Editors’ picks: A range of great wines to try – September 2026
Each month our editorial team tastes a lot of wine, but not all of it makes it onto the page. So here’s our in-house pick of other great wines we’ve tried.
Vinho Verde: Pleasure beyond summer
In the lead up to this year’s scorching summer I was lucky enough to taste a wide selection of stand-out Vinhos Verdes – not least at a session I had the pleasure of hosting in Decanter’s Tasting Suite – that truly illuminated the region’s diversity of terroir, varieties and styles.
Vinhos Verdes have evolved tremendously in the last decade, with a vibrant community of producers reviving traditions and styles nearly lost to the incredible success of young-drinking, crisp, slightly spritzy iterations.
As the days draw in, it’s well worth seeking out bottles such as the Quinta de Linhares Grande Reserva Avesso 2016, a feat of classicism and longevity, Aveleda’s Parcela do Roseiral 2024, an expressive single-vineyard Alvarinho partially fermented in oak, and Constantino Ramos’ Zafirah 2024, a lively, refined example of the region’s alluring reds.
With texture, nuance and depth, these wines are worthy of your table beyond summer – and will hopefully inspire you to discover the landscapes and history of Vinhos Verdes.
Clemens Busch, but in Poland
In June, I was in Poznań for Polskie Korki (Polish Corks), the annual Polish wine competition and festival.
The fast-growing event, brainchild of restaurateur and Polish wine advocate Lechosław Olszewski, is now in its 10th edition.
At his restaurant and bar SPOT, I had the pleasure of meeting Mosel biodynamic legend Clemens Busch for the first time. Invited by Olszewski, a friend and importer, Busch was here to judge the wines (a good proportion being Rieslings) and give a masterclass to local producers, many of whom are very keen on practising low-intervention winemaking.
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Busch’s Ortswein (‘village wine’) Riesling vom grauen Schiefer 2024 was already charming, with honeyed elderflower, daisy and a creamy, spiced palate.
More mesmerising was the Marienburg GG 2024, from a southeast-facing ‘great growth’ vineyard: a complex mix of wild herbs, lemon oil and nectarine, bright yet polished, with exhilarating green fruits.
Minerality was my first impression of the Marienburg Fahrlay-Terrassen GG 2020 (£54.30 Honest Grapes), from the prized blue slate plot: waxy and zesty, with fantastic tension and an almost signature spiciness.
Finally, the 2011 Marienburg Falkenlay GG from vines (more than 85 years old) grown in deep grey slate. An explosion of pineapple, dried mango, butterscotch and sour yellow plum. Layered, vinous and spicy, finishing long, with touches of nuts and umami.
What a treat!
20 years of Palladius
‘This is a snapshot of 24 years of work – which is nothing in the wine world,’ noted South African winemaker Eben Sadie at a vertical tasting of his star white blend Palladius.
Inspired by wines from France and Spain, his idea of creating a blend to express the complex geology of Swartland was radical for the Cape at the time.
Going back to the first vintage, the 2002 – a blend of Chenin, Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay – he recalled: ‘The first Palladius made quite a few waves. Someone called me an enfant terrible and it took a while to shake that.’
Today, the sophomore 2003 vintage bears comparison with an aged white Rioja – savoury and structured but wearing its age lightly.
It was fascinating to taste the evolution of this icon, from the introduction of Clairette in 2007 through to the first use of a pneumatic press and addition of Semillon and Palomino in the standout 2009, the transitional 2013 vintage where Sadie started to ferment juice in ceramic and concrete rather than wood, and the relatively recent addition of Vermentino, Grillo, Cinsault Blanc and Assyrtiko.
The current release 2023 (96pts, £96£119.72 Bordeaux Index, Mayfly Wine Co, NY Wines) is a complex blend of 13 varieties, with thrilling purity and freshness; saline and structured, with nuanced herbal tones.
The father of Greek wine (in the UK)
The fact that the exciting wines of Greece have become almost mainstream in the UK today is largely thanks to one man.
Steve Daniel has championed Greek wines for decades, first at Oddbins and now at Hallgarten & Novum.
The importer held a tasting to showcase its Greek portfolio at The Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, with producers pouring the wines.
Glorious sunshine and blue skies added to the Mediterranean vibe. There were highlights aplenty, familiar and new, and I’d encourage Grecophile readers to explore the portfolio online.
Lovers, like me, of Assyrtiko whites and Xinomavro reds will be spoiled for choice, but also take a look at Vidiano, the Cretan white grape tipped enthusiastically by Daniel as ‘the next big thing from Greece – like Chardonnay but with a more lifted, saline character and a herbal edge’.
The two examples on show illustrated how malleable (like Chardonnay) it is. Oenops, Vidiano 2024 (£21.90-£24.95 All About Wine, Hallgarten Wines, Vin Cognito, Vinvm), from 24 plots vinified separately in a mix of oak, amphora and concrete, is rich with stone fruit and warm lemon.
In contrast, Idaia Winery’s Ocean Vidiano 2025 (£19.95-£21.83 Great Wines Direct, Hallgarten Wines, The Whisky Exchange) is breezy and crisp, all sea spray and summer freshness.
‘Mâcon-like, in contrast to the Puligny-like wine from Oenops,’ observed Daniel.
Fruity and Franc
Benjamin Abric, Weyborne Estate
At the height of summer I enjoyed two very different reds – in wildly contrasting locations.
In the picnic table ice bucket in a friend’s garden, the Viña Sol Fruity Red 2025 (£8.20 Ocado) from Spain’s Familia Torres – condensation beads running down its clear glass and the liquid inside beckoning quenchingly, like cherryade – was hard to resist in the heat.
The unoaked blend of Garnacha and Tempranillo was bursting with ripe raspberries and tangy redcurrants; juicy, uncomplicated enjoyment at just 11% abv.
A few days later (and no longer wearing shorts and flip flops), I was in the air-conditioned grandeur of London’s Vintners Hall to meet winemakers from the Iconic Wineries of British Columbia, including new technical director Emily Faulconer, who will oversee winemaking and viticulture across its stable of seven family-owned estates.
It’s a big move to Canada from Chile, where she held the same role for the Chadwick group (Errazuriz, Viñedo Chadwick, Seña), but she’s excited at the possibilities ahead – particularly for Cabernet Franc, which she sees as the Okanagan’s new calling card.
Mission Hill Family Estate’s Terroir Collection Cabernet Franc 2022 (£70 Goedhuis Waddesdon) is smooth and seductively dark, with vibrant black berries and herbal lift, deserving of its Silver (93pts) medal in the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards.
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Content written and compiled by the Decanter Team