It's the semi-finals. Four teams, two games, one final match to decide it all.

And all four teams that have made it this far are from winemaking nations.

Whatever the results over these final games, the record of a winemaking country always winning the World Cup is guaranteed.

But who will be in that final game? France look like the best team overall. Spain feel like dark horses who could win in a closely-fought slugging match.

England and Argentina both have shown flashes of brilliance but also fraught, rather flawed performances from which they somehow emerge victorious.

And the potential finals are ripe with historic firsts. Will it be a third back-to-back final for France? A rematch against Argentina? A first-time clash against England who would be in their first final in 60 years.

Or maybe a rematch of 2024's Euros final? Spain vs England. Or, even, a first World Cup meeting between Spain and Argentina since (incredibly) 1966.

All to play for – here's what we're pairing with each match...

And if you feel the need for some... actual football analysis during this World Cup, do check in on our friends and colleagues over at FourFourTwo for all their updates and coverage.

Izzy: England

England (vs Argentina): The final four! After a rather nervy win over the Vikings on Saturday, England are through to the semi-finals for only the fourth time since 1966.

They’ll be meeting current title-holders Argentina in Atlanta, where both teams have previously pulled back from a losing position to overcome their rivals (England against DR Congo and Argentina in their dramatic win over Egypt last week).

Argentina have a particular habit of clawing back a win from the jaws of defeat, so England will need to show real grit and persistence to keep Lionel Messi at bay.

In this spirit, let’s continue to plumb the Decanter World Wine Awards for bottles that showcase the best of England winemaking, and try this platinum-winning sparkling rosé from Berkshire.

From a winery established less than 15 years ago – younger than Messi’s World Cup career – this is an extremely impressive wine, which shows the value of hard work and determination in the vineyard (as on the pitch!)

A wine that is delightfully English with rose garden, strawberry and red apple notes, it is described as an ‘allegory of national intent’ – a fitting choice for the team’s toughest match yet.

Rupert: France

France (vs Spain): Two European football and winemaking giants going head-to-head, and on Bastille Day no-less.

For two such famous footballing nations, it’s surprising that France and Spain haven’t clashed more often in major tournaments.

Spain has had the better of the most recent encounters in the Euros – beating France in the quarter-finals in 2012 and semi-finals in 2024 (going on to win those tournaments on both occasions).

The last – and in fact only – World Cup clash between the two was 20 years ago in 2006, the final hurrah of Zidane, Henry, Viera & co, and which France won (before losing in the final).*

In such circumstances it’s time to throw caution to the wind and lavish some money on a special bottle. It should be something ‘very French’ and is there anything more French than old Bordeaux?

Perhaps something from the 2006 vintage in honour of the last time these countries met.

An underrated vintage that, at 20 years old (and like this French team), is still revealing its charms, try snagging something like this Château Cos d’Estournel which continues to boast ‘abundant blackcurrant fruit and subtle hints of pepper, cedar, and smoke’.

*There was also the 5-4 Spanish victory in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League in 2025, but, honestly, who remembers/cares about that?

Ines: Spain

Spain (vs France): Would Spain have won its quarter-final duel if Belgium's goalie, Thibaut Courtois, hadn’t left the game injured? We’ll never know.

The road to victory is paved with unfair casualties and (a lot of) luck.

However, luck seems to often fail those who face France… La Roja needs, more than ever, to rely only on itself.

This semi-final calls for consistency, poise, nerve and resilience – the attributes of a good Ribera del Duero, such as the Finca las Dueñas Reserva from charismatic producer Francisco Barona, himself a great source of inspiration for Spanish players.

Barona's passion, work ethic and hands-on knowledge produce some of Ribera’s most exciting modern classics.

A recipe for champions?

Julie: Argentina

Argentina (vs England): A classic football rivalry – Maradona’s hand of God, David Beckham’s red card – when it comes to Argentina vs England in the World Cup heartbreak is just around the corner.

But the two sides haven’t met since Japan in 2002 (which England won) and, incredible, though it may seem, Lionel Messi has never played against England in his career.

Well, that all ends in Atlanta on Wednesday evening with two teams that have both flirted with brilliance and disaster on their tournament journeys so far.

As we’re rekindling an old footballing beef let’s keep it straightforward; a pure expression of high altitude Argentine Malbec.

Catena Zapata’s ‘Malbec Argentino’ is not only about as on-the-nose as it gets name-wise but also a wine that displays all the ‘dynamism, character and typicity’ we've come to expect from the country's wines – and their football team.

Expect, ‘juicy ripe cherry, plum, pink peach, pomegranate’ and possibly some more Messi magic.

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Top medals for English producers at Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2026 show there has never been a better time to dive into the country’s rapidly developing vinous landscape, from vintage fizz to terroir-driven still wines.

Newly released results add a fresh chapter to UK winemakers’ blossoming success story. For the second consecutive year, a magnum of English sparkling featured in the top 50 Best in Show selection, which at DWWA 2026 represents just 0.3% of all wines tasted.

Meanwhile, still wines continue to assert themselves on the global stage. Chardonnay led the way at DWWA 2026, including via a coveted Platinum medal.

Simon Field MW, encouraged wine drinkers to ‘be adventurous’. DWWA’s rigorous judging process, involving many world-leading experts, means buyers can explore with the utmost confidence.

Top awarded English wines at DWWA 2026

Balfour, Blanc de Blancs, Kent, England 2018 (magnum)

Best in Show, 97 points
£120/magnum Balfour Winery
For the second year in a row, the sparkling wine that most impressed our GB & Ireland panel was one bottled in magnum. In contrast to last year’s Sussex blend, though, the 2026 laureate was a blanc de blancs wine from Kent. It was a much younger wine, too – a 2018 rather than last year’s 2009. A youthful style, then, with a see the of fine-beaded bubbles and incision to the fore in its sensual profile? Absolutely. But remember what a generous summer the UK enjoyed in 2018. The aromas of this pale sparkler sing: poised lemon cream, sourdough and cut stone tease and linger in the glass. While the palate is bracing, mouthwatering and impactful, that splendid season is evident in its length and resonance. The extra-dry style throws the spotlight on the wine’s fruit qualities (orchard fruits as well as lemony citrus) and the quality of its acidity (dominant, taut yet unquestionably ripe – as you can detect in the wine’s latent aromatics). This is an English wine magnum with a long future ahead if well stored. Alcohol 12%

Winding Wood, Rosé Brut, Berkshire, England 2022

Platinum, 97 points
£38 (ib)-£42.50 Carte Blanche Wines, Winding Wood Vineyard
Rose garden and strawberry aromatics with red apple notes. A plush, toasted brioche core. Beautifully fresh with a gentle mousse and a long finish. Alc 12%

Tidebrook, Staddle Stone Chardonnay, Sussex, England 2023

Platinum, 97 points
£34-£36 George Hill Grocers, Mousehall, The Whisky Exchange
Lush lemon curd and stone fruit underscored by the cool-climate tension of chalky minerals. Racy acidity ripples through a sheen of creamy oak complexity and garnishes the long finish. Alc 12.5%

Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée Extra Brut, Kent, England 2016

Gold, 96 points
£120-£130 Chapel Down, Hedonism, The English Wine Collection, The Whisky Exchange
Deliciously evolving aromas of ripe apple, quince, caramel and bread fill out the plump structure and settled mousse, quenched by the tapering, lemon tonic acidity. Alc 12%

Hundred Hills, Hillside No3, Oxfordshire, England 2019

Gold, 96 points
£116.34/magnum Hundred Hills
In magnum. Vivid citrus, biscuit and chalky mineral elegance harmonise with the ample texture and plush, creamy mousse. Very complete, long and sizzling with energy. Alc 12%

Wiston, Blanc de Blancs Brut, South Downs, England 2018

Gold, 96 points
£54-£65 All About Wine, Hedonism, London End Wines, Must & Lees, Wiston Estate

Tropical fruit and floral aromas over frothy, mouthfilling bubbles. Subtle acidity brings the fine-tuning. Savoury, creamy notes gather at the end. Alc 12%

Bluestone, Premier Reserve Brut, England 2018

Gold, 95 points
Bluestone Vineyards
Smouldering smoky matchstick characters pair admirably with a fine veneer of lemon tart, brioche and apricot jam. A plush opulence cushions the pervading acidity. Exceptional. Alc 12%

Hambledon, Blanc de Blancs Brut, Hampshire, England NV

Gold, 95 points
£54-£62 Berry Bros & Rudd, Hambledon Vineyard, The Champagne Co, Vinvm
Exemplary English character: floral, green cow parsley and vanilla cream aromas fold into the exuberant lemon-pith mousse and racy acidity. Very long and compelling. Alc 12%

Hambledon, Classic Cuvée Brut, Hampshire, England NV

Gold, 95 points
£95/magnum Hambledon Vineyard
In magnum. Splendid golden apple, pear and zingy lemon fragrance softly draped over a backdrop of baked caramel biscuit. Poised and stirring, with silky bubbles and mineral length. Alc 12%

Sugrue South Downs, Cuvée Dr Brendan O’Regan Brut, Sussex, England NV

Gold, 95 points
£125-£135 Grape Britannia, Hennings, Indigo Wine
Layers of apple, citrus and floral notes grace the refined effervescence and gentle acidity. A delightful honeyed, bready character unfolds towards the end. Alc 12%

Wiston, Blanc de Noirs Brut, South Downs, England 2018

Gold, 95 points
£58-£68 All about wine, Drinks Direct, Fortnum & Mason, Hedonism, The Wine Engine, Wiston Estate
Dark berry and toffee apple notes weave into the generous texture and bright, elevating acidity. Well crafted and pure. Alc 12%

Coolhurst Vineyards, Lady Elizabeth Rosé, Sussex, England 2018

Gold, 95 points
£45 Coolhurst Vineyards
Attractively composed fresh strawberry, raspberry, cherry and red apple allied with sumptuous brioche and savoury saline charm. Weighty and structured with supple mousse. Alc 12%

Gusbourne, Boot Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, Kent, England 2022

Gold, 95 points
£55 Gusbourne
Assertive aromas of baked apple, pear and creamy oak sit regally over the luxuriant structure and ease gently towards a deceptively long finish. Perfectly expressed Chardonnay. Alc 13%

Harrow & Hope, No10 Reserve Brut, Buckinghamshire, England NV

Silver, 94 points
£33-£35 Abingdon Fine Wine, Grape Britannia, Jeroboams, Laithwaites, The English Wine Collection, The Oxford Wine Co
Toasted hazelnut, walnut and honeysuckle aromas. Concentrated lemon curd and pastry notes. Alc 12%

English Oak, San Gabriel Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay Brut, Dorset, England 2019

Silver, 93 points
£60 English Oak Vineyard
Nougat, fig and spice on the nose. Creamy pear and stewed apple flavours, bright acidity and hints of toffee apple. Alc 12%

Search all DWWA 2026 winners

Susie Barrie MW, Matt Hodgson and Dror Nativ MW tasted 66 wines, with 11 Outstanding and 40 Highly recommended

English sparkling wine: Panel tasting scores

66 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 11

Highly recommended 40

Recommended 14

Commended 1

Fair 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release brut or drier-style white, rosé or red traditional-method sparkling wines, single varietals or blends, produced in the UK using a blend of multiple vintages and labelled as non-vintage or multi-vintage

It was the year of the London Olympics, not to mention Queen Elizabeth ll’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

But for UK wine, 2012 was an annus horribilis on a scale hitherto unseen in the modern era.

When a vintage that bad comes along, having a stock of reserve wines to draw on is an essential blending tool in any traditional-method sparkling winemaker’s arsenal.

Sadly, given the nascency of the UK industry at that time, very few wineries had a reserve wine programme.

But as Hattingley Valley’s then head winemaker Emma Rice said: ‘2012 spurred us on to do it’.

Fast forward to today and the industry has evolved from producing largely single-vintage wines to one where non-vintage (NV) and multi-vintage (MV) bottlings play a growing role.

Hence this panel tasting, which also perfectly demonstrated how quality is rising seemingly exponentially.

As Dror Nativ MW stated: ‘If you consider the number of high scores we gave today, there’s really smart, consistent winemaking in England.’

Depth of flavour

Matt Hodgson concurred, adding: ‘I think non- and multi-vintage is the right direction of travel for the English wine industry’, and all the judges agreed that the wines containing higher levels of reserves (or just based on older vintages) delivered greater complexity and depth of flavour.

It’s also worth mentioning that almost all the wines we rated Outstanding (95 points or more) had seen oak and spent considerable time on lees, which added further layers of flavour.

One noteworthy observation was the way in which the whites outperformed the rosé wines (of the 30 wines scoring 93-96pts, only eight were rosé).

Hodgson commented: ‘We’ve always been big advocates of English sparkling rosé [at retailer Grape Britannia] and they were great – it’s just the whites were even better.’

Beyond quality, what I find exciting is that, in the key sweet spot of £30-£50, the best UK wines offer excellent value.

As Nativ said: ‘Based on the tasting today, we saw brilliant value compared to either Champagne or any worldclass sparkling wines.’

I couldn’t agree more.

See all notes and scores from the UK sparkling wines tasting

The judges

UK sparkling wines panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

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Michael Broadbent, an almost godlike figure in the world of wine of his day, wrote a column in every issue of Decanter for four decades.

He made it easy for himself. He simply told us what he and his wife Daphne had been drinking, whether at home or abroad. Will you think I’m taking a shortcut if I do the same?

In this house, a lot has been English. We’re making a conscious effort to study and support our increasingly exciting new industry. Bubbly is the natural starting point; so far it’s what we do best.

Soon I hope we shall discover England’s Chablis, whether it emerges on the North Downs, the South Downs, in Hampshire or Berkshire, in Wiltshire or perhaps on the Isle of Wight.

People urge us to try some of the new or newish varieties that have been bred to overcome the perceived difficulty of achieving ripeness in this country. But it’s a problem that’s rapidly fading as our weather warms.

Timing has been more of a problem than temperature. The vine has to fit in 100 days of decent growing weather between its fruit forming and being ripe enough to pick for wine.

Ripe enough is easier for sparkling wine, where high acidity is essential. What we need most is dry and sunny Octobers. There’s more discouragement from our government than from the climate. The French must bless their obtuse practice of charging the same taxes wherever the wine is grown.

One promising development is a modestly priced blend from various parts of the country. Full disclosure: it’s my son’s business. It’s called Albion and comes in white or pink versions. I like the pink; sometimes I add a dash of Ribena to the white. Good thirst-quenchers, both of them.

Which is England’s reddest red? It will come from one or some of the varieties bred for the purpose. England’s best, though, is not its reddest. I haven’t tried enough of our Pinots Noir to say, and you don’t judge Pinot Noir by its colour. The scent is the thing; it can sting your nostrils.

Robert Browning distinguished between the moth’s and the bee’s kisses. ‘Kiss me as if you entered gay my heart at some noonday… so all is rendered up.’ That would have been Musigny.

England’s moth’s kiss might be Danbury Ridge. I’m not sure we have a bee’s kiss yet.

Get first access to DWWA 2026 results on 17 June

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When speaking of wines from England, vibrant and increasingly sophisticated sparkling wines may spring to mind first. But what about English still wines?

In recent years, partly benefiting from a warming climate, English still wines have shown clear potential. As a previous Decanter Panel Tasting demonstrated, 30 out of 64 wines tasted achieved 90 points or above.

With many producers reporting a splendid 2025 vintage, the timing couldn’t be better to explore English still wines. What should you look for when picking your first bottle?

We’ve asked our experts for their top tips – find a quick cheat sheet below, and read on for further explanation.

The quality and value verdict… for now

‘We’ve been in business for seven years now, and for all that time, around two-thirds of our range has been still English wines. We wouldn’t have survived if they weren’t good,’ says Matt Hodgson, founder of English and Welsh wine specialist merchant Grape Britannia.

And more consumers are drinking them. As Dror Nativ MW, senior wine buyer at Marks & Spencer, puts it: ‘We have six still wines from England, and it’s quite a fast-growing category in terms of volume.’

But just how good are they – especially when value and global benchmarks are taken into account?

‘If you try to get English wines to compete with Grand Cru Burgundy, that’s not going to work,’ says wine writer and broadcaster Susie Barrie MW, who chaired Decanter Panel Tastings on English and Welsh wines for three consecutive years. ‘If you try to go to entry level, that’s not the sweet spot either.’

‘I think the sweet spot is right in the middle – where they’re competing with high-end New Zealand or Australian still wines.’

The stellar grapes

The experts point to £15 and above as the ‘entry-level’ price for English still wines – and if you enjoy a fresh, aromatic New World Sauvignon Blanc, Bacchus is usually an affordable, easy-drinking option.

‘Our bestselling white is Bacchus,’ says Nativ, highlighting a Bacchus from Lyme Bay in Devon (£15, M&S). ‘We do have other varieties, but it seems the Sauvignon Blanc-like aroma, acidity and character really appeal to customers.’

But for a bottle that truly impresses, ‘you’ve got to be paying about £30 to really get the best from England,’ notes Barrie.

From both a value and reliability standpoint, Chardonnay is the grape of choice, according to our experts.

‘On average, the quality of English Chardonnay is really high across the board and moving into the territory of good value,’ says Hodgson.

For Pinot Noir, results are more mixed, largely due to the climatic challenges of disease pressure and achieving perfect ripeness, according to Charlie Holland, winemaker of Jackson Family Wines’ Marbury Wines project in Crouch Valley, Essex and former CEO of Kentish estate Gusbourne.

‘It’s a difficult grape to grow in England, but if you get it right, it’s amazing.’

Crouch Valley on the rise

Crouch Valley, located in south-east Essex along the River Crouch estuary, is one of the places where value and quality meet for English still wines, says Barrie.

'Among the warmest and driest parts of England, the region’s signature London clay soils retain water in dry spells and become less permeable in wet conditions, Holland explains.'

Lower disease pressure, combined with low yields (around 1-2 tonnes per acre, or 18-35hl/ha), means vineyards can regularly pick healthy, concentrated and fully ripe grapes, many destined for quality still wines.

'That was the case even in 2024 – when many other English regions reported difficult growing conditions,' adds the winemaker.

Does vintage matter?

The short answer is yes – and more so for still wines than sparkling wines in England, says Hodgson.

‘Typically, you want the hotter vintages. But counterintuitively, with Bacchus, over the past few years we’ve found a lot of quite green and unappetising examples in a warm vintage such as 2022, whereas the 2021 and 2023 vintages are actually much fresher.’

This may be because Bacchus drops its acidity very quickly, he adds. ‘As a result, many producers picked early to preserve freshness, but the wines didn’t always achieve full phenolic ripeness.’

Yields have an impact, too, says Barrie.

‘Take 2018 – the yields were actually too high. It worked for sparkling, which can handle higher yields, but many of the still wines from that year ended up a little thin.’

An ideal vintage for still wine would be ‘a warm vintage that’s also relatively small’, she explains, and it depends on the variety: ‘Bacchus doesn’t really want a very warm year, whereas Chardonnay and, especially, Pinot Noir benefit from a bit more warmth.’

With the soon-to-be-released 2025 vintage widely tipped as outstanding, it’s one to watch, said the experts.

It’s only the beginning

However, it’s still early days to define a signature grape or style, agree the experts.

‘The English still wine industry is still in its infancy, even more so than the sparkling wine sector. It’s only in the last decade that it has started to find its feet, and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were obvious candidates,’ says Hodgson.

‘Producers are still experimenting and discovering which other varieties might work in the UK. It’s far too early to say that the future is just about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.’

Experimental bottlings are already being made from Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Ortega, Solaris and Gamay, alongside a new wave of PIWI grapes (fungus-resistant hybrids), many of which show genuine promise.

Part of this innovative drive, powered by a younger generation of winemakers and fewer regulatory constraints compared to classic regions, has also given rise to distinctive styles such as white Pinot Noir and Dermot Sugrue’s ‘Bonkers’ – a flor-aged, multi-vintage Chardonnay blend, the experts add.

'Still rosé is another area of potential growth,' says Barrie.

‘I don’t think the UK has quite cracked rosé yet, but there’s no reason why it can’t. Interestingly, one of the top rosés last year at the WineGB Awards was made from Gamay – a slightly oaked, more premium example – which shows the potential of the style.’

Consistency remains the key issue, but the market is already there, she adds.

‘It’s clearly an area still to be developed, but with so many producers already making rosé as part of their cellar door offering, there’s every reason to think it will improve.’

Any final tips?

‘Don’t penny-pinch,’ is Barrie’s final tip for wine lovers embarking on a journey into the English still wine category. ‘Go for a £30 bottle and choose Chardonnay – treat yourself and go for a name you’ve been recommended.’

Nativ shares the sentiment: ‘There’s a virtuous cycle – the more people buy English still wine, the better the wines will become, as winemakers have the incentive to improve.’

Visiting English vineyards and tasting wines at the cellar door also adds an extra dimension to the experience, adds the MW.

As Hodgson puts it, ‘once you’ve bought and enjoyed that first bottle, there are endless avenues to explore.’

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South Africa’s leading Cap Classique producer, Graham Beck, has launched its first English sparkling wine. The vintage cuvée is the first traditional method fizz made outside of South Africa by the Robertson-based winery.

Made in limited quantities, Graham Beck Artisan Collection English Sparkling 2018 is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown in Hampshire and West Sussex. The house worked with four growers to source fruit.

The project was overseen by Graham Beck cellar master Pierre de Klerk and former cellar master and COO Pieter ‘Bubbles’ Ferreira. It marks their final collaboration before Ferreira's retirement.

Speaking to Decanter, Ferreira explained that the idea of making sparkling wine outside of South Africa went back many years. ‘Champagne is obviously the ultimate benchmark for any winemaker in the sparkling wine world,’ he said.

‘But we also did study tours to Franciacorta; we’ve been in Cava country and I’ve been visiting the UK vineyards since the days when there were only three or four wineries here.’

However it was a trip to Düsseldorf wine trade fair ProWein in 2016 that made the idea take root. ‘South Africa was in the New World hall, and next to the South African stand was Wine GB – brand new. There were maybe 10 producers flying the English flag,’ he said, adding that hype around England’s sparkling wine potential also started around that time.

Later that year, Ferreira toured southern England’s key wine regions with winery owner Antony Beck, son of Graham Beck. Helped by Ian Kellet, founder of Hambledon Vineyard in Hampshire, they explored the unique geology of the landscape.

‘When we began studying the vineyards and chalk soils of southern England, we recognised the potential immediately,’ noted Ferreira. The chalk formations of the South Downs – similar to those found in Champagne – lend a distinctive mineral backbone to wines. While England’s cool maritime climate can produce base wines with vibrant acidity and pure aromas.

