Reviews
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Ormarine Cuvée Estela Picpoul de Pinet
This is the new 2025 vintage of this distinctive Picpoul from the South of France. It comes from the Languedoc, now administratively part of Occitanie, specifically the AOP Picpoul de Pinet appellation in Hérault. Unlike a classic Picpoul, Cuvée Estela spends a minimum of six months ageing on its lees, giving the wine greater weight and a richer, more rounded mouthfeel. The label prominently carries the words “Élevée sur Lies Fines”, making a clear distinction between this fuller lees-aged version and the producer’s more straightforward Picpoul bottlings. It comes in at 12.5% ABV. In the glass it is a pale…
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Calabria Bélena Pinot Grigio
I covered the Calabria and Bélena story in my review of the sister Rosé wine. Calabria is an Italian family that migrated to Australia in 1945, and this one takes the Italian connection a little further, using one of Italy’s classic white grape varieties. This is the 2025 vintage, made from 100% Pinot Grigio and coming in at 12% ABV. As with the Rosé, the decorative, faceted crystal-style clear-glass bottle feels rather more Italian than Australian, and it is good enough to keep afterwards as a decorative water bottle. Both the bottle and the labels look considerably more premium than…
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Esporão Monte Velho Red
Esporão is a producer I’ve liked for a long time, particularly for its Reserva. A few of their newer, more approachable wines have appeared in supermarkets very recently and I’ve been less impressed with those, so I was interested to try Monte Velho Red. It is again aimed at being an accessible, everyday wine, but it is available through more premium retailers. It comes from Portugal’s Alentejo wine region and was first released in 1992 as a more accessible, everyday expression inspired by Esporão Reserva. The blend changes somewhat with each vintage. There’s lots of information on the back label,…
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Erazuriz Estate Reserva Pinot Noir
Viña Errázuriz was founded in 1870 by Don Maximiano Errázuriz, who introduced French grape varieties to Chile’s Aconcagua Valley in Chile. This is the 2025 vintage, made from 100% Pinot Noir. It is lightly oaked, with 50% of the wine subsequently aged for six months in French oak barrels, and comes in at 13% abv. It pours a pale red, with red cherry, strawberry and rose coming through alongside a lovely herbal character. Strawberries and cherries lead the way when drinking, followed by gentle spice and a savoury mushroom character. It is dry, with a light to medium body, although…
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Izakaya Red
Last week I was in London and ate at Maki & Ramen in Soho. I’m becoming increasingly sceptical about ordering wine when eating out, partly because I’ve been disappointed too many times, and partly because some of the mark-ups are eye-watering. This time, though, I tentatively ordered the Izakaya Red from Portugal, described on the drinks list as “Specially made to compliment Japanese Cuisine”. It turned out to be a bit of a good surprise. The wine is Vinho Tinto by Caves Campelo in Portugal. The back label goes even further, declaring it “The Ultimate Wine for Asia Cuisine”. It…
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Villiera Cap Classique Brut
Villiera Cap Classique Brut comes from South Africa, from a producer that has become one of the country’s most respected names in sparkling wine. Villiera played an important part in establishing Cap Classique as one of South Africa’s flagship wine styles and became particularly associated with traditional-method sparkling wine, helped in its early years by Champagne producer Jean-Louis Denois. The word “Tradition” is particularly fitting here, as this was Villiera’s first Cap Classique, first produced in 1984. Villiera Wines is also home to the Pebbles Project, which enriches the lives of thousands of children in the Winelands of the Western…
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Calabria Bélena Rosé
Calabria Bélena Rosé comes from Calabria Family Wines, drawing fruit from NSW/South Australia. “True Partnership” appears on the label, and there is a family story behind it. The name Bélena pays respect to the second generation, Bill and Lena Calabria, combining “Bill” and “Lena”. It celebrates their partnership in guiding the family through difficult periods and building a future for the generations that followed. The family originally came from Italy and the business is now into its fourth generation. It began in 1945 with Francesco and Elisabetta, who courageously journeyed across the world to forge a new future for their…
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Heritage Côtes De Provence Rosé
