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Simon Judge

  • Global Syrah Masters

    Global Syrah Masters

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    The Global Syrah Masters 2026 highlighted the consistently high quality and diversity of Syrah/Shiraz from around the world. Australia was particularly strong, offering good value at lower price points as well as numerous Gold and Master-winning wines. The judges specifically noted excellent value below £15, with strong performances from Australia, Chile, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and South Africa. Across the whole competition, 13 medal-winning wines fell into the “Under £10” or “£10–£15” categories: Here are all the more affordable wines priced at £15 and under: Price Band Winery Name of Wine Region Country Vintage Medal Under £10 J García Carrión Opera…

  • Blind Man Drives 150 Miles After Drinking Four Bottles of Wine

    Blind Man Drives 150 Miles After Drinking Four Bottles of Wine

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    Dangerous Minds reports that Anthony Hall, 50, who is legally blind and has never held a driving licence, drove around 150 miles from Huddersfield towards Scotland after drinking heavily with his partner. He told police he could only make out light and had followed the lights of an HGV along the M6. Police stopped him near Kirkland, Cumbria, after reports that his Vauxhall Meriva was weaving across the motorway and into the hard shoulder. Hall admitted taking his wife’s car without permission and said he had wanted to escape difficulties at home. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drink-driving, taking…

  • Independent Wine Retail in a Changing Market

    Independent Wine Retail in a Changing Market

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    Liberty Wines’ 2026 Independent Off-Trade Wine Report finds that the UK independent wine retail sector has faced a difficult two years, with overall spend falling by 5% between March 2024 and March 2026. Despite this, spend remains around 20% above 2019 levels, and performance varies considerably between retailers. More than 40% of independents have grown sales, with roughly one in four increasing sales by more than 10%. The report argues that the strongest performers tend to focus on high-quality wine, attracting new customers and offering a broad, distinctive range rather than attempting to compete directly with supermarkets on price. A…

  • Wine Mentions Matter Before the Customer Makes a Choice

    Wine Mentions Matter Before the Customer Makes a Choice

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    Robert Joseph argues that wine buying is unusually stressful because it combines several psychological effects that discourage purchasing: loss aversion, choice overload and the desire to make decisions quickly. He cites behavioural research showing that too much choice becomes particularly problematic when products are difficult to compare, have many attributes, the buyer feels time or social pressure, and the buyer cannot clearly describe what they want. Wine fits these conditions almost perfectly. Shoppers face hundreds of bottles, unfamiliar regions and producers, different vintages and grapes, complicated labels and relatively small price differences. The result can be hesitation, lower confidence, regret…

  • 25% Off Wine at Tesco

    25% Off Wine at Tesco

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    Tesco has save 25% off wine with Clubcard when you buy 6+ bottles that are £6 and over (£7 in Wales) from 15 September 2026 until 21 September 2026. See the Tesco Pick List for tips on what to buy.

  • 25% Off Wine at Sainsbury’s

    25% Off Wine at Sainsbury’s

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    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 15 September to 21 September 2026. See the Sainsbury’s Pick List for tips on what to buy.

  • Vinca Organic Red Wine

    Vinca Organic Red Wine

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    I broke one of my own rules with this one, not picking up a wine simply because the packaging looks different or attractive, but curiosity got the better of me. Wine in a can is nothing unusual these days, but a full 750ml can certainly is. The can is made from recycled aluminium, with Vinca claiming it produces four times less CO2 than glass bottles. There is also a special internal lining designed to keep the wine protected from contact with the metal. The brand is Vinca Wine, founded by friends Jack Green, Zak Walters and Charlie Vass. Green’s interest…

  • High Clandon The Cerulean Cuvée

    High Clandon The Cerulean Cuvée

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    The Cerulean Cuvée 2020 was a real treat, shared with my wife and I, when we went round to see friends who live close to High Clandon Estate in East Clandon, on the chalky Surrey Hills. The estate was founded in 2004 by Sibylla and Bruce Tindale and is very much a small, boutique operation. I have visited before for events, with wine, including charity art exhibitions. Its one-acre vineyard is entirely hand tended. High Clandon has built an impressive reputation for such a small estate. It has won the IWC Cellar Door of the Year trophy twice and received…

