Simon Judge
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London Wine Competition Results
The London Wine Competition has once again highlighted the producers, regions and styles shaping the global wine scene. The 2026 results celebrate wines that combine quality, value and presentation, recognising bottles that are not only expertly made but also commercially compelling. At the top of the list is the 2026 Wine of the Year, Ernest…
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25% Off Wine at Morrisons
Morrisons has 25% discount on 6 or more bottles of wine, More card price, £6 or more until 4 May 2026. See the recent press tasting for my picks.
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The Definitive Champagne Tasting
In April 2026, I went to The Definitive Champagne Tasting in London. Run by the Champagne Agents Association, a UK-based trade organisation representing Champagne importers and agents, the event brought together 70 Champagne houses and hundreds of Champagnes. That may sound like a lot, but there are in fact more than 2000 Champagne houses in…
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Understanding Grower Champagne
Grower champagne is the term for a bottle whose producer is legally identified in Champagne as an RM, or Récoltant-Manipulant. According to Comité Champagne, an RM is a grower who makes and markets own-label Champagne from grapes sourced exclusively from that grower’s own vineyards. That is different from an NM, or Négociant-Manipulant, which is an…
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Cepa Lebrel Crianza
I first came across an recommended this wine at a Lidl press tasting and wanted to try it again in a less rushed setting. The striking thing at that time was how great it was for just £5.79. It is 100% Tempranillo, from the 2022 vintage, with a punchy 15% ABV. Cepa Lebrel is Lidl’s…
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Petit Pinotage
This wine came to me by accident, it should have been Petit Cabernet Sauvignon, but here is the review anyway. It is from Ken Forrester Wines, right in the heart of Stellenbosch and this is the 2023 vintage. It comes in at a punchy 14%, yet still has an easy-drinking style, which explains the “Petit”…
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Rapaura Springs Sauvignon Blanc White Edition
Rapaura Springs Sauvignon Blanc White Edition is new and exclusive to Majestic, from one of Marlborough’s most awarded Sauvignon Blanc producers. The symbol on every Rapaura Springs label is a circle of rocks, representing the pure spring in the vineyard. The brand name and label are designed to express the estate’s connection to water flowing…
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White Wine Extends Its Lead Over Red
An article on Wine Searcher argues that white wine has overtaken red as the more dynamic part of the market, both culturally and commercially. It says red wine’s long-standing image as the default “serious” wine is fading, while whites are increasingly seen as fresher, lighter and more in tune with how people eat and drink…
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Majestic Spring Press Tasting
In mid-April 2026, I was at the Majestic Spring Press Tasting at Vagabond Urban Winery in Canada Water, London, a new venue for Majestic tastings. There were around 100 wines on show with a focus on wines suited to events and entertaining such as weddings, parties, dining and barbecues. As always, Majestic provided the most…
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Research into Wine Complexity
I have written previously about the idea of complexity in wine, but it is also important to look at the research in order to understand it more fully. A particularly interesting TEDx presentation, The Art and Science of Wine Tasting by Qian Janice Wang, explores the question of what wine complexity really is or isn’t….
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The Wine Society Spring Summer
The Wine Society, established in 1874, is the world’s oldest member-owned wine community. Today, it has more than 180,000 members and offers over 1,400 wines from around the world, sourced from more than 700 suppliers. With a strong focus on member interests over profit, it has built a reputation for quality, trust and value. In…
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Vagabond London Victoria
In early April 2026, my wife and I visited Vagabond in London as part of a birthday celebration. This is more of a mini-review of the venue itself than of the individual wines. Vagabond, now owned by Majestic, is a chain of wine bars offering more than 100 self-serve wines by the glass. The system…
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Kew Gardens Albillo
Kew Gardens Albillo is by Raices Albillo from Spain’s Castilla y Leon wine region, made from the rare Albillo grape, often referred to as white Tempranillo. This is the 2024 vintage, sitting at 12.3%. In the glass it has a very light colour, almost clear. The aroma brings ripe pear and a floral lift, vibrant…
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UK Bottle Supply Fears Grow Amid Encirc Strike Dispute
The Drinks Business is reporting that there may be a risk of disruption to the UK drinks supply chain because workers at Encirc’s Elton glass plant, which supplies bottles for major brands and supermarket wines, have announced further strike dates in April and May after planned job cuts of nearly 30 roles. Unite argues this…
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Opi Malbec
Opi Malbec comes from Mendoza and was named ‘Best Malbec of Argentina’ on its debut vintage in 2008. It is made by Opi Sadler, ‘The Malbec Magician’, as his fellow Argentine winemakers call him. In U.S. direct-wine channels, the same line is often sold as J Opi Malbec. It is 100% Malbec, with brief oak…
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Lidl Spring Summer Tours
On the first day of April 2026, I attended Lidl’s Spring/Summer press tasting in London, where around 50 wines were showcased from the retailer’s current April, forthcoming May and June releases, along with a small preview of its July Wine Tour. A number of bottles from Lidl’s core range, available year-round, were also available to…
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The Best Organic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
This has been a long-time favourite of mine. At the last Morrisons press tasting, I found that the 2024 vintage was even better than usual and it ended up being my favourite red of the whole tasting. More recently, I had to try it again when I saw it on offer, just to check it…
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Lidl Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
I came across this 2020 vintage Amarone at a Lidl press tasting, where I thought it was the best wine on show, clearly better than the previous 2019 vintage and easily the best supermarket Amarone I have come across so far. Since then, I had been keeping an eye out for it to appear in…
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Rose & Rose Sauvignon Blanc
I first came across this wine at a Majestic press tasting and thought it was one of the best bottles on show. I had to try it again to see what it was like outside a line-up of 120 wines, how it changed with temperature and whether it would still impress. It comes from Marlborough’s…
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Mystery Wine Bottle Dumping Leaves East Yorkshire Villagers Baffled
The BBC is reporting that residents in the Hotham and North Cave villages are frustrated by a strange and persistent case of fly-tipping, where large quantities of empty Sauvignon Blanc bottles have been dumped along rural lanes for months. One farmer reported collecting as many as 48 bottles in a single day, with many identified…
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Did You Know?
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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