New Zealand Visit Jan/Feb 2026

Geoffrey Dean’s magical mystery tour of New Zealand wineries

First stop on a recent road tour around some of New Zealand’s key winemaking regions is Central Otago where Santana Minerals’ goldmine is throwing a shadow over this beautiful wine region. “The mining plans are ruinous for the region,” actor and Two Paddocks owner Sam Neill tells Dean. It’s a mini wine odyssey this, which sees Dean also discover some surprising truths about Central Otago Pinot from Felton Road’s Blair Walter, visit Kinross, Grey Ridge and Monte Christo then head up to North Canterbury and Marlborough to see Black Estate and Georges Road Wines (where we discover that as much as 25% of the fruit grown in Marlborough for this current vintage will not even be vinified) and then on to Waheke Island to catch up with Man O War and Cable Bay.

5th April 2026 by Geoffrey Dean

While Central Otago continues to be the source of many of New Zealand’s finest wines as well as the country’s premier destination for wine tourism, a huge shadow hangs over it. As much as 30% of its vineyards are either certified organic or in conversion, but this laudable exercise in sustainable viticulture is being threatened by the real possibility that an enormous new goldmine near Cromwell will be given the go-ahead towards the end of this year. “Vineyards will all be affected if not displaced,” says Gibbston Valley winemaker, Christopher Keys.

Proposed by the Australian mining company, Santana Minerals, who estimate that £2 billion worth of gold deposits lie untapped, the so-called Bendigo-Ophir mine in the Dunstan Range would comprise an open pit of 1000m by 850m, with three smaller satellite pits and a tailings dam. Santana will hear if it can proceed in late October, following the appointment of a specialist panel in late February to assess the merits of the project.

“The mine would be massive as they are talking of moving an entire mountain to excavate the top of a hill,” Christopher Keys said. “There would be explosions into the earth with extraction of gold through huge cyanide tanks. With that blast comes dust, and with that comes arsenic. It’s quite alarming when you look at the potential disasters against the gain, which is minuscule for the government in terms of royalties, which will only happen once they start making money - in a long time."

"The worry is that Santana creates a catastrophic environment where there’s seepage through the water system, and that will bleed into groundwater, and into one of New Zealand’s major rivers with disastrous results.”

Such is the concern of Central Otago wineries that a dozen of them, including Two Paddocks, owned by the actor Sam Neill, staged a ‘Wine not Mine’ event in February to raise funds to cover expert consultancy fees and legal costs in the campaign against Santana’s application.

Two Paddocks

“I beat Jancis in a blind tasting of several wines.” Sam Neill and Geoffrey Dean (l-r)

“The mining plans are ruinous for the region,” Neill said. “A growing community of ordinary, hard-working people are joining together to fight a very large, very powerful, very well-funded Australian mining company.”

Renowned artist Grahame Sydney spoke of how the ‘madness’ of an open-cast gold mine would cause ‘irreparable harm to the breathtaking, mystical, pristine and ever-changing landscapes of Central Otago.’ Tribal Maori councils are pointing to potential treaty settlement breaches by the mine.

A committed disciple of organic farming, Neill, whose labels are imported into the UK by Haynes, Hanson & Clark, once had the the most southerly vineyard in the world (his ‘Last Chance’ Pinot Noir site) at 45 degrees 15’. There are now plantings south of that in both Argentina and Chile. As charming as he is famous, New Zealand’s best-known actor is also an accomplished taster, as Jancis Robinson MW discovered when seated next to him at a dinner hosted by Stephen Fry. “I beat her in a blind tasting of several wines,” he chuckled. “She must have had an off day.”

Two of Jancis’ fellow MWs, the married podcasters Peter Richards and Susie Barrie, were so taken, during a January visit to New Zealand, by the Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2023 (a blend of four single vineyard sites) that they adjudged it the best red in their NZ Wines of the Year 2026, awarding it 98 points. It was made up of 45% The Fusilier (Bannockburn), 30% First Paddock (Gibbston), 23% Last Chance (Alexandra) and 2% Redbank (Clyde).

“That was immensely gratifying as that’s never happened before,” Neill sighed, referencing how his single vineyard labels normally attract the higher marks. “I’m humble about it and couldn’t be more delighted.”

Felton Road

“Our viticulture continues to get better every year." Felton Road's winemaker Blair Walter.

Neill’s Fusilier site lies right next door to Felton Road, which is one of four producers in Central Otago to be certified biodynamic, along with Rippon, Quartz Reef and Burn Cottage. Blair Walter, who has been making the wine at Felton Road since its first vintage in 1997, pointed to stylistic changes in his winery’s iconic labels.

“Something that we’re pleased to see now is that the tannin is a much greater feature of the wines,” he mused. “In the early days, they were much more fruit-forward, rounder, and very pleasant, likeable wines but perhaps lacking the definition and seriousness of great Pinot Noir. I believe now that with ageing vines, we’re seeing greater depth and complexity.”

