Simon Judge

  • Ramón Bilbao Crianza

    Ramón Bilbao Crianza

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    This 2022 vintage is made entirely from Tempranillo and while it carries the Crianza level rather than the more prestigious Reserva or Gran Reserva, don’t let that fool you into underestimating this wine. In the winery, each vineyard plot is handled individually, with fermentation done separately before the final blend is brought together just ahead…

  • Tesco Third-Party Wine Marketplace

    Tesco Third-Party Wine Marketplace

    ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    I keep track of all the supermarket websites to find wines for my offers page. Something that has been quietly added at Tesco is the integration of online third-party marketplace sellers to include wine. Tesco relaunched its general online marketplace in June 2024, allowing shoppers to buy thousands of non-grocery products from approved partners alongside…

  • Chapel Down Drops £32m Winery Plan But Keeps Sales Sparkling

    Chapel Down Drops £32m Winery Plan But Keeps Sales Sparkling

    , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Chapel Down is one of England’s leading winemakers, based in Kent at the heart of the country’s wine-growing region. Best known for its award-winning sparkling wines made in the traditional method, it also produces still wines and runs a visitor centre with tours and tastings. Over the past two decades, Chapel Down has helped put…

  • Chassaux et Fils Atlantique Rosé

    Chassaux et Fils Atlantique Rosé

    ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    This Rosé comes from the IGP Atlantique in the southwest of France, a broad region that stretches along the Atlantic coast. The area benefits from a maritime climate, which gives rise to bright, fruit-forward wines. Produced in departments such as Gironde and Charente-Maritime, this particular example uses Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes, commonly used in…

  • Demise of the Wine List

    Demise of the Wine List

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    A noticeable trend in informal hospitality is the slow demise of the wine list. Fewer people are drinking wine when eating out, largely due to affordability issues. The rising costs in hospitality, driven by duty increases, environmental packaging regulations and national insurance, make both customers and proprietors more cautious. For proprietors, there is less incentive…

  • Hatch Mansfield Autumn Portfolio Tasting

    Hatch Mansfield Autumn Portfolio Tasting

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Hatch Mansfield is a leading UK wine agency, founded in 1994 by Patrick McGrath MW alongside partners from renowned producers including Louis Jadot, Errazuriz and Villa Maria. The company specialises in representing and distributing wines from independent, family-owned estates across the globe. While many of the wines it brings to market are found in independent…

  • 25% Off Wine at Tesco

    25% Off Wine at Tesco

    ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Tesco has save 25% off wine with Clubcard when you buy 6+ bottles that are £6 and over (£7 in Wales), from 16 September 2025 until 22 September 2025. See the recent Tesco tasting and Picks for tips on what to buy.

  • 25% Off Wine at Sainsbury’s

    25% Off Wine at Sainsbury’s

    ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Sainsbury’s has 25% off wine for Nectar loyalty card holders, sparkling and Champagne, 6 bottles or more, £6 or more (£7 in Wales), from 16 September 2025 to 23 September 2025. See the recent Sainsbury’s press tasting for tips on what to buy.

  • Chasm de Cabrespine Minervois

    Chasm de Cabrespine Minervois

    , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    This is a southern French red with an unusual story behind its ageing. Stored for six years in one of Languedoc’s most striking natural wonders, the vast Cabrespine Chasm near Carcassonne, this wine spent part of its time resting in clay amphorae set in the upper cave, then the rest submerged in an underground river…

  • Louis Pommery Brut Royal

    Louis Pommery Brut Royal

    ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Pommery was the first Champagne house to introduce a Brut style with low dosage back in 1874. ‘Brut Royal’ is the flagship non-vintage cuvée of the house, created to capture the essence of Pommery’s style, which is centred on liveliness, finesse and freshness. This non-vintage wine sits at 12.5% ABV and is composed of 34%…

  • Portuguese Red Blends

    Portuguese Red Blends

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Hannah Crosbie’s Guardian piece explores why Portuguese red blends are thriving in the UK while single varietal wines struggle. Portugal has more than 250 native grapes, but field blends dominate because old vines are planted together, making blending the natural choice. Consumers are unfamiliar with grape names such as Baga, Castelão or Touriga Nacional, which…

  • Barossa Blood Ink Shiraz

    Barossa Blood Ink Shiraz

    , , , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Barossa Blood Ink Shiraz is making a bold show this Halloween with a limited-edition makeover, featuring striking new front and back labels designed to catch the eye and chill the spine. While the look is for Halloween, what’s inside the bottle remains the same as the usual Barossa Ink Shiraz, the UK’s top-selling premium Shiraz….