  • WineGB Trade and Press Tasting

    WineGB Trade and Press Tasting

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    At the beginning of September, I went along to my first tasting of the Autumn season, the WineGB tasting at Old Billingsgate in London. WineGB is the national trade association representing Britain’s vineyards and wine producers, and the tasting brought together producers from across England and Wales. The venue felt particularly great this year, with lots of space and natural light compared with previous WineGB tastings. With more than 350 wines on show from over 80 producers, there was plenty to explore. While I only tasted a fraction, these are the wines that really stood out for me: Simpsons Rabbit…

  • De Chanceny, Crémant de Loire Rosé

    De Chanceny, Crémant de Loire Rosé

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    This is a non-vintage Crémant, from the vineyards located around the village of Brossay, in the southern part of the Saumur region. It is produced by Vignerons de Saumur and is a blend of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Grolleau, with an alcohol level of 11.5%. This wine is made using the traditional method, with a second fermentation in bottle, followed by ageing in tuffeau limestone cellars. Tuffeau is the distinctive white stone that was also used in the construction of many of the Loire’s famous castles. It picked up Silver at the 2022 Concours des Crémants, a Silver Medal…

  • Making Wine More Relevant for Today’s Consumers

    Making Wine More Relevant for Today’s Consumers

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    Based on a survey of 900 US alcohol consumers aged 21–65 and analysis of online media, new research suggests Millennials and Gen Z are especially open to wine when it is presented as simple, flexible and relatable rather than something that requires expertise. Younger consumers are also experimenting with wine in less traditional ways, including serving it over ice, mixing it into other drinks and consuming it in more casual settings. The report argues that brands should embrace this versatility and give consumers more “permission” to enjoy wine however and whenever it suits them. A major issue is visibility: wine…

  • Viña del Cura Reserva

    Viña del Cura Reserva

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    I first came across this wine at a Tesco press tasting and it was one of those wines that immediately stood out. I was interested to see whether a full bottle at home would live up to that first impression. This 2021 vintage is made from 100% Tempranillo by Barón de Ley. It spends 20 months ageing in French and American oak, followed by a further 16 months in bottle, and finishes at 14% abv. This is the real deal. It is estate bottled, with DOCa Rioja prohibiting bulk bottling, and it comes from a renowned producer with a strong…

  • Domaine des Echardières Touraine Rosé

    Domaine des Echardières Touraine Rosé

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    This wine comes from Domaine des Echardières in the Cher Valley, in France’s Loire region. It’s a lively blend of roughly equal quantities of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Grolleau, all bringing fragrance and juicy fruit, alongside a rare red grape, Pineau d’Aunis. This is the 2025 vintage, at 12.5% abv, and it has earned a very impressive 4.7 out of 5 on The Wine Society website. The colour is a delicate, almost luminous light pink. There’s a gentle floral character at first, quickly joined by fresh raspberry. Take a sip and it almost seems sweet for a moment, but…

  • Understanding Savouriness in Wine

    Understanding Savouriness in Wine

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    Savouriness is an aspect of wine that I had not really appreciated fully before I created this website. Since then, it has become another dimension that I actively look for and enjoy, particularly in Pinot Noir and Shiraz. For me, savouriness can make a wine more interesting, more versatile with food and sometimes considerably more sophisticated than its price might suggest. A relatively inexpensive wine with the right balance of fruit and savoury character can have an extra layer of complexity that lifts it above a straightforwardly fruity wine. It is also a characteristic that I think can sometimes confuse…

  • Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Palazzo Maffei

    Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Palazzo Maffei

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    I particularly liked this wine at the last Co-op press tasting and found myself looking for it every time I went into my local Co-op afterwards. It proved surprisingly elusive. I finally spotted it while on holiday in Dorset, so I snapped up a bottle. The Palazzo Maffei name comes directly from the historic estate once occupied by the Marquises Maffei. The Maffei family was prominent among Verona’s aristocracy, and the estate itself appears on maps dating from around 1600. This 2021 vintage is a blend of 60% Corvina, 30% Corvinone and 10% Rondinella. The Superiore designation means it has…