“Our viticulture continues to get better every year but winemaking-wise there’s been no significant changes apart from not punching down as much as we used to. We discovered, surprisingly, that the less we punch down the more evident and apparent the tannin would become. All we were extracting was fruit matter and sweetness that was masking tannin. So I believe there’s a very fine line how to get the perfect extraction.”

Walter led the campaign to get Bannockburn officially recognised as the first GI (geographical indication) of Central Otago. Gibbston, to the west, is currently applying to become the second at the behest of the Gibbston Valley and Kinross wineries. Apart from having New Zealand’s largest wine ‘cave’ and Central Otago’s oldest vineyards, the former is also home to the Gibbston Valley Lodge, whose 24 luxury villas overlook the estate’s vineyards. For luxury accommodation in the vines, they are hard to beat.

More in Central Orago

Offering rustic cottage stays, meanwhile, is Kinross, a few kilometres east of Gibbston Valley. The estate has 14 nicely-furnished cottages, all within easy walk of the cellar door and excellent restaurant, where British chef Pete Franklin prepares tasty lunches. Apart from their own impressive range, Kinross acts as a cellar door for four other leading Central producers who are not open to the public: Valli, Hawkshead, High Garden Vineyard and Wild Irishman.

Given the big distances between producers in Central Otago, other welcoming wineries to stay at are two very good options in Alexandra (56km south-east of Kinross). The first is Grey Ridge, a delightful boutique estate, where Paul and Sue Keast have a B&B studio cottage with panoramic views over their four hectares of Pinot Noir and the Dunstan Range. The pair makes a popular white Pinot Noir as well as a distinguished reserve red.

Just down the road from Grey Ridge in Clyde can be found the Monte Christo winery, which has top-end accommodation in the form of three luxury cottages. It is also the birthplace of Central Otago wine, having been established in 1864 by a Frenchman named Jean Désirée Féraud, who was enticed to New Zealand by the gold rush. Most of the stone in the cellar door building is original, while the new state-of-the-art winery buildings were only completed in March 2025. Nicholas Paris MW is managing director and co-owner of an organically-certified estate that is producing outstanding wines and looking for a UK distributor.

North Canterbury and Marlborough

At the other end of South Island in North Canterbury, Black Estate not only makes an excellent range of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but also offers first-rate accommodation. The attractive ground floor studio apartment by the winery opens out onto the biodynamically-farmed vineyards. Lea & Sandeman imports the compelling Black Estate Omihi Pinot Noir and Chardonnay labels that highly regarded winemaker, Nicholas Brown, crafts from single vineyard sites.

Another Waipara Valley outfit, Georges Road Wines, is a boutique producer with a difference. Established in 2015, it has its own wine pod by the vines where you can stay the night. Expect to be escorted to it by owner-winemaker Kirk Bray’s friendly winery dog, Pepper. Luxury bedding and breakfast are provided along with barbecue facilities, and the pièce de résistance – a hot tub under the stars. With minimal light pollution locally, the Southern Cross and other constellations glimmer above you if it is a clear night. Within striking distance of Georges Road, whose Syrah is a speciality, are a posse of other premium producers including Pegasus Bay, Pyramid Valley, Bell Hill and Greystones.

From Waipara it is a three-hour drive to Blenheim and the many Marlborough wineries and growers around it. Some of the latter are facing worrying times with oversupply of Sauvignon Blanc a major issue in the face of falling demand. According to James MacDonald, the head winemaker at Hunter’s Wines, as much as 25% of the fruit grown in Marlborough for this current vintage will not even be vinified.

Hunter’s, the only Marlborough vineyard established in the 1970s to be owned by its original family, remains a major success story. “Demand has been good for us - we’ve managed to sell all our stock,” MacDonald said. “The 12-hectare Waihopai Vineyard we bought recently to give us more Pinot Noir fruit for our sparkling wines has made us the largest producer of that grape in New Zealand with 100 tons per annum approximately. Pinot took a lot longer to understand how to grow in Marlborough. All our Pinot is on clay now as opposed to alluvial gravels. We have ten clones, a very good spread.”

Waiheke Island

Like Hunter’s, whose vineyards are all accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ), the Man O’War winery on Waiheke Island, in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, employs sustainable, minimal-intervention practices. The proprietors, the Spencer family, owns the eastern third of the island – some 4,500 acres, of which 150 are under vine, with 5,000 sheep and 1,000 head of cattle grazing the remainder.

Man O’War also has 12 acres of vines on the neighbouring islet of Ponui, which is especially good for red varietals. The wide geographical spread of the 76 vineyard blocks, many planted on steep slopes, means specific grape varieties can be matched to unique soil compositions, which include clay, loam and volcanic ash.

