolete – but the lack of human interaction and reassurance is not something that some will welcome.

I might be ok with checking-in using a terminal and having a boarding pass on my phone, but some travellers still prefer something printed that they know and feel comfortable using. Let’s give passengers a better experience without alienating those who do not live every inch of their lives through their phones. And what if you lose yours? Then how clever is this idea?

_{The views expressed in this column are not necessarily the views of the publisher.}