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Simon Judge

  • What is in the Mouth Shapes What is in the Glass

    What is in the Mouth Shapes What is in the Glass

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    Simon Judge

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    Sometimes, when I taste food, and wine, the first taste is so much better than those that follow. It is not simply that the wine changes in the glass, though it sometimes does. It is also that the palate changes. The first sip arrives on a relatively fresh canvas. Every sip after that is judged in the context of what has just happened in the mouth. Hydration clearly has its benefits, but I have also been told by wine experts that water should not necessarily be drunk between every sip of wine. Water can temporarily alter the conditions in the…

  • New Research Into Wine Corks and Oxygen

    New Research Into Wine Corks and Oxygen

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    Most wine drinkers know that oxygen matters. A little can help a wine soften, develop complexity and move from fresh fruit towards more savoury, mature aromas. Too much can make a wine taste tired, flat or bruised. What is less obvious is how oxygen actually gets into a bottle once it has been sealed. A new study on cork closures shows that the story is not as simple as “cork lets air in”. The researchers looked at microagglomerated corks in a miniaturised bottle system over 18 months, with and without a model wine. Their aim was to separate out the…

  • Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Privada

    Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Privada

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    I purchased this wine because it was on special offer and it worked out well. It comes from Chile’s Central Valley and sits within Lidl’s Deluxe range. The bottle is rather shy about naming the producer, with the winemaker’s signature almost impossible to read, while the back label simply says it was bottled by VLFE Ltda. That turns out to be the well-renowned Viña Luis Felipe Edwards and the difficult-to-read signature belongs to Nicolas Bizzarri, their head winemaker. This is the 2023 vintage, with 13% ABV. It needs at least 30 minutes to breathe in the glass or decanter, so…

  • Taste the Difference Portuguese Lisboa

    Taste the Difference Portuguese Lisboa

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    This wine first caught my eye at a recent Sainsbury’s press tasting, where I picked it out from the line-up and immediately felt it deserved a proper revisit. I went back to it to discover more. It is made by Casa Santos Lima, based at Quinta da Boavista, Alenquer, around 45 km from Lisbon. The blend brings together Syrah, Castelão, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet and Tinta Barroca and I suspect it may be the same wine as their well-regarded own-brand “Blend Portugal”. This is the 2024 vintage, with 12.5% ABV. Vanilla aroma comes through first, followed by red fruit, vanilla…

  • 25% Off Wine at Asda

    25% Off Wine at Asda

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    Asda has 25% off wine, on £5.50 per bottle or more, 6 bottles or more, from 23 June 2026 until 29 June 2026. See the latest press tasting and pick list for tips on what to buy.

  • Château des Sarrins Rosé Grande Cuvée

    Château des Sarrins Rosé Grande Cuvée

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    Château des Sarrins Rosé Grande Cuvée, 2025 vintage, has just arrived in the UK, and I have been amongst the first to taste it. This is a Provence wine from the Saint-Antonin-du-Var region, with the famous Paillard Champagne family having acquired the domaine in 1995. It has been certified Organic Agriculture since 2011. The blend is Grenache 40%, Cinsault 20%, Mourvèdre 20%, Syrah 10% and Rolle 10%. It uses first pressing only, and the “Cuvée” in the name points to that choice, with only the purest juice drawn from the initial press of the grapes. It sits at 12.8% ABV.…

  • 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 17 June 2026 until 29 June 2026. See the Spring/Summer press tasting 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 17 June to 28 June 2026. See the recent Sainsbury’s press tasting for tips on what to buy.

  • Altano Tinto

    Altano Tinto

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    Altano Tinto comes from Portugal, made by Symington Family Estates, in the Douro, a producer I’ve actually visited, though I didn’t get to try this particular wine at the time. Symington is a big Douro name, best known for its Port houses, including Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s and Cockburn’s. Altano red arrived in 1999 as part of the family’s move into modern Douro DOC table wines, bringing a fresher, more contemporary side to a region. It’s made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Alicante Bouschet, with light oak. The green label is a handy clue too, this wine is Certified Organic.…

  • Cuatro Rayas Four Lines Verdejo

    Cuatro Rayas Four Lines Verdejo

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    Cuatro Rayas Four Lines Verdejo is a wine I picked out in recent tastings at Asda and Morrisons, and I liked it enough that I had to go back to it. “Four Lines” is the English-market rendering of Cuatro Rayas, which refers to the Pago de las Cuatro Rayas, a vineyard area. This is the 2025 vintage, made from 100% Verdejo. It comes from a cooperative winery based in La Seca, Valladolid, right in the heart of Spain’s Rueda Verdejo country. The bottle looks great too, with blue glass designed to stand out on the shelf while also helping protect…

  • W/O Nero d’Avola Rosato

    W/O Nero d’Avola Rosato

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    W/O Nero d’Avola Rosato is made around the idea of a wine made without (W/O) compromise, with sustainability placed front and centre. It comes from Sicilian winemaker Dino Taschetta and is bottled in 100% recycled ‘wild’ glass with no neck foil. The Nero d’Avola grapes are organic, grown in Marsala and Salemi, and the wine sits at 11.5%. It also has a high 4.1 rating on Vivino. In colour, it is light gold and much paler once poured into the glass. There is raspberry and citrus on the aroma, and it is strikingly expressive even when served cold. The fruit…

  • How to Sound Wine Smart

    How to Sound Wine Smart

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    How to Sound Wine Smart, by certified sommelier Maryse Chevriere, sets out to solve a very real problem. A 2024 study found that while four in ten people in the UK describe themselves as wine lovers, more than half are baffled by wine terminology. It is easy to see why. Even when wine writers and professionals try to explain things clearly, they can quickly slip back into “winespeak”, which can feel intimidating and off-putting to anyone just beginning to explore wine. This illustrated guide takes a refreshingly different approach. Published by Simon & Schuster, How to Sound Wine Smart is…