  • Pierre Jaurant Sud de France Rosé

    Pierre Jaurant Sud de France Rosé

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    This rosé comes from the Pays d’Oc region, a broad sweep of vineyards along the southern coast of France. Assuming it remains consistent with previous vintages, it’s made entirely from Grenache and sits at 12.5% ABV. Talking of vintages, unusually, no vintage is mentioned on the bottle. Rather than being bulk bottled, this wine is…

  • WineGB Trade and Press Tasting 2025

    WineGB Trade and Press Tasting 2025

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    At a time when France, Spain and Italy are reducing their vineyard areas, Britain, though far smaller, is expanding. Over the past year registered vineyards have risen by 74 to reach 1,104, while 25 new wineries have been added, bringing the total to 238. The planted area has grown from 4,209 hectares to 4,841 hectares,…

  • Echo Falls Summer Berries Fruit Fusion Box

    Echo Falls Summer Berries Fruit Fusion Box

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Vinarchy, a wine company formed in 2025 from the merger of Accolade Wines and Pernod Ricard Winemakers, has released its Echo Falls Summer Berries Fruit Fusion in a new box format, tapping into the growing popularity of boxed wines in the UK, with sales reportedly up 35% year-on-year. This latest addition lands squarely in the…

  • Aldi Autumn Winter Tasting 2025

    Aldi Autumn Winter Tasting 2025

    ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Aldi’s wine press tasting was at Tate Modern in London, my first press tasting of the Autumn–Winter ’25 season. The tasting was smaller than usual at around sixty-five wines plus a handful of fortifieds. The wines shown were mainly seasonal and what’s arriving soon, rather than in the core range. We were told Rosé has…

  • Animus Douro

    Animus Douro

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    This 2023 vintage wine from Vicente Faria Vinhos is a Portuguese red made in the Douro valley from a blend of 40% Touriga Franca, 30% Tinta Roriz and 30% Touriga Nacional. At 13% abv and vegan friendly, it has also earned a commendation at the IWC 2025. The fragrance is vivid, beginning with a lift…

  • Champagne Foil Debate Ends as Tradition Yields to Choice

    Champagne Foil Debate Ends as Tradition Yields to Choice

    , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    The Drinks Business is reporting that the Comité Champagne has dropped its opposition to an EU ruling that makes neck foils on Champagne bottles optional, concluding after new research that removing them neither harms sales nor damages the region’s image. The decision follows years of debate across the sparkling-wine world. English producers have argued that…

  • Jam Shed Sauvignon Blanc 1.5l Box

    Jam Shed Sauvignon Blanc 1.5l Box

    , , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    Jam Shed Sauvignon Blanc is a new wine under the familiar Jam Shed label, appearing in a smaller 1.5-litre mini box format, the equivalent of two standard bottles. This release comes from Vinarchy, a wine company formed in 2025 from the merger of Accolade Wines and Pernod Ricard Winemakers. The name blends Vin, French for…

  • Spain’s Wine Industry at a Red-White Crossroads

    Spain’s Wine Industry at a Red-White Crossroads

    , ,

    ·

    By

    Simon Judge

    –

    The American Association of Wine Economists recently posted a chart showing Spain’s wine production has been declining and it has also shifted away from red. Spain’s falling output is mostly a climate story, amplified by weaker demand and policy responses. After peaking in 2018, production has trended lower as drought, heat and erratic rainfall have…

Follow

Recent

Tags

25% Off Wine Aldi Amarone Argentina Articles Asda Australia Award Awards25 Bizarre Blog Books Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon Carménère Cava Champagne Chile Climate Change Coop Costco Decanter Duty English Wine EPR Events Fairtrade Food France Furmint Germany Glossary Greece Headaches Health Hungary Italy IWSC Jeroboams Laithwaites Legislation Liberty Wines Lidl Low Alcohol M&S Majestic Malbec Marketing Merch Merlot Morrisons Naked Wines Natural News New Zealand Ocado Old Vine Organic Past Tastings Pinotage Pinot Noir Port Portugal Primitivo Prosecco Regulations Reviews Ribera del Duero Riesling Rioja Ripasso Rose Sainsbury's Saperavi Sauvignon Blanc Selfridges Shiraz Sicily South Africa Spain Sparkling Supermarkets Sustainable Tax Terroir Tesco The Wine Society Unrepresented USA Valpolicella Vinho Verde Virgin Wines Waitrose Wanderlust Welsh Wine What to Buy Wine Art WineGB WIne Glasses Zinfandel