Duncan McTavish, Man O’War’s winemaker since 2008, allows what is a distinct, natural terroir to express itself in the wines. “Nearly all our wines enjoy salt and oceanic influences,” he said. “Our Valhalla Chardonnay, for example, gets mineral salty notes on Pacific-facing vineyards. The soil type is unique to Man O’War - you can taste the Pacific Ocean, which makes up 90% of our boundary. We are in a warm area but have cool climate vineyards with low PHs, so we’re very lucky with the acid profile.”

Gratifyingly, global warming has had no impact on Waiheke, with McTavish hailing the last two vintages as the best seen on the island. “2024 was amazing but 2025 was the all-time greatest vintage,” he purred. The outstanding Man O’War range, which includes the northern Rhone-style Dreadnought Syrah and the Bordeaux blend Ironclad labels, are imported into the UK by The Drinks Club, the London-based on-trade specialist.

At the western end of Waiheke Island, meanwhile, can be found the Cable Bay winery, whose five hectares are accredited by SWNZ. Its Five Hills 2020, a 70/30 Merlot/Malbec blend, showed particularly well, as did its Waiheke Blanc 2025 (70% Viognier, 30% Marsanne). “This white blend is our destination wine,” winemaker Ashton Hendriks said. “We want people to say this is a taste of Waiheke.”

Cable Bay labels are imported into the UK by Decorum Vintners. The beautiful estate, which has scenic views towards Auckland from its cellar door, offers very comfortable accommodation in a cottage close to the vines. If flying internationally into or out of Auckland, this is a great place to spend your first or last nights in New Zealand.

A snapshot of a few of the south island wines tasted

CENTRAL OTAGO

Burn Cottage, ‘Burn Cottage Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2022 (UK importers: VINVM Ltd)

The Cromwell producer has established quite a reputation, farming biodynamically across its three vineyards with ten Pinot clones. Bright florals and dark cherry fruit complements earthy, flinty mineral tones and darker savoury characters.

Felton Road, Cornish Point 2024 Pinot Noir (Liberty Wines)

Certified organic since 2007, Felton Road has 34 hectares under vine (75% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and 5% Riesling) with their Cornish Point site the warmest and first to be harvested. Firmer tannins than other parcels with lots of intensity in what winemaker Blair Walter describes as a ‘very, very high quality vintage’ (the best along with 2023, 2019, 2015, 2014 & 2012).

Gibbston Valley, China Terrace Pinot Noir 2024 (Hard to Find Wines, Bridgnorth)

From their Bendigo site at 320m, this 25-year old low density block (clones 777 and 667) on loess, clay and schist produces a supremely elegant wine with fine-grained tannins. The oak (20%) is beautifully integrated, while gun smoke and clove-like complexity assail the palate.

Kahiwi, Cuvee Stella, Mount Pisa Vineyard 2021 (Raeburn Fine Wines & Farr Vintners)

A relatively new winery that was set up by Scotsman Mike Wolfenden (ex-Felton Road) and Kiwi wife Olivia Ross (ex-Burn Cottage). This was their first vintage and a highly promising one. They only grow Pinot Noir on their five hectares under vine on a windy hillside estate at 270-320m (Kahiwi translates from Maori as ‘ridge of a hill’). This label was produced from clay and loam soils, with five clones used (with Abel the majority).

Kinross, Waitaki Valley Pinot Gris 2025 (no UK representation but wines available online)

The majority of Kinross’ vines are in Gibbston, but the fruit for this barrel-fermented Pinot Gris comes from North Otago near Oamaru on the coast. Baked pear notes with a hint of ginger and spice while 5g/l residual sugar gives some texture.

Monte Christo, Chardonnay 2023 (no UK representation but wines available online)

Winemaker Karl Coombes, formerly of Valli, has crafted a glorious Chardonnay from five clones (548, 15, 6, Mendoza and a ‘mystery’ one). He put it through 85% malolactic fermentation, giving it some richness to offset its zippy acidity (pH3.3). Lovely citrus and ripe white peach fruit notes. No new oak used.

Peregrine, Pinot Noir 2022 (Liberty Wines)

Nadine Cross, winemaker at Peregrine since 2010, gets around 500 tons of fruit from 40 organically-farmed hectares under vine to vinify, and does a great job. Six clones go into this seductive, silky Pinot with fruit blended from Gibbston, Bannockburn and Pisa.

Quartz Reef, Anna Von Tirol Pinot Noir 2022 (seeking UK distribution)

Few would dispute Rudi Bauer’s status as the doyen of Central Otago winemakers. The Austrian came to New Zealand in his twenties and has never left, setting up Quartz Reef in 1996 as a founding partner. Biodynamically-farmed fruit from the most eastern ‘royal’ block 12 in the Bendigo vineyards. Close planting of 8,000 vines per hectare on glacial-derived soils. Flinty minerality with alluring red and blue fruit as well as creamy texture. A standout with capacity to age.

