Past Tastings
Uncovering great wines from consumer, trade and press tastings
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The Best of Rioja 2025
In February 2025, I attended Tim Atkin MW’s Best of Rioja tasting in London. Like the inaugural event last year, this was a truly rare occasion, bringing together an incredible collection of wines in one room. In this year when Rioja celebrates the 100th anniversary of the creation of its Denominación de Origen, the event…
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Gonzalez Byass 21st Birthday Tasting
2025 marks 21 years since Gonzalez Byass established its UK office and to celebrate, the company hosted an extensive tasting in London, showcasing its diverse and expanding portfolio. The company now represents wines from ten different countries, including renowned producers such as Vilarnau Cava, Champagne Deutz, Domäne Wachau, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Jackson Estate, Wirra Wirra, Ashton…
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Lidl Winter Wine Tours 2025
In early February 2025, I attended Lidl’s press wine tasting event in London, where they showcased wines set to be available from either the end of February and the end of March as part of their Wine Tour series. Alongside these limited-time selections, there were also a few wines from their core range. Lidl’s Wine…
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Australia and New Zealand Trade Tasting 2025
For the first time, Australia and New Zealand combined their annual trade tastings in London, an event that historically has been held separately, New Zealand’s since 1982 and Wine Australia’s since 1986. The decision to merge the two was likely influenced by lower attendance in 2023, though it’s worth noting that train strikes in 2023…
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Hallgarten & Novum Annual Portfolio Tasting 2025
The Hallgarten & Novum Annual Portfolio Tasting was held in January 2025 at the iconic Old Billingsgate in London. The choice of a new, expansive venue symbolised the company’s fresh direction, described by Hallgarten as “Our Next Chapter”. This event marked a pivotal moment for one of the UK’s leading wine distributors, reflecting its growth…
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Doctor Wine’s 2025 Essential Guide to Italian Wine
In January 2025, I attended an insightful Italian wine masterclass and an exceptional wine tasting experience. Daniele Cernilli, known as Doctor Wine, is a leading Italian wine expert, award-winning journalist, author and educator. He co-founded Gambero Rosso and edited its annual wine guide for 24 years. In 2011, he launched the Doctor Wine web magazine,…
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VIN 2025: a French Wine Tasting
VIN in London marked my first tasting for 2025, an event organised by Business France, the trade section of the French Embassy in the UK, in collaboration with various French partners. This event brought together four UK importers and 34 producers, showing an impressive selection of over 500 wines from multiple French regions. The wines…
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Majestic Showcase
In December 2024, with so few press tastings in the calendar, this gave me the opportunity to visit my local Woking Majestic for their showcase tasting. The event featured nine wines, arranged across three sections: white, red and sweet/fortified. The tasting began on a high note with the Taittinger Brut Réserve, a sparkling classic that…
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Wines of Alentejo Battle of Icons
In early December 2024, London hosted a unique event: Wines of Alentejo, Battle of Icons. This gathering brought together 18 people from the trade and press to explore and celebrate the exceptional wines of Alentejo, one of Portugal’s most renowned southern wine regions. The event focused on identifying and highlighting wines poised to become ‘Icons’,…
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Wines of New York State
In late November 2024, I attended a wine tasting event focused on the wines of New York State, presented by Jamie Goode. Jamie Goode, renowned for his book Wine Science, brought his expertise and insight to an intriguing exploration of a region not typically associated with wine production. While New York State might not be…
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Tim Atkin MW Ribera del Duero Selection
Each September, Tim Atkin MW spends two weeks in Ribera del Duero, meeting winemakers and sampling a large number of wines. This year, he tasted about 551 wines from 173 bodegas. In November 2024, he presented the fifth annual selection of his top 100 wines, with scores, at a tasting event in London. The top…
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Abruzzo’s Signature Wines
In mid-November 2024, I attended an Abruzzo wine tasting event in London. The trade-focused event showcased a range of wines from the Abruzzo region, including whites such as Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Pecorino d’Abruzzo, the vibrant rosé Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, and the region’s iconic red, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Most of the producers were seeking representation in the UK….
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Cru Bourgeois du Médoc
In mid-November 2024, I attended a Cru Bourgeois du Médoc tasting event in London, featuring a selection of 64 wines from the 2022 vintage. Roughly 60% of the wines presented were seeking representation, making it an interesting event for industry professionals and wine merchants on the lookout for new additions. I’ve put together a short…
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Davy’s Autumn Trade Tasting
In late October 2024, I went to Davy’s Autumn Trade Tasting in London. Davy’s, established in 1870, supplies a range of bars, hotels, restaurants and catering services, as well as private and corporate clients, including universities, colleges and companies. Their offerings are available through several wine shops in London, online and via mail order. The…
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Morrisons Autumn/Winter Press Tasting
I went to the Morrisons Autumn/Winter Press Tasting in London in October 2024, an event that showcased a great selection of 127 wines, curated with the festive season in mind. A pianist provided a touch of elegance, enhancing the ambiance as we explored the wines on offer. There has been a refresh of Morrisons’ The…
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Monastrell Masterclass and Tasting
In October 2024, I attended a Monastrell Masterclass led by Patrick Schmitt MW, followed by a walk-around tasting. The event was sponsored by Monastrell Spain, so all the wines were Spanish, though the masterclass also referenced other countries for context. Monastrell is known as Mourvèdre in France and has lots of different names in other…
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Asda Autumn Winter Wine Showcase
I attended Asda’s Autumn/Winter Wine Showcase which took place in October 2024. The event highlighted Asda’s impressive achievements, with 91% of their own label and private label wines having won awards this year, a total of 350 awards. Asda continues to focus on maintaining high quality by blending their wines at the source whenever possible….
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Sainsbury’s Autumn Winter Press Tasting
Sainsbury’s Autumn Winter 2024 Press Tasting, in London, in October offered an impressive range of wines, particularly sparkling ones, that seem perfectly suited for the upcoming holiday season. Here are the highlights and my notes on what stood out for me: Louis Latour Mâcon-Villages 2023 £16 13%I’m typically not drawn to Chardonnay, but this one…
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Waitrose Autumn Tasting
In October 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the Waitrose Autumn Wines, Beers and Spirits Press Tasting. The showcase featured over 125 wines, mostly available in Waitrose stores with a select few only available online at Waitrose Cellar. Waitrose have launched five new offerings in the Loved & Found wine range, including Aranel, Piedirosso,…
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Lidl Winter Wine Tours
In October 2024, I went to a Lidl press wine tasting event in London, which showcased an interesting selection of wines set to be introduced for the upcoming Winter and Christmas Wine Tours as well as many from the core range. Some of the wines were part of Lidl’s Wine Tour series, where wines are…
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