Wine review

Research by Scotland’s largest police force, Strathclyde, highlighted that Buckfast was linked to over 5,000 crimes in the last three years. Almost one in 10 of these crimes were violent. A neuroscientist on a BBC documentary, Dr Steven Alexander, calculated that there was 281 mg of caffeine in a bottle of Buckfast – as much as 8 tins of cola. He commented that at these levels of caffeine “It’s going to have the person bouncing around all over the place”.

Where did it all go wrong? For many years Buckfast was sold as a health drink sold in pharmacies and recommended by doctors. It’s made in the sleepy Devonshire village of Buckfastleigh where Buckfast Abbey lies, home to the monks who spend their days making bees wax, stained glass and …. Wine.

The original recipe for Buckfast came from France in 1897 as a fortified base wine to which “mate tea” cocoa leaves and vanilla were added. It was sold at the Abbey as a medicinal wine with directions recommending “three small glasses daily”. Nowadays the style is much sweeter like Port and more approachable. Although it seems unfair to land the malaise of Scotland’s anti-social behaviour and underage drinking firmly at Buckfast’s door, it does seem to be the kind of libation that rarely sees the bottom of a crystal glass and tends to be enjoyed, as local custom dictates, straight from the bottle and usually wrapped in a brown paper bag.

Of course Buckfast (or Buckie as it’s known in Scotland) is mighty popular in certain parts of Northern Ireland where it is affectionately known locally as “Lurgan Champagne”. Bizarrely even though it’s a red, sweet and fortified, it’s usually taken well chilled.