
The Yealands reserve collection showcases the premium fruit from Yealand’s ‘Seaview’ site in the Awatere Valley. It offers a more pronounced passionfruit and citrus flavour profile compared to the standard Yealands Sauvignon Blanc. I found this to be a great wine, one that I plan to purchase again, though my preference still leans towards the…

This champagne, crafted by Louis Kremer Champagne House, uses 20% reserve wines in its blend. “Salty, nutty notes are joined by intense green apple fruit on the nose. A green cooking apple character on the palate sits alongside roasted nuts and a lively acid backbone. It has a wonderful vibrancy that makes this a useful…

ASDA Extra Special Rueda, a wine crafted from Verdejo grapes sourced from Spain’s Rueda region, is a hidden gem due to its relative obscurity. This dry, sharp and citrusy wine offers great value for money and a pleasing depth of flavour. Its qualities have been recognised in the IWSC 2022 with a bronze award, and…

Casa Ermelinda Freitas is a 5th generation Portuguese winery dating back to 1920 and is one of the biggest Portuguese producers. This wine has a great depth of flavour, complemented by smooth tannins, alongside a smooth, velvety feel. Aromas of spiced bramble, cassis, plum and blackcurrant. Touriga Nacional is one of the top grape varieties…

This Malbec gained worldwide recognition as the most awarded of its kind in 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, the 2021 vintage won an International Wine Challenge (IWC) award in 2022. According to Vivino, the 2022 vintage outperformed all previous years, scoring an impressive 3.9. I discovered this at a Majestic a very long time ago when…

This wine, 2021 vintage, originates from Puglia, Italy and tastes of ripe dark berry fruits, including blackcurrants and black cherries, culminating in a long, satisfying finish. The Primitivo grape expresses itself differently based on the region in which it’s cultivated, with noticeable variations across the key Primitivo DOC areas of Manduria, Gioia del Colle and…

Originating from Maule, Chile and made by wine maker Héctor Urzúa Pistas, this wine offers a blend of black wood, tobacco and a hint of vanilla. It’s a rich, dark, silky smooth and pleasurable drink that fulfils the marketing descriptions. It’s produced by Concha Y Toro, the well-known mass producer of wine. However, don’t let…

Yealands Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand is advertised as having a bright character, with a notes of stone fruit and guava, underlined by tropical flavours and a long, clean mineral finish. This wine is created using grapes from the Awatere and Wairau Valley vineyards. Over a period of eighteen days, the fruit is harvested,…
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










25% Off Wine Aldi Amarone Argentina Articles Asda Australia Award Awards25 Bizarre Blog Books Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon Carménère Cava Champagne Chenin Blanc Chile Climate Change Coop Decanter Duty English Wine EPR Events Fairtrade Food France Furmint Germany Glossary Greece Headaches Health Hungary Iceland IGT Italy IWSC Jeroboams Laithwaites Legislation Liberty Wines Lidl Low Alcohol M&S Majestic Malbec Marketing Merch Merlot Morrisons Natural News New Zealand Non-Alcoholic Ocado Old Vine Organic Past Tastings Pinotage Pinot Noir Port Portugal Primitivo Prosecco Reviews Ribera del Duero Riesling Rioja Ripasso Rose Sainsbury's Saperavi Sauvignon Blanc Shiraz Sicily South Africa Spain Sparkling Supermarkets Sustainable Tax Terroir Tesco The Wine Society Unrepresented USA Valpolicella Vinho Verde Virgin Wines Waitrose Wanderlust Welsh Wine What to Buy Wine Art WineGB WIne Glasses Zinfandel