Reviews

  • Palais St Vigni Côtes du Rhône

    Palais St Vigni Côtes du Rhône

    I first encountered this wine at the Tesco Autumn Winter Press Tasting, where it immediately stood out for being full of flavour and impressively priced. At the time I mentioned that it was supplied by Maison Johanès Boubée in France, which on further digging turns out to be part of Carrefour. They manage the logistics…

  • Magec Piedra Fluida

    Magec Piedra Fluida

    This is a return to a wine I first encountered during The Wine Society’s Autumn Press Tasting. A blend of Tenerife’s red Listán Negro and white Listán Blanco, this 2023 release comes with a story shaped by adversity. The devastating fires that swept across the island in August 2023 were the worst seen in four…

  • 1086 by Nyetimber

    1086 by Nyetimber

    This bottle arrived just in time for my Comparative Review of English Sparkling, though I held off opening it then. Its release was still pending and, with two other Nyetimber wines already included in that comparison, it seemed wise to wait. With the wine now officially launched, New Year celebrations provided the perfect moment to…

  • Undurraga Candelabro Itata Reserva Cinsault

    Undurraga Candelabro Itata Reserva Cinsault

    This was an affordable pick I first discovered at The Wine Society’s Autumn press tasting and felt drawn to revisit. It’s named after the Candelabro cactus, a striking plant found in the protected Natural Monument Quebrada de Cardones, in Chile. Viña Undurraga support this conservation area through this wine. The wine comes from the Itata…

  • Valle del Bio Bio Chilean Pinot Noir

    Valle del Bio Bio Chilean Pinot Noir

    This is a new vintage of one of my highlights of 2025. I first came across the 2023 release at the Sainsbury’s Spring Summer Press Tasting and later explored it in more depth at home. It also featured in my Pinot Noir retrospection. The 2024 vintage, now with an updated front label, received recognition at…

  • Black Chalk Classic

    Black Chalk Classic

    We celebrated with a bottle of Black Chalk Classic on Christmas Day ’25 and it brought a real spark to the occasion. From the Test Valley in Hampshire, Black Chalk is run by Jacob Leadley, an award-winning winemaker, along with his family. Their approach is focused and artisan, producing traditional method sparkling wines in small…

  • Journey’s End Sir Lowry Cabernet Sauvignon

    Journey’s End Sir Lowry Cabernet Sauvignon

    This wine is a thoughtful gift that arrived courtesy of a generous house guest, so thank you Hugh! It comes from South Africa, more precisely from the foothills of the Hottentot Mountains. Its name pays tribute to Sir Lowry’s Pass, a well-known landmark close to the winery in the Western Cape, itself named after Sir…

  • Poulsard Fruitiere Vinicole D’Arbois

    Poulsard Fruitiere Vinicole D’Arbois

    Given to me at the end of The Wine Society press tasting tucked inside a goody bag this wine came in a can that suggested something far simpler perhaps a run-of-the-mill Merlot-style red. It was a surprise to find something far more engaging inside. This wine comes from Jura in eastern France produced by Fruitière…

  • Iskar Rară Neagră

    Iskar Rară Neagră

    This is a return to a wine that was my favourite during the Autumn/Winter Aldi press tasting. From Asconi Winery in Moldova, a family-run venture established in 1994, their focus has always been on producing the best possible wines by embracing the latest, specifically Italian, technology. The 2021 vintage comes in at 13.5% abv and…

  • Moillard Crémant de Bourgogne Chardonnay

    Moillard Crémant de Bourgogne Chardonnay

    This 2021 vintage sparkling is wine made entirely from Chardonnay and produced in the traditional method by Moillard, one of Burgundy’s most historic and respected houses, established in the 18th century in Nuits-Saint-Georges. This vintage has spent twelve months on lees, going beyond the nine-month minimum required for Crémant, giving it extra depth and complexity….

  • Château Méaume Matured Bordeaux Supérieur

    Château Méaume Matured Bordeaux Supérieur

    Exclusively available at Majestic, this special release of Château Méaume has been introduced to honour 45 years of partnership between the winery and the retailer. It’s a significant bottle for both, marking a relationship that began in 1980 when the British owners, Alan and Sue Johnson-Hill, attended the opening of Majestic’s very first store. Their…

  • Surani Costarossa Primitivo di Manduria

    Surani Costarossa Primitivo di Manduria

    The 2023 vintage from Agricola Surani is made from Primitivo grapes and aged in oak for a year. It has earned a strong reputation, with 96% of 622 reviewers at Majestic saying they’d buy it again and a solid 4.0 rating on Vivino. The aroma is generous with black cherry, fig and spice, hinting at…

  • La Masseria Del Borgo Primitivo di Manduria

    La Masseria Del Borgo Primitivo di Manduria

    This wine has been a long-time favourite of mine, though my feelings about it have moved up and down over the years as the wine changed over the vintages. It comes from Puglia in southern Italy. The Primitivo grape shows different characteristics depending on where it is grown, and there are clear distinctions between the…

  • Champagne Bruno Paillard Cuvée 72

    Champagne Bruno Paillard Cuvée 72

    Last year I explored the superb Champagne Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée and now we turn to an evolution of that expression from the limited edition Champagne Bruno Paillard Late Disgorgement Collection, released to mark 40 years since the inception of their Perpetual Reserve. Where most Champagne houses store their reserve wines in isolation, at Maison…

  • Reguengos Reserva

    Reguengos Reserva

    Brought back from a recent holiday in Portugal, this red comes from Reguengos, the largest sub-region within Alentejo. It’s a blend of Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez and Trincadeira. Many vineyards in Alentejo rely solely on natural rainfall, which forces the vines to send roots deep into the earth to access water, taking in nutrients and minerals…

  • NA.TI.VO Sangiovese

    NA.TI.VO Sangiovese

    It’s rare these days to come across a truly enjoyable wine in a modestly priced restaurant, but the NA.TI.VO Sangiovese found at the Franco Manca chain bucks the trend. Behind it is Botter, a producer with a knack for Italian wines that have impressed me more than once. The name NA.TI.VO stands for Natura, Tipicità…

  • Marques de Casa Concha Carménère

    Marques de Casa Concha Carménère

    I first discovered this wine at the Tesco Autumn Winter Press tasting and felt compelled to revisit it. Made by Viña Concha y Toro, one of Chile’s most storied and influential wineries, it carries a long heritage dating back to 1883 when Don Melchor de Concha y Toro and his wife Emiliana Subercaseaux established the…

  • Marcillac ‘Lo Sang del Pais’

    Marcillac ‘Lo Sang del Pais’

    This red comes from Marcillac‑Vallon in Aveyron, South-West France, an area known for its deep red soils rich in iron that lend a distinct identity to the wines grown there. Domaine du Cros brings us this bottle with a name that translates loosely as “the blood of the land,” a reflection of the bond between…

  • Vergelegen Millrace Red

    Vergelegen Millrace Red

    Vergelegen Millrace Red is a blend from one of South Africa’s most historic estates, in the Western Cape’s renowned Stellenbosch region. The estate dates back to 1700, founded by the Dutch governor at the Cape and has become known for producing wines in the Bordeaux style with a South African twist. The name ‘Mill Race’…

  • Mar de Frades Albariño Brut Nature NV

    Mar de Frades Albariño Brut Nature NV

    Mar de Frades Albariño Brut Nature NV is a very different wine from the Rías Baixas DO. It is produced by the highly regarded Mar de Frades, established in 1987. Winemaker Paula Fandiño leads the way with this distinctive bottle-fermented sparkling wine, the first of its kind in the region using the traditional method. Made…

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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