Rippon, ‘Rippon’ Pinot Noir 2016 (Lea & Sandeman)

Perfumed and seductive, this leaps out of the glass with an array of heady aromas including red cherries, herbs and warm spices. Concentrated yet fine-boned with talc-like tannins, it has the structure and freshness to age even further, irresistible though it is now. Nick Mills is a fourth-generation winemaker of this iconic Lake Wanaka winery.

NORTH CANTERBURY

Black Estate, Home Chenin Blanc 2023 (Lea & Sandeman)

Named after Russell Black, who planted the original vines in 1999, the estate is now owned by the Naish family, whose son-in-law Nicholas Brown makes the wines. From a half-hectare block planted in 2011 from clones 220 and 880, this underlines the potential of Chenin Blanc in New Zealand. Rich with lots of concentration.

Pegasus Bay, Estate Riesling 2025 (New Generation Wines)

A benchmark off-dry Kiwi Riesling with 24g/l of residual sugar that counter-balances the rasping acidity. A touch of botrytis (8%) adds extra complexity and phenolic structure to a well-balanced wine with hints of honey and ginger spice. “We could sell a lot more than we produce,” sales manager Ed Donaldson said, adding Tesco take this.

Pyramid Valley, 'Field of Fire' Chardonnay, 2023 (Hallgarten)

Perfect terroir for Chardonnay with limestone and clay soils and a permanent cooling effect from the neighbouring mountains or nearby ocean. Huw Kinch, a highly capable winemaker, employs 100% malolactic fermentation as well as 28% new oak and some concrete for elevage. Fabulous concentration and intensity.

MARLBOROUGH

Hans Herzog, Blaufrankisch 2021(Caviste)

On his organically-farmed 11.5 hectares in one of the hotter sites in Marlborough, Austrian-born Hans Herzog grows as many as 28 different varietals. His refined Blaufrankisch thrives on sandy, gravelly soils, showing notes of blueberries, black cherries and a hint of dark chocolate with silky tannins. The UK is his no 1 export market.

Hunter’s, MiruMiru Marlborough Brut NV (Jeroboams)

Named after the Maori word for ‘bubbles’, this highly drinkable sparkling wine (50% Chardonnay, 40 Pinot Noir, 10 Pinot Meunier) spent 18 months on the lees and has a dosage of 8g/l. Hunter’s make around 8,000 cases per year of it, with Laithwaites, a long-term partner, stocking it.

Isabel Estate, Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025, Wairau 2024 (Bancroft Wines)

Some of Marlborough’s oldest vines on original rootstocks, dating back to the 1980s, can be found at Isabel. A touch of old oak (15%) is employed for fermentation by winemaker Jeremy McKenzie to give some texture. Passionfruit notes are apparent in this refined Sauvignon, which has hints of minerality and salinity.

Armit Spring Portfolio Tasting 2026

Brett Fleming on growing Armit’s business in spite of the government

It’s the lack of business experience in the current government that is one of the bugbears of Armit Wines managing director Brett Fleming. Launching the distributor’s trade tasting in London last week, he explains to Geoffrey Dean the many uphill struggles that he and his team are having to endure as they attempt to grow the business. But there’s plenty to be excited about too. Armit has a new portfolio manager in Svet Manolev, the company is actively expanding its restaurant business and the trade tasting attracted a record number of trade buyers. Agency-wise Armit has had licence to add five new Italian producers to its portfolio (following the departure of Querciabella) along with taking on board Weingut Bernhard Ott and Domaine Philippe Bouzereau. Dean got the story and picks some of the standout wines.

17th March 2026 by Geoffrey Dean

Brett Fleming, Armit Wine’s managing director, was born and raised in New Zealand, and retains his Kiwi lilt, but he is ‘one of us’ now. Having applied for and been granted a British passport, his commitment to his adopted country is implacable.

The wine industry needs constantly to make its voice heard to government, and Fleming did not miss the opportunity at the start of the Armit annual portfolio trade tasting on March 10, to launch a withering attack on it. At the same time, however, he was full of optimism that Armit can increase its on-trade business after a record turnout of more than 500 buyers for the tasting at London’s One Great George Street.

"Unfortunately we’re all in the same boat now of being victims of a government that has absolutely no idea about the policies they’re making,” says Brett Fleming, Armit Wines managing director

“Whatever sort of channel you manage within the industry this government are absolutely not dialled in to supporting you,” he declared. “They say they are, their rhetoric is all about pro-business but their actions are very much the opposite. It’s tangible the damage they are now doing – look at all the pubs closing.”

“You’ve got a government that has got no business acumen inside it at all. I’m not getting political but none of the people in the Labour government have had any business experience. Unfortunately we’re all in the same boat now of being victims of a government that has absolutely no idea about the policies they’re making.”

“Look at the minimum wage – I’m all for people being fairly paid but it’s now dawning on Labour that it’s been a disaster because we can’t afford to employ people who’ve got no experience and pay them a wage that would otherwise have gone to someone who does. It’s too much risk. They’re just not listening. So it’s challenging; we have a backdrop where you’re not being supported by the government and you’ve got to be creative.”