Nicknaming the project GBinGB – Graham Beck in Great Britain – the house decided to work with selected growers, rather than establishing its own vineyards, which as Ferreira explained who have been a 10-year project to achieve first vintage. Instead they set up contracts with growers, arranged access to cellar space in Hampshire and started to produce in 2018, which is widely regarded as one of finest English vintages to date.

‘2018 was a gorgeous vintage in the UK,’ confirmed Ferreira. ‘It was beautiful and ripe. It was sunny – a fantastic year.’

Ferreira and De Klerk visited the vineyards to determine harvest dates and were hands-on throughout vinification, assemblage, tirage, ageing and disgorging of the new cuvée. The parcels of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier were vinified separately, then assessed individually before the final blend was assembled.

A small proportion of the base wines underwent fermentation in neutral French oak, adding texture and complexity to the final cuvée. It was bottled early to maximise extended lees maturation, creating the signature Graham Beck creaminess.

‘The opportunity to bring Graham Beck’s philosophy of traditional-method sparkling winemaking to England is incredibly exciting,’ concluded De Klerk. ‘This wine reflects both the character of its English terroir and the precision and patience that define the House style. It’s a continuation of our pursuit of the perfect bubble.’

Graham Beck Artisan Collection English Sparkling 2018 will be released in the UK this summer with an RRP of £45.

Allocations will also be available in South Africa later in the year.

How does it taste?

Decanter's Regional Editor for South Africa, Julie Sheppard, reviews the new release.

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A one-of-a-kind venue with vineyard views

Located in West Sussex's Madehurst, a hamlet just four miles from Arundel, The Pig South Downs is nestled within the South Downs National Park. The Georgian house, dating back to the 1770s, is defined by high ceilings and abundant natural light, most strikingly in its greenhouse restaurant which overlooks the hotel’s own vineyard, Alpaca Block.

Planted in 2020 by founder Robin Hutson, the two-hectare site is south-west facing, with chalk and clay soils layered with silt, ideal for drainage in England’s unpredictable climate. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier dominate plantings, alongside small parcels of experimental Gamay, with regenerative practices such as sheep grazing already in place.

Early wines from Alpaca Block, including a Chardonnay and rosé, were produced for exclusive on-site consumption. With Dermot Sugrue now overseeing the vineyard and fruit, a new chapter is underway – one that promises even greater precision and ambition.

Dermot Sugrue and England’s top-awarded wines

Few names carry as much weight in English sparkling wine as Dermot Sugrue. With an impressive track record spanning estates such as Wiston Estate and Nyetimber, Sugrue’s influence on the category is profound.

A producer in focus: Sugrue South Downs

At Decanter World Wine Awards 2025, his own label, Sugrue South Downs, secured a Best in Show medal, while wines he has crafted or consulted on also ranked among the highest scorers, including:

• Digby Fine English Rosé Brut 2018 (Platinum, 97 points)
• Ashling Park Estate Blanc de Blancs Brut 2014 (Gold, 95 points)

Tasted at The Pig, Sugrue’s range showcased both breadth and intent, from Alpaca Block wines poured among the vines, to the multi-vintage The Trouble With Dreams and Crouch Valley Pinot Noir 2022, which sold out within hours of release.

Looking ahead, Sugrue has also described the 2025 growing season as a potential ‘unicorn vintage’ – a rare alignment of conditions that could produce wines of exceptional balance, ripeness and ageing potential. It’s a vintage that trade and consumers alike may want to watch closely upon release.

Local benchmarks: Sussex producers in focus

Digby Fine English: Blending with intent

Just a short distance from the hotel, Digby Fine English continues to define a modern, blending-led approach to English sparkling wine. Its Platinum-winning Rosé Brut 2018 impressed with its depth of colour and structure, a style Sugrue has long championed over the trend for paler expressions.

Initially sourcing fruit from across the South East, Digby now also owns vineyards in Kent and the South Downs near Petersfield, combining flexibility with increasing estate expression.

Ashling Park Estate: Estate-grown expression

Around 20 minutes away, Ashling Park Estate offers a contrasting, estate-driven philosophy. Its five-hectare Sussex vineyard supplies all fruit, complemented by lodges, a restaurant, tasting experiences and a gin school.

The Gold-awarded Blanc de Blancs Brut 2014, originally produced under Sugrue’s consultancy, impressed with persistent texture and a long, lingering finish. Today, winemaker Marcus Rayer is guiding the estate forward.

Together, these producers highlight the stylistic range now emerging from Sussex, from blending-led sparkling wines to estate-driven expressions rooted firmly in place.

A magnum moment for England

English sparkling wine reached a milestone at DWWA 2025 with the expansion of its magnum category beyond Champagne.

Sugrue South Downs The Trouble With Dreams 2009 took Best in Show, the first ever in this category. Its backstory is now part of English wine folklore: a lost 2008 harvest at Storrington Priory inspired the name, and the 2009 vintage became the label’s first release. Produced exclusively in magnum (just 600 bottles), it exemplifies Sugrue’s belief that large formats are ideal for ageing and complexity.

The wine sold out almost immediately after DWWA results were announced, though one or two bottles may still be available at The Pig South Downs.

Local produce, world-class wines

True to The Pig South Downs’ ethos, the menu champions ingredients sourced within a 25-mile radius, grounding the experience firmly in its Sussex surroundings. The wine list mirrors this approach, with a dedicated 'From Our Soil' section highlighting English wines at deliberately accessible mark-ups to encourage exploration.

For this tasting, however, the lens widened. Paired with the hotel’s three-course Winter Gatherings menu, a curated selection of DWWA 2025 winners offered a snapshot of global excellence:

• Weingut Birgit Eichinger, Ried Heiligenstein 1ÖTW Riesling, Kamptal 2023 (Gold, 96 points)
• Wirra Wirra, The 12th Man Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2024 (Best in Show, 97 points)
• Castello di Meleto, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2020 (Platinum, 97 points)
• Béres, Aszú 6 Puttonyos, Tokaj 2017 (Platinum, 97 points)

The contrast between local and international wines underscored England’s growing confidence and its place in a global fine wine conversation.

A destination, and a direction, for English wine

At just 48 miles from London, The Pig South Downs offers more than a countryside escape. It’s a gateway to one of the UK’s most dynamic wine regions.

With wines from England consistently performing at the highest level at Decanter World Wine Awards, English wine is no longer an emerging curiosity, but a category with depth, diversity and world-class credentials.

From vineyard to glass, and from local producers to international benchmarks, West Sussex, and the wider South Downs, are proving fertile ground not just for vines, but for ambition.

For those looking to explore the next chapter of English wine, there may be no better place to start.

Don't miss Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 results to discover this year's standout English wines. Subscribe to the DWWA newsletter to be the first to hear when they are announced on 17 June.

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Every month, Lidl launches a new ‘Wine Tour’ focusing on a different theme.

Operating on a ‘when it's gone, it's gone’ model, you'll need to get in quick if you want to get the best wines on the discount retailer's shelves.

Below we've picked out the three wines to grab this month, plus two more from their core range which is available year-round.

The Nero di Troia from Puglia offers comfort and sunshine in equal measure; a great BBQ pick.

While April's theme is Italy, it's hard to resist the captivating mandarin, apricot and white peach flavours of the Orange Sunset from France.

And the Falanghina, a grape native to Campania, makes for a delicious white that's a bit off the beaten track.

Meanwhile, the two core wines I've picked out are a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a Chablis – reliable styles perfect for enjoying with friends when paired with salads, fish, or simply conversation.

Grab these while you can

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After a special dining experience ahead of the Year of the Horse that also ticks the boxes for a wine connoisseur? I’ve got you covered.

The Decanter team has hand-picked a list of some of London’s most loved Chinese restaurants – from fine dining to casual indulgence – to help you plan ahead, with a special note for those offering dedicated Chinese New Year menus.

Chinese restaurants for elevated dining

Hunan London

(Chinese New Year menu available)

51 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8NE

reservations@hunanlondon.com

020 7730 5712

Established in 1982 in London’s elegant Belgravia neighbourhood, Hunan is known for its no-menu, multi-course tasting experience, encapsulating flavours from Taiwan, Sichuan, Guangdong and beyond.

For connoisseurs, the carefully curated wine list places an emphasis on aromatic whites and delicate reds, spanning Chinese wines and sake alongside the classics, and offering plenty of pairing inspiration for the restaurant’s proudly ‘bold and strong’ flavours. Half bottles and bespoke cocktails are also available.

A special Chinese New Year (CNY) menu will be served between 16 February and 3 March, priced at £150 per person. Find out the full CNY menu here.

A. Wong

70 Wilton Rd, Pimlico, London SW1V 1DE

info@awong.co.uk

020 7828 8931

Home to the award-winning, British-born chef Andrew Wong, the two Michelin-starred restaurant offers a creative, contemporary take on Chinese regional cuisine. Alongside Andrew’s signature ‘Touch of the Heart’ lunch menu and ‘The Collections of China’ dinner menu, there is also an à la carte lunch option for a more casual taste of what the restaurant has to offer.

In addition to its comprehensive wine list, which highlights a thoughtfully assembled selection of Champagne, guests can try the restaurant’s signature cocktails inspired by Chinese spices at the Forbidden City Bar, or go for a shot of Chinese baijiu. A Chinese tea selection is also available for a more soothing refreshment.

China Tang at The Dorchester

(Chinese New Year menu available)

53 Park Lane, London

reservations@chinatanglondon.co.uk

020 7319 7088

Located within the iconic hotel, China Tang evokes the glamour of 1930s Shanghai with its Art Deco-inspired interior. Signature dishes include lobster noodles and golden prawns with salted egg yolk, alongside a strong range of vegetarian options. Diners can choose familiar Cantonese dishes from the bilingual dim sum menu and a wider range of regional cuisines from the à la carte menu, or opt for a Yum Cha experience – a tea and dim sum pairing available on weekday afternoons only.

The wine list is broad in scope, with a solid selection of Chinese wines (some available by the glass), alongside prestigious regions and more exploratory choices such as Croatian and Slovenian wines. There is also a strong selection of oriental spirits, including by-the-glass pours of the famous Maotai baijiu (white spirits).

With upcoming festive décor and traditional lion dance performances taking place on 17 and 18 February, the restaurant is well set to celebrate the Year of the Horse. In addition to the main menu, China Tang will be serving a Chinese New Year menu centred on ten auspicious dishes created by executive chef Chong Choi Fong, each chosen for its symbolic meaning and association with prosperity, abundance, unity and happiness.

Scroll down for our casual dining favourites

Park Chinois

17 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, W1J 8EA

reservations@parkchinois.com

020 3327 8888

Immerse yourself in the golden age of 1930s Shanghai – feast on delicately hand-made dim sum at Park Chinois’ Salon de Chine restaurant (Chef’s Tasting Menus for a minimum of two guests is also available), then head downstairs to Club Chinois for a lavish night out with live DJs.

Why not try a Chinese wine from Shanxi, Yunnan or Ningxia for the special occasion? Park Chinois’ abundant wine collection includes a Coravin by-the-glass section, allowing diners to get a quick taste of the likes of top-tier Burgundy. There is also a list of exotic cocktails designed to pair with the Cantonese cuisine, drawing inspiration from mid-20th century Chinese-American eateries.

Hakkasan Mayfair

17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 6QB

mayfairreservation@hakkasan.com

020 7907 1888

One of the best-known Cantonese restaurants in London, Hakkasan Mayfair is widely regarded for its expertly curated wine list, combining a modern, aesthetic take on classic dishes with a sleek, club-like setting.

If you’ve never visited before, Chinese New Year could be the perfect occasion to start with the lunch taster menu (£35 Monday to Friday, £45 Sunday to Thursday), alongside the Signature Brunch (£55, Saturday and Sunday) and à la carte offerings.

If you arrive in the evening, head to The Bar, which opens daily for drinks only (no reservation needed). Enjoy a cocktail with live music from Wednesday to Saturday from 7pm.

Imperial Treasure

(Chinese New Year special dish available)

9 Waterloo Place, St. James’s, London, SW1Y 4BE

finechinese_stjames@imperialtreasure.com

020 3011 1328

With Singaporean origins, Imperial Treasure offers a diverse menu ranging from Cantonese dim sum and seafood to Shanghai and Huaiyang cuisine, with its Peking duck among diners’ favourites. Alongside its à la carte and dim sum offerings, weekday lunch sets are also available, priced at around £40 per person.

The restaurant’s wine list spans the classics (with older vintages available), plus a selection from emerging regions. Cocktails are accented with Asian ingredients, while spirits lovers can choose from a broad range including vodka, mezcal, rum, whisky/whiskey, brandy and Chinese baijiu.

Ahead of the Chinese New Year, the restaurant offers two types of hand-made festive cakes from 16 January to 23 February 2026 (sticky rice and turnip cake) for takeaway only.

Min Jiang

Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London, W8 4PT

020 7361 1988

If duck is top of your list this Chinese New Year, look no further than Min Jiang’s famed wood-fired Beijing* duck (‘Peking’ is an older romanisation of Beijing, though the restaurant opts for the latter).

Situated on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel, overlooking Hyde Park and the London skyline, Min Jiang also offers a wide range of Cantonese and spiced Sichuan dishes, including vegetarian options. Some of its much-loved dishes are also available via Deliveroo.

A varied selection of signature cocktails, sake and spirits, alongside a very affordable speciality tea list and a diverse wine selection, ensures diners are well catered for when it comes to quenching their thirst while enjoying those crispy duck rolls.

Hu Tong Shard

(Chinese New Year menu available)

Level 33 The Shard, 31 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY

hutongreservations@aqua-london.com

020 3011 1257

Nestled on level 33 of The Shard, Hutong (a name derived from Beijing’s alleyways) is the upscale destination for northern Chinese cuisine – provided you’ve budgeted for the view and are ready for its modern cooking, defined by rich, bold flavours.

Raise a glass at the Shanghai Bar, which offers unmatched night views across London, and choose from a solid wine list that secures the classic regions while also venturing into lesser-known options such as Romania, Bulgaria and China, with a focus on organic, biodynamic, sustainable and vegan wines. The cocktail selection, inspired by Chinese philosophy and matched to zodiac signs, is also well worth exploring.

For Chinese New Year, Hutong presents a special three-course set menu from 16 February to 3 March (£128pp, or £158pp for the window experience), alongside a limited-time Shanghai gin cocktail menu to celebrate the Year of the Horse.

Our top casual dining favourites

If you are simply after a casual and tasty meal to celebrate the occasion, here are some of our favourites – each with well-regarded signature dishes and a charming drinks menu.

Shan Shui Social (Victoria)

(Chinese New Year menu available)

14 Buckingham Palace Rd, London, SW1W 0QP

hello.victoria@shanshuisocial.co.uk

020 4617 8888

Conveniently located near Victoria station, Shan Shui Social gives the vibe of old Shanghai back in the 1920s while serving a wide spectrum of Chinese regional dishes from Cantonese to Sichuan. Opt for the one-plate lunch specials – priced around £15 – for ease of mind.

Be spoiled for choice by Shan Shui Social’s cocktail and mocktail list, featuring signature drinks such as the ‘Jade Spiced Mule’ and ‘Silk Road Lychee Manhattan’, alongside a surprisingly diverse wine selection – English sparklers included.

A two-for-one happy hour drinks menu is also available from Monday to Friday (5pm-7pm), when you can pair a Moutai Lychee Martini or an Austrian Riesling with £1 snacks such as Thai prawn crackers, smashed cucumber salad and salt & pepper baby squid.

The restaurant will be offering a Chinese New Year menu as well as Yusheng (Chinese New Year raw fish salad, pictured above). Yusheng will be available via pre-order for the period 14 February to 3 March priced at £39.80 for 2-4 people to share.

Cheli (Elephant & Castle)

56-58 New Kent Road, Elephant Park, London SE1 6FU

info@cheli.co.uk

020 8050 9618

A widely popular Elephant & Castle destination serving Zhejiang cuisine, with a focus on the ‘freshness and subtle sweetness’ in the dishes, as the restaurant puts it. Crab with stir-fried rice cake, sweet and sour squirrel fish and Shanghai steamed soup dumplings are some of diners’ highlights.

Set in a contemporary interior, the restaurant also offers cocktails and a small, French-driven wine selection, alongside baijiu and yellow wine (listed on the menu as ‘traditional Chinese wine’). Its ‘Chef’s Signature Menu’, priced from £56.80 for two, is well suited to sharing (note that this offer is not valid between 14-18 February and on 3 March 2026).

Noodle and Beer (Chinatown)

(Chinese New Year menu available)

27 Wardour St, W1D 6PR

chinatown@noodleandbeer.com

020 3589 3345

Perched within Chinatown, this is a perfect spot for noodle and Sichuan cuisine lovers after lengthy walks through the festive crowds. Its signature noodle soup, served with generous chunks of tenderly braised beef, is a must-try. The smartly curated drinks list includes infused teas, wine, sake and signature Chinese cocktails such as pu’er whisky, chen pi-infused gin and jasmine liqueur. A more intimate lounge and bar area is also available in the basement.

For Chinese New Year, the restaurant offers a limited-time menu featuring seven ‘lucky dishes’, each carrying an auspicious name – such as ‘Rich Tartelette’ and ‘Prosperity Bear Duck’ – designed to boost your luck in the Year of the Horse.

…And a few more to bookmark

Yauatcha Soho

15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho, London W1F 0DL

reservations@yauatcha.com

0207 494 8888

A dim sum teahouse with an affordable lunch set menu Monday to Friday and an ‘Infinite Yum Cha’ menu on Saturday and Sunday (11am-6pm) which includes unlimited orders of dim sum and bao. Diverse options for by-the-glass wine and by-the-carafe sake.

Tattu

The Now Building Rooftop, Outernet, Denmark Street, London WC2H 0LA

london@tattu.co.uk

0203 778 1985

A modern, Instagram-worthy pan-Asian restaurant set in a venue inspired by a traditional Chinese courtyard house near Covent Garden, anchored by a cherry blossom tree as its centrepiece. Guests can also try exotic cocktails crafted using ingredients from a traditional Chinese pantry, or the restaurant’s signature cocktails served in characterful vessels – such as a glass dragon.

Kai Mayfair

65 South Audley Street, London W1K 2QU

020 7493 8988

Enjoy a fashionable Chinese afternoon tea in an elegant, luxurious setting while choosing from a wine list curated from around the globe – which includes wines from Ningxia, icewine from Liaoning and Gin from Shanghai.

MiMi Mei Fair

(Chinese New Year menu available)

55 Curzon Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8PG

reservations@mimimeifair.com

020 3989 7777

Savour dim sum and soup dumplings (‘Xiao Long Jewels’) in the lavish three-storey Georgian townhouse while browsing a sophisticated, old world-driven wine list, complemented by premium bottles from Yamanashi, Japan and Ningxia, China. A special Chinese New Year menu, centred on the signature wok-baked lobster, is served between 5 February and 7 March, priced at £138 per person.

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The craft of barrel (or, to use the general term, cask) making has been dying out in Britain, after breweries ditched hand-crafted wooden vessels for cheaper metal kegs. But could the booming UK wine industry, and a growing interest in using home-made barrels crafted from home-grown oak, reverse this trend?

‘I started making some casks for a nearby winery in 2006, when I worked for Wadworth Brewery in Wiltshire, but that was with French oak. It was a passion of mine to make some from English oak, but it took time to find someone who could cut the wood in the right way for wine.

‘Since then, we’ve made about a dozen wine casks out of English oak, including for Gusbourne Estate and Chapel Down. At the moment, we’re working on an order for Williams Family Wines in Cambridgeshire.

’It’s understandable that English wineries are wanting to use English oak barrels. Everybody wants things that are local and sustainable. If you’re pulling in wood from all over the world, you have to think carefully about your carbon footprint.

‘We have two suppliers of English oak – one in Staffordshire and the other in east Yorkshire. Both are the same variety of oak (Quercus robur) but they have very different flavours. The Staffordshire oak you could use on white wine, but the Yorkshire would be better for a full-bodied red.

‘The Staffordshire one has notes of very green apple on the front, followed by hedgerow fruit like blackberries and bilberries. It’s similar to French oak but not quite as mouth-drying. We’ve not tried wine from it yet but, for whiskies, it brings out caramel and toffee apple flavours if you give the cask a medium toast.

‘The Yorkshire oak has flavours of green apple but not as fresh as the Staffordshire. It’s subtler, with more pronounced hedgerow fruit, and vanilla notes.

‘The difference is down to the grains, the way it’s grown, and the flavouring we put on the oak when we toast it. Most of the wood we’re using is around 120 years old.

‘I can tell different types of oak by chewing on pieces of them. It’s the first thing I do when we get some new oak. I was with a timber merchant once. They had German, French and English oak but didn’t know which was which, so I tasted them and told them.

‘I don’t know much about wine, though, so it’s like going back to school. We have a French man doing the wine cask sales for us. Being a proper broad Yorkshireman, I need him to translate things into plain English for me – none of this flowery stuff.

‘We do everything by hand, so each cask is unique. Most cooperages in France and America will be using machines now. Very few make them by hand like we do.

‘The cooperage industry in the UK isn’t healthy currently. There are just five of us left working in England and only three master coopers (which means you’ve trained an apprentice). All three of us work for the same company: Kingsborough Coopers. But growth in demand from the English whisky and rum industry has helped, and we think English wine will be next.

‘We also make casks for films. I made about 1,000 for the Moby-Dick film, In the Heart of the Sea. We got to meet Chris Hemsworth too. He was a nice chap. We offered him a beer but he said 10am was a bit early.

‘I started working at age 14 when I got a job at the local brewery sweeping the yard. The cooper wanted a hand and it went from there. The training took four years but you haven’t finished learning by then. I’ve been doing it for 46 years and I’m still learning every day.

‘When you go from being an apprentice to a cooper in England, you go through a trussing ceremony. You make a hogshead (a 54-gallon beer cask), then the four most recently graduated coopers put you in and bend and hammer it into shape while you’re in there. It’s really noisy and you have to hope you made it right so it doesn’t break. Then, they pour in stale ale, yeast, hops, shavings off the shop floor – anything they can find. It used to be the bucket from the toilet, but we’re not allowed to do that anymore.

‘You sit in there and they tip it onto its side and take you for a spin round the yard. They used to throw you in the air and shout “Trusso!” – but they’ve stopped that now too. Since I had my ceremony, I’ve trussed three apprentices myself. While you’re in there, you have to think: “I’ll get my own back one day.”

‘It’s a tough career but I can’t ever see myself retiring. I’ll carry on until I die if I can.’

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Canadian winemaker Cherie Spriggs didn’t count on building a career around English sparkling wine. A qualified oenologist, she had worked in some of the top wine regions across Australia, New Zealand and the US. However, a chance encounter with a bottle of Nyetimber put her on track to become the estate’s head winemaker. 