Héritage Rosé from Famille Negrel comes from Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire. The producer is a little shy about revealing the exact blend, but it’s likely to be Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. This is the 2024 vintage, vegan, with 12.5% abv, and it has an impressive 3.9 rating on Vivino. In the glass, it’s a very pale salmon. Strawberry, redcurrant, pink grapefruit and white flower aromas give it a bright, summery character. It’s dry, with delicate red fruit and citrus, brisk acidity and a light salinity. Medium to full in body, it has a particularly satisfying mouthfeel, and that extra sense…
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Gaia Organic Malbec
Gaia Organic Malbec takes its name from Gaia, the green goddess of the earth, who appears on the label. Behind it is a touch of French winemaking brought to Argentina by Domaine Bousquet, whose roots are in Carcassonne in southern France. The grapes are grown at 1,200 metres in Gualtallary, in Mendoza’s Tupungato Valley, where huge temperature shifts between day and night help shape the wine. The estate is organic, Demeter certified and also vegan. For this 2023 vintage, the wine comes in a lighter glass bottle than previously. It is made from 100% estate-grown Malbec grapes, aged in French…
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Ombra Antica Galatina Rosso
This is new to Laithwaites, and it comes from a tiny Italian wine region that is easy to overlook. Galatina, down in Puglia, is so small that the whole region produces roughly the same amount of wine as one medium-sized Italian estate. Rather unexpectedly, I found out more about the label on LinkedIn. It was designed by Miguel de Almeida Design. The central design takes its inspiration from the Torravento monastery in the Galatina area, along with the local tradition of the tarantata. This is connected with the historical belief that people bitten by a spider could be cured, or…
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Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc
I’ve picked out this wine at several past Co-op press tastings, so it felt like time to take a closer look at it. Vavasour is the name of the winery, one of the founding wineries in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, an area once considered too cool, dry and exposed for serious viticulture. The rooster on the Vavasour label comes from the Vavasour family crest. The imagery refers to the family’s Anglo-Norman heritage, with an early Vavasour ancestor traditionally said to have served as a wine taster for William the Conqueror! This is the 2025 vintage and comes in at 12.5% ABV.…
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W/O Nerello Mascalese Rosato Spumante
W/O Nerello Mascalese Rosato Spumante is a new addition to the W/O range, a sparkling rosé from the 2025 vintage. This is wine made without (W/O) compromise, with sustainability placed front and centre. It comes in a 100% post-consumer recycled wild glass bottle, with no neck foil. It is made from organic Nerello Mascalese, a grape usually used for red wines. One of Sicily’s leading varieties, it is often compared with Pinot Noir and goes into some seriously impressive, and seriously pricey, Etna reds. At 10.5%, it is also lower in alcohol. In the glass, it has small bubbles and…
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Asda Exceptional Carménère
This has been a favourite of mine before, and this latest 2023 vintage comes in at a higher 14.5% ABV. I particularly enjoyed it at the recent Asda Exceptional Tasting, where I thought it was one of the best reds, so I wanted to try it again and look at it in a little more detail. It comes from Valle del Rapel in Chile, is made from 100% Carménère (the previous vintage used 10% Shiraz) and is produced by Viña Luis Felipe Edwards. In the glass, it is a light purple-ruby colour. Black plum and blackberry come through on the…
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Finca Lalande Organic Cabernet Franc
This wine, from Domaine Bousquet pays tribute to the winemaker’s French roots. The Bousquet family comes from the Languedoc, where it owned Domaine Lalande, a winery and vineyards based in Pennautier. The property was sold to fund the purchase of the family’s Argentine estate in the 1990s. Made from 100% Cabernet Franc with no oak influence, the wine is certified organic. The vineyards were planted on untouched land from 1997 onwards and have been certified organic from the very beginning. The 172-hectare property sits in Gualtallary, in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, at a dizzying altitude of 1,219 metres, or 4,000 feet.…
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Forrest ‘Fumé Blanc’ Sauvignon Blanc