Opportunity for growth

“Having said that, I’m a believer that the glass is always half-full, so we’re very much a business that is focussed on aspects of our channel management. The on-trade is an area where we see opportunity despite the challenges it is facing. I think there is a clear opportunity specifically for Armit because we’re under-indexed in the on-trade. We don’t have as many customers as many of our competitors, so therefore there’s opportunity for growth.”

The private client channel has always been very important for Armit, but the exodus from the UK of much of the high net worth community since Labour’s election win has impacted sales significantly. Nevertheless, 250 private clients attended their own tasting that followed on straight after the trade one finished.

The on-trade and, in particular, restaurants, is where Fleming’s main hopes for growth lie. He praised Svet Manolev, who succeeded Nicolas Clerc MS as portfolio director in November, for increasing Armit’s normal registration numbers for its annual tasting from 320 to 600. Manolev, the first Bulgarian to become a Master Sommelier, was recruited from Berkmann, and has extensive experience of fine-dining roles at the likes of 67 Pall Mall and COYA Mayfair.

Fleming paid tribute to Clerc, who worked at Armit for seven years. “You can’t replace someone like Nicolas,” he sighed. “I miss him daily but Svet thankfully applied and, within two months of him joining, it was clear we had a talent we hadn’t had before in terms of understanding the on-trade, and what we needed to do to be more attractive to restaurateurs. Much of why we’ve got more people here today than we’ve ever had is down to Svet. Our focus is very much on building the on-trade. It isn’t a destination - more a journey. We’re nowhere near what we want to achieve through the on-trade. Svet’s role is very much to accelerate that growth and enjoy further success with the producers.”

New producer signings

Armit’s Italian weighting (23 of its 49 producers being Italian) remains central to its historic strategy, but two new signings, Domaine Philippe Bouzereau from Burgundy, and Weingut Bernhard Ott from Austria, have excited Fleming. He admitted he was both ‘sad and hurt’ that Querciabella had left Armit last year when the previous owner sold the business, but added that it meant the importer could now make other signings from Chianti (the agreement with Querciabella having been that they would be Armit’s only Chianti producer). To discover more about Armit’s five new Italian producers click here.

Philippe Bouzereau, ten of whose 25 organically-farmed hectares are in Meursault, has filled a notable hole in the Armit portfolio, which lacked a Meursault estate previously. “We’re delighted we now have a Meursault,” Fleming confessed. “We’re lucky to have landed Bouzereau – a lot of that is down to Hannah Mckay, our Burgundy brand ambassador, and also to Svet. It was a big gap we had and I’m delighted we managed to fill it. It remains to be seen if the trade pick it up but I have every confidence they will.”

Certainly, the six Bouzereau labels showed why his wines are so highly regarded. Three 2023 whites (two Chardonnays from Meursault and an Aligoté from Côte Chalonnaise) all showed superbly, while three Pinots (a Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2023, an Auxey Duresses 1er Cru 2023 and a Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot) were similarly benchmark. RRPs varied from £31-£8

Bernhard Ott represents another outstanding addition to Armit’s stable, and it was no surprise his was one of the busier tables. The Austrian producer, who has two thirds of his biodynamically-farmed 50 hectares in Wagram and the rest in Kamptal, grows only Grüner Veltliner. Why no other varietals? I asked him. “It just works,” he smiled. It does more than that. These are superb wines – pure, mineral and spicy with white pepper notes that are characteristic of the varietal. The three 2024s (Am Berg, Fass 4 and Der Ott) were well-priced at £20-£35 RRP, and the complex three single vineyard labels from 2023 £51-£64 RRP. Ott, who teamed up with Armit only six months ago, revealed he was selling three times more through them than through his previous importer. To discover more about the wines of Bernhard Ott click here.

“Svet and I get 10-15 emails a day from suppliers wanting Armit to represent them,” Fleming revealed. “Our problem is finding producers that fit the vision of Armit – family-owned or iconic, or will become iconic we think. Bernhard got in touch with us, saying he was looking for a distributor that would add real value to his business. I confess I hadn’t had their wines for quite a long time, but I was blown away by them. I couldn’t get over how good these wines are – they are exceptional.”

Challenging preconceptions

“We are a relationship-led business, not a transactional one. If you don't have a relationship with the supplier, we are just another importer, another distributor. Armit needs to be more than that. We need to add value to everybody that comes into the portfolio, and we need to be able to give the customer – in this case the on-trade – reason to buy from Armit. And a producer like Ott ticks all those boxes. And he’s not Italian, which is the key as Armit isn’t just about Italy, it’s about great producers from anywhere in the world.”

Another perception about Armit that Fleming is keen to modify is that they are only a premium importer.

