My Round: Should I be fined for writing this column?

Some people think so. Thankfully, they live in France

Spare a moment's pity for Lyon Mag. When it was announced that some 13 million litres of unsaleable Beaujolais were going to be turned into vinegar, the tiny French publication asked François Mauss, a wine professional, for his opinion of Beaujolais Nouveau. He said he considered it to be "vin de merde", a term the precise meaning of which may be unclear but the general drift of which is pretty easy to catch. Mauss went on to say that most Beaujolais Nouveau is "basically lightly fermented, alcoholised fruit juice".

Well, 60 Beaujolais producers disagreed. And they didn't get mad, they got even. Through the courts. They sued Lyon Mag for "denigrating" their product. The case was tried in Villefranche-sur-Saône, in Beaujolais. And the court, passing judgement late last month, found in the producers' favour. "By comparing Beaujolais to excrement, Mauss and the journalist who interviewed him have gone beyond the acceptable exercise of the respective social roles of criticism." Damages of around £220,000 were awarded against the magazine, which will close down if it has to pay. An appeal is pending.

It's tough to react seriously to a case that seems, at first, so transparently absurd. But serious we need to be: if other companies in the drinks biz took the same approach to criticism, we'd all be in deep merde. That is to say, I would be in deep merde. In the past, I have compared certain drinks to bleach, among other noxious substances, and my right to say so would be seriously curtailed if the concept of "denigration of a product" were introduced into UK civil law. If all wine critics had to watch our legal backs, drinks writing as we know it would come to an end.

Would this matter? Of course it would, and I'm not just saying this because I have a mortgage to pay. As long as we're factually correct, we drinks hacks need to be able to say a particular drink is awful. We can't say that it's made with carbolic acid and vine cuttings, but we should be allowed to say if it tastes that way to our incredibly refined and well-educated palates. Sometimes it's important to advise people what not to drink, and not just what they should drink.

But not today. This is an occasion for enthusiasm directed at a few new winter wines. Top of the pile is a South African red of almost indecent deliciousness, Yonder Hill Inanda 2000, Stellenbosch (£8.49, Sainsbury's). Inanda is a Bordeaux-style blend, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, and the benefits of a cool climate are immediately apparent in soft, supple fruit singing in perfect harmony with intelligently applied oak. Truly wonderful stuff. Next in the pile is an astoundingly good Minervois, Château Cesseras La Livinière 2000 (£9.45, Berry Bros & Rudd, tel: 0870 900 4300). You couldn't ask for a more elegant and refined example of this wine, which sometimes tends towards the unsubtle. Just a kiss of oak, and heady fragrances.

And finally, a tasty pair from Oddbins. The big O has seen more than its share of upheavals lately, with numerous prognostications of doom following its takeover last year. But it's still buying good things, and few are more intriguing than Kir Yianni Syrah 2000, Imathia (£9.99). Kir Yianni is a Greek producer of note, and this generous Syrah features classic Syrah flavours against a background of new French oak. Alternatively, if you want the same grape in a completely different setting, and at a completely different price range, everyday quaffing doesn't get much better than Oracle Shiraz 2001, Western Cape (£4.99). It's better than just about any Australian Shiraz at this level – or am I not allowed to say that, for fear of getting a product-denigration writ?