In late September 2026, I attended Vintage Roots’ trade tasting celebrating 40 years since the company was founded. With 12 producer tables and more than 150 organically certified wines to taste, it was a chance to explore the range and meet some of the people behind it.
Vintage Roots was ahead of its time, seeking out organic wines back in 1986, when organic wine was a much less familiar proposition. The business began with support from Margaret Thatcher’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme, which gave budding entrepreneurs £40 a week, equivalent to state benefit at the time, for a year to help them get started.
Forty years on, the range has grown to more than 500 organic wines, beers, ciders and spirits from producers around the world. Now known as ‘the organic wine people’, Vintage Roots continues to focus on producers who combine thoughtful farming with quality and a more responsible approach to making wine.
Here are the wines that particularly stood out for me. Prices are the current retail prices listed on the Vintage Roots website at the time of writing.
Bodegas Latúe DO La Mancha By Latue Verdejo 2025 Spain 13% £11.75
Made from Verdejo grapes, this is a pale lemon-coloured, dry white with a light to medium body. Lemon, fennel and cut grass aromas mingle with hints of tropical fruit. Zesty citrus and tropical flavours follow, joined by a subtle almond note. The finish is fresh, herbal and clean.
Colombette Vin de France Souvignier Muscaris 2025 France 11% £12.75
From the Sud de France in the Languedoc, this combines two new disease-resistant ‘PiWi’ varieties, Muscaris and Souvignier. Very aromatic and floral, it has a soft, rounded character. Tropical fruit flavours come through clearly, with a slightly sweet impression.
Domaine Priou AOP Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2025 France 13% £16.50
From Touraine in the Val de Loire, Loire Valley, this Sauvignon Blanc is intensely aromatic, with vibrant tropical fruit and citrus aromas. Rounded in texture yet lifted by fresh acidity, it delivers concentrated gooseberry and citrus flavours.
Domaine Des Pierecèdes AOC Côtes de Provence Rosé 2025 France 12.5% £19.50
A very pale salmon rosé made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. Strawberry, redcurrant and intense white flower aromas are joined by a hint of saline freshness. Dry and delicate, with strawberry, peach and melon fruit, it has brisk acidity, very low tannins and a lovely mouthfeel. A light saline note leads into a crisp refreshing finish.
Parra Jimenez DO La Mancha El Troyano Orange 2025 Spain 11% £12.75
Made from Verdejo grapes in Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, this orange wine has a slightly cloudy orange colour. Playful musky orange, tropical fruit and oak aromas continue into the flavour. Low to medium tannins add structure and give the wine a more serious feel.
Fabre Lux Levis No Added Sulphur Cinsault 2024 France 13% £16.75
A Cinsault from the Languedoc with intense red fruit and gentle herbal aromas. Deep raspberry and red cherry flavours combine with medium tannins. Light in body but strong in flavour, this was one of my favourites of the tasting.
Perlage Terra Viva Sangiovese 2025 Italy 13% TBA
Medium ruby in colour, with aromas of red cherry, strawberry and Mediterranean herbs. This dry, medium-bodied Sangiovese is fragrant and fruit-forward, with warm spice and softer, medium tannins. The finish remains fruity and gently herbal.
Viña Ijalba DOC Rioja Reserva 2020 Spain 13.5% £21.50
Made from Graciano and Tempranillo, with aromas of dried red fruits, leather, tobacco and balsamic notes. Mature red fruit flavours have a silky texture, supported by medium tannins and medium acidity. Dry and medium-bodied, with a long, elegant finish.
Walnut Block Wines Marlborough Collectables Pinot Noir 2021 New Zealand 13.5% £19.25
From Marlborough, this Pinot Noir has a slight browning to its colour. Savoury aromas of red cherry, oak, raspberry and thyme lead into deep red cherry and strawberry flavours with a distinctly savoury character. Dry and medium-bodied, with medium, silky tannins, it finishes fresh and perfumed.
Bodegas Latúe DO La Mancha By Latue Sensibel 2024 Spain 13% £11.90
Sensibel is another name for Tempranillo, and here it produces a lighter-coloured expression of the grape. Cherry aromas lead into deep, fresh black cherry flavours, supported by low to medium tannins. Fruity and less oaky in style, it offers a fresher take on Tempranillo.
Domaine Bousquet Gran Malbec 2022 Argentina 14.5% £23.50
Deep purple in colour, with black plum, blackberry and violet aromas alongside oak, spice and cocoa. Bold dark fruit and chocolate flavours give this dry Malbec plenty of depth. Medium to full-bodied and round in the mouth, with medium tannins and a long, dark-fruited finish. This is a widely awarded wine.
BIO Cantina Orsogna IGP Terre Siciliane Luna Gaia Nerello Mascalese 2023 Italy (Sicily) 13% £15.50
Pale in colour, although its appearance belies the depth of flavour. Red cherry, pomegranate, floral and herbal aromas introduce an elegant, rich wine with a slightly smoky character. Dry and light to medium-bodied, with low to medium tannins, it finishes long and floral.
Château Rochecolombe AOC Côtes du Rhône 2023 France 14% £15.95
Made from Grenache and Syrah, with lovely red cherry and liquorice aromas. A burst of fruity blackberry and dark plum follows, complemented by a slight savoury character. Medium-bodied, with a great mouthfeel and medium tannins.
Château Beausejour Puisseguin St Emilion Vieilles Vignes 2015 France 14% £36.00
Made from 100% Merlot, with a slightly browning colour that reflects its maturity. Blackberry and plum aromas combine with vanilla, oak, spice and savoury notes. Robust and firmly structured, with savoury, earthy depth, medium tannins and a long finish. This was one of my favourites of the tasting.
These wines are available directly from the Vintage Roots website, as well as through independent retailers and, in some cases, restaurants and bars. That is slightly unusual. Many, particularly large, wine importers supply retailers (off-trade) and hospitality (on-trade) businesses without also selling directly to the public. I guess the difference is that this is a specialist organic range.
I usually come away from a tasting particularly impressed by either the quality or the prices. It is rarer to be impressed by both, as I was here. These are wines with a clear sense of provenance, typically made by smaller producers with care and a commitment to organic farming. The tasting made me think about the gap between supermarket wines, a large proportion (but not all) that are bulk bottled in the UK, and the independent retail market. As supermarket wine prices have risen, that price gap seems to have narrowed, making the step up to a wine with more character and a recognisable producer feel increasingly worthwhile. Duty may help explain part of this. It is linked to alcohol content rather than the selling price, so it accounts for a larger share of the price of a cheaper bottle.
