Liberty Wines

  • Fairview Barrel-Aged Pinotage

    Fairview Barrel-Aged Pinotage

    Fairview has been producing Pinotage since the 1970s, with vintner Charles Back continuing the tradition with this wine. This particular vintage, from 2022, has an ABV of 13.5% and has been aged in seasoned oak barrels. The 2020 vintage previously won a bronze medal at the International Wine Challenge. Pinotage was created in 1925 by…

  • New Liberty Wines Off-Trade Wine Report

    New Liberty Wines Off-Trade Wine Report

    If you are reading this as someone who in the wine trade, Liberty Wines has its first Independent Off-Trade Wine Report, highlighting the strength of the independent retail sector, which lies in its diversity, specialisation and flexibility. However, tracking the indie market has been challenging due to a lack of data. To address this, they…

  • Liberty Wines Annual Portfolio Tasting 2024

    Liberty Wines Annual Portfolio Tasting 2024

    On 23 January 2024 I went to the Liberty Wines Annual Portfolio Tasting at the Kia Oval in London. Liberty Wines was established in March 1997 with a founding team of four alongside the backing of leading wine producers from Italy and Australia. In this, their 26th year the team has expanded to more than…

  • Amarone Calling

    Amarone Calling

    On 20th November 2023 I attended the ‘Amarone Calling’ tasting, a collaboration between the UK Sommelier Association and the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella, the Italian organisation dedicated to promoting and controlling the appellation of Valpolicella wines. The event focused on showcasing a range of Valpolicella and Amarone wines, offering a unique opportunity to explore these…

  • Fantini Italian Wine Tasting

    Fantini Italian Wine Tasting

    On the 29th September I had the pleasure of attending an Italian wine tasting at Morrish & Banham‘s shop in Bridport, Dorset. It was hosted by Illaria Zenaro of Fantini in Italy who are represented in the UK by Liberty Wines. Fantini are unusual for an Italian producer in that the majority, 95%, of their…

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Did You Know?

In 2024, the UK was the second-largest export market for Champagne globally, after the United States. More

Local UK bottling of wine which 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