Vino. Couch. Remote.

VINO

Acaballo Shiraz Carmenere 2014, Chile. A rich and spicy deep plum red that will warm your cockles on a winter's evening.

REMOTE

The Affair. - I'm going to put this out there: this is the most addictive TV drama series I've ever watched. Struggling novelist Noah (played by Dominic West) meets a young waitress, Alison (Ruth Wilson), while holidaying with his wife Helen (Maura Tierney) and his four kids. Alison is struggling with her marriage to Cole (Joshua Jackson) following the freak death of their four-year-old son. As they embark on a passionate love affair, you begin to think this is a pretty pedestrian plot. But here's the twist: each episode is divided into Noah's recollection, followed by Alison's. Both are similar - but slightly different. Noah positions Alison to be a siren luring him into infidelity via tight dresses and suggestive glances, while Alison leads us to believe in Noah's unfaltering pursuit of her. You're not quite sure who to believe. Why does it matter? - Because these recollections form the basis of a murder investigation. You don't know whether they're suspects or helping with police enquiries, but their separate testaments don't match up.

Series 2 is even better, with both Helen and Cole's perspectives being thrown into the mix. With the four main actors having shows including The Wire, Luther, ER and Dawson's Creek under their belts, it's no surprise the acting is first class. Plus it's got a killer intro song:

Main title sequence from the new Showtime series, The Affair, with the brand new original song "Container" written and performed by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, who constructed a treatment for her previously unreleased song, largely inspired by the show's narrative. Starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, and Joshua Jackson.

Airing on Sky Atlantic (UK) and Showtime (US), this Golden Globe-winning series is definitely worth a watch. (N.B.  appropriate for adults only as it's pretty raunchy in places!) Here's the pivotal scene from series 1: Noah meets Alison:

Noah (Dominic West) and his family stop off at a diner as they arrive in Montauk. Starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, and Joshua Jackson. 

If you love scandalous TV series, you might like this also.

Vino. Couch. Remote.

VINO

Whispering Jack Chardonnay 2014 - A medium bodied dry white from South Africa. Its crisp taste includes lime zest and tangerine notes, making it a refreshing alternative during a cosy night in if you don't fancy red.

REMOTE

Peep Show. - A TV series following the sad but brilliant lives of flatmates Mark and Jeremy. It's an all-access pass to their amusing yet disturbing minds as they bumble through life getting into awkward situations. This was our go-to box set at university for its easy watching and incredible one-liners. In 2010, it became the longest running comedy series on C4 (its first episode aired in 2003). Now in its final series, the El Dude Brothers are taking their last bow - but not before they've given us one last trip down Cringeworthy Alley. Perfect viewing if you're looking to laugh and forget about life's stresses - because no matter how bad your day might have been - you can find comfort in the knowledge that it likely couldn't have been as bad as Mark's.

(N.B. It's near to impossible to find a clip without swear words in (!) so I've found one which uses less of them...):

If you love to laugh, check out Modern Family - another iconic comedy series (which is much more family friendly than Peep Show-!).