The Golden State's mouth-watering cuisine covers everything from food trucks to fine dining – and the wine isn't bad either, says Andy Lynes.

Pinot noir is on my mind, I'm pleased to say. In the past few weeks, I've tasted German pinot noir against the rest of the world, fine red Burgundy at a pre-sale tasting by the American auction house, Acker Merrall & Condit, Australian pinot noir against New Zealand, and, most recently, an 'emerging classics' tasting of Chilean pinot noir. That's quite a lot of pinot noir even if you love the thrill of great red Burgundy and its vinous acolytes, which fortunately I do.

The public prosecutor throwing his all into nailing Michael Jackson for his alleged mistreatment of a 13-year-old cancer victim painted a disturbing picture yesterday of the singer introducing the boy to pornography, feeding him wine and reaching into his underpants for his sexual initiation.

As hundreds of journalists and sightseers descend on the little California town of Santa Maria for the start of the Michael Jackson trial tomorrow, the judge is losing his battle to prevent confidential case information leaking out.

Detectives are investigating a new allegation of child abuse against Michael Jackson involving a person who claims to have been victimized in the late 1980s.