“Armit has a reputation, and rightly so, for being an iconic importer of more premium wines,” he continued. “As a consequence, as a (trade) buyer, you wouldn’t necessarily think of Armit. I want to challenge that because we have very, very good entry level producers who happen to be extraordinarily good quality. One of the challenges we face is illustrating not that we have absolute entry-point but the £15-20 duty paid bottle. Yes we have our Sassicaias, Lafleur and Leflaive but we also have a huge number of producers that can compete with anybody in quality and price. So how do we communicate that? Well one way is to get the higher numbers of today to come along, taste and discover it for themselves.”

Five wines that caught the eye

Bodega Alegre Valgañón, Rioja, Carra Santo Domingo 2023

Ex-engineer Oscar Allegre turned to wine-making in his late 20s and founded this estate 12 years ago with wife Eva Valgañón. This harmonious field blend that has around 50% Garnacha and 30% Viura came from 100-year old vines in the coolest and freshest part of Rioja, in the shadow of the Obarenes Mountains. “We try to make a wine that shows off our land,” said Oscar, who matures the wine in mainly older French oak.

Château Latour, Pauillac de Latour 2018

This beguiling third label of the Medoc first growth is made from organically-farmed young vines that are under ten years old. A higher amount of Merlot (32%) in the blend than the top two labels gives it a softer feel, but there is still plenty of structure from 30% new oak. An ideal wine for restaurants. RRP £80.

Domaine Vicomte de Noüe Marinič, Marinič Tejca 2eme Cru 2022

A Slovenian Chardonnay from the Brda region close to the Italian border that could so easily be a premier cru Burgundy, but with a RRP £64.45. Exceptional terroir with mineral-rich clay-limestone soils and schist rock are the key. Fresh and elegant with notes of lemon and nectarine. Drink this and you will think you are in Puligny.

Elena Walch, Alto Adige, Pinot Noir Riserva ‘Aton’ 2018

Elena Walch became the Italian mountain region’s first female winemaker and has achieved international acclaim. Her ‘Aton’ Pinot (RRP £148) comes from 75-year old vines at 600m in the Castel Ringberg vineyard. Produced only in exceptional years, it is something of an Alpine icon. The bouquet is highly expressive, with red cherry and redcurrants to the fore. Aged in oak (30% new) for 12 months and then in bottle for three years before release, it is a graceful wine of poise, depth and impressive length.

Mendel Unus, Mendoza 2023

A prestigious Argentine blend from the revered Luján de Cuyo producer. Predominantly Malbec (65%) from a vineyard planted in 1925 in Perdriel, with some Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) from a neighbouring site giving cedar nuance. A dollop of Petit Verdot (10%) adds colour and freshness to a complex wine that has beautifully integrated tannins.

Matthew Clark Spring Tasting

How Matthew Clark is ensuring that quality wines are On The List

As the UK's largest drinks wholesaler with over 4,000 lines, Matthew Clark finds listening to customers' needs a key part of its business. This was plainly evident at the company's spring portfolio tasting where particular lines had been developed after receiving feedback – zero alcohol wines in half bottles, to take one example. Dubbed On the List, this was Matthew Clark's first wine-only tasting in a long while and was full of a number of exciting wines which Geoffrey Dean discovered for The Buyer, and heard the backstory on from the company's head of wine development and on-trade ambassador, Nick Zalinski.

12th March 2026 by Geoffrey Dean

“Crisp rosés for sunnier days, sparkling stars for celebratory moments, trendsetting pours that make your list stand out; not forgetting those sustainable sips and premium picks for when only the best will do.” So read the jaunty trailer from Matthew Clark’s marketing team ahead of their Spring Portfolio Tasting for the on-trade at Boxhall City in Liverpool Street on what was the first weekday of March.

With over 300 Old and New World wines, from what the drinks distributor describes as ‘our globetrotting range’, there was certainly plenty to satisfy the varied requirements of the two hundred or so on-trade representatives that descended on Liverpool Street.

Nick Zalinski, Matthew Clark’s head of wine development and on-trade ambassador who has worked in two spells for the company for a total of 28 years, was present throughout to offer his enthusiastic input.

“We’ve been in business for over 200 years, and are here to support the on-trade,” he declared. “My role is to help customers sell better wine and more wine in what is a challenging market but where there are still lots of opportunities.”

“It’s our first wine-only tasting for some time. We’ve tended to combine wine and the rest of the beverage categories because our customers can kill two birds with one stone. But I think the wine category still has such great potential. We’ve had some years of on-trade wine decline but it’s still a really important category and we wanted to give our customers the chance to come in and find the right ranges and right tweaks.”

“This is the normal time of year when our customers will review their lists, so we’ve listened to them and said, ‘Right we’re gonna do a really wine-focussed tasting at the best time for them.’ So as they see new products coming through and the 2026 prices, they can make informed choices, and amend their list as they see fit."

