Vino. Couch. Remote.

VINO

Hangin' Snakes 2012 Shiraz Viognier, Barossa Valley, Australia. This red made an appearance at our wedding - every now and again we treat ourselves to a bottle. Bright purple in colour, its taste is like 'sweet fruited summer berries... with white pepper, herbs and a hint of stone fruit.' It's one of the nicest reds we've ever had.

REMOTE

Scandal. - A US drama / thriller series about a former White House Communications Director (Olivia Pope) who starts her own crisis management firm. Starring Kerry Washington as Pope and Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant, the series begins with the ultimate scandal: the pair are embroiled in a passionate love affair (Grant is married). Now on series 5, every episode presents Pope with problems to fix, usually on behalf of high powered politicians or friends who need a favour. Offering a mix of murder, love triangles and politics - it's definitely one to switch on when you want to switch off. The best bit? That no matter how her day goes, Pope always manages to find time to enjoy a glass of red wine on her sofa (now what sort of person would do a thing like that?...).

Scandal airs on abc in the US, Sky Living in the UK.

Love political dramas? You'll love Frost/Nixon.

Vino. Couch. Remote.

VINO

Albastrele Chardonnay 2013 - A 'rich and well balanced' white from Moldova.  Apple and creamy peach aromas combined with citrus and apricot tastes make this vino a wine rack regular.

REMOTE

Modern Family. - The best TV comedy series to be exported from the US since Friends. It follows three very different families, who are related via The Pritchetts - Jay and his adult children - Claire and Mitchell. Its wit and characterisation means there's no need for dramatic storylines, so you simply sit back and frequently chuckle at Phil's optimistic projects or Cam's "How could you, Mitchell!?'-s. Each episode is perfectly timed at approximately 22 mins, so it makes great viewing for short-lived weeknights (or you could just watch a whole series back-to-back at the weekend with friends, chip & dip).

Phil Dunphy (Claire's husband) is one of my favourite characters. He is always trying to be a 'cool dad' by coming up with new inventions such as the HeadScratcher, by devoting his entire weekend to making a duck farm, as well as accepting pizza delivery in his pants and socks. This one's for you Phil:

For more night-in inspiration, check out my living room Pinterest board for the best cosy throws, footstools and fairylights.

Vino. Couch. Remote.

VINO

Prosecco Salatin Valdobbiadene Superiore - A fresh and floral fizz with flavours of apple, peach and rose petals. Supposedly great with fish or poultry, I found it went quite nicely with Wine Gums.

REMOTE

Come Dine With Me. A group of strangers are thrown together by Channel 4 and take it in turns to host a dinner party. With £1,000 at stake and wine constantly flowing, you can guess why this makes easily digestible (and highly entertaining) TV. Running since 2005, contestants have become increasingly bonkers over the years - with the food taking second place to the dinner table dramas. It's great viewing when you've had a manic day and just want to switch off with some fizz.

Here's one of my favourite clips - when one host actually decided to serve his sushi off a half-naked man lying on his dinner table. (An attempted nod to the Japanese practice of nyotaimori, where sushi was served on the naked bodies of geishas during the samurai period. But perhaps not as effective in 21st century Bristol...) 

What's your favourite show to switch off to? Join in the conversation on Twitter.