‘When I was still working at Averill Creek Vineyard in Canada, my parents were taking a trip to England. This was the first year that The World Atlas of Wine by Jancis Robinson MW included one page on England. So, when they asked: “Can we bring you back anything?” I went, “Yes, it looks like they make some wine in England, can you get me a bottle of Nyetimber?”

‘The job opportunities in Canada at that point were fine, but they weren’t quite filling my husband and me with excitement. Outside of wine I’m a keen runner and while out one evening my husband said: “Why don’t we apply to dream jobs?” The first thing that popped into my head was: “I’d really like to make sparkling wine in England.”

‘Regardless of where you are in the world there’s always an Achilles heel. California it’s too much alcohol; Australia it’s not enough acid. In England there is the potential for too much acidity, which we have to manage carefully because you want nice acids in sparkling wine but not too much.

‘Outside of wine, I’m a keen musician. As a classically trained pianist, I draw many parallels between the worlds of wine and music. I like to think of blending wine in musical terms to create the perfect harmony. I think consumers pick up on fresh vibrant flavours rather than the deeper, richer flavours. More the soprano/alto end rather than the tenor/bass end.

‘There’s no denying that [the UK] is a very northerly, maritime climate. So there is an inherent variability of one year to the next. I started in February 2007 and I’m still waiting to have two vintages that are similar.

‘Our 2016 Blanc de Blancs took the Champion Sparkling Wine honour at the International Wine Challenge this year – and that’s the first time it’s ever gone to a sparkling wine outside of Champagne. I also took home the trophy for Sparkling Winemaker of the Year, for the second time. I’m still the only female, and to date there’s only been one other producer outside of Champagne, who’s won it. It’s such a validation of what’s happening in this industry [and] it’s exciting for me because it’s very different from when I started.

‘I take some of my inspiration from outside of the sparkling wine world, for example German Riesling, as I like how the wines walk an interesting balance point.

‘What’s interesting is that we find ever more people when they’re tasting English sparkling who say: “You know what? I don’t really like Champagne, but I like this.” We’ve [created] the opportunity for people who don’t like that flavour to find a beautiful celebratory drink that they enjoy.

‘I enjoy red Burgundy – with Volnay having a particular soft spot for me – a good Chablis, Barolo and also some unconventional choices such as a Gewürztraminer from the Okanagan.

‘We cannot avoid comparisons with Champagne, because they’ve been the market preference for top quality for a long time. But I think there are some things about our climate in England that offer us an advantage. We are a little bit cooler than Champagne and our development period for the grapes on the vine is that little bit longer.

‘Many producers can make a good wine a certain number of times in 10 years. But one of the things that I’m particularly proud of is the consistency of quality that I’ve managed to bring at Nyetimber. One of the ways I looked to do that was the development of our multi-vintage products; our Classic Cuvee, our Cuvee Chérie Demi Sec and our Rosé multi-vintage wines.

‘In terms of food pairings, if I’m thinking of something quick and easy at home I often turn to something like eggs and asparagus, which is a combination that I’ve had with English sparkling plenty of times.

‘I don’t get any sense of animosity when we travel to Champagne and visit other winemakers. I don’t think they feel threatened because it’s not like they’re not going to continue doing amazing things.’

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Barney Wilczak inspects medlar fruits by hand, simply paying attention and noticing. Medlars taste similar to Medjool dates, with a floral perfume – though to look at, the fruits appear spoiled. This is due to bletting, or softening, a process of breakdown where tannins give way to sugars, contributing intense aromatic potential. Fruits that aren’t ready are placed into an empty crate to be assessed the following day, it feels meditative in the calmness of the afternoon winter sun.

These decisions are vital as they impact overall flavour later down the line. Each fruit is assessed daily by hand until the specific softness is felt, which machines cannot detect. It takes time to understand this feeling – it requires patience and quiet attention. The observation of the moment, when the fruit delivers the optimal expression of itself, the growing season and surrounding environment.

There is a beautiful simplicity to making eaux-de-vie this way. Each moment is realised as an opportunity to maximise flavour; producing drinks with personality that capture the full expression of the plant.

The observer

Wilczak is the distiller and owner of Capreolous Distillery, in the Cotswolds, England. In childhood he was taken by the natural world, collecting spiders in the garden, interested in minutiae and curious about how things worked. This early inclination for patience, study and observation was the first pull of the thread.

Initially wanting to be a biologist, the natural world lured him out of the laboratory and into the field – as a conservation photojournalist. It allowed him to continue to observe plants, and without ever reaching a terminal point of knowledge, the thread kept being pulled.

An appreciation of wine and fascination with fruit first led to making traditional-method ciders, working with wild fruit and learning about different varieties of apples and the flavour difference outside of grapes. At this point Wilczak realised he was standing at the edge of a ‘rabbit hole’ and embarked upon life as an independent distiller.

Distilling emerged as the continuation of observing and recording the natural world. The intention was not to simply capture the smell of the fruit, but as he explains: ‘to distil things that smell like the plants they come from and the environment they’re growing’. In this way Caprelous Distillery rejects the conventional approach to distilling eaux-de-vie.

Radical distilling

‘We’re working not to create alcohol. We’re working to explore and respect the plants,’ explains Wilczak. In tune with the seasonal rhythm, fruit is picked by hand at peak ripeness, then graded, sorted and washed by hand. The physical connection of hand and fruit is quietly radical.

‘There was that choice between being happy and worrying about the commercials,’ he says. ‘We’re going to be happy.’ Making a finished litre of eaux-de-vie requires 45kg of fruit. Wild fermentation, afforded as much time as is required, allows the expression of each fruit to develop slowly.

Working in this way is about making a choice to focus on precision and removing what obscures. This is demonstrated in the precision of the distilling, which is not focused on a one dimensional articulation of fruit. The goal is stripping back noisy elements; ‘all we have to do is trample our egos’.

This means Caprelous Distillery retains only the heart of distillation, rejecting heads and tails totalling 55-60% of initial alcohol – neither of which are redistilled. By operating with extremely tight cut points Wilczak retains contact with evolution of flavour development, resulting in eaux-de-vie with clarity and presence.

Pure expression

As a drinks category, English eaux-de-vie is under-defined in the UK, compared to mainland Europe. While people might assume they know what it is, Caprelous Distillery is walking its own path, which embraces breaking away from the conventional approach to distilling.

Wilczak wants to capture not only the base notes of the fruit, but to document the essence of the entire plant including steam, leaf and seeds – as well as the growing season. ‘It doesn’t smell like the fruit. It smells like standing under 300-year-old trees,’ he says of his eaux-de-vie. They have depth, texture and complexity; engaging drinkers both intellectually and emotionally.

In this way Caprelous is reimagining what eaux-de-vie has the potential to be. Indeed its approach is far closer to how a vineyard operates. Fruit is cherished as an expression of terroir and each vintage represents a record of that season’s harvest.

These eaux-de-vie are unique expressions and can be enjoyed, unhurried, at room temperature, in a narrow glass. Wilczak’s approach preserves the human connection to the land. It is at its heart a simple way of working. Time is treated as an essential ingredient, rather than something to flatten for efficiency. In turn that patience is rewarded with flavours that have always existed but were never previously expressed.

English eaux-de-vie to try

Blackcurrant Eau-de-Vie 2022

£138/375ml, Capreolus Distillery

The berries were grown within 57km of the distillery. Rich notes of cassis and blackcurrant compote are supported by herbaceous blackcurrant leaf notes. The palate shows sumac spice with citrus, plus gentle smoke, before clove, strawberry, mint and fresh tobacco lead to a long finish. Alcohol 43%

Chestnut Barrel Aged Apple Eau-de-Vie 2018

£69.50/375ml, Capreolus Distillery

An apple eau-de-vie aged in chestnut barrels that add tannins without obscuring the fruit. Made with Harry Masters Jersey apples. White apple flesh and tart apple skins give way to apple seed and grape skins. The palate opens to flakey pastry with vanilla, caramel and tannins providing structure. Alc 43%

Gooseberry Eau-de-Vie 2023

£138/375ml, Capreolus Distillery

Made in tiny quantities, with 22kg of hand-picked berries used to produce one litre of eaux-de-vie and a total of 1,500kg of fruit per batch run. An intriguing underlying smokiness, reminiscent of mezcal. Blossom floral notes are balanced with tart gooseberry fruit. The palate is structured and full with nutmeg, peppers and herbaceous leaf. Lasting savoury finish. Alc 43%

Raspberry Eau-de-Vie 2024

£138/375ml, Capreolus Distillery

Contains around 1kg of raspberries per 25ml measure. Immediately engaging with floral notes of geranium and rose that build before notes of lightly toasted hazelnuts, leading to fresh raspberries, waxy leaf and seed. Hint of lemon and mint, concluding with a floral uplift. Alc 43%

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A sommelier by trade, with a degree in economics, Jeffrey Koren is director of wine at The Chancery Rosewood, London. His hospitality career began during university in Edinburgh, and he eventually left the corporate world to pursue it full time. He trained in Spain, and worked in top-tier restaurants across the UK and Scandinavia, including as sommelier at Michelin three-star Maaemo in Oslo. He later moved into wine buying at UK merchant Lay & Wheeler, before returning to hospitality as head of wine at Brasserie Marceline in London’s Canary Wharf.

My first memorable wine experience

Funnily enough, I can’t recall the wine I drank! As a student, I moved into a new house and bought the most expensive bottle of red wine my budget would allow and shared it with my new housemates. In many ways, it’s what we try to do with the wine programme at The Chancery Rosewood – not just sell a bottle of wine, but give people a truly unforgettable experience.

My go-to everyday wines

I don’t often drink when I’m at home, but my go-to wines tend to be crisp, fresh and mineral. Albariño is a firm favourite, and there’s almost always a bottle from winemakers Xurxo Alba (of Bodegas Albamar) or Anselmo Mendes in my fridge.

My favourite supermarket buy

I’m always impressed by the value that can be found in white Bordeaux, such as [the dry white from Sauternes] G de Guiraud.

My most embarrassing moment at work

Luckily, I’ve managed to avoid any major embarrassing moments, though I think most wine professionals have managed to break a glass or two in their time.

Pet hate

When it comes to wine pairings or wines by the glass, I prefer to let people come to their own conclusions about the wine rather than provide tasting notes. It’s important to spend time speaking about the people and places behind each bottle, as well as its justification for being included on the list or paired with a particular dish. Tasting notes can be quickly forgotten, but a good story is incredibly memorable.

My death row food and wine pairing

Champagne and fried chicken, or Champagne and oysters, or Champagne and BBQ flavour Hula Hoops, or Champagne and, well, you get the idea…

Best food and wine match at The Chancery Rosewood

There are so many different outlets here that it’s hard to pick a favourite. Alsatian winemaker Christophe Mittnacht’s Cuvée Gyotaku, which is featured in Tobi Masa, has been specially made with Japanese food in mind. His wife Yuka is a talented Japanese chef, and it’s a very gastronomic wine that pairs beautifully with the omakase.

In Serra, the Estate Xinomavro from Ktima Foundi has been a favourite with so many of the Mediterraneaninspired dishes.

In Jacqueline, our executive pastry chef Marius Dufay uses biodynamic produce to create one of the most innovative afternoon teas in London. Domaine Vacheron is one of Sancerre’s truly elite producers and farms biodynamically. The wine matches both the flavours and the space’s philosophy.

My fallback quick after-work fix

Champagne is for all occasions – especially after a long day at work!

Wine I’m most proud of on my list

Given The Chancery Rosewood’s history as the old US embassy, I’m thrilled to have a close relationship with so many iconic American producers. I’m especially proud of our selection of Pinot Noir from Oregon, which includes producers such as Flâneur Wines and Lingua Franca. My personal favourite is the Willamette Valley producer Maggie Harrison of Antica Terra, which makes one of the most hotly sought-after allocations of Oregon Pinot Noir.

The wine on my list that never fails to surprise guests

Our house Champagne isn’t what people would expect from a property of our size. We are privileged to partner with Pol Roger, and even the entry-level Brut Réserve has been hand-riddled (in the traditional way) and aged for four years in the house’s cellars. The result is a Champagne that stands out as one of the most exciting wines in its category.

Wines I’d avoid ordering from a restaurant list

I’d steer clear of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that wasn’t bottled in New Zealand. I’d also avoid anything ordered in bulk and bottled in market. Organisations such as Appellation Marlborough Wine support local growers, protect the reputation of the region and are a marker for quality.

Wine style I’m most excited about at the moment

Globally, there are so many examples of old-vine Grenache being made well. From places such as Spain, southern France, Australia or South Africa – there are loads of producers making exciting wines.

Wine style/grape that I really don’t enjoy drinking

I’ve never been enamoured with Viognier. There are a few examples I’ve tried that have come close to changing my mind, but I’m yet to be completely convinced.

Wine region/style that offers the greatest value for money right now

Value for money is usually relative. In the context of Burgundy, many exciting wines from the Mâconnais or Hautes-Côtes de Nuits show incredibly well against more highly priced peers. South African wines from top producers remain competitively priced, as do many from Central Europe.

My favourite wine region to visit, and favourite destination while I’m there

I adore Piedmont, and Ristorante Le Torri in the medieval village of Castiglione Falletto in the heart of Barolo is remarkable. There’s nothing quite like Piedmontese hospitality, and the region’s warmth and charm are something that everyone should experience at least once.

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Light up your dinner table with zingy fizzes and sophisticated Chardonnay and Pinot made closer to home. Here is a shopping list curated from our favourite English and Welsh wines tasted recently.

Our highlights

From a Panel Tasting on vintage sparkling wines, a regional profile of Hampshire and an East Anglia vineyard guide, to a discovery feature on Welsh wines – last year we have taken you on a journey around the United Kingdom to unearth the best bottles the nation has to offer. And here’s a listing of the top scorers:

Vintage English sparkling wine panel tasting

• Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée Extra Brut 2016 – 97pts
• Gusbourne Estate, 51 Degrees North Brut 2016 – 95pts
• Leonardslee Wine Estate, Reserve Brut 2021 – 95pts
• Wiston Estate, Blanc de Noirs Brut 2018 – 95pts
• Louis Pommery England, Blanc de Blancs Brut 2020 – 95pts
• Bee Tree by Sugrue, Pinot Meunier Rosé Brut 2019

Hampshire regional profile

• Hambledon Vineyard, Blanc de Blancs NV – 95pts
• Hattingley Valley, Kings Cuvée 2017 – 95pts

The surprise finds from Wales

• White Castle Vineyard, Sparkling White 2022 – 93pts
• Velfrey Vineyard, Vintage Sparkling Wine 2022 – 92pts
• Ancre Hill Estates, Chardonnay 2023 – 92pts

It’s also worth mentioning that wines from the UK had a fantastic yield at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards. ‘The Trouble With Dreams’ 2009 from Sugrue South Downs was among the ‘Best in Shows’ – the top accolade of the world’s largest wine competition, followed by Platinum winners, Bluestone‘s Blanc De Noirs Brut 2019 and Digby Fine English‘s Rosé Brut 2018.

Below we’ve added more recommendations fresh from recent trade tastings. For reliable gifting options, opt for Nyetimber‘s top cuvée, the 1086, as well as Langham Wine Estate‘s Blanc de Noir 2019. But for a more affordable, crowd-pleasing fizz, Flint Vineyard‘s Charmat Rosé is an absolute delight.

The beautiful still wines from Crouch Valley of Essex are also worth a special mention. Try ‘The Cut’ 2023 from The Heretics for a sophisticated and elegant Chardonnay. The layered Pinot Noirs from Danbury Ridge and Missing Gate Vineyard won’t dissappoint either.

The rise of English still wines

In 2025, WineGB reported a 3% increase in the sale of wines from the UK compared to 2023, despite a challenging market ( WineGB 2025 industry report). Still wines achieved 10% growth in volume year-on-year, outpacing sparkling wines.

By 2024, Britain had 4,841 ha under vine, with 3,763 ha in active production, alongside a total of 1,100 registered vineyards and 238 wineries. The two leading wine-producing regions were Kent, with 1,239 ha, and West Sussex, with 671 ha.

A total of 10.7 million bottles of wine were produced in Great Britain in 2024 – around half of the record 21.6 million bottles produced in 2023 – due to challenging climatic conditions during the vintage. Still wines accounted for 31% of production, up from 21% in 2023.

Chardonnay (1,498 ha), Pinot Noir (1,370 ha) and Pinot Meunier (411 ha) remained the most widely planted grape varieties. Meanwhile, cool-climate grapes such as Bacchus (334 ha), Seyval Blanc (123 ha) and Solaris (117 ha) are increasingly valued for their ability to produce high-quality still wines.

Best English wines to try this spring

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Alongside new vintages of its core range, Tesco introduced 39 entirely new wines to its spring offering, many of which are at the cheaper end.

We’ve picked out a curated selection of the wines to look out for during your next shop.

Although there have been a few esoteric additions – a tasty sparkling Vinho Verde and a Romanian Merlot, for example – the current range gives a sense of returning to comfortable classics.

Coming in hot is a slew of new Bordeaux wines (ranging between £8-£30) worth checking out, and the brilliant new addition of Balfour’s Blanc de Blancs sparkling English wine at £26.

If I was dashing into Tesco to pick up a bottle for an impromptu spring picnic, I’d grab the Nepenthe Grüner Veltliner from Australia's Adelaide Hills – it’s zingy, with loads of citrus flavour and great freshness.

In a hurry? Here's our 'save or splurge' cheatsheet:

Best Tesco wine buys: top picks on the shelves right now

The recommendations that follow are new wines and new vintages tasted by Decanter's Natalie Earl at Tesco’s spring/summer 2026 press tasting in London.

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A toast to the happy couple

Tina Gellie

Weyborne Estate general manager Ben Abric shared a charming analogy for the difference between the still-maturing 2022 vintage of the West Sussex sparkling estate’s Oriana cuvée and the Oriana Golden Spur, the early release of the same wine.

‘The Golden Spur is your daughter celebrating her engagement. And then in a few months she will celebrate her wedding!’

With low stock of the inaugural 2018 and awarded Oriana 2019 (Silver at DWWA 2025; £46.99 Hay Wines), and no wines released in 2020 and 2021, Abric admitted there was pressure to get a new wine to market.

‘But in tastings we realised Oriana 2022 was at a point of its lees ageing – a fresh, bright point – where we thought it offered something different.’ So some was bottled as Golden Spur in July 2023 and given a 4g/L (extra brut) dosage after disgorgement in August this year.

Golden Spur stays true to the estate’s signature oxidative style, with first fermentation in open tank and 3% in barrel, followed by full malolactic fermentation in barrel. While more time on lees (and lower dosage, says Abric) will give the eventual Oriana 2022 greater opulence, depth and texture, Golden Spur (£45-£48 Farr Vintners, Hawkins Bros, Weyborne Estate, Wine & Earth) shows a soft, youthful side to flavours of grilled lemon, crab apple and apricot blossom.

Five generations of modern tradition

Ines Salpico

A fascinating masterclass in Lisbon, in late October, took attendees on an epic journey through the long history of storied Douro winery Alves de Sousa.

Led by father and son Domingos and Tiago Alves de Sousa, the lineup included wines going back to 1995. Tiago – who has long established his own reputation as a winemaker and academic – joined the family venture in 2002, and has since taken over technical direction and export management.

Rather than allowing his father to retire, this has built a fruitful intergenerational platform that has eased in gentle stylistic innovation while remaining fiercely deferential to tradition. The result of this dialogue between past and future – founded on a shared curiosity for the (sometimes overlooked) viticultural heritage of the Douro – was on show as the pair talked the audience through canonic labels and more recent additions to the Alves de Sousa portfolio.

In the latter camp are the delicious Rosa Celeste, a Tinto Cão-based oak-aged rosé, and the characterful Memórias (£159.99/magnum Delicias UK), a multi-vintage blend of the best plots and years across each decade – signs of the timeless modernity that Alves de Sousa expresses by remaining unassumingly true to itself.

Vermentino discovery at Vinitaly USA

Clive Pursehouse

Decanter is a media partner with Vinitaly USA, and this October I joined the team in Chicago to host a panel on Italy’s next generation. I was enthralled by one of the wines – a late-harvest botrytised Vermentino di Gallura that is fully dry.

‘We can’t make this every year,’ Rafaelle Gregu of Tenute Gregu explained. Called Pitraia, it comes from a small vineyard in northern Sardinia surrounded by a forest of cork trees and flanked on either side by a river. It’s harvested fully botrytised, then spends 18 months on lees with weekly batonnage.

The 2024 Pitraia Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG has soaring notes of mint and pine sap. It carries an undeniable Mediterranean seaside character of salt and stone, with juicy citrus and stone fruits, and a beguiling texture. It’s unlike any wine I’ve ever tasted. 

Dynamic duo

James Button

Two Italian wineries at the top of their game visited the Decanter offices in September. Altesino from Montalcino was the first to introduce a Montosoli cru bottling, with its inaugural 1972 vintage released in 1975.

Montosoli is a cool hill to the north of the town, where a handful of producers farm about 30 hectares of vines.

The current vintage of Altesino’s Montosoli Brunello di Montalcino, 2020 (£105-£115 Noble Grape, London End Wines, Vinvm), is full of succulent blood orange and ferrous notes, lifted yet with depth. A new Rosso di Montalcino from the hill is due to be released next year, too.

Marchesi di Barolo is a historic winery in the town of Barolo. While Barolo is of course a focus, the estate also makes some delicious wines from the likes of Barbera and Arneis. The Sarmassa Barolo 2019 (£82.80 Millésima) stood out for me, however, with its earthy dried oregano and balsamic herb qualities. Its fine structure, minty acidity and floral finish reflect the elevated, steep, rocky site perfectly.

Graceful Australian Grenache

Julie Sheppard

I first tasted Mark Bulman’s wines at London’s Next Generation Grenache tasting in April – and was immediately blown away.

Bulman was the first person ever to win the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for a Grenache, putting the variety on Australia’s vinous map, back in 2017 when he was working for Turkey Flat.

Now focusing on his own project, he works with just two vineyards in Eden Valley and McLaren Vale’s Blewitt Springs. Both wines are made in exactly the same way, avoiding oxygen throughout the entire process, allowing differences in terroir to sing loud and clear.

‘Grenache is such a good medium to show site. It seems to be a variety that doesn’t have much of an ego by itself, so it’s happy to transform into the site,’ he explained as we tasted the inaugural Bulman vintages at Decanter HQ.

Named after grower Gary Whaite, Gary’s Vineyard 2023 (96pts, £50.60 The Sourcing Table) is made from vines planted in 2007 in Blewitt Spings. It’s detailed and dancing, with Negroni-like herbal aromatics and an intricate palate of crystalline red fruit with Nebbiolo-like tannins.