This is a new arrival at Majestic, and it is something a little different. It is an innovative Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, but not in the style you might expect. It comes from the winery behind The Doctor’s, the pioneering lower-alcohol Sauvignon Blanc. This one is not lower in alcohol, though. Instead, the difference comes from its oaked style. Fumé Blanc was originally created by the famous Napa Valley winemaker Robert Mondavi. At the time, Napa Sauvignon Blanc had developed a reputation for being sweet and rather dull, so Mondavi invented a new name for the variety in…
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The Best Gran Reserva Pinot Noir
I picked this one out at the last Morrisons press tasting and knew I had to take a deeper look. It comes from Ventisquero Wine Estates, named Wine Enthusiast New World Winery of the Year 2024, and one of the founding wineries behind Chile’s sustainability movement. Award-winning winemaker Felipe Tosso is at the helm. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, it is partly matured in French oak for added depth. It is 13% ABV and from the 2024 vintage. In the glass, it is pale to medium ruby in colour. The aromas are intense, with red cherry, strawberry, rose and coastal…
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Tread Softly Pinot Noir
This is a wine I first picked out at the Waitrose Spring press tasting and I’ve now returned to it for a closer look. It comes from South Australia and is made entirely from Pinot Noir. The vines are dry grown, with minimal intervention in the vineyard, while the wider approach focuses on sustainable production. A native tree is also planted for every six bottles sold. This is the 2025 vintage. Let’s talk about the packaging first. The bottle is made from 100% recycled glass, with a minimal front label that feels in keeping with the low-intervention growing and the…
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Mar de Frades Albariño
This is the new 2025 vintage of the classic Mar de Frades Albariño, from the Valle del Salnés in Rías Baixas, Spain. Mar de Frades was founded in 1987 by a Galician entrepreneur in the Val do Salnés, shortly before the Rías Baixas denomination was formally established. The name means “Sea of the Friars” in Galician, referring to an inlet around the mouth of the River Umia and the Ría de Arousa. Pilgrims or friars were traditionally said to have come ashore here before continuing their journey towards Santiago de Compostela. The wine is made by Paula Fandiño, one of…
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Villa Borghetti Lugana
I brought this one back from a trip to Italy. Villa Borghetti is a wine label owned by Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine. Lugana is a white wine appellation and geographical area on the southern shores of Lake Garda in northern Italy. This 2024 vintage is made from 100% Trebbiano di Lugana, also known as Turbiana and comes in at 12.5% ABV. In the glass it has a pale lemon colour. The aromas bring together lemon, green apple, melon and honeysuckle. On the taste, there is plenty of crisp citrus and stone fruit, followed by a touch of almond, with no…
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Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz
I first came across this wine at a Waitrose tasting and decided it deserved a closer look. As it turned out, only the 2023 vintage was available on the retail shelf rather than the 2024 vintage I had tasted at the press event. That made for an interesting comparison because, when this happens, the older vintage is often a shadow of its former self. This wine comes from Padthaway in Australia. Jip Jip Rocks is a striking pink-red rock formation around 350 million years old, surrounded by iron rich soils and regarded as sacred in Aboriginal beliefs. It is produced…
Pick Lists
Majestic | The Wine Society | Tesco | Waitrose | Sainsbury’s | Morrisons | Co-op | Asda | Aldi | Lidl | £7 and Under | Over £20
Did You Know?
Nearly a third (32%) of UK consumers say they have already used AI for alcoholic drinks advice. More
Among socially active wine buyers, 37% have bought a wine recommended online. More
In 2026, 72% of consumers now think wine knowledge is essential to appreciation, up 20 percentage points on 2025. More
Rías Baixas wines reached more than 107 countries in 2025 and exports represented 31 per cent of the denomination’s total sales. More
Light Strike Can Cause Wine Degradation in Just One Day. More
People actively adjust their wine choices depending on who might see them. More
In the UK, 73% of Alcohol is Bought From Retail Rather Than Hospitality. More
UK wine production reached 124,377 hectolitres that year, meaning the UK accounted for roughly 0.05 per cent of world output. More
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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