Product Reviews from

Having restored the severely degraded land they acquired for the vineyards – fifteen years on they are proud to boast that they are a model for sustainability.

The centre uses as little energy as possible having been designed to keep cool in the summer, and insulated to retain heat in the winter. Solar panels draw energy from the grid making sure all their power needs are met.

As of 2009, Banrock Station are using lighter-weight glass bottles, ships it’s wines in bulk and bottles the wine on arrival in the UK. This reduces CO2 emissions by 164g per 75cl bottle. 

And as for the wine - I have long been a fan of this variety of white wine, but I feel more comfortable drinking it now that I am aware of their commitment to playing an active role in the environmental challenges the World faces.

Banrock Station Colombard Chardonay 2008 – We found this to be a light refreshing wine with an interesting palate, very drinkable, delicious in fact.

Banrock Station Shiraz Mataro 2008– This was a first for me, but it will not be the last time I drink this one. I tend to prefer red wine and this does not disappoint. A fruity taste with plenty of body, excellent served with Italian and French food.

Both varieties are available in most major supermarkets £5.99.

Most people don't realise that the loft insulation they've had since they bought their home as little as five years ago, is probably not enough to meet today's energy efficiency.

 Our 2 year old house has inadequate loft insulation, some of it is only 100mm deep. The current recommendation is for 270mm!

We were advised by B&Q to use a ‘top-up’ insulation.

So we used B&Q’s “DIY top-up loft insulation”, this is made from recycled glass bottles.

Specification: Thickness (mm): 200, Length (m): 4.9, Width (m): 1.11 (easily cut into 3 parts).

 Neil, the manager from our local Grantham B&Q Store, was extremely helpful, and gave us some sound advice on how to tackle the job, as well as helping to load it into our cars!

 We set about making sure the existing insulation was laid correctly. We cut the top-up insulation to fit in between the joists; then just rolled it out over the top of the existing insulation.

 The job took two of us just 5 hours – time and money well spent.

 Now we have turned down our heating from 200C to 180C, so we should start to see a significant saving over this coming winter.

 B&Q in partnership with British Gas are offering some great deals on a variety of loft insulation, including buy one - get one free.

 Now’s a great time to take advantage of saving heat and money at the same time.  www.diy.com/oneplanethome