I've never been to a wine tasting before. It seemed a bit intimidating - terminology I don't understand, etiquette I don't know, spitting the wine out after tasting it - what's the point of that? But Theo's Tasty Tuesdays are not like that at all. They are fun, informal and accessible nights, each exploring a type of wine, with tasters, information and heaps of charm.

Theo Sloot, who runs the evenings, is a natural host. He is full of anecdotes about the wine world - a romantic and mysterious place, full of intrigue and risks. He showed us pictures of the suppliers as we sipped their wines, and told us how many acres their vineyards had and the ages of their vines. A vine lives for as long as a man, Theo says, and though it produces more in its early life, the fruit gets better every year. Never has been getting gently sloshed seemed so exciting.

Over the course of the evening we tried four wines, all using the Cabernet Franc grape variety. We heard about how the different conditions in the vineyards, as well as the processes used by the suppliers ("they harvest the grapes at night, you know, to keep them cool and fresh"), affects the taste and feel. We're asked our thoughts after every wine, and it was made clear that all opinions were valid - I left feeling not just that I'd learnt a lot about wine, but also that I already knew more than I thought.

At £5, this event is an absolute steal. You get four little glasses of wine and two hours entertainment for that! All the wines tasted are available to buy, but there's no hard sell. This night is clearly run out of love, and a desire to share the enthusiasm and knowledge the company has for their wines.

I don't know a lot about wine, but I know that I like it, and I like stories. This night combined the two absolutely beautifully. Wholeheartedly recommended.

A misted window is a rather wonderful thing. It’s a disconnect between out and in; from outside, it’s a sign of a warming welcome just behind a soon to be opened door; from within the warmth seems just that little bit warmer when you can see outside’s chilliness fogging the glass. It’s ubiquitous, comfortingly so, from the shower room on so many cold mornings to Kate & Leo on the cargo deck of the Titanic, from the first time you drew a smiley face with your fingers on a mirror to the last time you had to guess where your bus stop was because you couldn’t quite see out of an opaque winter’s window, cloudy panes speak of familiarity, of changing temperatures – of people congregating and denying the cold.

Small wonder then that the windows of The Summertown Wine Café were as foggy as Keith Richards’ memory of the 80s as the local stalwart roared back into bacchanal life last night. A small snafu with the food did little to dampen attendance at the Wine Café’s first night after a protracted absence for refurbishment, the place was standing room only and precious little of that going spare.

The lack of food served to highlight both the patrons’ commitment to quaffing good wine on an empty stomach and the focal nature of the watering hole for the rest of Summertown – 30 minute waits for a table at both Portabello and Cibo on a Wednesday night are surely not the norm. The enthusiastic attendance bodes well for a successful Spring on South Parade – if it ever decides to show up.

The refurbishment itself hasn’t tinkered much with the tried and tested formula of the joint – the new lick of paint, spruced up bar and some fresh blackboards have refreshed, rather than revamped the interior. I suppose any changes in managerial style will take time to become evident, but if patronage remains as loyal as the opening night suggests, making sure the cellar doesn’t run dry ought to be the overriding concern of those who’ve brought a North Oxford legend back to life.