  • 25% Off Wine at Morrisons

    25% Off Wine at Morrisons

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    Morrisons has 25% discount on 6 or more bottles of wine, More card price, £6 or more until 14 June 2026. See the recent press tasting for my picks. Double discounts on the following wines I have previously picked:Ramos Family Reserva Tinto £11.25 -> £8.50 -> £6.37Cuatro Rayas Four Lines Verdejo £10 -> £7.75 -> £5.81Yealands Sauvignon Blanc £10.75 -> £7.50 -> £5.63

  • Lidl Summer Press Tasting

    Lidl Summer Press Tasting

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    In June 2026, I attended Lidl’s Summer Press Tasting in London, where 54 wines were showcased from the retailer’s current June selection, forthcoming July and August releases, and a number of bottles from Lidl’s core range, which are available year-round. Lidl’s Wine Tours currently run for around one to two months, giving shoppers a limited window in which to buy these bottles before they disappear from the shelves. The most popular wines often sell out quickly, which is very much part of Lidl’s approach: keeping the range dynamic, encouraging customers to return regularly, and creating a sense of discovery. This…

  • Siglo Tempranillo

    Siglo Tempranillo

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    Siglo Tempranillo Special Edition from Bodegas Manzanos comes covered in a jute sack, which instantly gives the bottle a lovely old-world Spanish feel. The back label explains that winemakers in the past would wrap their best bottles in jute to help preserve them during transport, protecting them from shifts in temperature and light under the hot Spanish sun. This jute saco is hand-stitched by ASPRODEMA, an NGO supporting adults with intellectual disabilities. The wine is 100% Tempranillo from vineyards in Rioja Alta and the Rioja del Reyno area. Unusually, there is no visible vintage. The Rioja label is green, Joven,…

  • Light and Moderate Drinking Shows No Clear Association with Cancer Mortality

    Light and Moderate Drinking Shows No Clear Association with Cancer Mortality

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    New research examines whether different levels of alcohol consumption are associated with long-term cancer mortality in the REGARDS cohort, a large US study of adults aged 45 and over. For once, the study appears to be independent, with no apparent connection to either prohibitionist or alcohol industry groups. After excluding people with prior cancer and missing alcohol data, the analysis included 26,694 participants followed for a median of 13.3 years, during which 2,306 cancer deaths occurred. Participants were grouped as non-drinkers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers or heavy drinkers. Heavy drinkers had the highest cancer mortality rate, while light drinkers had…

  • Waitui Bay Marlborough Rosé

    Waitui Bay Marlborough Rosé

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    Waitui Bay Marlborough Rosé is made by family-owned Marlborough Valley Wines and this is the 2025 vintage. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec, with the Malbec bringing that Rosé colour. Through canopy management and site selection, they have achieved a lower alcohol level of 9.5% abv. It is worth saying upfront, this is not your typical Provence-style Rosé. Sauvignon Blanc Rosé can divide opinion. A Rosé tasting I gave in the past showed just how many people have come to expect Rosé to follow that pale, dry, Provence-inspired path. Personally, though, I enjoy Rosé wines that move…

  • Villemarin Picpoul de Pinet

    Villemarin Picpoul de Pinet

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    Villemarin Picpoul de Pinet comes from Cave de l’Ormarine in Languedoc, France, the leading brand of the Picpoul de Pinet appellation and the only major Picpoul producer to be Terra Vitis certified sustainable. It’s from the village of Pinet, the home of the Piquepoul Blanc grape variety, and is made from 100% Piquepoul Blanc, with 12% ABV. This is classic Picpoul de Pinet. Pale lemon in colour, with lively aromas of lemon, lime, green apple and sea spray. It’s dry, brisk and citrus-charged, with that salty, mineral edge that makes Picpoul so refreshing. It’s great even served very cold, comes…

  • UK Drinkers Redefining Quality, Discovery and Moderation

    UK Drinkers Redefining Quality, Discovery and Moderation

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    The Buyer summarises findings from SOWINE and Dynata’s Wine & Drinks Barometer UK 2026, based on a representative survey of 1,002 UK consumers aged 18 to 65. Its central message is that UK drinkers are becoming more selective, better informed and more focused on experiences when choosing alcoholic drinks. Wine is becoming more knowledge-led and exploratory. SOWINE says 72% of consumers now think wine knowledge is essential to appreciation, up 20 percentage points on 2025, while the number of people describing themselves as wine experts has doubled. The implication is that consumers increasingly want to understand what they drink, not…

  • No-Low Wine Remains a Niche Market

    No-Low Wine Remains a Niche Market

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    On Tim Atkin’s site, Jason Millar argues that “no-low” alcohol, especially wine, is far more hype than transformation. Jason says UK no/low still wine has actually fallen from 1.7% to 1.5% of still-wine spend over four years, and much growth in no-alcohol wine is cannibalising low-alcohol wine rather than replacing standard wine. He says sparkling no-low is doing better, but the total no-low wine market remains tiny compared with the wider UK off-trade wine market. Buyer loyalty is weak, with many people purchasing no/low wine only once a year, often for Dry January, Christmas drivers, or special occasions. The article…

Pick Lists


Majestic | The Wine Society | Tesco | Waitrose | Sainsbury’s | Morrisons | Co-op | Asda | Aldi | Lidl | £7 and Under | Over £20

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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