Glen’s Vineyard 2023 (96pts, £50.60 The Sourcing Table) is named for Glen Monaghan, custodian of a vineyard first planted in 1857 in Eden Valley, and has a more savoury edge, with slatey minerality chasing lifted purple-hued fruit, sprinkled with white pepper spice. What a debut! 

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Decanter has published its first Festive Wine Guide, featuring 230 great buys with a focus on the UK high street, plus expert food pairing advice, as a handy all-in-one companion for your Christmas and New Year plans in 2025.

While this is the season to raise a glass (or many) of good cheer, it’s no secret that it can also be quite stressful – especially for anyone organising a get-together, whether that’s an end-of-year party, Christmas Eve drinks or Boxing Day lunch.

And let’s not forget the task of choosing bottles to pair with the festive feast on the big day itself.

But don’t worry: on the wine side at least, we’ve got you covered. We’ve scoured the UK’s supermarkets, leading high-street merchants and online wine retailers, Decanter’s own in-house experts and of course our database of more than 100,000 wines to bring you a downloadable selection of the best bottles to buy this festive season.

If you stock up early on the sparklings, for example, you can cruise into your New Year’s Eve celebrations with ease.

And if you’re wondering about how to pair wine with that showpiece meal on the festive dinner table, then you’ll also find top tips on perfect styles to match with classic roast turkey, seafood and vegetarian or vegan dishes – and more.

While there is a focus on brilliant wines available across the UK high street, readers can also find great Champagnes and sparkling wines to seek out at merchants and local independent retailers.

Lovers of sweet and fortified wines will not be disappointed, with a choice of several top bottles that would be a treat with dessert or make perfect company for after-dinner relaxation.

Decanter’s Festive Wine Guide is also here to help with decanting dilemmas, and how to navigate the vinous mishap of a cork breaking or crumbling as thirsty guests arrive.

So, grab yourself a glass of whatever you fancy, sit back and peruse our 230 recommendations at your leisure, and let Decanter make this a stress-free season to be jolly.

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Ten years ago this month fine wine club 67 Pall Mall first opened its doors, in London. In the years since, sites have launched in Verbier, Singapore and Hong Kong – with others planned in Melbourne, Shanghai, Bordeaux and Beaune by 2030. To mark the anniversary, 67 Pall Mall compiled a trends report, based on sales data from the London club, plus a survey of its members. Its head of wine for Europe discusses the findings, the evolution of the club, and her observations on changing wine drinking habits. 

‘Ten years ago 67 Pall Mall brought something very different to the table. The Coravin system was making fine wine more accessible to everyone. The club offered super-attentive service, great glassware, plus the USP of wine-storage options, and a reasonable corkage charge. Plus a great list, of course, with a very large wine selection, including up to 1,000 by the glass.

‘Each club has a different list, which is always a combination of the international and local. So we’ll have a larger Bordeaux selection in the Bordeaux club, for instance; and we have 88 English wines on the London list. But there are always 5,000 to 6,000 references in total, so there will always be diversity.

‘I disagree with the pale, male and stale perception of the private members’ club demographic. We’ve always had an egalitarian approach, with a discounted membership fee for younger members, or those in the trade. We don’t want to be stuffy – we want to make fine wine accessible to everyone.

‘Inevitably perhaps, the older members still seem to lean more towards the classic regions. Our younger members appreciate those wines but are less loyal to them, and are keen to discover new regions and styles. The report echoed this, highlighting broadening tastes, from South African Syrah to German Pinot Noir.

‘We’re increasingly seeing that members are learning to navigate the new classic regions – drilling down into sub-regions. Discovery is turning to discernment. So they’re not just asking for South Africa, for example, but for Elgin, or Hemel en Aarde, and are learning about vintage quality in these areas. Yes there’s more vintage consistency in the New World, but challenging weather events such as wildfires do make, say, California vintages very different.

‘It’s fascinating to see that Sauvignon Blanc sales at the club fell 30% in volume in the course of the last 10 years. There are some amazing Sauvignons out there, but consumption was maybe slanted towards Marlborough, and people now want to discover other things.

‘We have also noticed a growing mindfulness around alcohol levels, which ties in with the Burgundisation of taste (Burgundy remains our members’ favourite region). They’re increasingly looking for more elegant, balanced, subtle wines – for finesse over power. We’ve seen a spike in interest in Sicily. Granted, this may be down to the London club’s Italian somms, but there are definitely more elegant, terroir-driven styles emerging from there that fit this taste profile.

‘Personally, I’m quite classical in my taste. I’m intrigued by the Jura. I enjoy continuing to discover what’s happening in Champagne, and also in Burgundy outside of the expensive areas – in Côte Chalonnaise, for instance, where grapes historically struggled to ripen but are now having an easier time.

‘Climate change was the most commonly cited concern for the future, with awareness greater among the younger generation, though notably its potential impact on signature styles in classic regions like Bordeaux, or Piedmont. We saw some scepticism around definitions too – the term sustainable is quite vague, and can be confusing. Is it sometimes just greenwashing?

‘More than half of respondents said rising prices have affected their drinking in recent years, leading them to switch wines or purchase fewer bottles. And there’s definitely a sense of people feeling the pinch. We also learned that 44% of our London club members are buying less wine to lay down than a decade ago. This could be down to a combination of factors. Maybe they’re buying less because they think they won’t be around to enjoy it. But also pricing at the top end, especially in Burgundy, has gone quite crazy. Then you have the Bordeaux en primeur fatigue – the awareness that there is no benefit to buying en primeur any more, since you can access older vintages on the secondary market at such competitive prices.

‘If I had to pick a couple of favourites from our current London list, I’d include Henriot’s Brut Souverain Champagne – it’s great value – lovely fruit concentration, balanced, and with a touch of tertiary. And there’s a fantastic Chenin Blanc from a Loire producer, Domaine de Bellivière, in Jasnières – again great value – classic Chenin fruit, pure, cool, mineral and bone-dry.’

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There weren’t an awful lot of new additions in the line-up of 111 wines at Asda’s latest tasting. A sign of retrenchment after a few years of steady improvement under the thoughtful stewardship of the wine department’s senior manager for sourcing, Clive Donaldson, perhaps?

Maybe, but Asda still offers plenty of interest for wine buyers on a budget, with several wines offering outstanding value for their category and pricepoint.

Many of the best buys can be found at those distinctively specific Asda pricepoints of £6.97 and £6.98 – that’s where you’ll find, among others, such clever buys as the Wine Atlas Garda Sparkling Brut, Asda Extra Special Douro, Asda Extra Special Carmenère, and the flat-out bargain buy that is the Exceptional by Asda Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon.

A little more expensive, but no less impressive on a pound-for-pound basis, are the Exceptional by Asda Great Western Shiraz from Victoria (£8.77) and the tangy De Botrytis Semillon dessert wine from New South Wales (£7.97). Both these Australians would be welcome standby bottles for, respectively, roast-and-all-the-trimmings and the cheese board over the Christmas period,.

The Extra Special Marqués Reserva and Gran Reserva, meanwhile, are as ever among the most satisfyingly soft, savoury and mature examples of Rioja around for their respective £8.07 and £12.19 pricepoints.

When it comes to new wines, a pair from the Stellenbosch stalwart Stellenrust stood out for their brightness: both the Mason’s Kloof Sauvignon Blanc and, especially, the Mason’s Kloof Chenin Blanc are more than worth their £9.97 price tag, while the discreetly stylish dry Italian white from the Lugana DOC near Lake Garda, a long term favourite in the Asda range, is as ever a lovely wine that offers far more fragrance and subtle concentration than its £11.42 pricetag would generally provide.

The best Asda wines to buy this season:

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Passports in hand, they waited patiently. Despite getting there early to avoid the inevitable crowds, the queue quickly grew; the hundreds of like-minded souls buzzing with excitement at their impending world tour.

No, not your typical Saturday morning at Heathrow Terminal 5, but outside The Empire Room at the Landmark London Hotel, where wine lovers attending London’s 28th Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) were awaiting entry to the exclusive Cellar Collection 2025.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 21 wines: a highlight from each producer at the Cellar Collection 2025

This year’s Cellar Collection – the fourth edition – offered guests the chance to experience a deep dive into a flagship cuvée from 21 estates.

In a curated mini vertical, each winery poured three back vintages of one iconic wine to demonstrate its evolution, with several bottles more than 25 years old.

Many estates brought up to eight wines – some in magnums and double magnums – to further boost the exclusivity of this experience.

Tickets to the Cellar Collection 2025, which held one three-hour session in the morning and then another in the afternoon, were strictly limited and available to purchase in addition to the Grand Tasting tickets.

And as with last year, the calibre of producers ensured both sessions sold out.

Each guest received a Cellar Collection passport, gaining a stamp at each table visited on their world tour – a memento of meeting the people behind these famous estates and having them introduce three different vintages of an iconic wine in person.

Cellar Collection 2025: a world wine tour

When the doors opened, the crowds raced to Italy’s Masottina for its range of Prosecco and to Champagne houses Palmer & Co and Drappier.

Saint Clair from Marlborough in New Zealand, Napa Valley estate Chappellet and Rioja’s Remírez de Ganuza flew the flags for their respective countries as did Lebanon’s Chateau Musar, generously pouring a 1999 vintage of its flagship Bekaa Valley cuvée.

From South America it was Argentina’s Achaval Ferrer and Catena Zapata alongside Chile’s Santa Rita and Seña, with the latter showing five of its eight wines in magnum and the 2020 flagship cuvée in jeroboam.

Left Bank Bordeaux châteaux comprised three of France’s seven stands this year: St-Estèphe third-growth Calon-Ségur, Margaux second-growth Brane-Cantenac and Pessac-Léognan property Domaine de Chevalier.

This cru classé de Graves not only brought double magnums of each vintage of its grand vin red mini vertical (as well as a magnum of its 2015 grand vin white), but the 1995 was the oldest wine in the room.

M Chapoutier took the plaudits for the most diverse stand, showing six Rhône wines – including a trio of his Ermitage La Pavillon cuvée – as well as a Riesling from his Schieferkopf estate in Alsace and a white blend from his Bila-Haut domaine in Roussillon.

Italy was represented by four producers: Marchesi di Barolo from Piedmont, Fontodi from Tuscany and a brace of wineries from Sicily – Donnafugata and Cantine Florio, whose complex, saline 1998 Marsala Vergine Riserva was the second oldest wine in the room.

To finish on a sweet note, our Cellar Collection 2025 visitors clamoured to taste the three vintages of Sauternes from Bordeaux’s Château Suduiraut and the Nyulászó 6 Puttonyos Aszú from Hungary’s Royal Tokaji Co.

See you next year!

Passports stamped and memories made, our intrepid travellers disembarked from the Cellar Collection and continued their world wine adventures in the Grand Tasting, with occasional layovers in Masterclasses.

If you already have wine wanderlust we hope to see some of you at the DFWE Singapore on 22 November.

Or, for those based in the US, join us at our DFWE New York on 6 June. Look out for details on our events page.

Until then, read our full event report from London’s DFWE, check out our photo highlights and keep an eye peeled for our Masterclass reports on Decanter Premium soon.

Cellar Collection 2025: a highlight from each producer

The Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) London returned on the 7 and 8 November for its first two-day edition since 2019, marking 28 years of bringing wine lovers and world-class producers together. Across both days, guests enjoyed a full and lively programme of masterclasses, walk-around tastings and special highlights including the brand new Winemakers’ Lunches. The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) winners were showcased in their very own dedicated room for the first time, while the Cellar Collection continued to be a firm favourite – selling out once again and re-affirming its status as one of the most sought-after experiences of the event.

Scroll down to see photo highlights from DFWE London 2025.

Thanks to photographers Ellen Richardson Photography and Lensi Photography (Denise Maxwell).

Special thanks also to our event sponsor Riedel.

The calm before the first pour – Riedel glasses perfectly polished and poised ready for a celebration of fine wine.

On Friday, 56 award-winning wines were showcased in the DWWA Winners' Room.

Anticipation builds for the exclusive, sold-out Cellar Collection on Saturday.

The popular Marchesi Barolo stand draws attention in the VIP Cellar Collection room.

Nothing says celebration like Moët & Chandon on ice.

An attendee enjoys a pour from CVNE, one of Spain’s iconic wineries.

Guests were treated to delicious Señorio Acorn Fed 100% Ibérico Ham from Brandisa.

Charles Curtis MW and Decanter’s Natalie Earl explore a range of esteemed champagnes from the celebrated 2012 vintage.

The impressive 10 bottle line-up of 2012 vintage champagne.

Sharing the stories of Bodegas Muga.

A stylish swirl – a guest taking a moment to swirl and appreciate a red wine, perfectly paired with a red bow tie and pocket square.

Fabien Teitgen, Head Winemaker of Château Smith Haut Lafitte and Decanter's Georgie Hindle, treat guests to vertical tasting.

A moment of focus – appreciating every note of the wine during one of the exceptional masterclasses.

An irresistible cheese board – the perfect pairing for a glass in hand.

Cesar from Decanter (right) raises a glass with the Wines of Istria team.

Smiles all around – friends making memories at the event.

Discovering how the glass shapes the wine with the Riedel Wine Glass Experience – Martin Turner UK Brand Ambassador.

Another Cellar Collection favourite, Château Suduiraut.

Guests enjoying fine wine and good company.

Alessia Antinori and Renzo Cotarella CEO and Chief winemaker for Antinori, share a moment while guiding guests through four decades of Tenuta Guado Al Tasso.

Is it even a wine tasting if you're not swirling before sipping?

Attendees capturing moments during the Antinori masterclass.

A coordinated pair of attendees adding style to the occasion.

The audience applauds another unforgettable masterclass.

Cheers to an incredible two days. See you next year!

The Co-op’s latest press tasting showcased a line-up of around 70 wines, an eclectic selection that inevitably majored on options for the spring and summer season, with fizz, whites and rosés the main focus. One advantage that Co-op offers over other supermarkets – a particular bonus as the weather gets warmer – is that its entire white and rosé selection is refrigerated in store, so your choice isn't limited if you're looking to grab a chilled bottle for opening immediately.

What were the highlights of the tasting? First and foremost, a strong showing at the value end, with a plethora of well-made wines that would have wide appeal priced at under or around the £10 mark. This includes many under Co-op's 'Irresistible' own label, such as the Prosecco, which you'll find in pretty much all 2,500 UK stores; the Assyrtiko from northern Greece; and the peach-scented Viognier from the Languedoc.

Moving on to red wines, the smartly packaged Al Fresco, a Navarra Garnacha, is a clear winner for summer sipping, an easy drinking, fruit-driven red with sour cherry and strawberry flavours – chill it briefly before serving. From Portugal, the 1000 Paths red – a third Syrah and the rest a mix of Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet – is another value pick, this more on the black fruit spectrum and a good choice for summer barbecues.

Co-op deserves recognition for the fact that it is the retailer selling the most Fairtrade wines in the world. Our star pick from the tasting was the Cape Point Sauvignon Semillon blend from South Africa, an expressive lemony, buttery white that puts a New World spin on the traditional white Bordeaux blend.

Lastly, if you're heading out on a picnic or looking for something to drink on the move, Co-op is launching two new vodka-based spritzes in a can, from June, both priced at £2 for 250ml, and 5% alcohol. The Aperitivo Spritz gives a nod to the Aperol Spritz in style, with grapefruit zestiness. Meanwhile the elderflower and mint-flavoured Hugo Spritz did bring back memories of my holiday in Lake Garda last summer. Worth a try.

In a hurry: here's our 'save or splurge' cheatsheet:

Best Co-op wine buys: top picks on the shelves right now

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London’s Landmark in Marylebone opened its doors again this November weekend to more than 1,500 wine lovers, who flocked to the historic hotel to taste wines poured by some of the greatest names in the world of wine, all under one roof.

The Grand Tasting

This is the 28th Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (DFWE) to be held in London, and for the first time guests could choose to attend the Grand Tasting on a Friday afternoon (3pm to 8pm) or on the Saturday – or both!

More than 100 producers flew in for the event, from all corners of the globe, from classic regions in Europe and the New World to up-and-coming regions that offered new tasting experiences to many guests.

Bordeaux producers, as usual, were out in force, with dozens of leading names from the Left and Right Banks for wine lovers to visit. Champagne, Burgundy, Rhône, Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon were also waving the French flag. The classic regions of Italy and Spain were also strongly represented, with guests flocking to enjoy fine wines from Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Rioja, Catalonia and beyond. 

English sparkling wine house Hambledon was in attendance, demonstrating the exciting quality of this booming category, while Southern Hemisphere stars from Australia, Chile, South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and US brought the New World wine experience to London.

As we all know the wine world never stands still, and guests looking to find the next big thing in wine were drawn to the two exhibitors from China, as well as a strong Greek contingent, and leading names from Ukraine, Switzerland and Turkey. 

Meanwhile, the ever-popular Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) stand featured 33 Gold, Platinum and Best in Show winners from the 2025 competition, spanning all styles from sparkling wine and Champagne through to fortified wines and sweet treats. A rare opportunity to taste so many DWWA stars in one place.

Cellar Collection

The Cellar Collection has become a much-loved highlight of the Saturday schedule, for those lucky enough to snap up one of the 300 tickets available.

Hosted in a dedicated room at The Landmark, the exclusive VIP tasting features 21 top-name producers from around the world, who each pour three vintages of a flagship wine, including a rare library release dating back at least 10 years – and often much further. The format offers wine lovers a rare opportunity to chart the evolution over the years of many of the finest wines on the market, and guests have access to the room during the whole day, and for 90 minutes before doors open to the Grand Tasting. 

New: Winemakers’ Lunches

This year saw an exciting new addition to the DFWE experience, with a series of Winemakers’ Lunches hosted on the Friday offering a small number of guests the unique opportunity to join world-class winemakers and a Decanter Editor for an intimate and relaxed lunch. Wineries featured this year were: Abbott Claim from Oregon, Rioja’s Bodegas Muga, Châteaux Canon and Rauzan-Ségla from Bordeaux, Lebanon’s Chateau Musar, Ken Forrester from South Africa, and English sparkling wine estate Hambledon.

Hosted in the elegant and relaxed Great Central Pub by Matt Fletcher, within The Landmark, the six separate lunches were each limited to just six guests. The experience included a delicious three-course lunch of modern British classics; specially selected wines, including rare bottles from private cellars; the company of a visiting winemaker and a Decanter Editor for engaging, behind-the-scenes conversations. And of course, access to the Grand Tasting afterwards.

Masterclass line-up 

While the Grand Tasting offers more than enough to keep any wine lover busy all day, our masterclasses continue to sell out fast, offering the chance for a deep dive into a single producer or category – and the chance to sit down! Three 75-minute tutored tasting sessions were scheduled during the day, each featuring winery principals or leading Decanter writers, and co-hosted by a Decanter Regional Editor.

What better way to begin the day than with bubbles? This year’s sell-out masterclass programme began with a fascinating horizontal tasting of Champagne’s fabulous 2012 vintage. Decanter writer Charles Curtis MW and Decanter’s France Editor Natalie Earl guided guests through 11 wines from leading houses: Delamotte, Drappier, Laurent-Perrier, Philipponnat, Pierre Paillard, Marc Hébrart, Diebolt-Vallois and Marie Courtin.

In the next masterclass, Fabien Teitgen, head winemaker and general manager at Château Smith Haut Lafitte, joined Decanter’s Bordeaux Editor Georgie Hindle to explore the terroir of this family-run Pessac-Léognan property through eight vintages going back to 2005 and 2000, both poured from magnum. 

The final masterclass took us to Tuscany, and specifically to Bolgheri’s Guado al Tasso estate, owned by Marchesi Antinori. The company’s vice-president Alessia Antinori and Renzo Cotarella, CEO and chief winemakers, co-hosted by James Button, Decanter’s Italy Regional Editor, presented four vintages of the prestigious red blend of Bordeaux grape varieties including the 1998 from magnum, followed by four vintages of the estate’s single-vineyard Cabernet Franc, Matarocchio (2021, 2016, 2013, and 2007 from magnum).

Look out for reports on DFWE London 2025 masterclasses on Decanter Premium soon.

DFWE London 2025: an unforgettable day

Whether in the Grand Tasting, the dedicated Cellar Collection room or in the three star-studded masterclasses, stemware from Riedel, our event sponsor, made sure all wines were showcased at their best, and visitors were also able to experience how different styles taste in different glasses at Riedel’s own stand.

In addition to a cheese and charcuterie food station in the Cellar Collection room, guests could enjoy nibbles and make purchases from Mouse & Grape (whose cheese bowls were in high demand), Firetree Chocolate and The Oil Merchant. They could discuss wine collecting with Berry Bros & Rudd, taste non-alcoholic fermented botanical drinks from the Italian Dolomites at the Feral stand – and, of course, subscribe to Decanter Magazine and Decanter Premium during the day.

Look out for pictorial highlights from the event shortly. If you attended, keep an eye out for our photo gallery as you may be featured.

Our next DFWE takes place in Singapore on Saturday 22 November, followed by New York in June 2026, showcasing more top wine producers from around the world. For more information, visit our Events page.

As the last wine specialist chain of any scale left the UK high street (or edge-of-town retail park), Majestic has a distinctive niche in UK wine retail.

We may not go there for the very finest wines in the world – although from time to time we may encounter one or two at often very reasonable prices – but we do expect Majestic to offer a step up on the supermarkets in quality and diversity of range, while still providing plenty in the way of good value.

How well does it live up to that billing, almost six years after being taken over by current owners Fortress Capital?

Scroll down to see notes and scores for recommendations from Majestic

Curated for gastronomic pleasure

It was sheer joy tasting through Majestic’s spring and summer offerings – an 80-strong range, plus some no- and low-alcohol options – at Vagabond’s new artisan-chic, urban winery-slash-wine bar in Canada Water.

What caught my attention immediately was the breadth of sparkling wines, just in time for the high season of weddings, parties and outdoor gatherings. From light-hearted carbonated fizzes to rich fruity Crémant de Loire – many priced around £15 – through to more sophisticated traditional-method bottles from Italy, South Africa and England, alongside the merchant’s exclusive Champagnes.

There’s also plenty to stock up on among the crisp, scented whites from Vinho Verde, Abruzzo and Chile’s Colchagua Valley, many just under £10. Regional classics from Sancerre, Provence and Marlborough sit at slightly higher price points, offering typicity and distinct flair.

There are plenty of gems in the red range, too: aged claret, richly structured Valpolicella Ripasso, saline, poised Xinomavro and mint-tinged, chocolatey Australian reds – all clearly curated for immediate enjoyment and gastronomic pleasure.