Talking to customers, it was clear they had come from all over the country. “The guest list is pretty impressive,” Zalinski continued. “The interesting thing about the Matthew Clark customer base is that it’s very broad, and we’re very proud to say we supply wines to the likes of Wetherspoons and Mitchells & Butlers. They have all sorts of brands from accessible ones to quite premium ones. We can supply those commercial branded wines that appeal to a less wine-engaged consumer as well as that middle ground and the fine dining markets. Here today, we’ve got Marriott Hotels, the Hilton group, five-star properties like the Ritz as well as some regional brewers and pub operators that have a really decent wine and food offer.”

With demand riding high for English sparkling wines, it was no surprise to hear from the Hatch Mansfield stand that all their samples of Domaine Evremond had run out well before the end of the tasting. Matthew Clark is the route to market for the on-trade for Hatch, allowing the Berkshire-based agency to focus on the off-trade. Having attended the ceremonial inaugural planting of the Kent estate’s vines in May 2017, I was especially interested to taste the first release of Domaine Evremond, named the Classic Cuvée, Edition 1. It lived up to expectations, with its persistent mousse, vivacious acidity, generous but elegant fruit, autolytic notes and mineral intensity. Comprised of 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, it spent three years on the lees before being bottled in 2021 and disgorged in August 2024. The Classic Cuvée, Edition 2 is due for release later this spring.

“We manage the distribution of Domaine Evremond carefully with Hatch Mansfield as it’s proving really popular in the premium market,” Zalinski revealed. “We see real growth in English sparkling wines, particularly in the hotel channel. Overall, sparkling wine is growing its share of total wine consumption, with Prosecco still a go-to, Champagne strong and other sub-regional sparklings doing well.” Graham Beck, for example, the South African Robertson-based MCC producer, offers very good quality at a competitive price point.

The Hatch stand’s impressive French stable also included Taittinger, the co-owners of Domaine Evremond, and Louis Jadot, which had five labels for tasting. Matthew Clark’s relationship with the Beaune negociant stretches back 75 years, while they have been working with Champagne Bouché Père & Fils for over 35 years. Fourth generation owner Nicolas Bouché, who has made the wines since 2010, was present with a pair of NVs that showed very well - his Cuvée Réserve and Rosé. Each spent four years on the lees, with dosage of 8g/l and 10g/l respectively. With 30 hectares under vine over 11 villages and 74 parcels, production is limited to 180,000 bottles per annum, half of which are exported. The UK is Bouché's number one overseas market.

For customers wanting a Crémant, there was an excellent one from the highly regarded Alsace biodynamic producer Emile Beyer, whose wife Valérie was on hand to show it. Named Cuvée Emile-Victor, it spent two years on the lees, had 2g/l dosage and was 50% Pinot Blanc, 45% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Noir. Emile Beyer’s Les Prémices Riesling 2023 and Eguisheim Pinot Noir 2020 also impressed, with the latter grape faring well in Alsace under global warming.

“Consumers are finally starting to understand what Alsace is,” Zalinski mused. “Particularly in fine-dining, and even in that middle market, we are starting to see more Alsace wines being listed. They’re always great value for money. That’s something we’re proud of – we aim to deliver amazing value for money or price points.”

Zalinski picked out a couple of entry-level Languedoc wines that did just that – a Marsanne-Viognier blend and a Malbec from a concern called Rare Vineyards, which is part of LGI Wines, the Carcassonne-based exporter. Both labels are made under the Pays d’Oc designation.

Equally good value (at £9.68 trade list price) was the Quinta do Ameal Bico Amarelo Vinho Verde 2024, which won best Portuguese white wine at the International Wine Challenge last year. This was a blend of 40% Loureiro, 35% Alvarinho and 25% Avesso. Meanwhile, certified-organic Alentejo producer, Herdade do Esporão, unfurled its appealing Reserva Tinto 2023, a field blend of Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira.

“These types of approachable, affordable and delicious wines we like to bring to our customers,” Zalinski said. “We like to tell them about any accolades as these can help them to sell on to their guests.”

What was palpably apparent from the tasting was the impressively wide portfolio of wines for Matthew Clark’s clientele to select from. From mainstay, workhorse, competitively-priced wines that consumers understand without any guidance to mid-market labels and super-premium offerings, there was something for everyone.

“Bodegas Corral is a quite traditional style Rioja with a lot of American oak and extended ageing, but we have others that are more modern,” Zalinski continued. “It’s about giving customers a choice. For example a new winery from Victoria we’ve taken on called Santolin, whose wines are all about precision and freshness.”

With the popularity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc still holding up, according to Zalinski, he revealed he is encouraging some customers with a more extensive list to offer something ‘more specialist’ in the form of Yealand's L5 Sauvignon. With availability of Sancerre Sauvignon certain to be tight after two successively low yields there in both 2024 and 2025, Yealand could fill the void. “The L5 is so subtle and elegant it’s almost Loire in style,” Zalinski opined.

