About

In the UK, we’re fortunate to have an extensive range of available wines. However, there’s a shortage of resources dedicated to people purchasing from UK supermarkets, specialist wine shops, clubs/societies, UK vineyards and wine bars.

Whilst Decanter is a prominent resource, it mainly focuses on high end wines, many of which aren’t easily available. There’s also Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast but they are USA-centric and also mainly cover high end wines. The majority of personal wine blogs have become neglected and abandoned by their authors and those that have survived are USA-centric and/or behind paywalls.

I mainly concentrate on wines that are financially and physically accessible and drinkable now. Financial accessibility is obviously a personal thing but for me this means wines below about £15 a bottle for everyday wines and £50 for a special occasion premium wine, Champagne or English Sparkling. Nevertheless, I sometimes try much more expensive wines if only to calibrate my expectations. In terms of physical accessibility, the majority of the wines I mention are available in either supermarkets, wine shops online, specialist stores or on-trade (hospitality venues).

I initially created this website as a hobby project and continue to maintain it for ongoing learning, enjoyment and the thrill of discovery, not for income. I am deeply interested in the world of wine. Over decades, I’ve enrolled in many wine courses, attended numerous tastings and visited a variety of vineyards in the UK and overseas.

The reviews and past tastings describe wines I have tried and most worth mentioning, while the picks list the ‘affordable’ ones I like the most, in a searchable and sortable database. The what to buy section provides further sources of third party recommendations. I also uncover the best supermarket offers. It’s worth reading Understanding and Using Wine Ratings to better understand my and others’ perspectives.

There are no affiliate links nor Google AdSense advertising on this site or social. I don’t get paid for anything you end up buying. I don’t get paid to post or review. While this has sometimes been offered, it’s not my thing, as I believe it would distort what I would be expected to convey. I receive samples from companies and attend tastings, but my reviews remain the same regardless of whether I have purchased the wine myself.

While you are welcome to follow me on social media through the links at the top right, my main focus is on sharing content here on this website rather than on social platforms.

Simon Judge, Woking, Surrey, UK.
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Did You Know?

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest export market for Champagne globally, after the United States. More

Local UK bottling of wine represents about 40% of imported wine. More

Around 1% of people, typically severe asthmatics, have a sulphite sensitivity. More

A large 80% of Australian wine arrives in the UK in bulk. More

Only about 0.02% of Australia’s landmass is dedicated to vineyards. More

In 2024, New Zealand produced only 1% of the World’s wine. More

In 2024, the US imported 37% of World production of Pinot Grigio and the UK was is in second place at 27%. More

In 2024, the UK was South Africa’s largest export market, with 40% of total exports. More

In 2024, the United Kingdom imported 22.3 million bottles of Champagne, a decline of 12.7% compared to the previous year. More

Larger Champagne producers source grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards throughout Champagne. More

Champagne houses and growers collectively produce around 300 million bottles annually. More

In 2025, the Champagne region was home to about 2,124 Champagne houses and approximately 19,000 growers. More

Provence is one of the leaders in the conversion to organic viticulture, with 61% of vineyards certified. More

8% of the South Africa’s grape production is Fairtrade-certified. More

Up to 80% of wine aroma compounds come from grape skins. More

Glycerol is the third-largest component of most dry wines after water and alcohol which is why they so often feel ‘smooth’ or ‘silky’ in the mouth. More

Humans are more than 400 times more sensitive to bitter than sweet. More

Humans can detect the earthy molecule geosmin at about 100 parts per trillion and camels are so sensitive to it they can locate damp ground from roughly 50 miles away. More

During the phylloxera crisis of the nineteenth century, 90% of Europe’s vineyards were destroyed. More

In 2025, for La Vieille Ferme, also known as “The Chicken Wine”, sales surged by 49.4% to £110.8 million. More

In 2025, in the UK, Yellow Tail held the top position with sales, marking a 9.8% increase over the previous year. More

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest wine importer in volume and value. More

In 2024, the UK was the fifth-largest wine-consuming country globally. More

In 2025, global wine consumption continued its downward trend, estimated at 214.2 million hectolitres, the lowest since 1961. More

In 2025, online alcohol sales had a 20% increase in value over five years. More

In 2025, the number of UK vineyards rose to 1,104 and wineries to 238, with land under vine expanding to 4,841 hectares, a 510% increase since 2005. More

Moët Hennessy alone commands nearly 46.66% of the Champagne market, with the top three producers together holding about 61%, and the top five controlling over 72%. More

In 2024, the Champagne market was worth roughly €3.92 billion. More

In the marketing year 2023/24, white wine accounted for roughly 55% of Spain’s output, whereas red and rosé together made up about 45%. More

In the UK, 92% of wine is consumed within 48hrs of purchase. More

The majority of wines, 95%, use commercial rather than wild yeast. More

Between 0.5 and 10 litres of water, per litre of wine, are needed for cleaning during winemaking. More

Machine harvesting can achieve up to 100 tons of fruit per day vs 1 ton for a human. More

In Germany, 2025 was the smallest wine vintage since 2010. More

The majority of vineyards, 90% in 2019, are farmed with heavy chemical interventions. Only 6% are organic. More

90% of low and coastal areas in south Europe and California will no longer be able to produce good wine by the end of the century. More