Simon Judge

  • Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Reds

    Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Reds

    Mouton Cadet owes its reputation to the passion and enthusiasm of the Rothschild family. They have cultivated a legacy of winemaking over three generations. This review is a side-by-side tasting of two Mouton Cadet wines: the Mouton Cadet Classic Rouge 2021 and the Mouton Cadet Cuvée Heritage 2019. The Mouton Cadet Classic Rouge 2021, made…

  • The Science Behind Sparkling Wines

    The Science Behind Sparkling Wines

    New research Understanding the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wines from a scientific perspective provides a comprehensive exploration of the processes involved in the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wines. The study looks into the dynamics from the moment the bottle is uncorked to the bursting of bubbles in the glass, emphasising the…

  • UK Surpasses 1,000 Vineyards

    UK Surpasses 1,000 Vineyards

    UK vineyards have surpassed the milestone of 1,000 vineyards, marking a 9.2% increase from the previous year, with 1,030 vineyards now registered. Sales of English and Welsh wines grew by 10% in 2023. There are now 221 wineries, and the total area under vine has reached 4,209 hectares, reflecting a 123% growth over the past…

  • Wine Global Sparkling Masters Winners

    Wine Global Sparkling Masters Winners

    The Global Sparkling Masters 2024, held on 9 May at Bellanger in Islington, London, featured high-quality judges evaluating 210 wines from 14 countries. Wines were awarded Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals, with the best receiving the title of Sparkling Master. Among the entries, Italy had the most submissions, while the US did not secure any…

  • Women Judge Wine More Stringently

    Women Judge Wine More Stringently

    A new study Factors explaining differences in wine experts’ ratings: The case of gender, credentials, occupation and peer effects by researchers from Spain and France investigates the reasons behind the variability in scores given by wine experts to the same wines under identical tasting conditions. The research examines how personal characteristics such as gender, industry…

  • Kew Gardens Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut

    Kew Gardens Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut

    This wine, created in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, features a beautifully designed label that captures the essence of nature. The nude cork adds a rustic charm, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal. On pouring, the wine reveals a strong mousse and an attractive blush colour. The bottle label promises berry fruit and citrus…

  • Jam Shed ‘Spin to Win’ Promotion

    Jam Shed ‘Spin to Win’ Promotion

    Jam Shed is launching a new promotion featuring a ‘Spin to Win’, offering consumers a chance to win from over 25,000 prizes. The promotion runs from 1st July to 30th September and includes 1,695,894 neck flags across six SKUs: Shiraz, Chardonnay, Malbec, Rosé, Tempranillo, and Red Blend. Available in major grocery stores and retailers nationwide,…

  • Decanter World Wine Awards, Best Value Gold

    Decanter World Wine Awards, Best Value Gold

    The Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2024 has revealed its Top 20 Value Gold wines, showcasing the best wines under £15. These wines deliver exceptional quality for their price, making them ideal choices for everyday enjoyment without compromising on excellence. The judging process involves blind tastings and evaluations by regional panels and co-chairs, ensuring that…

  • Cheapest UK Supermarket for Branded Wine

    Cheapest UK Supermarket for Branded Wine

    A Which? investigation has found that Tesco is the cheapest supermarket for branded wines if you have a Clubcard. An analysis of prices for 15 branded wines at major UK supermarkets (Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose) from 1 February to 30 April 2024 revealed Tesco’s Clubcard discounts made it the most affordable, with…

  • Italian Wine Production Fell by 17% Last Year

    Italian Wine Production Fell by 17% Last Year

    The Drinks Business is reporting that, in 2023, Italian agriculture suffered significantly due to extreme weather, with wine production being particularly affected. Europe experienced its hottest summer in 2,000 years, leading to a 3.9% drop in agricultural output in Italy. Specifically, the production of vines, fruits, and olives decreased by 11.1%, and overall wine production…

  • Petersham Cellar, Vini Franchetti

    Petersham Cellar, Vini Franchetti

    Petersham Cellar is a London-based independent specialist in cult and fine wines. It was founded by Giovanni Mazzei from the Marchesi Mazzei family, owners of the Castello di Fonterutoli in Tuscany since 1435 and Lara Angelica Boglione from Petersham Nurseries in London. Petersham Cellar is associated with Petersham Nurseries and the group of restaurants including…

  • Istituto Grandi Marchi

    Istituto Grandi Marchi

    On 25 June 2024, I attended the Istituto Grandi Marchi wine tasting event in London. The Istituto Grandi Marchi, founded in 2004, is a group comprising eighteen top Italian wineries. Their mission is to promote the culture and trade of high-quality Italian wine. As part of their global tour, they brought a selection of exceptional…

  • 25% off Wine at Sainsbury’s

    25% off Wine at Sainsbury’s

    Sainsbury’s has 25% off wine, 6 bottles or more, £6 or more, from 26 June 2024 to 30 June 2024.

  • 25% Off Wine at Tesco

    25% Off Wine at Tesco

    Tesco has save 25% off wine with Clubcard when you buy 6+ bottles that are over £5.50 (£7 in Wales), from 25 June 2024 until 1 July 2024. Max 36 bottles. See the Tesco tasting for tips on what to buy.

  • Wine Atlas Île-de-Beauté Rosé

    Wine Atlas Île-de-Beauté Rosé

    The Wine Atlas Île-de-Beauté Rosé, 2023 vintage, comes from Corsica and is produced by Vignerons D’Aghione. It features a blend of Niellucciu, Sciacarellu (20%), Syrah (10%) and Grenache (50%), with a 4-month maturation period and an 11% ABV. The wine is a IWC Bronze Medal Winner 2024 and is a new wine in the Asda…

  • WineGB Awards Winners

    WineGB Awards Winners

    The eighth WineGB Awards saw a record-breaking number of entries and gold medals, with wines from 33 counties across England and Wales receiving accolades. Over 350 medals were awarded: 177 for sparkling wines and 174 for still wines, with a significant increase in gold medals for still wines compared to 2023. Notable categories included Classic…

  • UK Vineyard Visits Surge

    UK Vineyard Visits Surge

    A new WineGB tourism report (PDF) reveals a significant rise in vineyard visits in the UK, with a 55% increase in two years. The report highlights WineGB’s initiatives to support wine tourism and outlines seven policy changes it urges the government to implement to boost growth. The report shows that 300 vineyards and wineries are…

  • Lidl Summer and French Wine Tours

    Lidl Summer and French Wine Tours

    In June 2024, I went to a Lidl wine tasting in London, which showcased wines planned to be introduced during the Summer (mainly Iberian wine) and French Wine Tours, at the end of June 2024 and July 2024 respectively. Additionally, a selection of wines from Lidl’s core range was also being shown. Wine Tours at…

  • Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

    Decanter World Wine Awards 2024

    The Decanter World Wine Awards 2024 results are out, highlighting the best wines from over 18,000 entries across 57 countries. France led with the most top medals, including 12 Best in Show awards. Notable winners include Burgundy and Champagne. Other standout regions are Australia, Spain and Italy. The awards also featured impressive performances from emerging…

  • Celebrate English Wine Week with The Uncommon at Waitrose King’s Cross

    Celebrate English Wine Week with The Uncommon at Waitrose King’s Cross

    The Uncommon, a pioneering English winemaker, is set to take over the Waitrose Bar at its King’s Cross store during English Wine Week from 15th to 23rd June. Their canned English bubbly wines will be featured alongside a series of vibrant activities, including tastings and an English Wine Masterclass led by Phil Norman on June…

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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

IMAGE WALL