In a hurry? Here's our 'save or splurge' cheatsheet:

See notes and scores for the finest from Majestic’s new season

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The summer selection at Sainsbury's is well worth investigating this year, with a recent shake-up in the buying team resulting in a much more interesting wine range. The UK’s second-largest supermarket has clearly been keeping an eye on the competition – as well as the latest trends – introducing a raft of exciting firsts.

Following in the footsteps of Aldi and M&S, Sainsbury's has launched an own-label pét-nat (£12) and an own-label orange wine (£11). ‘Our first Taste the Difference orange wine, offering vibrant peach and citrus peel notes with a subtle pithy texture, is a brilliant introduction to the style and a fresh alternative to summer rosé – ideal with olives and sunny day nibbles,’ says Jono Tiffany, who joined the team last autumn as a product development manager.

The latest sparkling selection also includes a new Blanc de Blancs Champagne (£29.50) and a first-ever own-label Discovery Cap Classique (£13). I've recommended it below, but Graham Beck’s Vintner’s Selection Brut is a worthier choice, at £14.50, if you're a fan of this uniquely South African style.

Discover whites you may not know…

The Discovery collection has much more to offer however, and as usual remains a source of good value, unusual and lesser-known grape varieties and styles to explore.

The new white range includes a Gemischter Satz (£10) – ‘A little-known Austrian style I’m excited to champion,’ says Tiffany. ‘Crisp, sherberty citrus and peach meet delicate florals, making this the ultimate summer white – perfect with simple fish or gently spiced dishes.’

Meanwhile product development manager Lauren Ballantyne, another newcomer to the wine team last September, is championing Discovery Custoza (£8.50). ‘A crisp, elegant white from northern Italy, offering bright citrus and white stone fruit with a clean refreshing finish.’

My top picks include the Discovery Marsanne Roussanne, a textured and characterful wine that’s great for food pairing. It’s made for Sainsbury’s by talented Languedoc winemaker Jean-Claude Mas, who has a hand in most of the Sainsbury's own-label southern French wines – look for his name on labels.

Finding value

Several of the Discovery wines I've recommended below come in at around £10 – or less with a Nectar card. But there are bargains to be found right across the Sainsbury's range. One of my great value picks is the fruity Clearsprings Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa (£7).

Or look to Portugal for a fresh Taste the Difference Vinho Verde white (£7.75) and Lisboa red (£8). Both are great for summer parties and barbecues.

Meanwhile from neighbouring Spain, seek out the Taste the Difference Sherries made for Sainsbury's by top producer Bodegas Lustau, which took all three Platinum medals awarded to Sherry in this year's Decanter World Wine Awards. The bone-dry, savoury fino below is perfect as an aperitif or with tapas – and is also among the most competitively priced wines you’ll currently find on the high street.

Summer sips

And of course it wouldn't be summer without a chilled glass of rosé… A highlight of the new selection is the recently launched Queen Côtes de Provence Rosé. Called Cuvée Rock n’ Roll – what else? – it’s produced by Roger Taylor, the drummer of the legendary band, in association with Provence winery Les Caves du Commandeur.

Only available at Sainsbury's and Waitrose, it makes a nice change from Kylie’s Provence Rosé if you like a pink with star power. At the launch Taylor described it as ideal for drinking ‘on the back of a major yacht in hot weather’ – but we think your back garden will do nicely if you don’t have a yacht…

In a hurry? Here's our 'save or splurge' cheatsheet...

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Best Sainsbury’s wines to drink now

Tasting notes come from the Sainsbury’s spring/summer 2026 tasting. All bottle prices are correct at time of publication.

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Our still whites haven’t yet quite produced show models to follow; and reds, often struggling to reach full ripeness, are so far generally considered a bit thin.

The best Essex Pinot Noir, notably from the Danbury ridge, which looks south over the valley of the Crouch river, has everything you can hope for – and costs as much as good red Burgundy.

You don’t save money by staying close to home.

I do feel solidarity, though, with the courageous growers who stake so much on challenging history and the English weather. Over the centuries, it has been our (that is British) taste and thirst that has steered the reputations and fortunes of many, perhaps most, European wines.

Meanwhile, if early reports from producers are to be believed, 2025 may be one of our best vintages.

I even managed to persuade the rather sceptical wine committee of my London club to choose an English fizz. (As an aside, why do we insist on using this banal – indeed inelegant – term, where ‘bubbly’ is friendlier, more euphonious and somehow thoroughly English? Also accurate: a steady stream of little bubbles is what we want; not a frothy head.)

We haven’t – at least I haven’t – reached the stage yet where we can say with confidence, ‘Ah, Hampshire,’ or ‘Unmistakably the North Downs, probably east of Wrotham.’ Blends are the general rule – as in Champagne. There’s a spot of Essex in most, I suspect, and maybe even a smidge of Cornwall.

‘Single vineyard’ is often flourished as a talisman of quality; we’ll see how long it takes here.

Why I often choose to drink English rather than Champagne – or any other of the world’s multifarious sparklers – is partly patriotism, wanting to encourage our promising young industry, but largely because I love its racy freshness.

It’s hard to quench your thirst with Champagne; much easier with a tankard (come on, chaps!) of Wessex.

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There are 22 new wines on the shelves at M&S this summer, including three newcomers to the excellent own-label Found range that champions under-the-radar grapes and styles. From classic Grand Cru Champagne to fun and fruity Asti Spumante, there’s something to suit every palate and pocket this season.

Trend-setting bottles included Red Diamond Strawberry Royale NV, a fruity English fizz made by Balfour Winery, that’s finished with a bespoke strawberry dosage made from M&S Red Diamond strawberries (£15). Just the ticket with a big bowl of strawberries and cream – and likely to go viral if last year’s Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich is anything to go by…

Other eye-catching bottles included the new Trouble Cloudy Rosé, an opaque natural rosé from top Southern French winemaker Gérard Bertrand (£12). Plus the latest vintages of the pioneering M&S English Pét Nat Rosé Brut and English Orange Wine.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of the best M&S wine buys for spring and summer

English heroes

In fact M&S continues to fly the flag for English wines, with one of the best ranges on the high street. Alongside bottles from Balfour in Kent are new vintages of the excellent Rockferne English Sparkling white and rosé, made for Marks by Roebuck Estate in Sussex.

I also loved the new English Lily range made by Denbies in Surrey. Look out for the elegant English Lily White, a blend of Reichensteiner, Müller-Thurgau, Bacchus and Solaris (see below) and English Lily Rosé, a blend of Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Bacchus and Pinot Gris (both £12).

In the pink

Rosé fans will be spoiled for choice this summer in Marks & Spencer. As well as English Lily and Trouble, other pink newbies worth buying are the great value Portuguese Lisboa Bonita Rosé, a new addition to the popular Lisboa Bonita white and red (£8).

French rosés are a particular strength, ranging from the good value off-dry Rosé d’Anjou (£7.50) up to organic Provence pink La Balconne – the M&S version of Whispering Angel (£16). At £10 the M&S Classics No22 Côtes de Provence Rosé is always a dependable choice.

I’m also a fan of the Greek Myrtia Xinomavro Rosé, just a little pricier at £12. While for those looking to cut back on their alcohol intake, mid-strength Koha Sauvignon Blanc Rosé from Marlborough in New Zealand is a good option (£7.50). Just 6% alcohol, it still has distinct regional and varietal character.

What a find!

The brilliant Found range also has a new vintage of its Vinho Verde Rosé from Portugal for £8 or choose the slightly pricier (£10) Italian Susumaniello Rosé, which has super depth of fresh raspberry and strawberry fruit.

‘The Found range is new and interesting wines for customers that they wouldn’t usually pick from the shelf,’ explains buyer Joseph Arthur. Think little-known native grape varieties, such as Kratosija from Macedonia and Georgian Saperavi.

I can guarantee you that every single Found bottle is worth a taste. I’ve recommended several below, but was particularly impressed with the new Palomino from rugged Piekenierskloof in South Africa, a textured savoury white made from Spain’s Sherry grape, which is an absolute steal for £10. There will be a bottle in my fridge door all summer long…

In a hurry? Here's our 'save or splurge' cheatsheet...

Best M&S wines for spring and summer

Tasting notes come from the M&S Spring Tasting 2026. All M&S wines are now sold online via Ocado. Wine is only sold as part of the retailer’s range of gift packs on the M&S website.

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The last time Decanter covered an Aldi tasting in March this year, Tina Gellie gave voice to a persistent problem that she and many of the other attendees (this taster included) had at the event: put simply, too many of the 94 wines on show contained far too much sugar.

Scroll down for scores and tasting notes of the best Aldi wines to buy

It’s only fair, then, to begin the latest review of this always competitively priced range by acknowledging what appears to have been a concerted attempt by the Aldi team to dial down the sweetness.

By and large, the ‘dry’ wines in what was a considerably more focused tasting of 53 sparkling and still wines (including four enticing festive-season Ports and a rather less attractive 0% abv mulled wine) were genuinely dry – and all the better for it.

As ever, Aldi’s buyers on this showing still have a knack for finding highly drinkable wines at the very lowest price points possible. In the context of the UK’s draconian duty rates and other rising costs, the quality of the three-strong, non-vintage Chilean Estevez range for prices ranging from £4.15 to £4.49, for example, is as surprising as it is welcome; so, too, the white and red Chassaux et Fils Côtes du Rhône (£5.29 apiece).

On a strict pleasure-per-pence accounting, however, there is even more fun to be had higher up the price scale. There’s a strong trio of red new additions in the shape of the intensely true-to-type Baron Amarillo Specially Selected Ribera del Duero 2024 (£8.99), the sinewy, spicy Chassaux et Fils Specially Selected Cairanne 2024 (£9.99), and the Christmas dinner-red contender, Margaux Declassified 2023 (£19.99); while white highlights include a pair of Chardonnays: the brightly fruited Cambalala Specially Selected Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2024 (£6.29) and a particularly vivacious Chassaux et Fils Specially Selected Chablis Premier Cru 2023 (£22.49).

A shout-out, too for Chassaux et Fils Sainte Victoire Côtes de Provence Rosé 2024 (£10.99) and the evergreen house Champagne, Veuve Monsigny Brut NV (£15.49), each an example of a continuing long-term Aldi strength: affordable premium rosé and good-quality budget fizz.

Aldi wines: Decanter’s pick of the best buys

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Is there a better range of supermarket wines in the UK than Booths?

On the strength of the wines on show at its latest press tasting, the upmarket ‘northern Waitrose’, which has 25 stores across the northwest of England, would certainly take some beating.

Scroll down for 25 brilliant wines from Booths supermarket

Whether the wines in question are old school classics or more adventurous choices from lesser-known corners of the wine world, the quality is consistently high; no less importantly, the prices are always competitive and sometimes surprisingly low.

Wine buyer Victoria Anderson and sparkling and Champagne buyer Rachel Machin make for a small team, but they evidently know exactly what they’re doing, and nowhere is the thoroughness of their approach more clearly on display than in the exemplary EH Booth & Co own-label range.

The wines – notably the English Sparkling Wine, Barolo, St-Julien, Finest Reserve Port, and Sauternes – are all made by leading producers in their regions, and could all be described as ‘textbook,’ if that rather dry term didn’t undersell just how delicious they are.

Beyond the pleasingly clean and simple sans-serif labels of the EH Booth range, Francophiles are particularly well served on Booths’ shelves, as you might expect from a retailer who would probably see their main competitors as independent retailers and specialists such as The Wine Society or Majestic rather than (or at least as much as) other supermarkets.

Booths has added 19 new French wines to the range, with a delightful Corsican white (Domaine Terra di I Nostri’s Vermentinu), an exceptional organic Crozes-Hermitage (Gilles Robin’s Papillon) and a trio (white, orange and red) from the outstanding Languedoc-based English winemaker Katie Jones all very much among the highlights at this tasting.

Italy (including a sumptuous white newcomer: Planeta’s organic Terebinto Grillo) and Spain (with an outstanding bargain red, Sabina Tempranillo, among others) are also undoubted strengths, but so, too, is Australia.

There is also plenty of space for off-the-beaten-track finds such as the cracking pair featured here from Georgia.

Booths wines: 25 top autumn and winter buys

All wines tasted in September 2025. Prices do not reflect any special or multi-buy offers. Some wines might only be available either online or in selected stores. All bottle prices are correct at time of publication. Wines grouped by style and ordered by score, in descending order. 

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When Maker’s Mark launched the inaugural release of its new Star Hill Farm wheat whiskey earlier this year, it marked the first non-bourbon to come out of the Kentucky whiskey giant’s distillery in its over-70-year-old history. Its original bourbon recipe, formulated by Bill Samuels Senior and first released in 1958, flipped the corn script and focused on wheat to bring something different to the market.

Now, eighth-generation descendant distiller and MD Rob Samuels is taking the brand’s vision one step further with a whiskey that eschews corn altogether. Instead it showcases the flavour of soft red winter wheat, sourced within 96km of the distillery, and puts a spotlight on farming methods.

‘Star Hill Farm uses the profile of Marker’s Mark to propel the regenerative farming movement,’ says Samuels of the purpose behind the new direction, which has seen extensive research behind the scenes. ‘It takes whiskey out of manufacturing, and forces us to understand where flavour comes from.’

‘A seismic shift’

Kentucky has a rich history of whiskey-making that has become famous around the world for centuries. From its origins in the 18th century and the beginnings of corn and rye being used in distillation, through Prohibition in the 1920s, to the official specification of bourbon in 1964. It’s been known as the epicentre of this majority corn spirit for centuries.

Star Hill Farm’s release, however, says a lot about the Kentucky whiskey story in 2025. Heritage brands, such as Maker’s Mark, are proving that you can teach old dogs new tricks; while newer distilleries are coming of age. This year alone, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail added a further 15 distilleries to its list, bringing the total to 60 of the 100 that are operating in Kentucky.

Considering there were less than 10 bourbon distilleries a mere two decades ago, it’s safe to say there has been a seismic shift not just in volume but also, inevitably, in approach.

New kids on the block

A brand that has made a serious impression in the UK is New Riff Distilling, founded in 2014 by spirits entrepreneur Ken Lewis and helmed by Master Distiller Brian Sprance. With a background in beer and no whiskey experience before he joined the distillery over a decade ago, Sprance had a mentor in Larry Ebersold, nicknamed ‘the godfather of rye whiskey’.

When Lewis, Ebersold and Sprance began the journey of building an all-new Kentucky whiskey brand in 2014, the market was more impersonal than it is now. ‘A lot of people didn’t know where their whiskey was coming from,’ Sprance explains. ‘There were a lot of, what we call in America, NDPs [non-distiller producers]. We wanted to come out and say, “We are making our own whiskey”.’

And that they did. Now the brand has everything from straight bourbon, to a 100% rye, heritage grain, and single malt whiskeys. ‘If you can find a cereal grain on the planet that we have not thought about, then you gotta let me know,’ quips Sprance. The team is playing around with various yeast strains and a pot still too.

Inspired by the past

Another brand looking at the fundamentals of whiskey-making is Potter Jane. It began when Jane Bowie and Denny Potter – respectively head of blending and Master Distiller at Maker’s Mark – left in 2022 to set up their own distillery. They didn’t necessarily have a mind to make something radically new.

‘We looked around and said, “Nobody’s making the bourbon that reminds us of why we fell in love with bourbon”,’ says Bowie of the origins of Potter Jane. ‘Denny says all the time that we’re not doing anything you’ve not seen before, we’re probably just doing things you haven’t seen in a while.’

Bowie and Potter spent a year painstakingly designing their Springfield distillery to the specifications of how they think they’ll create their own style of bourbon. Low-temperature fermentations, a roller mill for their grains and copper doubler pot still alongside its column are just a few of the levers they’ve been pulling to create their new make.

Revivals and experiments

Other distilleries looking both to the past as well as the future are Peerless Distillery, which was revived in its current guise in 2014 but has a 150-year-old legacy. It adheres to the sweet mash – rather than the common sour mash – method.

The Old Taylor Distillery, was founded in 1887 and rocketed out of dereliction in 2014 to become Castle & Key. Here rye and bourbon are being made using precision-sourced grains and extensive vatting processes

Meanwhile Bardstown Bourbon Company – also founded in 2014 – works on a staggering number of mash bills, collaborating with other producers and offering customisable production techniques.

A bright future

What we will see coming out of Kentucky in the next 10 years – from distilleries both old and new – is set to be exciting, to say the least. At the very heart of this new-wave movement is producers who have something to say.

Star Hill Farm’s Master Distiller and head of innovation, Dr Blake Layfield, sees the new step for Maker’s Mark as having a greater message. ‘Grains matter, varietals matter, terroir matters, farming practices matter.’

It’s something that Bowie remembers as being a driving force at the genesis of Potter Jane: ‘We looked at each other and said, ‘If we don’t have a point of view, we should just shut up and stay where we are.” The last thing the world needs is another bottle of bourbon that doesn’t serve a purpose.’

Six Kentucky whiskies to try

Bardstown Bourbon Company Double Barreled Rye

Part of Bardstown’s Origin Series, this straight rye from the behemoth distillery is made up of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, aged for six years and finished in hybrid casks made up of cherry wood and oak. There is greenness from dill, white flower florality and richness from ripe cherries and spice. Alc 48%

Bomberger’s Declaration PFG Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Standing for Precision Fine Grain, this 2025 whiskey from the brilliant Michter’s is its first exploration of taking its fully matured bourbon and placing it in custom toasted and charred French fine grain oak barrels. The deep colour of this whiskey belies the florality that is matched with spice, dark chocolate and rich red fruits. Alc 50.1%

Maker’s Mark Star Hill Farm

Made using predominantly soft red winter wheat, this whiskey from the historic distillery is an evolution of its traditional recipe and, thankfully, it tastes absolutely exquisite. Think warm cherry pie, crumbly pastry, a dusting of baking spices, plus roasted pecan and macadamia nuts. One for sharing with American whiskey pessimists – it will convert even the staunchest. Alc 57.4%

New Riff Straight Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond

This high-rye bourbon from the trailblazers at New Riff has been bottled-in-bond and aged in 53-gallon toasted and charred new oak barrels for four years. The resulting whiskey is unmistakable butterscotch in character, with tell-tale rye spice, dark red fruits and a refreshing mint character on the finish. Alc 50%

Peerless Double Oak Rye

Twice barreled in new charred American oak, this rich rye has had the benefit of extracting flavour from wood two times around. Presented in the distinctive Peerless stubby bottle, the resulting whiskey is moody and punchy with notes of slightly smoky tobacco, dark chocolate and the distinctive herbal notes that Peerless balances so deftly. Alc 54.6%

Pinhook Straight Bourbon

Pinhook’s focus is to create bourbons with a new and refreshing approach. It works with a blended vintage technique and its flagship straight bourbon brings bright tropical fruits and sweet runny honey on the nose, with spice, candied nuts and sweet breads on the palate. Alc 47.5%

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Argentinian distillery La Alazana has revealed its debut Antarctic whisky bottling. Isla Marambio Eight-Year-Old single malt was distilled and initially matured for five years in virgin oak at the distillery in Chubut Province in Patagonia.

It was then transferred into ex-bourbon casks and spent three years at Base Marambio – an Argentinian research station on Seymour Island – maturing in an uninsulated hut under extreme Antarctic conditions, with temperatures ranging from -35°C to 10°C.

The project was conceived in 2022, when Daniel Monk, founder of Cask World – known for creating global whisky collaborations – approached La Alazana founders Lila and Néstor Serenelli, pioneering producers of Argentina’s first single malt whisky.

Two barrels of the distillery’s whisky were transferred to Base Marambio in November 2022, returning to Argentina this month for bottling. Isla Marambio Eight-Year-Old will be released globally next year, as part of the 8 Continent Series of world whiskies.

‘It made perfect sense to work on this project with Néstor and Lila Serenelli in Patagonia,’ said Monk. ‘They’re pioneers who, like me, believe in doing something that’s never been done before. They are the heroes who made it possible, overcoming every challenge to make the Antarctic maturation a reality.’

The project was carried out with support from Argentina’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces. They facilitated transport of the whisky casks both to and from Antarctica, aboard a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft travelling between Argentine capital Buenos Aires, Río Gallegos and Base Marambio.

During maturation at Base Marambio, the outside of the whisky casks developed a frost coating. The combination of intense cold and extreme temperature fluctuations created a unique ageing process.

‘Although there are temperature variations, the mid temperatures tend to be under zero,’ explained distiller Lila Serenelli. ‘This movement allows extraction and oxidation, but holds the ethanol in, and reduces evaporation.’

Commenting on the flavour profile of Isla Marambio, she added: ‘We already know it’s different. When I was decanting it there was a very special floral note that is not so strong in our whisky usually.’

A champion of ‘New World whiskies’, Monk explained the inspiration for Cask World’s 8 Continent Series. ‘When I discovered so many countries making whisky few had ever heard of, I felt compelled to visit the distilleries and meet the people behind them. From that moment, I knew it was New World whiskies I wanted to focus on and to shine a light on this remarkable period of growth and creativity.’

When it is released in 2026, the limited-edition 8 Continent Series will include whiskies from India, South Africa, Brazil, Canada and Wales, alongside Isla Marambio.

‘The 8 Continent Series will be more than a set of whiskies; it will be the story of the world told through flavour, climate and collaboration. For me, the dream of maturing whisky on every continent isn’t just about whisky – it’s about what it represents: the spirit of exploration, connection, and pushing the limits of what’s possible,’ said Monk.

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A vermouth with a difference…

Vermouth plays a role in countless cocktails – from Martinis to Manhattans – making it a staple for your home bar. Newly arrived in the UK, Casals Mediterranean Vermouth (Alcohol 16%, £19.25-£20.95 Back to Mine, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange) is an interesting choice for wine lovers, as it’s the only vermouth produced using the rare white grape Selma.

Casals is made in Spain by Juan Torres Master Distillers, the spirits arm of wine producer Familia Torres, which has a long-standing project to preserve ancestral Catalan varieties such as Selma. It’s used in a blend with other aromatic white grapes as the base for this Rojo vermouth, which is infused for three months with a mix of more than 20 botanicals, including rosemary, thyme, olive leaves and cinnamon.

The result is an aromatic sweet red vermouth with a nose of Mediterranean herbs and a rich, complex palate layered with red berries, dried herbs and baking spices, with a pleasing bitter finish. Try it in a Boulevadier or Negroni – with one of the gins opposite – or in a lower-alcohol long serve, simply paired with tonic.

Spirited words: ‘Candy is dandy… but liquor is quicker’ – Ogden Nash

What to drink now… Saketini

Written by Vicki Denig

Sip & Guzzle, New York

The Saketini offers a flavour-packed alternative to the classic Martini. For Steve Schneider, head bartender and bar manager at the bi-level, Japanese-style speakeasy Sip & Guzzle in New York, the drink was a perfect match for the venue. ‘I was looking for a house gin Martini riff and I really enjoy Junmai Daiginjo sake,’ he says.

