Simon Judge

  • Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling Wine

    Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs Brut Sparkling Wine

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    Part of my #awards25 series, this South African sparkling has a Gold Medal from the IWSC 2025 with an impressive 96 points. It’s from Robertson in the Western Cape and is an example of a ‘blanc de blancs’, a term that means white wine made solely from white grapes. In this case, it’s 100% Chardonnay….

  • Fast Track Guide to What Makes Wine Taste the Way It Does

    Fast Track Guide to What Makes Wine Taste the Way It Does

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    Simon Judge

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    At a high level, what you taste in a wine comes from three places: the grapes and their fermentation (primary aromas and flavours), the choices made after fermentation (secondary, such as oak, malolactic and lees) and the effects of maturation and age (tertiary). Thinking in these three layers helps you separate where specific notes and…

  • Screaming Devil Côtes de Provence Rosé

    Screaming Devil Côtes de Provence Rosé

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    I’ve previously written about this wine, picking it out at Asda press tastings. The new 2024 vintage had a lot to live up to, so I was eager to see whether it matched the standard set by earlier years. For anyone unfamiliar, Screaming Devil is a tongue-in-cheek spin on Whispering Angel, a name that quickly…

  • Ramos Family Reserva Tinto

    Ramos Family Reserva Tinto

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    This is a great red I came across at the London Wine Show, showed by Oakley Wine Agencies, the UK importer. Originating from Portugal, it’s the result of João Portugal Ramos’ work in Estremoz, Alentejo, where he began planting vines back in 1989. The wine brings together Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional grapes and a handful…

  • Bordeaux Royalty Chooses Vin de France

    Bordeaux Royalty Chooses Vin de France

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    Château Lafleur has fired the starting gun on one of the most consequential shifts in modern Bordeaux. In a letter dated Sunday 24 August 2025, the Guinaudeau family confirmed that, from the 2025 harvest, all six of the estate’s wines will drop the appellations of Pomerol and Bordeaux and be labelled Vin de France. For…

  • Louis Couturier Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé

    Louis Couturier Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé

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    A sparkling Rosé from the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers, the stretch of land between the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. Dry in style and produced by Les Grands Chais de France, a large cooperative and négociant house known for its wide portfolio across Bordeaux and beyond, this wine comes in at 11.5% ABV. It is made…

  • Climate Change Fuels Rise of Non-Vintage Wines

    Climate Change Fuels Rise of Non-Vintage Wines

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    Simon Judge

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    The BBC is reporting that climate change is leading more winemakers to produce non-vintage still wines, blending grapes from different years to cope with increasingly unpredictable weather. While vintage has long been seen as a mark of quality, extreme conditions like heatwaves, wildfires, and frosts are making single-year production more difficult. To maintain consistency and…

  • Leyda Pinot Noir Rosé

    Leyda Pinot Noir Rosé

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    Simon Judge

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    This Pinot Noir rosé from Chile is made by the renowned Chilean winery Viña Leyda. It comes from Chile’s Valle de Leyda in the San Antonio Valley, part of the Aconcagua region. Viña Leyda is widely recognised and is the most awarded coastal winery in Chile. Its reputation is further bolstered by the achievements of…

  • Grape Explications

    Grape Explications

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    Simon Judge

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    Neal Hulkower, author of Grape Explications, sent me his book to review. It is less a single, neatly packaged volume and more a glorious grab bag of articles, essays and musings. Think of it as a well-stocked cellar of words poured from his writing since the late 1970s. Neal David Hulkower is a wine writer,…

  • Comte de Saint Emmanuel

    Comte de Saint Emmanuel

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    Simon Judge

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    This arrived by accident, a substitute for a bottle that never turned up. The name may sound grand, but it’s a white label name without particular provenance. However, behind it is the producer Amand Chaperon, with grapes coming from the Entre-Deux-Mers region. A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it promised familiarity, though expectations were…

  • Granite Hill Old Vine Zinfandel

    Granite Hill Old Vine Zinfandel

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    This was my favourite red at a recent Tesco press tasting and one I was keen to revisit in more detail. From Lodi in California, this wine is a blend of 75% Zinfandel, 15% Teroldego and 10% other varieties, made by the Kautz family and is vegan. Its name reflects the rocky, granite-rich soils where…

  • Viña del Cura Rioja Blanco

    Viña del Cura Rioja Blanco

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    Simon Judge

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    This wine made its first impression on me at a Tesco press tasting. This 2023 vintage sits at 13% ABV and is made from a blend of 90% Viura and 10% Tempranillo Blanco, produced by Barón de Ley. It’s vegan-certified and has spent time on lees, followed by four months in American oak barrels. The…

  • Thoughts on Wine with Food

    Thoughts on Wine with Food

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    Simon Judge

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    In the August 2025 issue of Decanter, Alder Yarrow and Fiona Beckett have an entertaining debate whether food and wine pairing is meaningful or a waste of time. Yarrow dismisses it as outdated dogma that alienates drinkers by imposing needless rules, arguing that personal taste, mood, environment and even biology make universal pairing principles impossible….

  • 25% Off Wine at Waitrose

    25% Off Wine at Waitrose

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    Waitrose has 25% off 6 bottles or more of wine and Champagne priced between £5 and £100 from 20 August 2025 to 26 August 2025 inclusive. See the recent press tasting for tips on what to buy.

  • Triennes Rosé

    Triennes Rosé

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    Simon Judge

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    I came across this wine at a family gathering. There was nothing about the label to suggest it comes from Provence. The bottle itself doesn’t follow the visual cues you often see with Provençal rosé with no fancy lable or stylised bottle design. It’s modest, understated. The surprise is entirely in what’s inside. Only after…

  • Château La Garde

    Château La Garde

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    Simon Judge

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    I picked this up a few months ago from Aldi when it was featured as ‘Wine of the Week’ at a tempting £4.99, though the final price was £5.75 since I happened to be visiting Wales at the time. On a side note, Wales has some peculiar minimum pricing rules and, oddly, even the large…

  • 25% Off Wine at Tesco

    25% Off Wine at Tesco

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    Simon Judge

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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 19 August 2025 until 25 August 2025. See the recent Tesco tasting and Picks for tips on what to buy.

  • 25% Off Wine at Asda

    25% Off Wine at Asda

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    Simon Judge

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    Asda has 25% off wine, on £5.50 per bottle or more, 6 bottles or more, from 19 August 2025 until 25 August 2025. See the latest press tasting for tips on what to buy.

  • 25% Off Wine at Morrisons

    25% Off Wine at Morrisons

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    Simon Judge

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    Morrisons has 25% discount on 6 or more bottles of wine, More card price, £6 or more until 31 September 2025 which I think is a typo on their site as this day doesn’t even exist!, and should be 31 August 2025. See the recent press tasting for my picks.

  • 25% Off Wine at Sainsbury’s

    25% Off Wine at Sainsbury’s

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    Simon Judge

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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 18 August 2025 to 25 August 2025. See the recent Sainsbury’s press tasting for tips on what to buy.

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