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The ethical drinker: ‘Wines and people that made me stop and think’
Sustainability editor Natalie Earl highlights three particularly memorable wines from the past year, and the experiences that went with them, in her regular Decanter magazine column...
As I sit down to write the first column of 2026, I’ve realised that I never really addressed its title: ‘The ethical drinker’. What does ‘ethical drinking’ actually mean? Does it relate more to the act of drinking alcohol, or to the product itself?
There isn’t really a straight answer to this, as it’s probably a bit of both: an awareness of the way we consume, a curiosity about the wines we choose, their provenance and their wider impact, and acting on this curiosity and awareness in our buying behaviours.
As I reflected on the topics covered over the last year – from labour standards, bees and biochar to the importance of community, the health of the oceans and packaging – I found myself revisiting the wines and people that made me stop and think; wines that challenged assumptions about flavour, or of farming standards; people who prompted me to widen the lens beyond my enjoyment of what’s in the glass.
That is what this column is all about. So here I’m highlighting three bottles – and the experiences that went with them – that made me think, question or act.
Maxime Magnon, La Bégou Corbières Blanc, Languedoc, France 2019 | 98pts
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)
£44.40-£45.25 (2022) Parched, Roberson
France’s largest wildfire in more than 70 years rampaged through the Corbières region in early August 2025, burning more than 17,000ha of land a few weeks before harvest. Residents lost homes, one person lost their life, and many growers suffered catastrophic vineyard losses.
I opened this bottle of Maxime Magnon’s white Corbières in solidarity with those affected. Despite the sombre motivation, the wine was beautiful: fragrant with beeswax and almond oil, linden flowers and honeysuckle, its texture like fine lace, carried by a keen saline bolt through the finish. Drink: 2025-2030. Alcohol: 12.5%
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Charlie Herring Wines, Promised Land Riesling, Hampshire, England 2022 | 95pts
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)
£40 The Solent Cellar
I finally managed to visit Tim Phillips at his tiny garage winery in Lymington in southern England, on the one day of the year that he opens his doors. A deeply thoughtful and curious man, Tim treats each vintage – indeed each week – as a precious opportunity to learn, grow and tweak.
Just 4km from the coast, amid orchards, woodland and vegetable gardens, he tends a tiny walled vineyard of Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was a real revelation, one that feels like a beautiful tribute to its balanced ecosystem, carrying aromas of lime zest, rye bread, quince paste and crushed rock, and a long, textured finish. It’s quietly compelling and will take many years to unfurl. Drink: 2025-2035. Alc: 11%
Domaine Lissner, Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Altenberg de Wolxheim, Alsace, France 2023 | 95pts
Spending a day with Bruno Schloegel of Domaine Lissner in Wolxheim, Alsace, was eye-opening. His approach (a Masanobu Fukuoka-inspired, ‘do-nothing’ style of farming) is unlike anything I’ve encountered. One way to describe it is simply ‘wild’. But that does a disservice to the intricate interplay of animal, vine, earth, mycorrhizae and, of course, human intention.
It was March, and the vines’ spindly cordons were still unpruned. Some trunks were so covered in ivy that the bark was no longer visible; some vines were trained up fruit trees. Countless plant species thrive under the vines and between the rows, hinting at the vast biodiversity below ground. Bruno readily admits that yields are low – reduced by competition among the plants and losses to disease in some years – but eliminating chemical inputs and a reduced need for labour makes it economically viable.
We picked wild leeks from between the rows, which Bruno later used on the tarte flambée he cooked us for lunch. This Gewurztraminer was electric. Spicy, immediate and precise, with orange blossom, mango and grapefruit-tinged acidity. Drink: 2025-2035. Alc: 13.5%.
Regional Editor for France & Sustainability Editor
Natalie is Decanter's France editor, commissioning and writing content on French wines (excluding Bordeaux) across print and digital. She writes Decanter's coverage of Languedoc wines, as well as a monthly magazine column, The Ethical Drinker, which unpicks the thorny topic of sustainability in wine. She joined Decanter in 2016.