Generally considered the pinnacle of sake production, Junmai Daiginjo-grade sake is known for its fruitiness and solid balance. ‘The fino Sherry gives [the cocktail] that extra dryness and depth, and the sherry vinegar gives it a little acidity.’ Schneider adds that the Castelvetrano olive adds a layer of butteriness. The drink pairs particularly well with cooked fish, sushi, sashimi and even yakitori.

Ingredients: 45 ml Gin, 30 ml Junmai Daiginjo sake, 15 ml Tio Pepe Fino Sherry, 2 dashes Sherry vinegar

Glass: Martini

Garnish: Castelvetrano olive

Method: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice, stir and strain into a Martini glass

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Norton’s collaboration with New Zealand’s Invivo Wines is celebrating its 12th vintage, and he was recently named Grape Ambassador to Marlborough. He shares his winemaking journey, his love for Sauvignon Blanc, and what he’s learning along the way.

‘My interest in wine was purely recreational until I started stand-up. A glass of wine became my prop. It told the audience, or at least I hoped it did, that I was relaxed and having a good time, so maybe they should too. When I got my TV show, the glass of wine came with me. Becoming a wine producer never crossed my mind until Invivo got in touch.

‘I ended up working with [Invivo co-founders] Rob [Cameron] and Tim [Lightbourne] because they asked. But I suppose the reason I said yes was because I liked their style. They read somewhere that I enjoyed New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and asked if they could supply wine for our green room. It was only a few bottles but it meant that back home in NZ they were able to say “As drunk by – insert name of star.” That was smart, inexpensive PR and more importantly, no other winemakers had thought to ask. I drank and enjoyed their wine, so saying yes to a collaboration was an easy decision.

‘Really, that first year, it was like vanity publishing. I just got to see my name on a bottle. It was only going forward that I wanted to be more involved, and have meaningful input into the wine that was carrying my name. Of course I couldn’t have guessed that we’d still be going all these years later and enjoying the huge success that the wines have achieved. The relationship works because it never feels pressured. I only put my name on products that I would drink.

‘Blending day over the years has become more streamlined as Rob, Tim and I have developed a shorthand. We taste around six samples individually and then begin to blend based on those first impressions. This is the bit that continues to astonish me. The alchemy of adding even a tiny amount of one sample to another can completely change the wine. A nose will appear, a long finish will disappear, the feel of the wine in your mouth can go from full to thin. I love it.

‘I’d love to say that my palate has evolved over the years of working with Invivo, but I’m not sure it has. I still like what I like.

‘I’m not quite sure when I discovered New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs but I’m guessing it was in the late 1990s. I really had very little label loyalty. It is interesting to me how much the style of New Zealand wines has changed over the years. The wines aren’t stuck in the past and seem to constantly evolve to keep up with the drinking public’s changing palate. I find it extraordinary that such a huge industry can be so light on its feet.

‘Getting any award is lovely, but becoming an ambassador for Marlborough grapes really did feel like an honour. This year was the first time I had actually managed to visit the area and I absolutely loved it. The weather was perfect and it felt surreal to be driving along seeing so many familiar names dotted along the side of the road. I’ve always loved Marlborough wines, but drinking my Sauvignon Blanc in the South Island sunshine, I must admit it tasted better than ever.

‘The most surprising thing I’ve learned, and this will make me sound supremely stupid, is how precarious the wine business is. This billion-dollar/pound industry is at the whim of so many variables. When did it rain? Was there enough sun? Have the vineyards got sufficient labour for the harvest? I think because of the way we purchase and consume the product, it is easy to forget that grapes are a crop like any other and subject to all the vagaries of agriculture. You would think that having grown up in Ireland I might have understood that a little better.

‘It sounds ridiculous but I do drink my own wines more than any other. They are the bottles that are always in my kitchen. When I’m in a restaurant I might splash out on a nice Sancerre.

‘If I didn’t drink and enjoy my wines I wouldn’t have my name on the bottle, it’s as simple as that. We always say that someone might buy one bottle of my wine out of curiosity, but they only buy a second bottle if they enjoyed it… it is the quality of Invivo that makes the brand a success. And while my name may attract some drinkers, it probably repels others.

‘Hopefully in 10 years’ time no one will remember who Graham Norton off the telly was, but they’ll still be drinking and enjoying my wines!’

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These days Laithwaites wine portfolio almost exclusively operates within the £12 to £25 price range, comprising wines from producers around the world.

Below you’ll find five recommendations to buy from the UK retailer to enjoy with family and friends.

Sustainability

In 2022, Laithwaites saw itself doubling down on sustainability, with the aim of halving its carbon footprint by 2030.

It committed to increasing the number of UK-bottled wines in its range to help cut down on CO2 emissions from shipping glass bottles – shipping in bulk in large ‘bags’ drastically reduces the weight of the same volume of wine.

In September 2023, Direct Wines (owner of UK retail arms Laithwaites Wine and Averys) was announced as Decanter’s Green Champion, thanks to its ‘comprehensive’ action plan across many aspects of the business, from packaging to transport, training and biodiversity.

From strength to strength

Over the last few years, the range seems to have gone from strength to strength, and I’ve noticed a general uptick in quality. It’s still far too easy to find overly oaked wines (which is great, of course, if you like that), but there is also far greater variety that not only covers the classics but also does a great job of introducing customers to weird, wonderful and off the beaten track wines.

Take the Notebook Old Vines Pais (see below), for example. It’s not an easy grape to find in the UK, and it’s quite a unique style, but one that’s easy to love thanks to its soft berries and herbal lift.

Meanwhile, the Sartirano Barbaresco is great value for lovers of Nebbiolo. It’s getting harder and harder to find wines of this calibre under £20, so pick it up while you can!

Laithwaites wines are predominantly sold online and via wine clubs, but the retailer also has a smattering of stores around the south of the UK, including in London, Beaconsfield, Gloucester, Reading, Banbury and Windsor.

Laithwaites: Five to buy

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Independent whisky bottler, One Cask at a Time, launched its debut collection on 4 September with six single malt whiskies, all bottled at cask strength. This follows the relaunch in July of spirits retailer Master of Malt’s in-house independent bottlings range as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations.

‘We have definitely seen a lot of new independent bottlers entering the market and I believe this can be a good thing,’ says Racheal Vaughan-Jones, chief marketing officer at Compass Box Whisky, another independent bottler that is well-established in this corner of the whisky world.

Tides in the market

This rise in independent bottling follows a long period of industry speculation about a ‘second whisky loch’. Vaughan-Jones notes that whisky’s long history has always featured ‘ebbs and flows’. With this new ebb, independent bottlers are able to offer drinkers aged whiskies at keen prices.

The selection from One Cask at a Time ranges from a Ben Nevis 2012 for £89 up to a 1996 Highland Park for £699. ‘Only casks of exceptional quality have been chosen for bottling under the One Cask at a Time label,’ explains Russell Bradley, head of brand development.

Value for whisky lovers

Master of Malt, meanwhile, uses its established buying power and industry relationships to offer aged whiskies at prices that smaller retailers would struggle to match. They start at £34.95 for the unnamed A Secret Speyside Distillery 10-year-old. Other offerings include a Blended Grain 37-year-old 1987 at £99.99 and Tobermory 29-year-old 1996 at £199.99.

‘This isn’t whisky for vaults or portfolios. It’s whisky for drinking,’ says head of whisky Sam Simmons.

Curious drinkers

Newer entrants such as The Heart Cut, founded in 2023 by industry veterans Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leoni, are finding plenty of opportunity. ‘Independent bottlings are seeing a resurgence because drinkers are increasingly curious,’ says Bell.

The company focuses on world whiskies, though the range does also include Scottish malts. The Heart Cut bottles include #01, a heather-smoked Danish single malt from Stauning Distillery finished in Madeira casks at £68.50, as well as #17, a Lochlea single malt Scotch whisky at £58.

‘We’ve had no challenges sourcing so far,’ Bell adds. ‘In fact, the opposite.’

Sourcing strategies

These bottlers employ various approaches to secure aged stock. Some, like Cut Your Wolf Loose founder Seb Woolf, have been ‘laying down stocks for years’ and can ‘price effectively rather than against high prices of the liquid in recent years’.

This strategy shows in releases like the Caol Ila 17-year-old X Ricky Also Release 14 at £70 and Tamnavulin 13-year-old X Zombiesqueegee Release 13 at £55.

Beyond the brands

For drinkers, this means the chance to savour whiskies that just a few years ago may have been out of their reach – as long as they’re willing to look beyond the distillery-branded bottles. And for the wider whisky industry, it means a long-established pressure valve will help the distillers weather any coming storm.

As Vaughan-Jones puts it: ‘Whisky blending was built on a long tradition of trading casks, and I don’t see any signs of that generosity and collaboration going away.’

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People find solace after a bereavement in surprising places. For Amanda Gibson (age 63), it was amid the Müller-Thurgau and Bacchus vines of Warden Abbey Vineyard in Bedfordshire, where she has been volunteering for the past six years.

‘Without the vineyard I would have been completely lost,’ she says. ‘The other volunteers are so friendly: they wrap themselves around you if you’re struggling. You come to the vineyard, you concentrate on a repetitive task and you forget about your problems.’

Don’t miss the ultimate wine experience – book your tickets now for the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter London 2025

Growing interest

Gibson is just one of a fast-growing cohort of people wanting to volunteer at UK vineyards – doing so for myriad reasons. Demand has grown so quickly that many vineyards now have waiting lists of people wanting to volunteer.

It’s not hard to see the appeal. Many of the vineyards make an event of it – welcoming volunteers each day during harvest time and plying them with tea, coffee, cake, a slap-up lunch and usually a glass (or two) of bubbly at the end.

‘We try to make it as much a celebration as “getting the job done”,’ says Mike Wagstaff, who owns Greyfriars Vineyard in Surrey with his wife Hilary and has been welcoming volunteers since they started in 2011. ‘We pick for about four hours then give everybody a celebratory lunch, wine and a harvest-commemoration t-shirt based on a current pop-culture theme – 2023 was Barbie.’

Some of the volunteers have been coming for the past 10 years and proudly show off their back catalogue of harvest t-shirts to newbies.

‘It [volunteering] has exploded in scale since 2021. For the last four years we have organised between two and three days of picking with about 120 volunteers coming to help us on each day,’ Wagstaff adds. ‘People start emailing us in July asking when harvest will be and we get emails from people begging to participate after the list has closed. We get a lot of multigenerational family groups, especially those wanting to get teenage children outside and off their phones.’

A family affair

Austin Bell, from Guildford (pictured above), has been volunteering with Greyfriars during the harvest for the past four years and has brought his teenage son with him each time.

‘He was 10 when he first came and we both really enjoyed it. Spending a day walking up and down a vineyard picking grapes is really mindful,’ Bell explains. ‘Greyfriars makes a big fuss of you. It feels like a really nice exchange of labour and effort. I learned a lot about the vines, like why they handpick rather than using machines.’

He adds that he has done it even in the worst weather: ‘It doesn’t seem to put people off.’

Nick Brewer, co-owner of Oastbrook Estate Vineyard in East Sussex, agrees that volunteer numbers have increased, particularly since Covid-19. ‘For people who are now working from home, they can volunteer on a Friday or Monday and fit it in flexibly with their work,’ he says. ‘For someone who’s sitting in front of a screen working alone or in an office it’s quite cathartic.’

Oastbrook also gets a lot of people coming down from London to volunteer and sometimes couples turning up as a date.

Some volunteers get very competitive about who can pick the fastest. ‘The best picker we ever had was a brain surgeon,’ says Brewer. ‘He clinically removed the grapes. I’ve never seen a neater or tidier vine picker. If I ever need someone to operate on my brain, I’d go to him if he does surgery as well as he picks grapes.’

Spurred on

Some enjoy it so much that they end up volunteering all year round – as Amanda Gibson has done at Warden Abbey, a not-for-profit vineyard in Bedfordshire entirely run by volunteers.

‘We do everything from mending fences to pruning, marketing, fundraising and doing tastings at our stockists,’ she explains. Warden Abbey also works with schools to get children with special needs into the vineyard to help with planting and testing soil quality. ‘It’s incredibly rewarding for them,’ Gibson says.

At The Grange in Hampshire, volunteers are roped in to help light and snuff candles that are put out in the vineyard for frost protection. Kane Scully began volunteering for The Grange’s ‘frost watch’ in early 2024.

‘If you’re on standby, you might get a phone call at 1am, which means you need to get down to the vineyard,’ he says. ‘It’s a few hours’ work of systemically lighting candles in freezing temperatures, then we’re all back in bed by 3am. You build friendships in the dark. It’s quite an odd thing really – but I enjoy it.’

Scully has since taken on part-time paid work at the vineyard on top of volunteering.

A post-Brexit boon

For some vineyards, the booming interest in volunteering has been something of a relief, given the challenges in finding labour since the UK left the EU.

‘Before Brexit, we used to rely a lot on Romanian workers,’ says Nick Wenman, owner of Albury Vineyard in Surrey. ‘But now there are fewer and fewer of them, and competition for casual workers is fierce.’

Albury has been taking on volunteers and has waiting lists each year for spots. Nick Brewer of Oastbrook reports a different experience: ‘We haven’t had an issue finding workers, and could do everything with casual labour, but we think it’s nice to get people involved and see the looks on their faces. Sometimes we get people saying “You’re exploiting people – why don’t you use paid labour?”, but we do. This is just a nice extension of that.’

Phoebe French of trade body WineGB says: ‘For the vineyard owners, using volunteers helps them develop close relationships with their local community and develop unofficial brand ambassadors. It also helps them tell the story of how much work is required to produce a bottle of their wine.’

She adds that while most sign-ups currently are locals, as the industry develops, volunteering could well become a part of a vineyard’s tourism offering.

Reality check

However, volunteering is not all sunshine and rainbows. For many individuals this is the first time they’ve had to confront the brutal realities of farming, facing up to destruction and disappointment.

‘We’ve had two bad years in a row,’ says Gibson. ‘It’s been really hard. You arrive in January and gradually watch the vineyard come to life. You get very emotionally attached. To then see that crop fail can be devastating.’

But, as the volunteers explain, there’s nothing that beats the feeling of looking out over a vineyard after a satisfyingly tiring day’s labour – a glass of English bubbly in hand and new friends all around. That’s what keeps them coming back.

‘I look forward to autumn now because it means harvest is near,’ says Bell.

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A luxurious state banquet for US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania was hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle on Wednesday night (17 September), with a menu seemingly designed to honour both countries.

Menus and wine lists for such occasions are usually created with meticulous attention to detail.

UK officials offered up a lavish menu to mark Trump’s official visit to the country, which has also been marked by protests.

Vintage English sparkling wine featured during the banquet at St George’s Hall, with Wiston Estate, Cuvée [Brut] 2016 poured for the 160-strong guest list, according to widespread media reports of the menu.

California’s legendary Ridge Vineyards also made an appearance via its Monte Bello 2000 vintage, 25 years on from harvest.

Trump reportedly doesn’t drink alcohol, and so the contents of the bottles were likely only enjoyed by other banquet guests.

Other wines served included 2018-vintage Corton-Charlemagne grand cru Burgundy from Domaine Bonneau du Martray, which is owned by US businessman Stan Kroenke, plus Pol Roger ‘Extra Cuvée de Reserve’ 1998 Champagne; Pol Roger was a favourite of Sir Winston Churchill.

A special US-UK cocktail was mixed to mark the occasion, ‘blending smoky whisky with the bright citrus of marmalade’, said the Royal family’s social media channels.

‘Crowned with a pecan foam and garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit, the cocktail aims to evoke the warmth of a fireside s’more.’

After dinner, spirits and fortified wine lovers among the banquet guests were also spoilt for choice.

There was a 1912 Hennessy Grande Champagne Cognac, reportedly representing the birth year of Trump’s Scottish-born mother.

A Warre’s 1945 vintage Port was also offered, possibly reflecting Trump becoming the 45th US president back in 2017 but also potentially marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Meanwhile, there was a rare Scotch whisky on the table after officials brought out a bottle of Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980.

A cask was filled in that year during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to the Islay-based distillery off the west coast of Scotland, and the contents were bottled for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

Before that, state banquet guests were served a dinner featuring ballotine of organic Norfolk chicken wrapped in courgettes with a thyme and savoury-infused jus, according to menu details reported by several media, including The Independent.

As a starter, diners were given ‘Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad’. 

State banquet menus are always written in French as the first language, as noted during French president Macron’s visit to the UK earlier this year.

During the banquet for Trump, King Charles III spoke of the long-standing close ties between the US and UK.

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Rathfinny Wine Estate has deployed birds of prey via a specialist falconry team to guard its English wine grapes as they ripen in the build-up to the 2025 harvest.

Falcons, hawks and even a ‘Chilean blue eagle’ are patrolling the skies above Rathfinny’s vineyards from dawn until dusk, the Sussex-based winery said.

It’s a trial to see if these trained birds of prey can protect English wine grapes by keeping hungry seagulls, pigeons and crows away from precious fruit – saving more than 300km of plastic netting that would normally cover vines.

Sarah Driver, Rathfinny co-founder and co-owner, said, ‘In the past we have used nets to try and protect our grapes from birds, but as a [certified] B Corp company we’re always trying to reduce our environmental impact.

‘The plastic nets need replacing every three-to-five years and require lots of small plastic clips to keep them in place.’

News of the trial comes amid signs of a particularly promising UK wine harvest in 2025, following a record hot summer. 

Rathfinny expected to begin harvest on 25 September, 10 days earlier than normal, and said a professional falconry team was employing the trained birds of prey to provide several lines of defence for its grapes.

A specialist ‘hybrid’ bird representing a peregrine falcon cross-bred with a Gyrfalcon is speedy, agile and large enough to chase off bigger birds, such as seagulls, said the producer.

Another hybrid falcon – a peregrine crossed with a South American Aplomado – ‘is the perfect size to ward off pigeons’, said Rathfinny, adding the bird has the agility to fly in-between vine rows if required.

The team is also using Merlins, another type of falcon and the UK’s smallest bird of prey, to help chase off smaller birds ‘who might be settling down to eat the fruit’.

Harris’s hawks are patrolling the perimeter of the estate, as is the Chilean blue eagle – also known as a black-chested buzzard eagle – which has a sufficiently intimidating presence to scare off crows and other birds, said the producer.

While grapes may be off the menu, Rathfinny’s Driver said there are alternative meals for hungry birds nearby. ‘Luckily, there’s currently plenty of food available in the hedgerows around the estate for the birds to enjoy.’

Birds of prey have previously been used in vineyards in California to protect grapes, and a 2012 study published in the journal Conservation Biology found that introducing falcons could lead to a significant reduction in grape losses.

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London is packed with must-visit bars for cocktail-lovers. From iconic classics like Dukes – inspiration for James Bond’s Vesper Martini – to cutting-edge venues like the Bauhaus-inspired A Bar with Shapes for a Name.

The good news is you’ll be able to find a drink to suit any taste; whether you’re looking for a decent Old Fashioned or a brand new molecular mixology creation. But where to start? Our edit offers a diverse snapshot of London cocktail bars across the city.

Best London cocktail bars

A Bar with Shapes for a Name

232 Kingsland Rd, Whitmore Estate, E2 8AX 

Yellow triangle, red square, blue circle. Look for the shapes on the signage out front and you’ve found the right place. This achingly hip, minimalist bar is inspired by Bauhaus concepts and certainly looks the part with staff in chic boiler suits, retro furniture and cocktails that are almost too cool to drink. Even the ice cubes are works of art. There’s a short list of six House Cocktails – including the Pastel (vodka, rhubarb, recomposed lime, capreolus raspberry) and Birne (whisky, pear, olive) – plus six Classic Drinks with a house twist: think Negronis with coconut oil. Make a reservation for tables on the weekend.

Explore the excellence of one of Italy’s most iconic wine producers – book your place at the Antinori Masterclass at Decanter Fine Wine Encounter London 2025

Bar Termini

7 Old Compton St, W1D 5JE

Proof that good things come in small packages, Termini may be tiny but it’s a star of the Soho bar scene. It only does two things – coffee and cocktails – but does both extremely well. Founders Tony Conigliaro, bar supremo, and Marco Arrigo, head of quality for Illy, took their inspiration from classic Italian train station buffets of the 1950s. Expect excellent espressos and Italian mixes such as the house Negroni or Marsala Martini (Beefeater Gin, Marsala wine, vermouth and almond bitters). Walk-ins are welcome if you’re feeling very lucky, but it’s best to book one of the hour-long slots to guarantee a table at this bijou bar.

Dram

7 Denmark St, WC2H 8LZ

Fans of drams shouldn’t miss this shrine to whisky, located on Denmark Street – nicknamed Tin Pan Alley for its historic links to the British music business and acts such as David Bowie and the Sex Pistols. Nowadays it’s all about pours not punk, thanks to Dram’s impressive selection of 350 whiskies. Pull up a stool at the ground floor bar for recommendations from the knowledgeable team, or head downstairs for libations dreamed up in the on-site lab and cocktails on tap, including the dangerously drinkable Coconut, made with Siete Misterios Mezcal and Tio Pepe Fino. There’s also a tiny terrace and secret pool room.

Lyaness

Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, SE1 9PD

The endlessly creative Ryan Chetiyawardana – AKA Mr Lyan – is the brains behind Lyaness and a string of other top international bars. (His lo-fi Seed Library in Shoreditch is also well worth a visit.) The current list is the Collaboration Menu. Mr Lyan explains: ‘Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at Lyan… We work with other bars and restaurants, material scientists, agronomists, food scientists, alongside other industries and experts, to marry their insight with our own to create something neither of us would have done in isolation.’ This translates into 12 one-of-a-kind ingredients at the core of the menu, including Lego Olive Oil – deconstructed olive oil. Leave your preconceptions at the door and dive in.

Nightjar

129 City Rd, EC1V 1JB

An unassuming doorway off Old Street roundabout is your portal to this award-winning speakeasy that celebrates its 15th birthday this year. After its opening in 2010, husband-and-wife founders Edmund Weil and Rosie Stimpson went on to launch Oriole and Swift (see ‘10 more…’ below), both echoing Nightjar’s signature mix of Jazz Age style and cutting-edge cocktails. Low lights, dark wood and gleaming mirrors envelop you in a cosy boozy cocoon as you enjoy slick table service and a soundtrack of live blues, jazz and swing. Reservations are essential.

