Sir – It is ironic that your columnist Christopher Gray chooses to criticise The Spectator for recent errors that he refers to as “silly mistakes” when he is quite capable of making them himself.

As recently as January 31, he referred to “pinot noir in its familiar role of making white wine”. Earlier in the same review he states that “he remains reasonably familiar with — and much admiring of — the products of Burgundy”. Sadly, this familiarity must have waned over the years, as it is common knowledge that chardonnay and not pinot noir is the white wine grape of the region.

The last time I took Mr Gray to task in your columns, he was quick to respond; can we now expect an “apologies for errors” section at the foot of one of his columns? Some cynics might think that there are a number of people waiting to ambush Mr Gray at every opportunity; this isn’t necessary as he is quite adept at shooting himself in the foot.

Anthony Hall, Bampton