Uncovering great wines from consumer, trade and press tastings

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

On the first day of April 2025, I attended The Definitive Champagne Tasting, a two-floor event held at the Tate Modern in London. Organised by the UK’s Champagne Shippers’ Association, it marked the first generic Champagne trade tasting in London since 2018. With 51 producers represented, including Champagne houses, cooperatives, and growers, the event featured…

In March 2025, I went to the Tesco Spring Summer Press Tasting in London, where a large line-up of 152 wines was showcased, including 19 new wines. One of the most notable developments was Tesco’s move towards greater sustainability in its wine packaging. Working in collaboration with the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) and various suppliers,…

In March 2025, I attended the Bulgarian Tasting and Masterclass in London, which specifically focused on the Thracian Lowlands, one of Bulgaria’s two PGI regions. The Masterclass, led by Dr Jamie Goode, centred on Bulgaria’s indigenous grape varieties. The walkaround tasting featuring over 60 wines. Representatives from The Jolly Merchants, Danube Wines, and Swig importers…

I went to the Aldi Spring Summer Press Tasting in early March 2025 in London. Aldi is now the third-largest wine retailer in the UK by volume, across red, white and rosé wines. This year, they expanded their Unearthed and Specially Selected wine ranges and also had some interesting new additions from Washington State. There…

In late February 2025, I attended the Specialist Importers’ Trade Tasting (SITT) in London. With 47 specialist importers showcasing over 700 wines from diverse regions including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Lebanon, Moldova, Spain, Ukraine, the USA, Italy, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, there was an impressive array to explore. The wines are exclusively…

In February 2025, I was invited to the Wanderlust Annual Trade Portfolio Tasting in London. The event showcased around 130 wines, with a particular spotlight on 20 of their passionate and independent producers who were present. Wanderlust imports sustainable wines into the UK, working exclusively with family-owned or independent producers. They focus on organic and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…
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










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