Side Hustle

NoMad Hotel, 28 Bow St, WC2E 7AW

Crowned Best International Hotel Bar at the Spirited Awards in New Orleans earlier this year, Side Hustle belongs to the London outpost of NoMad. It’s housed in a Grade II-listed building formerly home to Bow Street Police Station – though today the focus is on serving great drinks at the bar, rather than putting bad guys behind bars… Expect a Latin American vibe, with accomplished cocktails from a list that focuses on agave spirits. Favourites on my last visit were the Classic Mezcal Martini (Siete Misterios Doba-Jay, Tapatio Blanco, Dolin Blanc) and Sexy Olivia, a seductive combo of Altos Blanco Tequila and manzanilla Sherry.

Tayēr + Elementary

152 Old St, EC1V 9BW

Two bars in one, Tayēr + Elementary was launched in 2019 by cocktail royalty Monica Berg and Alex Kratena. As its name suggests, Elementary is the simpler space; set at street-level and with a neighbourhood bar vibe. Daily seasonal drinks include classic cocktails on tap and signature Highballs, plus beer, wine and coffee. Downstairs you’ll find the much larger Tayēr – Spanish for ‘workshop’. Bartenders here craft drinks in an enclosed horseshoe that includes a bespoke speed rack designed by Berg – just one of the many details that will delight true bar geeks. Don’t miss the iconic One Sip Martini: vodka and Ambrato vermouth garnished with a blue cheese-stuffed olive.

The Connaught Bar

The Connaught, 16 Carlos Place, W1K 2AL

It’s hard to beat the effortless glamour of this chic London hotel bar. Boasting a design inspired by 1920s Cubism, it’s a shimmering shrine to mixology, with a team of world-class bartenders, creative cocktails and decadent canapes. But the jewel in the crown is the sleek Martini Trolley. ‘The secret of a perfect Martini is the sound,’ smiles head of mixology Ago Perrone, as he slowly stirs Tanqueray No. Ten over blocks of hand-cut ice, mixed with the house vermouth and a choice of seasonal bitters to create a bespoke Martini for every guest.

10 more London cocktail bars to try:

Amaro – 15 Kensington High St, W8 5NP

Artesian – The Langham, 1C Portland Pl, W1B 1JA

Donovan Bar – Brown’s Hotel, 33 Albemarle St, W1S 4BP

Dukes Bar – 35 St James’s Pl, SW1A 1NY

Hacha – 378 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AA

Oriole – 7-9 Slingsby Pl, WC2E 9AB

Satan’s Whiskers – 343 Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 9RA

Scarfe’s Bar – Rosewood London, 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN

Swift – 12 Old Compton St, W1D 4TQ

The Fumoir – Claridge’s, Brook St, W1K 4HR

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It has been the warmest summer on record in the UK and winemakers were cautiously optimistic about delivering a top 2025 vintage for sparkling and still wines as harvest approached.

‘Vintage 2025 is looking very promising,’ said Robb Merchant, owner of White Castle Vineyard in Abergavenny, Wales.

‘We are excited by the flavour profiles, especially with the Pinot Noir Precoce and Siegerrebe, with harvest expected to start around 12 September. 

‘The rain over the past week has been good, and the later varieties [such as] Cabernet Franc, Regent and Phoenix will benefit from it.’

Cherie Spriggs, head winemaker at leading English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber, said she was quietly optimistic, albeit much depended on the coming weeks.

‘The growing conditions this year have been exceptionally favourable and very reminiscent of 2018, which was a very successful vintage for us,’ said Spriggs in August. ‘Of course, all of this comes with the caveat that we hope Mother Nature remains on our side.’

According to the UK’s Met Office, mean temperature for the three months to 31 August was 16.1℃. That surpasses the previous record, set in 2018, of 15.76℃.

Brad Greatrix, Nyetimber senior winemaker, said the warm growing season means an earlier harvest. ‘That puts time on our side, as it allows us to tailor and optimise the picking timing when the grapes are at their ripest.’

Clem Yates MW, wine consultant and Lyme Bay Winery, said harvest would likely to start on 9 September, around three weeks earlier than last year. ‘We hold strong expectations for the 2025 vintage,’ said Yates.

‘While some early September rainfall poses a potential risk to already ripe berries, current indications point to higher sugar levels and lower acidity across the crop. 

‘These conditions are particularly promising for our still wine programmes, where balance and ripeness are key. Throughout the season, we have worked closely with our growers to actively manage crop levels, ensuring the fruit develops to the desired profile for each of our individual wine styles.’ 

Picking began on 2 September at Woodchester Valley Vineyard in the Cotswolds, the earliest start to harvest so far for the estate, which also referenced the warm 2018 growing season.

Fiona Shiner, Woodchester Valley Vineyard founder, said, ‘I remember the 2018 season well. It was the perfect combination of conditions resulting in a bumper crop of amazing quality. Much like this year, the grass was brown but the vines were a vibrant green and thrived.’ 

Still, Shiner added of 2025, ‘It’s too early to tell what this long summer and early harvest means for our wines. Our harvest usually lasts from four to six weeks and a lot can happen between now and mid-October.’

In terms of yields, UK wineries will hope to bounce back from rain-hit volumes in the 2024 vintage. 

Average yields in the UK were the lowest since 2016, said trade body WineGB, even though increased vineyard plantings meant 2024 was still the fourth largest harvest on record.

At White Castle Vineyard in Wales, Robb Merchant said he expected yields in 2025 to be around four times higher than last year, although roughly in-line with average volumes. 

Some young vines planted in 2023 have struggled with the drought during summer 2025, he said, but added, ‘Vines to be harvested this year are looking great.’

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In the autumn of 2023, the government of then British prime minister Rishi Sunak launched a slew of reforms to the British wine industry, described as being made possible by ‘freedoms outside of the EU’.

Among these was the legalisation of piquette, a light, often fruity, wine-like drink averaging around 5% alcohol, made by adding water to grape pomace (the solid residue left after grapes have been pressed for wine), sometimes with additional sugar or honey, and inducing a second fermentation.

So, following the first UK harvest of grapes that can be made into legal piquettes in 2024, is 2025 shaping up to be the country’s big piquette summer?

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Chequered past

As sustainable as it is easy to make, piquette is, however, not something you can easily find on the shelves, and it is little known outside certain wine circles, due partly to its relative scarcity and legal status.

Historically served to vineyard workers during harvest as a cheap thirst-quencher, there has been a perception that it’s a beverage not to be consumed beyond the vineyard. It has been illegal to sell piquette in France since 1907 and it remains illegal to produce across the EU due to concerns of oversaturation of the wine market.

Such are piquette’s associations with being a lower-tier subset of wine that in Italian, it’s known as acqua pazza (‘crazy water’). In France, to describe a wine as piquette is an even stronger term of abuse than the British ‘plonk’.

In 2008, a prominent Cahors winemaker took a local newspaper to court for describing his wines as ‘chemical piquette’.

And yet, despite Europe’s historical antipathy, there has been a shift. In 2020, the website jancisrobinson.com published a write-up titled ‘Piquette: a summer wine for everyone’, while one US publication described it as ‘the wine of summer 2021’.

Piquette has gained a degree of popularity in the US, where many makers of natural wine – most notably New York state’s Wild Arc Farm – began to produce it in the late 2010s. It has been a bumpy ride though.

Sales data show that demand in the US has declined significantly in the last few years, largely due to uneven quality putting drinkers off, with many American winemakers no longer producing them at all, or some opting to rebrand as ‘natural wine spritzer’, a more familiar category.

UK lobbying

The legalisation of piquette in the UK is in no small part down to the work of Adrian and Galia Pike of Westwell Wine Estates, near Ashford in Kent, and lawyer Dominic Buckwell, who pushed the UK government Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs for many years for the law change.

After its first attempt in 2019 (‘Pikette’) was halted by the Food Standards Agency, Westwell is set to release its first legal piquette this year (price and timing unconfirmed at the time of writing).

To Galia, the appeal of piquette lies in the ease with which it can be made and its sustainable nature – she describes it as an ‘affordable experiment’ that other British winemakers should all be considering.

For Sophie Evans, who works a 2ha site in Kent using biodynamic principles, piquette is a positive response to the huge amount of waste that occurs in wineries, as well as a much more affordable product to make, in light of the high costs of winemaking in the UK.

In a world in which the price of most English still wines is above £20 and sparkling above £30, piquette represents a significantly cheaper alternative.

If you can get to them before they sell out, Offbeat Wines’ Loose Juice, for example, goes for about £16/75cl (micro-beers.co.uk, 2023 bottling), while urban London-based producer Blackbook Winery’s Hello My Name Is sells for £15 (see boxout).

Piquette seems poised to fill a gap in the UK market in which English winemakers are struggling to appeal to a British public who spend on average £9 on a bottle, according to a 2023 poll commissioned by Lidl GB (and published in The Independent).

Raising awareness

A major challenge UK piquette producers face is a simple one: nobody who is not in the wine world knows what it is.

Comically, when the Pikes first made a Westwell piquette, in 2019 pre-legalisation, the Food Standards Agency told them that it needed to be marketed as an ‘aromatised grapebased drink’.

They did so, under the name Pikette, but, says Galia: ‘After some consideration, it was decided that the name “Pikette” was too similar to piquette and they changed their minds.

‘Happily it was a very small release and we sold most of it before it was recalled.’

This maps onto wider issues of how to get the public to try piquette. As a low-alcohol beverage, it aligns clearly with one of the few areas of growth in the alcohol industry, which makes its lack of pick-up by winemakers across the UK all the more surprising.

The difficulty of categorising piquette is definitely an issue. Evans notes that many of those who drink it are expecting a wine and are taken aback by how many piquettes taste more ‘beer-y’.

Daniel and Nicola Ham (pictured above), who previously made wine as Offbeat Wines and now produce under their own names near Salisbury in Wiltshire, released Loose Juice – a piquette made from a blend of Bacchus and Triomphe grapes – in 2023.

Daniel notes that while it was enjoyed in a wide range of settings, particularly as a food pairing, he felt the chance of it being a repeat purchase for consumers wasn’t high, partly because, in his opinion, piquette falls somewhere in the middle of the no-lo trend.

‘I’m not convinced that the middle ground is an easy sell,’ he says. Yet it’s not all doom and gloom for piquette marketing. At Astley Vineyard in Worcestershire, winemaker Chris Haywood has been making piquette since 2020 and notes that on vineyard tours, the majority of drinkers enjoy it.

Its Saint Vincent 2022 piquette is sold in 37.5cl, beer-style bottles for £4 each. Haywood notes that this format has proved successful as the smaller spend ‘really helps customers just to go out there and try it’.

The press release sent out by the UK government in 2023 argued that piquette would ‘open new income streams for wine producers’.

But in the view of Tim Wildman MW, who makes pét-nat – short for pétillant naturel, the traditional method in which still-fermenting wine is bottled to complete its single fermentation inside the bottle, thereby leaving it effervescent and often with yeast residues that give the wine a hazy appearance – in both Australia and the UK, this is hard to agree with as the UK finds itself entering what he calls its next phase: overproduction.

In 2023, which saw a bumper harvest, more than 20 million bottles of wine were produced, according to WineGB; in the same year, annual sales had risen to 8.8 million bottles, although Wildman notes that this kind of surplus has been around for a decade.

In his view, the nature of piquette as an offshoot of wine at a time when many are struggling to sell their main cuvées means that its appeal is limited.

Low-risk venture

Galia Pike contests this perspective, arguing that the fact that piquette is sustainable (pomace left over from grape-pressing would be disposed of anyway) means that it is ‘not a high-risk product’.

Blackbook’s Sergio Verrillo made a piquette in 2019 as an experiment to see if it could be made to a high level. Alongside other winemakers, such as Evans and Ham, he noted that the successful marketing of piquette largely stemmed from its use as a food and beverage pairing in restaurant spaces.

In his view, the UK is primed to catch on to piquette in a similar way to the US at the beginning of the late 2010s, and that it’s a case of waiting for the right kind of media pick-up, such as a spot on a weekend daytime programme like the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen to ‘propel it to the general public’.

For Daniel Ham, a potential pathway for piquette would be for larger British winemakers, such as Gusbourne or Chapel Down, to start making it, since they are financially able to take greater risks than many other producers.

Ham points to supermarket chain Marks & Spencer releasing an own-label English pét-nat in 2024 as a reflection of the way in which trending wines (and therefore potentially wine-like beverages such as piquette) can be embraced by the mainstream.

The uptake of piquette-making by British winemakers post-legalisation doesn’t appear to be seismic. But this doesn’t take away from the opportunity – just look at the huge growth in popularity in recent years of hard seltzers (simply carbonated flavoured water with alcohol, first popularised in the US).

The answer to the question: ‘Is 2025 the UK’s big piquette summer?’ appears nebulous.

At the moment, the question among winemakers still seems to be: ‘Is it a worthwhile opportunity?’

Could it be this summer that piquette gets the recognition that many feel it deserves, or next summer – or never?

Two piquettes to try

Astley, Saint Vincent 2022 (pictured below)

£4/37.5cl astleyvineyard.co.uk

Made from Kerner, Bacchus and Sauvignon Blanc, and described as ‘more vinous and intense than the last vintage’. Cloudy lemon with a light fizz akin to a lemon sherbet, it has strong yeasty notes akin to a craft IPA beer, alongside citrus notes of lemon and grapefruit.

The embodiment of the beer-wine crossover found in many piquettes, it has a creamy texture in the mouth, with apple and pear characters on the finish and the tartness often found in cider.

A seriously quaffable piquette that feels even lower than the abv on the bottle and is ideal for a hot day accompanied by anything being cooked on a barbecue.

Alcohol: 6%

Blackbook Winery, Hello My Name Is 2019

£15 Blackbook Winery, WoodWinters

Made from Pinot Noir. Plum red colour, with chalky mineral aromas and a background of elderflower syrup. To taste, almost akin to a diluted fruit drink with blackberry, blackcurrant and strawberry flavours.

It has a surprisingly high level of sweetness (Turkish delight, liquorice) that is pleasant but a little overwhelming when faced with 75cl.

Alcohol: 6%

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For more than two centuries London has been the epicentre of the global wine trade and there has never been a better time to dive headfirst into the literally thousands of great eateries and wine lists our capital has to offer.

Friday

Breakfast

It would be churlish not to start your weekend of extravagance with the most iconic breakfast in London, which is generally accepted to be The Wolseley on Piccadilly. You are, of course, entitled to order the full English, but personally I would suggest keeping with the theme and ordering the devilled kidneys or the kedgeree, both staples of a bygone era, perfectly washed down with a Bloody Mary or two.

Lunch

For lunch, after those glorious kidneys, you may wish to be flexible in how much you eat so, a short walk down the road and into Soho is all that’s required to find Mountain on Beak Street, the Mallorcan-inspired restaurant by Tomos Parry, currently ranked No 74 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 51-100 list.

My advice here is to take a walk-in (although reservations are possible) and sit at the counter where you can have anything from a few small plates (especially as a lone diner) to a full-blown feast. Unlike at its sister restaurant Brat, the whole turbot is not always available here, but all the fish is equally as good. My personal recommendation would be for the baked rice, a bowl of tripe and to let the sommelier team guide you into something esoteric from the Iberian Peninsula. Not your thing? Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

Dinner

Friday night is the perfect time to head for something distinctly non-British which we do so well in this multicultural city. If Chinese is your thing, the two-Michelin star A Wong in Pimlico, and Hunan, just around the corner, offer distinctly different options. The former being focussed on fine dining, dishes from the emperor’s banquet reimagined for the modern day, while the latter is a ‘no menu’ free flowing small plate extravaganza with one of the very finest wine lists in the city. Owner Michael Peng has a handwritten list of gems that haven’t hit the main list yet but often sell before the ink dries on the paper.

If Indian is your thing, head to either two-Michelin star Gymkhana in Mayfair, serving food rich and bold in style, or alternatively its sister restaurant Trishna in Marylebone, more delicate and based mainly around fish. The good news on the wine front is that being in the same group, both restaurants are furnished by Seamus Sharkey and Emily Jago, who handpick different but equally compelling lists tailored towards the food being served.

Don’t miss the ultimate wine experience – book your tickets now for the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter London 2025

Saturday

Breakfast

You may enjoy a lie-in so Saturday morning is all about the British tradition of elevenses, a fortifying snack taken around 11am to stave off any hunger pains that may arise between breakfast and lunch. The finest choice of all of these is an Eccles cake and a slice of Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese accompanied by a glass of Madeira, and the place to do that is the bar at St JOHN on St John Street just north of Smithfield market. By all means tuck into some of the other small plates or slide into the restaurant for lunch, which usually begins with the iconic bone marrow on toast.

Lunch

If you escape gout free, then a long walk (or a short cab ride) north into Islington is next on the agenda for lunch at the Draper’s Arms. The British pub is a sacred institution, but rarely does it come with a wine list that goes toe to toe with the best restaurants. This is the absolute exception here, where owner Nick Gibson has created a north London institution around incredibly well priced fine wine and plenty of value picks as well.

Dinner

It goes without saying that there are numerous options for a big Saturday night; fine dining in Notting Hill at The Ledbury or Core, one of the new wave bistros like Josephine or Bouchon Racine, but given the location and the food that has already been consumed I would recommend some small plates and stunning range of by-the-glass options at Quality Wines in Farringdon, a short ride south, owned by one of London’s finest restaurateurs, Will Lander. If something more substantial takes your fancy, then the Quality Chop House is next door, and both have incredibly broad lists with mature offerings to die for.

For those with a penchant for a bottle or two into the small hours, without the noise or extravagance of a nightclub, then The Black Book on Frith Street in Soho is for you. Owned by two Master Sommeliers (Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset) it serves as a haven for those looking for fine wine and cocktails in a relaxed environment until 3am.

Sunday

Breakfast

It would be amiss to have a weekend in London without a traditional full English breakfast (or fry up) at a traditional ‘caff’, which can be found all over town. Most of these come without alcohol (you may be pleased to know) and depending on location I would recommend E Pellicci (in east London), Regency Café (in central London) and River Café (in west London) opposite Putney Bridge station, not to be confused with the iconic Italian restaurant further north.

Lunch

That said, if it is a sunny Sunday in midsummer, then there is no greater lunch than on the terrace at The River Café (the other one!!) with a few plates of the finest pasta and a bottle of Pieropan Soave on ice. If you happen upon your trip in the autumn or winter then Sunday lunch should be spent at The Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin star pub, owned by chef Brett Graham, eating the finest roast known to man. The wine list here is short, concise and well-tailored to a lazy afternoon meat feast, but to be honest you might just want a pint of ale.

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The path of documenting London’s top wine lists is well-trodden but here my recommendations focus on value, the food offerings alongside, a few regional specialities and a wholly positive and personal attitude to wine selection and service.

There are, of course, treasures to be found amongst 200-page tomes in Michelin starred dining rooms, but you will not find them documented here, instead lists compiled, and often served, by the restaurant owners themselves.

Best London restaurant wine lists

Blandford Comptoir

Part of a larger restaurant group owned by two Master Sommeliers, Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset, Blandford Comptoir was chosen above the others for its particular focus on the Rhône Valley. A quick glance through the list would lead you to believe this is the finest Rhône list in London, and you wouldn’t be wrong. A whole page devoted each to Côte Rotie, Hermitage, Cornas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape with references over forty years of age, even in Crozes-Hermitage. With more Condrieu and Saint-Péray than you could drink in a year, there is something for every Rhône lover to accompany the short but perfectly formed food menu. An absolute treasure trove.

Cloth

New to the scene in 2024, Cloth is a restaurant by wine lovers, for wine lovers. The food here is classic and exceptional, but the wine list is the real point of difference. It is incredibly rare for such a young restaurant to have such an extensive, broad and mature wine offering. Each subsection of the list has not only value picks but something to offer the drinker craving serious bottle age and the prices are more than fair.

Dorian

The myth and legend that surrounds ‘local bistro’ Dorian in Notting Hill is palpable. It goes without saying that not only is this the hottest ticket in town, but chef Max Coen is turning out some of the finest dishes in London. In addition to that, owner Chris D’Sylva is making more than a concerted effort across the whole group to make the wine offering as good as anywhere in the capital. For those looking for the upper echelons of classic fine wine you can find them here with cash margins applied, but it will also more than quench the thirst of those seeking anything from entry level wines from the coolest Burgundy growers to the uber trendy La Bota Florpower.

Don’t miss the ultimate wine experience – book your tickets now for the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter London 2025

High Timber

High Timber is unquestionably one of the finest places to drink South African wine outside the Cape. Owned by Gary and Kathy Jordan of Jordan Wine Estate alongside the wonderful Neleen Strauss, there is a limited wine offering on the surface. That is, I have come to believe, only because there is too much to catalogue including gems that, truthfully, Neleen would rather not sell. A dive down through the two private dining rooms to the cellar will reveal hundreds of Cape Winemakers Guild Auction bottlings, mature vintages and some of the rarest wines South Africa has produced. You will find old world classics at great prices here too, but it’s not the primary focus for most of the clientele. If you are looking for an extensive steak offering with mature examples of Sadie, Alheit and dozens more then this is for you.

Hunan

Opened in 1982 on the Pimlico Road by ‘Mr Peng’, Hunan has been one of London’s finest Chinese restaurants for over four decades. Now run by his son, Michael, this iconic establishment has one of the very best wine lists in the capital. If you think the food only pairs well with off-dry whites then think again, there is as much fine Burgundy imbibed here than as anywhere else. Michael’s cataloguing is occasional haphazard which only adds to the charm. A scrap of paper with new arrivals yet to hit the list often circulates and before the ink dries there is occasionally a deal to be done. This is truly one of London’s great wine hotspots.

Le Colombier

For over twenty-five years, Le Colombier, a Parisian style brasserie in the heart of Chelsea, has been serving French classics under the watchful eye of Didier Garnier, one of the capital’s most revered restaurateurs. In that time the wine list has remained one of the undiscovered gems of the city, where pricing wine for local regulars has been the primary focus. The list is strictly French, although there was, for a while, a section entitled ‘vins étrangers’ that was composed of a lone listing of Opus One. Here you can expect mature class growth Bordeaux starting well under £100, first growths at retail price, the cheapest Guigal ‘LaLas’ in London and an incredibly broad selection of half bottles with wonderful Brasserie style food

Noble Rot

It would be impossible to compile a list of this nature without the inclusion of Noble Rot which, started by Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew, has become a global icon for wine. The food is overseen by Stephen Harris of The Sportsman in Kent, which is reason enough to go, but the wine lists at all three venues are legendary. For the purposes of nostalgia, I would recommend the original Lambs Conduit Street site, but you will not be disappointed by Mayfair or Soho either. The list here caters for all tastes and all budgets and is surely the most iconic restaurant in the capital for wine lovers.