  • Modern Science Identifies 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Wine

    Modern Science Identifies 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Wine

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    Chinese researchers have confirmed that liquid found inside a bronze vessel more than 2,000 years old was an ancient grain wine. The pot was discovered in a Warring States Period tomb in Ningxia, north-west China. Despite lacking a conventional lid, it had been sealed with fabric and mud, preserving around 3.7 litres of liquid. Using advanced chemical and microfossil analysis, researchers identified thousands of compounds as well as starch grains, yeast and plant remains. The results showed the liquid was a fermented grain drink made using cereals including barley and wheat. The find offers rare physical evidence of ancient Chinese…

  • Huski Wine Cooler

    Huski Wine Cooler

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    A Huski Wine Cooler was bought for me by my wife as a gift. I have to admit that I was guilty of not looking at it particularly closely when I first received it. We already have several wine coolers, so I assumed it was simply another variation on something I already had. As it turned out, it was very different and an excellent gift. Huski describes it as an award-winning, high-performance cooler, designed to keep drinks chilled for up to six hours without the need for ice. It certainly isn’t cheap. On the official Huski UK website it sells…

  • Orange Wine Masters

    Orange Wine Masters

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    The Global Orange Wine Masters 2026 suggests that orange wine is becoming a more technically accomplished and refined category. Judges found no obvious technical faults, including unwanted oxidation, which has historically affected some skin-contact wines. The main weakness was excessive astringency. Several wines extracted so much phenolic material from the grape skins that tannin and bitterness overwhelmed the fruit. The best wines achieved the same sort of balance expected of fine red or white wine, combining fruit, acidity, texture, tannin and, where relevant, oak without any one component dominating. Gérard Bertrand was the standout producer. They won three Gold medals…

  • Ormarine Cuvée Estela Picpoul de Pinet

    Ormarine Cuvée Estela Picpoul de Pinet

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    This is the new 2025 vintage of this distinctive Picpoul from the South of France. It comes from the Languedoc, now administratively part of Occitanie, specifically the AOP Picpoul de Pinet appellation in Hérault. Unlike a classic Picpoul, Cuvée Estela spends a minimum of six months ageing on its lees, giving the wine greater weight and a richer, more rounded mouthfeel. The label prominently carries the words “Élevée sur Lies Fines”, making a clear distinction between this fuller lees-aged version and the producer’s more straightforward Picpoul bottlings. It comes in at 12.5% ABV. In the glass it is a pale…

  • Calabria Bélena Pinot Grigio

    Calabria Bélena Pinot Grigio

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    I covered the Calabria and Bélena story in my review of the sister Rosé wine. Calabria is an Italian family that migrated to Australia in 1945, and this one takes the Italian connection a little further, using one of Italy’s classic white grape varieties. This is the 2025 vintage, made from 100% Pinot Grigio and coming in at 12% ABV. As with the Rosé, the decorative, faceted crystal-style clear-glass bottle feels rather more Italian than Australian, and it is good enough to keep afterwards as a decorative water bottle. Both the bottle and the labels look considerably more premium than…

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TipS – Infographics


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Did You Know?

Nearly a third (32%) of UK consumers say they have already used AI for alcoholic drinks advice. More

Among socially active wine buyers, 37% have bought a wine recommended online. More

In 2026, 72% of consumers now think wine knowledge is essential to appreciation, up 20 percentage points on 2025. More

Rías Baixas wines reached more than 107 countries in 2025 and exports represented 31 per cent of the denomination’s total sales. More

Light Strike Can Cause Wine Degradation in Just One Day. More

People actively adjust their wine choices depending on who might see them. More

In the UK, 73% of Alcohol is Bought From Retail Rather Than Hospitality. More

UK wine production reached 124,377 hectolitres that year, meaning the UK accounted for roughly 0.05 per cent of world output. More

For Crémant, grapes must be harvested by hand and the wines must undergo at least nine months’ ageing before release. More

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

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