Past Tastings

Uncovering great wines from consumer, trade and press tastings

  • M&S Spring Tasting

    M&S Spring Tasting

    In May 2024, M&S held their Spring Tasting press event, showcasing over 130 wines. This year saw the launch of some new wine labelling and a fresh focus on competitive pricing. In April, M&S dropped the prices on 100 wines, shifting their strategy towards everyday trusted value with fewer monthly promotions. The selection at the…

  • Wines from Spain Tasting

    Wines from Spain Tasting

    The 36th Annual trade/press tasting of Wines from Spain took place in May 2024, featuring UK importers and Spanish wineries. The event showcased over 245 Spanish wineries and 789 wines. A highlight of the event was the Cava de Guarda Superior Masterclass, led by Master of Wine Peter McCombie. This session explored aged Cava and…

  • The Bordeaux Experience

    The Bordeaux Experience

    On 1st May 2024, the inaugural event of Vins de Bordeaux’s new global campaign, ‘The Bordeaux Crew’ came to London, designed collaboratively by the region’s winemaking community. This initiative was supported by the Bordeaux Wine Council (CVIB) and aimed to engage both the wine industry and enthusiasts. The event showcased a curated selection of over…

  • Sainsbury’s Spring Summer Tasting

    Sainsbury’s Spring Summer Tasting

    Sainsbury’s hosted their press wine tasting event in May 2024 in London, offering a selection of 70 wines. The focus was primarily on white, sparkling, and rosé wines, along with a limited number of mainly lighter reds, curated to complement the Spring and Summer seasons. The event also highlighted some of Sainsbury’s mid-strength wine range,…

  • Majestic Spring Press Tasting

    Majestic Spring Press Tasting

    The Majestic Spring Press Tasting took place in April 2024, in London, revolving around the tag line “There’s a story behind every glass”. This event was notable not just for the wines themselves but also for the impressive detail in the thick, 209 page tasting notes booklet, covering the 101 wines. This tasting included the…

  • Real Wine Fair

    Real Wine Fair

    On April 29, 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the trade/press day for the Real Wine Fair in London, an event that brought together 180 organic, biodynamic, and low-intervention producers. With a staggering array of 900+ wines, this fair was a vibrant showcase of some of the world’s most talented artisan vignerons. Although it…

  • Waitrose Spring Tasting

    Waitrose Spring Tasting

    In April 2024, I had the opportunity to attend a press tasting hosted by Waitrose in London, featuring new lines and vintages. The event presented just under 100 wines, of which I sampled the majority. Among the highlights were the new additions to the own brand ‘Loved & Found’ range, which originally launched in 2019….

  • Lidl Spring and Italian Wine Tours

    Lidl Spring and Italian Wine Tours

    In April 2024, I attended a Lidl wine tasting in London, which showcased wines planned to be introduced during the Spring and Italian wine tours in April and May 2024, respectively. Additionally, a selection of wines from Lidl’s core range was also being shown. Wine Tours at Lidl feature wines presented in wooden crates, each…

  • The Wine Society Press Tasting

    The Wine Society Press Tasting

    The Wine Society held a press tasting event in March 2024, in London, showcasing a curated selection of about 100 wines. This introduced the newest wines and vintages within their core range, alongside a special 150th range designed to commemorate the Society’s 150th anniversary. These are the wines that particularly stood out for me together…

  • Wines of Portugal Tasting

    Wines of Portugal Tasting

    This event held in London, on 20 March 2024, brought together an impressive 60 producers showcasing 600 wines from 11 distinct wine regions of Portugal. The tasting highlighted the rich vinicultural diversity of Portugal, a country with a wide array of over 250 grape varieties. A highlight of this tasting was the inclusion of a…

  • Ellis Wines Portfolio Tasting 2024

    Ellis Wines Portfolio Tasting 2024

    The Ellis Wines Portfolio tasting, themed ‘A Taste of the Future’, was held at the Royal Opera House in London on 18th March 2024. As a historic importer and wholesaler, Ellis Wines has been curating an exceptional selection of wines from across the globe since 1822, priding itself on being an independent, family-owned business dedicated…

  • Aldi Spring Summer 2024 Press Tasting

    Aldi Spring Summer 2024 Press Tasting

    The Aldi Spring Summer 2024 Press Tasting took place in March 2023, in London. This event presented a diverse selection of 99 wines with options for those seeking low and no-alcohol alternatives, catering to the growing demand for healthier lifestyle choices. Additionally, the event featured some wines with innovative packaging, underlining Aldi’s efforts to stand…

  • Kopke Library Collection Tasting

    Kopke Library Collection Tasting

    Kopke, the oldest port wine house, has a rich history dating back to its foundation by German Nicolau Kopkë in 1638. Since establishing its vineyards in the Douro Valley in 1781, Kopke was bought by the Bohane family in London. However, Kopke has been proudly Portuguese since the mid-twentieth century and is now under the…

  • Jeroboams Trade Portfolio Tasting 2024

    Jeroboams Trade Portfolio Tasting 2024

    Jeroboams is a London-based wine merchant, well-regarded for its extensive and exciting selection of wines, Champagnes, specialist cheeses and charcuterie. The company, founded by Peter Rich, started as a cheese and wine club before opening its first shop in South Kensington in 1985, specialising in quality cheeses, oils, vinegars and wines. Over the years, Jeroboams…

  • Through the Looking Glass

    Through the Looking Glass

    The Bibendum Spring Portfolio tasting, held on 27 February 2024, showcased 329 wines from England, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, USA, Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Australia, China, New Zealand, and South Africa. Bibendum is mainly targeted at the on-trade sector, which means bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels. The fact that many of the wines were…

  • Furmint and Friends

    Furmint and Friends

    This tasting was on the 27th February 2024, in London, organised by Wines of Hungary UK in partnership with the newly established Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency. It showcased an impressive array of 29 producers, presenting over 150 wines. The highlight of the event was a masterclass led by Caroline Gilby MW who imparted her extensive…

  • The Best of Rioja 2024

    The Best of Rioja 2024

    Tim Atkin MW hosted a wine tasting event on 13 February 2024 that featured over 300 wines from leading bodegas, many of which came to London specifically to showcase their wines. This event marked a first in either London or Rioja, with such an extensive collection of wines being presented for tasting. Tim dedicates three…

  • Lidl Italian and Iberian Wine Tours

    Lidl Italian and Iberian Wine Tours

    In February 2024, I attended a Lidl wine tasting which showcased wines planned to be introduced during the Italian and Iberian wine tours in February and March 2024, respectively. Additionally, a selection of wines from Lidl’s existing collection was also being shown. Wine tours at Lidl are the wines displayed in wooden crates, each accompanied…

  • New Zealand London Trade Tasting 2024

    New Zealand London Trade Tasting 2024

    The New Zealand London Trade Tasting on 6 February 2024 included of a walkaround tasting and a masterclass ‘New Zealand Road Trip’ by Oz Clarke. At this tasting I mainly tried Sauvignon Blanc but I also tasted a few Chardonnay, Albariño, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Syrah wine and even a red blend. Please see my…

  • Australia Trade Tasting 2024

    Australia Trade Tasting 2024

    On 30th January 2024, the Australia Trade Tasting event showcased an impressive array of over 700 wines from 200 producers. Australia has a strong position in the UK off-trade (not consumed on premises) market, where it leads as the number one country of origin, having nearly double the market share of its closest competitor, Italy….

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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