Quality Wines

Under the guise of the Woodhead Group, Will Lander has furnished the capital with five phenomenal restaurants all worthy of this list. However, given that only one could make the cut, it must be Quality Wines in uber trendy Farringdon. The food is more simple than Michelin star Portland or 64 Goodge Street, but the wine list is as eclectic as it is deep, with mature by-the-glass offerings changing daily. There are big names at fair prices alongside undiscovered gems from the Loire to Lebanon and everything in between.

The Arches

Once a regular wine trade haunt, owned by the late, great Harry Gill, the reputation of Arches was legendary in the pre-social media and influencer era. Harry built one of the finest wine collections in the UK and would be regularly found walking the dining room sharing anonymous bottles with his regulars, taking huge pleasure in realising they had, once again, misidentified Henri Jayer for something far less impressive.

The restaurant is adorned with thousands of trophies in the form of bottles long since departed and every inch of the walls is dedicated to the good life. Now run by his partner, Ivana, this vinous treasure flies under the radar and has more than a few classics at astonishing prices to pair with your perfectly cooked sirloin.

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‘Move over Paris, London is now the wine capital of world’, declared a headline in The Times earlier this year.

I was struck by the headline. First because of the obvious mistake that the Times’ sub-editors had failed to spot.

Secondly, because I had just boarded the Eurostar to leave London, my home for more than a decade at that point, and move to Paris. Was this a catastrophic mistake?

I needn’t have worried.

To no great surprise, the article’s assertion was pure bunk, built on the flimsiest of criteria pulled from a Wealth Index compiled by real-estate agents Knight Frank and data analytics firm Wine Services.

In summary, London, apparently, ‘once reviled by oenophiles as the cultural desert of the western world’ (umm…) ‘now has the largest number of restaurants serving the finest wines in the world.’

According to the report, London has more restaurants/hotels serving more wines (from a pool of 250 ‘top estates’), with more wines per list and – best of all – for higher prices; £584 per bottle on average versus a rather paltry £177 in Paris.

Put that in your goblets and swill it, you bunch of sans culottes.

Drink the rich

And who do we have to thank for making London’s finest wine lists so blandly formulaic and morbidly expensive?

Why, it’s ‘the global rich’ of course, the report asserts.

That’s right, ‘an influx of American tech tycoons, Middle Eastern royalty and Indian and Chinese business moguls buying up luxury homes in neighbourhoods like Mayfair and Kensington or staying in the finest hotels’, has finally propelled London’s moribund wine scene out of the stew of Piat d’Or and Blue Nun in which it had wallowed for centuries.

Needless to say, such ‘findings’ left me rather cold.

However, the intervening six months have given me enough time to reflect on the wine scene in both cities.

Though not enough time, apparently, for the paper’s editors to correct the mistake in the headline…

Shop window on the world

London has much to recommend it as a wine city. Its international outlook and mercantile heritage means it offers a choice of wine that is nearly unmatched – certainly in Europe – for its variety and distinctiveness.

Away from the luxury resorts of Knightsbridge, that 180° (ish) arc eastwards from Islington to Peckham is teeming with wine shops and bars, offering an array of wines that would make a spice bazaar in a tale from the One Thousand and One Nights blush.

But the wealth report did get one thing right. The problem with drinking wine in London is that it’s expensive.

Let’s be honest, it’s bloody expensive.

Obscenely so at times. Quarterly review The Fence recently ran a poll on the worst places to drink in London in which it revealed wine lists where prices were five times higher than retail.

You may recall there was recently shock and horror that Paris restaurants were ripping off patrons by giving them less expensive wines than what was being ordered.

You wouldn’t get a story like that from London of course – because every glass of wine is a rip-off no matter what you order or where. And yes that very much includes my favourite haunts to buy or drink low-intervention wines in Hackney.

Obscene ground rents, rising handling costs and being scalped by successive duty increases from avaricious and cack-handed governments are among the factors conspiring to price wine lovers out of the game.

And don’t even get me started on the comparative price of croissants.

Where the living is easy

And you can sense it’s just not quite like that in Paris.

Yes, it’s more expensive than the French average. Yes, there’s a lot of plain and mediocre wine served in many bistros.

But if you steer clear of the worst offenders around the big monuments and boulevards, then London doesn’t quite have anything to rival the caves and bars à vin of Paris, where you can while away the hours on a terrace, drinking cheaply and without a care in the world.

Paris is a city where drinking wine just comes naturally. Everyone does it. My quartier hums with the sound of friendly chatter around tables festooned with bottles and glasses every night – well, not now perhaps. It is August after all.

And all the natty and boutique producers the cork-dorks swoon over in London I find everywhere in retail and restaurants for far lower prices.

Sure, the choices here are more singularly gallic. But drinking French is not symptomatic of a lack of choice. Not a bit of it.

France isn’t a wine-producing country, it is a wine-hued universe, a vinous nebula all of its own.

Every visit to the bottle shop is a chance to pick up something new, be it from Beaujolais, the Loire, Jura, Auvergne – ‘wait, where’s that from?’ – Languedoc – ‘ah!’

Since moving to Paris I’ve been buying more wine, dining out more and enjoying a relationship with wine that doesn’t have me cringing at what I can’t afford and wincing at what little I can.

The Times article declared at the start that London was no longer, ‘a no-go area for serious wine people’, the irony being that the more expensive it becomes – and the more five-star lists at ungodly prices are used as a yardstick – the risk is it will become exactly that.

In the meantime, I don’t think Paris has anything to worry about.

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Parlez-vous pinard?

An occasional primer on French wine slang and idioms

Pinard – A common slang word for wine. Possibly derived from the use of the variety Pineau that was commonly used to make the French army’s wine ration in WWI. Can be used in a somewhat derogatory manner similar to ‘plonk’ but mostly used in a positive and appreciative way for wines that are easy to drink.

Canon – To ‘boire un canon’ appears to variously mean drink a glass or a bottle of wine, sometimes used now to refer to a bottle itself. Something you like can also be ‘canon’.

Picolable – From the verb ‘picoler’ meaning ‘to go boozing/drinking’. If something is ‘picolable’ it is very drinkable.

What I’ve been drinking recently

Babar is the Colour, Domaine du Petit Oratoire, Vin de France

A blend of Syrah, Viognier, Merlot that blurs the line between red and rosé. Winemaker Lori Haon is based not far from Tavel and this is reminiscent of wines by Eric Pfifferling or Romain Le Bars. This is a silky, juicy, strawberry, cherry, faintly herb-scented and formidably drinkable style of ‘glou’ that’s gone before you can do anything about it. I am informed it also comes in litre-bottles…

Canon Huppé, Domaine Monplézy, Cotes de Thongue IGP

A play on the slang for a bottle or a glass, ‘un canon’ and the affirmation ‘c’est canon!’, this is exactly what it sounds like – a great bottle for sub-€10. A pure Cinsault from the Cotes de Thongue IGP in the Languedoc, this is made ‘Beaujolais-style’ with semi-carbonic maceration. Bright red fruit flavours not overly complex, pure pleasure, to serve lightly chilled. Très picolable.

Le Grolleau, Catherine et Pierre Breton, Val de Loire IGP

From the (bio)dynamic duo of Catherine and Pierre Breton in the Loire, Le Grolleau combines the is-it-isn’t-it-a-rosé of my first choice with the semi-carbonic twist of the second. Moreish, cherry and cranberry-ade. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law and I drank this almost indecently quickly. Never buy fewer than two bottles at a time. Soif buster.

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Founded in London in 1698, Berry Bros & Rudd is the UK’s oldest wine and spirit merchant. The business began as a grocer, located opposite St James’s Palace, owned by the Widow Bourne.

Her descendants continued to run the business through successive generations, becoming suppliers to the Royal Family under George III in 1760.

George Berry joined the company in the early 19th century, via marriage and business partnerships. He increasingly focused trade on wine sales. Under his sons George and Henry the business began trading as Berry Bros in 1845.

Hugh Rudd came on board in 1920. From a family of Norwich wine merchants, he helped to establish the firm’s vinous connections and credentials. The business was renamed Berry Bros & Rudd in the 1940s.

Scroll down to see Decanter’s picks from BBR’s summer selection

Expansion & innovation

The company remains in family hands today and despite its historic legacy, has pioneered innovations. It was the first independent wine merchant to build temperature-controlled wine cellars in 1967.

In 1994 it launched bbr.com, the very first wine merchant’s website in the UK.

Last autumn saw the first-ever Berry Bros & Rudd online fine wine auction. It featured bottles from the private cellar of Ian Mill KC, considered one of the greatest collections of Burgundy in the world, and achieved over £500,000, leading to it being hailed a ‘resounding success’.

Best value buys for summer

If you’re looking to buy now rather than bid, however, the current range has plenty of great options. As ever, the classic French regions are well represented, with choices ranging from top-end Bordeaux châteaux to the ever-dependable Good Ordinary Claret (£13.95).

The Own Selection wines always offer reliable drinking pleasure at more accessible price points. A great choice for summer is Berry Bros & Rudd Beaujolais-Villages by Louis Claude Desvignes 2023, a fruity and floral red that’s just £15.95.

Also coming in at under £20 is Domaine de Triennes, Rosé, IGP Méditerranée 2024, a pale Provence pink with with sweet and succulent berry fruit. Perfect for hot summer days.

Bordeaux & Burgundy

‘Our Burgundy selection has plenty of gems this season, but I can especially recommend two quality-focused growers at either end of the Côte d’Or,’ says says Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy and Loire buyer.

‘For me, it’s hard to look beyond Laurent Fournier’s Marsannay wines or David Moreau’s juicy and elegant expressions of Maranges and Santenay. Succulent and fruit-forward with ripe tannins, they are perfect summer wines. Served slightly cool, they have the versatility to pair with most dishes at a summer barbecue or picnic,’ he adds (see tasting notes below).

Bordeaux junior buyer Olly Hallworth recommends Château La Gaffelière 2016 (£76). ‘With vineyards nestled just below the esteemed Château Ausone on St-Émilion’s prized limestone slopes, Château La Gaffelière boasts one of the most enviable terroirs on the Right Bank,’ he explains.

‘Under the stewardship of the Malet Roquefort family, the estate has quietly become a benchmark for value, producing wines that consistently punch well above their weight. The 2016 vintage is now beginning to open up offering both immediate pleasure and cellar potential. In terms of price-to-quality ratio, few wines from the Right Bank can compete.’

Another favourite for Hallworth is Dame de Montrose 2014 from Château Montrose in St-Estèphe. ‘Montrose is undeniably at the top of its game, consistently pushing Bordeaux’s First Growths with its Grand Vin.

La Dame de Montrose, the estate’s second wine, offers a great opportunity to experience the wines of the estate at a remarkably accessible price,’ he says.

Loire gems

The Loire line-up includes Anjou producers Domaine Belargus and Terra Vita Vinum, new to the BBR portfolio last autumn. From the latter, Yoan Bernard, fine wine buyer, recommends Grandes Rogeries 2021 (see tasting note below).

‘This is a complex Chenin, made with very low sulphur usage, biodynamic and agroforestry principles,’ he says.

Bernard also highlights one of my favourites in the current white range, Alexandre Bain’s thrilling Pierre Précieuse 2019 (see tasting note below).

‘This Sauvignon Blanc is perfect for food pairing,’ he says. ‘A different style to what you would expect from Pouilly-Fumé, it’s great!’

Meanwhile Natalie Earl loved Charles Joguet’s Les Charmes, Chinon 2020 (see tasting note below). ‘Anne-Charlotte Genet and Kevin Fontaine have been doing an outstanding job at the domaine in the last few years,’ says Bernard.

‘Good for both hot weather or pairing, their precise Chinon can be served slightly chilled on a hot summer’s day, but has the capacity and body to be a good paring wine for a more gastro approach,’ he adds.

Champagne & sparkling

Also new to BBR in spring were the Champagnes of Matthieu Godmé-Guillaume. I really enjoyed his VVV cuvée, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from vineyards across Verzenay, Verzy and Villers-Marmery (see tasting note below).

‘A complex wine, this was based on the vibrant 2021 harvest, with 45% reserve wine added to bring depth and spice,’ says Davy Zyw, senior buyer.

Zyw also highlights the English sparkling wines of Hambledon in Hampshire, jointly owned by BBR and Symington Family Estates (see tasting note below).

‘This is the best Chardonnay terroir in England, pure ancient chalk soils that show a real feeling of sense of place in the wine,’ he explains.

The line-up includes the first-ever Blanc de Blancs from Hambledon. ‘It’s made from a 2018 base – an amazing vintage for sparkling in the UK, mirroring its brilliance in Champagne,’ adds Zyw.

Investment options

Following the addition of Heitz Cellar to its portfolio last year, Berry’s has welcomed another new California producer. Haynes Vineyard planted its first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines in 1967 in Coombsville. They are now the oldest vines of these varieties in the Napa Valley.

‘I’m delighted to say that our US wine selection is really challenging usual preconceptions of what a Californian or Oregon wine should taste like,’ says senior buyer Catriona Felsted MW.

‘Take our 2020 Haynes Vigneron Chardonnay, for example – tasting that blind, you would never in a million years think it was from Napa Valley. It is so Burgundian in feel and flavour with a beautifully crisp palate and poised minerality. It is so sophisticated and utterly exquisite.’

The 94-pt Vigneron Chardonnay is a great investment bottle that will reward cellaring (see tasting note below). As will 97-pt Testamatta 2022 from cult Tuscany producer Bibi Graetz.

But whether you’re buying to lay down or buying to drink now, the Berry Bros & Rudd portfolio is packed with dependably good choices.

Top wines from Berry Bros & Rudd: 15 to try

Selected by James Button, Jonathan Cristaldi, Natalie Earl and Julie Sheppard 

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Three people were convicted of fraudulent trading in a case at St Albans Crown Court in the UK this week, following an investigation into the fine wine investment scam by Hertfordshire County Council’s trading standards team.

It described a ‘complex wine fraud’ run via a now-closed company known as Imperial Wine & Spirits Merchant Ltd and previously named Imperial Wines of London Ltd.

A probe found 41 victims collectively lost £6m, but more than £37m passed through the company’s accounts in the 10 years that it was trading, said Hertfordshire County Council and the National Trading Standards body.

They said customers were offered top-tier Bordeaux wines on the false basis that the company wouldn’t make any money until the wines were sold on for a profit.

They added the company inflated initial prices for the wines, sometimes by more than 400%, meaning many investors did not see an increase in value and some customers lost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

While a majority of the wine did exist and was kept in bonded warehouses, some victims didn’t receive any bottles. 

Tactics included hiring luxury taxis to wine and dine victims, publishing glossy brochures and using fake names, the investigation found.

Staff reportedly watched ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ and other films as part of company sales training.

Trading standards officers raided office premises in London in 2018 and found a mantra on the wall stating ‘no means yes’, as well as a ‘Wine for Dummies’ book plus scripts and complaint letters from customers.

Ben Cazaly, 42, was one of the three people convicted on 5 August following a trial at St Albans Crown Court in relation to the scheme. Cazaly founded Imperial Wines of London Ltd in 2008, before the firm was later renamed.

The other two people convicted were Greg Assemakis, 39, and Dominic D’Sa, 45, said Hertfordshire County Council and National Trading Standards.

Trish Burls, chair of the National Trading Standards Tri Regional Investigations Team, said, ‘The criminals exploited people’s passion and enthusiasm, preying on them to invest while stripping many of their life savings and causing significant emotional distress.’

Sentencing will take place on 24 October 2025.

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As Dr Green prepares to launch a series of medieval supper clubs (complete with ye olde food and wine pairings and a lute recital), he shines a light on the wine culture of the Middle Ages and where you can still find hints of it today.

Dr Green is the author of Shadowlands: A Journey Through Lost Britain, which chronicles forgotten corners of British history, including its medieval wine trade. Find out more about his tours and events.

‘Not many people know that so much of London’s prosperity today was built upon the medieval wine trade. It was one of the city’s most valuable commodities but its story is now quite overlooked.

‘I like to remind people as we walk past banks and phone shops that these streets were once lined with vineyards.

‘The most remarkable thing is the sheer amount that people drank. In the 12th to the 14th century, wealthy people would easily be drinking five pints of wine a day – 3 bottles by today’s standards. And the level of alcohol wasn’t lower – it was higher if anything. So they were jousting, going to war and making big political decisions all while being three bottles of wine down. Maybe that’s one of the reasons it was such a cut-throat world.

‘Even babies were given wine. There’s a record of one outgoing wet nurse writing to the new wet nurse to say: “If you can, try to wean the baby off wine soup”.

‘It makes sense when you think about what the water was like back then. The River Fleet used to run red with blood on slaughter day. People knew drinking the water could be a death sentence.

‘There wasn’t a proper way of preserving wine then so it was poured away into the streets after a year when it became undrinkable.

‘The punishment for serving wine that wasn’t fresh was severe. On the tour, we pause at the spot outside St Mary-le-Bow Church where vintners caught selling old or bad wine were tied to a stake and surrounded by “vile minstrels” (basically musicians playing horrifically out of tune). The awful music would gather a blood-baying crowd, then the Lord Mayor would appear, waterboard you with your utterly putrid wine and smash the bottle over your head. A sweet revenge for a sour wine. They liked poetic justice back then.

‘In the wine taverns, there were giant jewel-encrusted pig troughs on the tables filled with wine. You’d scoop it out with coconut shells. The shells were so valuable they were locked up in the tavern at night. If you’ve ever drunk red wine out of a coconut, you’ll know it gives it a lovely texture. It’s a great trick for dinner parties.

‘It wasn’t just red and white wine back then either. You had all the colours of the rainbow and drank the colour of wine that matched your social status. Blue wine was the most elite – reserved for kings, archbishops and aristocrats. It was filled with ultramarine dye but the dye was deeply toxic so mostly they’d hold it to look important while drinking something else.

‘Next best was green wine – which was white wine mixed with grass. Then black – basically very strong red wine. White was for the lowest classes because it reminded people of the tears of sinners. They thought it might imbue them with sin.

‘On the tour, I always stop at Cleary Garden – London’s only medieval-style vineyard that has vines growing in it today and which doubled up as a plague pit. In the Middle Ages there were vineyards all across southern Britain because of the climate. From about 900 to 1350 AD Londoners were living through what’s called the Medieval Warm Period – it was probably hotter then than it is today so grapes could be grown in places where now it isn’t feasible. The warm period was replaced by the Little Ice Age from about 1350 so by around 1400 almost all the vineyards were gone.

‘During the plague they didn’t have enough space to bury bodies so it’s likely that lots of City vineyards became plague pits. After the plague ended, people didn’t really use the grapes from the plague pits – they thought they were tainted. But, by the next generation, they were up for grabs again.

‘I think the tour works because you get not just the medieval history buffs but also the foodies and people who are interested in wine. Plus, both medieval history and viniculture can seem quite unapproachable. We strive to make it fun. We have live actors who leap out and drink the wines we talk about as we walk. I think of it as immersive history. There’s a sense perhaps that you can behave badly on the tour or just get blind drunk.

‘There are definitely places where the spirit of excess and extravagance that permeated London’s Middle Ages wine culture lives on today. I don’t like seeing betrayals of that spirit, like when people are stingily pouring wine with those shot glass measures. But in places like Le Beaujolais [a wine bar between Soho and Covent Garden] they pour it right to the brim if they like you – it feels incredibly medieval.’

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The Welsh whisky producer has unveiled Serpent’s Tears, a peated single malt from its Llandudno site.

This is ‘the “first of its kind” peated whisky to be made in Wales since Frongoch Distillery closed over 100 years ago,’ according to Penderyn.

The whisky, which was released on 17 July, marks ‘a proud moment for our team and for Welsh whisky as a whole’, said Stephen Davies, CEO of Penderyn.

The inaugural release from master blender Aista Phillips and team is inspired by the surrounding Great Orme headland, the name of which comes from the Old Norse meaning ‘Great Serpent’. It is a nod to the longevity of the area, which stood the test of time through dinosaurs and the Ice Age, filling sea-farers with fear. It is a reminder of ‘the adventurous spirit of past explorers and the natural beauty of our home’, said Davies.

‘Penderyn’s pioneering spirit has been central to the resurgence of Welsh whisky over the past 25 years,’ the distillery added.

‘With the launch of Serpent’s Tears, the distillery not only cements its presence in North Wales, but also reaffirms its commitment to innovation, quality, and the celebration of Welsh culture on the global stage.’

Penderyn opened the North Wales facility in 2021. Its first site in the Brecon Beacons was established in 2000 and in 2023 it founded a third site in Swansea.

Serpent’s Tears

Aromas of fresh lemon, apple and white pear interwoven with peaty smoke and clove. It evolves on the palate, delivering smoked almond, tarte tatin, raisin and star anise. Beautifully integrated alcohol and a pleasing balance of sweetness and smoke underpin the long finish this elegant first release. Alcohol 46%

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Tuk-tuk driver Iuliu Kubola, 61, has pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary after stealing an estimated £24,000 of wine from a restaurant in the UK capital earlier this summer, City of London police said. 

CCTV footage released by police showed Kubola, of Richie Street in Islington, picking wines off a shelf in the restaurant’s cellar before placing bottles in a wheelie bin.

He wheeled the stolen wine outside and loaded the bin onto the back of a pedicab on the street, showed the footage, which was posted to Facebook backed by a soundtrack of UB40’s classic 1983 hit, ‘Red Red Wine’.

It’s the latest example of fine wine being targeted by thieves. There have been a series of fine wine thefts across Europe in recent years, notably targeting fine dining restaurants. 

Police said Kubola broke into a restaurant on Threadneedle street, near to the Bank of England, on 6 May and stole 73 bottles of wine. He cycled away with the bottles on his pedicab, police said. 

He subsequently returned to the same restaurant on 15 June and stole another three bottles, worth around £680, before turning up once again a few days later. On the third occasion, he left without taking anything, police said.

The 61-year-old was arrested outside a nearby bar on 22 June at around 12:30am after PC Jordan Felstead recognised him from a police briefing.

‘Thanks to the good work by our officers, who spotted him and quickly made enquiries and the arrest, Iuliu Kubola will face the consequences of his criminality,’ said detective constable Marcus Fairclough, in the Criminal Investigation Department of the City of London Police.

‘Burglary has a significant impact on businesses and residential communities. We will always take this type of criminality seriously and thoroughly investigate all evidential leads, including forensics, to bring those perpetrators to justice.’

Police didn’t name the restaurant and didn’t reveal the identity of the wines, but added Kubola will be sentenced in September.

Restaurant wine heists have taken place in several cities in the past few years, from Oslo and Copenhagen to Paris and Madrid. 

Perpetrators are not always caught, but one high-profile case in Spain saw a couple imprisoned for stealing bottles worth hundreds of thousands of euros from Michelin-starred Atrio in Cáceres.

Their haul included a super-rare bottle of Château d’Yquem 1806.

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