One of the things that the European Parliament certainly does better than its UK Commons counterpart is the quality and range of its EU parliamentary wine list. That’s if you can get a table in the stately (and well-subsidised) main dining room that caters for Eurocrats and MEPs.

The reason the EU Parliament members’ restaurant wine list is superior to the Commons is partly thanks to disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell, who famously sold off (to himself) the old Commons cellar when he was an MP and in charge of it. Ever since, the Commons wine list – and food for that matter – has resembled that of an AA three-star hotel carvery (with many MPs hanging their jackets off the back of chairs).

Another reason that the EU Parliament wine list is better, is that it officially requires that every EU country member is represented on there. Few will shed a tear to see English wine removed, although it’s worth noting that the last time I was there, seated opposite an English MEP wearing a starched bib, I was surprised to see it was one of the most expensive on the 28-country list.

Outside the zone

Thanks to EU rules, introduced in 2006, on who is actually allowed to dine in the posh EU Parliament VIP restaurants, there’s been a sharp rise of standards in the cuisine of competing Brussels restaurants and hotel “business centres” close to the EU Parliament.

Indeed for some years now, there’s a …