Past Tastings
Uncovering great wines from consumer, trade and press tastings
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The Wine Society Autumn Press Tasting
I was pleased to attend The Wine Society Press tasting this time, having missed the previous one due to bereavement. Prior to this, the tastings were held at the private wine members’ club, 67 Pall Mall, which was proving too small. This time, however, the tasting was held at a new venue with expansive views…
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Sainsbury’s Autumn Winter Press Tasting 2025
In early October, I was invited to Sainsbury’s Autumn Winter press tasting in London. This time, the venue was different, previously held in their head office food labs, which had quite a sterile feel. Wine always benefits from being served in surroundings that allow for a bit more atmosphere. This time, it was a warehouse-style…
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Domaine Bousquet Single Block ‘Wild Roots’
In late September 2025, I attended a dinner event marking the UK launch of Domaine Bousquet’s new single block ‘Wild Roots’ wines, part of the winery’s Ameri range, its flagship tier. While the focus was on these new releases, the evening offered some fascinating insight into how the soil, and only the soil, within the…
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Lidl Autumn Press Tasting
At the start of October 2025 I attended the Lidl Autumn Press tasting in London, where 65 wines were shown that will form part of the October, November and December Wine Tours, along with a handful of new and existing wines from the core range. Lidl’s Wine Tours typically run for around two months, giving…
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Fairtrade Talk and Tasting
I was recently invited to a roundtable and tasting event hosted by the Fairtrade Foundation to mark Fairtrade Fortnight. The event took place at the Argentinian Ambassador’s Residence in London and offered a fascinating opportunity to explore the real-world impact of Fairtrade wine on communities in Argentina, Chile and South Africa. Following the discussion, we…
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Hatch Mansfield Autumn Portfolio Tasting
Hatch Mansfield is a leading UK wine agency, founded in 1994 by Patrick McGrath MW alongside partners from renowned producers including Louis Jadot, Errazuriz and Villa Maria. The company specialises in representing and distributing wines from independent, family-owned estates across the globe. While many of the wines it brings to market are found in independent…
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WineGB Trade and Press Tasting
At a time when France, Spain and Italy are reducing their vineyard areas, Britain, though far smaller, is expanding. Over the past year registered vineyards have risen by 74 to reach 1,104, while 25 new wineries have been added, bringing the total to 238. The planted area has grown from 4,209 hectares to 4,841 hectares,…
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Aldi Autumn Winter Tasting
Aldi’s wine press tasting was at Tate Modern in London, my first press tasting of the Autumn–Winter ’25 season. The tasting was smaller than usual at around sixty-five wines plus a handful of fortifieds. The wines shown were mainly seasonal and what’s arriving soon, rather than in the core range. We were told Rosé has…
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Old Vine Conference
In mid-June 2025, I attended the Old Vine Conference trade and media wine tasting in London. The Old Vine Conference works to raise awareness, deepen understanding and build support for the global old vine movement. It champions the development of a recognised global category for wines made from old vines, lending structure and momentum to…
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London Wine Fair 2025
I visited the London Wine Fair 2025 in May 2025. The event featured 433 exhibitors showcasing an impressive 3,213 products. There were prominent, dedicated pavilions representing France, Italy, Romania, Japan, Greece, Macedonia and Georgia. Each of these had clearly made a strong effort to stand out, with Romania, Japan, Greece, Macedonia and Georgia in particular…
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The Best of South Africa
In mid-May 2025, I attended the Tim Atkin MW The Best of South Africa Tasting, an event Tim described as likely the finest presentation of South African wines in the UK this year. That claim stood up, the range and calibre of wines on show were outstanding. Tim Atkin MW is known for producing an…
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Asda Spring Summer Wine Showcase
Early May marked the final supermarket tasting of the spring/summer tasting season, with Asda’s showcase in London closing things out. With 128 wines available to try, this event offered a few new additions and some much-loved favourites presented as newer vintages. As expected for the Spring/Summer, there was a strong emphasis on refreshing whites, rosés…
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Majestic Spring Press Tasting
At the start of May, I attended the Majestic Spring Press Tasting 2025, which this time took place at a different venue, the iconic Lord’s cricket ground in London. Spacious and distinct, the surroundings gave a certain charm to the event, helping the wines feel a little more special. The layout benefited from the space…
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Sainsbury’s Spring Summer Press Tasting
At the very end of a busy month of supermarket tastings, I went to Sainsbury’s Spring Summer Drinks Press Tasting in April 2025, held in London. Sainsbury’s has seen an 8% rise in ready-to-drink sales year on year. This includes cocktails, spritzes and wine in cans such as Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc and La Vielle…
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Co-op Spring & Summer Tasting
In late April 2025, I went to the Co-op press tasting in London. Co-op remains the most shopped-at retailer in the UK, with an average of 2.2 million shoppers visiting every day, resulting in around 800 million shopping visits per year. In 2024, they grew their market share in the convenience sector to 13.7%, supported…
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Waitrose Spring Press Tasting 2025
I was invited to the Waitrose & Partners Spring Wine Tasting in London in April 2025, where 159 products were showcased across all drinks categories. The selection reflected a clear focus on both innovation and quality, with several key trends standing out. For Waitrose, Crémant is currently the fastest-growing category, with sales up 19% compared…
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M&S Spring Press Tasting
In April 2025 I went to the M&S press tasting in London, where the retailer showcased a raft of new wines and several old favourites. Innovation in English wine was front-and-centre. M&S has released its first own-label Charmat-method sparkling, meaning the second fermentation is carried out in tank rather than in the bottle. Alongside this…
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Provence Rosé Tasting
In April 2025, I joined a virtual masterclass hosted by Ray O’Connor MW, ambassador for Vins de Provence. Aimed at trade and press, the session tackled the question: “Provence rosé: are they all the same?” and explored the breadth and diversity the region has to offer. Ray took us through the regions and sub-regions of…
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Morrisons Spring Summer Press Tasting 2025
In April 2025, I was invited to the Morrisons Spring Summer Press Tasting in London, where around 100 wines were on show. A pianist added a touch of class to the event, playing gentle background music as we tasted our way through the selection. Morrisons is showing a focus on sourcing quality wines from less…
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Lidl Spring Wine Tours
In early April 2025, I was invited to Lidl’s press wine tasting event in London, where they showcased a selection of wines set to be released as part of their upcoming Wine Tour series for May, June and a few from July. In addition to these limited-time wines, several offerings from Lidl’s core range were…
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Did You Know?
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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