This year, if you’re thinking of spending Valentines Day at Manchester bars, you’ll fall into one of two categories: either you’ll be going out with your loved one or you’ll be looking to go out on the pull. If you fall into the former, you may even be preparing to pop the big question. No, I don’t mean what you’re having for dinner; I mean the other BIG question: the will you…one.

What kind of couple you are will very much determine which venue you decide to spend Valentines Day at Manchester bars. Those in search of a quiet, romantic evening without the mither of having to go the bar and order drinks will want to check out one of the city’s stush bars, where table service comes as standard. One of the obvious candidates for this is …

I once interviewed the late, great Tony Wilson (RIP) and he recalled the time when late licences had been granted to bars for the first time in Manchester. He peered over the rim of his glasses and said something along the lines of: we thought it was the best thing ever, we wanted Manchester to be like New York, a 24 hour city. A few weeks later we knew we’d messed up.

He obviously used stronger language than that, but you get the picture. As someone who founded The Hacienda, he knew that people would rather stay in a comfortable bar and get table service than traipse across town to some cold and cavernous club. That’s what a lot of people value on a night out in Mancunia these days and that’s why a lot of people will choose to spend …

Confused by wine? There are quite a few of us who can’t tell their Chablis from their Chardonnays (no need to be ashamed!) and find ourselves stuttering when we’re amidst wine connoisseurs. Who knew just a little bottle of fermented grapes would be so tricky?

Now you have the chance to get all that knowledge sorted. Guy Henri Azam, head winemaker at Baron Philippe de Rothschild winery, and fellow wine expert Philip Goodband are hosting a webchat to demystify the concept. From good buys to ones best avoided, and how to recognise which wines are best whilst wandering the aisles of your local off licence.

Want to get your wine questions answered? Click here …

Now I don’t mean to scare you, but I think robots may be trying to take over the world – or the UK at least - I-Robot style. Yes, it’s true. First it was the turn of the ICA in London to introduce robotic punk clubbers (see Neurotic Robots Love to Party), and now the world’s first robotic barman (I swear, it’s true) is making its shiny and new debut at one of my favourite places to spend money – Selfridges Oxford Street - tomorrow.

The robot, lovingly named Mr Asahi (as in the beer) is …

At some point it had to happen. For a long time now the Northern Quarter has been the epicentre of young Manchester cool. There are trendy bars, cutting edge shops, cheap and chic restaurants. Hell, that canny fellow Mr Scruff has even opened a cafe attached to record shop Vox Pops that’s dedicated to his second favourite pastime after making music - enjoying a decent cup of cha.

But what we like most about the Northern Quarter is that it’s a neighbourly affair, a you scratch my back and I’ll return the favour kind of a place. So what’s an area to do with all that bonhomie and creativity kicking about? Well, if you’re the Northern Quarter venue owners, one day you’re sitting gassing about music, art, poetry and stuff and the next day you’ve combined all the first letters of the words into an acronym and you’re organising the M.A.P.S …