For those wanting wacky offerings, there was an Osado White Malbec from leading Mendoza winery Salentein, and an unfiltered Grenache Blanc from Languedoc producer Gérard Bertrand aptly named ‘Trouble’ (the French word for ‘turbid’ which this was). “The white Malbec our customers are excited about,” Zalinski purred. “It’s a talking point to bring them something new but not too unusual. And Bertrand is probably the most exciting biodynamic producer in Europe. Both wines are ideal for a wine bar wanting something edgy but not too funky.”

Last and least – if only in abv terms – were a couple of wines from France with zero alcohol, branded Lion & The Lily. The white was a Sauvignon Blanc and the red a merlot, with each coming in 37cl half-bottles. When he attended the annual AA Restaurant awards, with whom Matthew Clark works closely, Zalinski said he got useful feedback about zero per cent trends.

“With 39% of Gen Z not drinking alcohol, it’s important for our customers to have products they can offer to those guests,” he professed. “We’ve just introduced a pair of zero per cent wines made by one of our Bordeaux producers, in half-bottles as customers were requesting them. Often I’ve found it difficult to get a good red without alcohol but this is the first I’ve actually enjoyed drinking.”

Pol Roger Portfolio Tasting - February, London

Champagne's performance lends upbeat air at Pol Roger Portfolio

There's not much to smile about in the wine industry right now as a 'perfect storm' of factors is causing turbulence in many quarters. Not so at the annual Pol Roger Portfolio tasting where the importer's notoriously ebullient chief, James Simpson MW, was delighted by Champagne's upturn. Geoffrey Dean spoke to him about trade, his spread of agencies and why California and Australia are key to Portfolio's offering, picking out five humdingers along the way.

24th February 2026 by Geoffrey Dean

You invariably encounter optimism from James Simpson, the managing director of Pol Roger Portfolio and chairman of the Champagne Agents Association, a group of UK Champagne importers. The veteran MW, and one of the more affable, accepts this is one of the toughest periods facing the wine industry but is encouraged by how the marked global fall in Champagne sales of 2024 came close to being arrested in 2025. Pol Roger consumption in the UK, he suggested, has rallied strongly, with the house “making better wine than ever” at its new state-of-the-art €50 million production facility in Epernay that was opened in 2024.

According to the Syndicat Général des Vignerons de la Champagne, an 11% fall in Champagne exports in 2024 became a slight decline of 1% in 2025, whose figures were negatively impacted by unusually high end-of-year sales in 2024 to the US to beat potential tariffs.

“Actually the figures coming out show Champagne has had a remarkably good year,” Simpson declared at the Pol Roger Portfolio On-Trade Tasting in south London in mid-February. “It’s about the only highlight in the fine wine business. While the rest of fine wine is quite disappointing at the moment, Champagne is still strong. And that gives us a nice foot in the door with all these cool guys who own restaurants, hotels, clubs, bars and God knows what. So we’re more confident than the rest of the trade is at the moment. But we’re very small and select, with 20 members of staff and 20 agencies, and that’s plenty.”

Despite being entirely French-owned, Champagne Pol Roger has become “the most British of Champagne houses” as Simpson puts it. Details of precise annual production figures are notoriously difficult to extract from houses, but Simpson revealed Pol Roger look to make no more than two million bottles per year, of which around 20% are exported to the UK. The company is more than happy with that percentage, not wishing to increase it significantly.

Expanding into California and Australia

These sales, though, have given the Pol Roger Portfolio security, and allowed Simpson and his buying team to be imaginative with their selections, particularly in California and Australia.

“We have a selection of seven small family producers in the Napa, and I hope we’re a leading light in terms of what’s going on out there as we think they are the equal of the best around the world,” Simpson purred. “We’ve got some newish stuff out of Australia as we have confidence in Australia when the rest of the trade doesn’t seem to be interested. Everything else in Australia is expensive but its fine wines, even iconic ones, are good value.”

More on those New World agencies later, but first the Pol Roger wines. Chloé Verrat, the house’s new director of marketing, was on hand to present the Vinothèque Brut Vintage 2004, a small release of which is being made available to the British on-trade. The Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2015, which spent almost ten years on the lees, showed regal autolytic notes that would doubtless have pleased the country’s great leader, whose friendship with Odette Pol Roger originated at a dinner party at the British embassy in Paris in 1945. The exact cépage of the Churchill cuvée remains a secret, although Verrat did reveal it corresponded with his predilection for Pinot Noir, with a ‘hint’ of Chardonnay.

"The figures coming out show Champagne has had a remarkably good year,” says James Simpson MW

The Pol Roger Portfolio’s impressive Old World representation features a triumvirate of wineries from France that are family-owned, sustainable and at the top of their game. Drouhin Vaudon is now the largest biodynamic estate in Chablis; Domaine Vacheron in Sancerre has likewise been farming biodynamically since 2005; and Maison Joseph Drouhin vinifies fruit with minimal intervention from its grand and premier cru sites across Burgundy. A new Italian agency that Pol Roger Portfolio has taken on is Sandrone, a family-owned estate making modern Barolo, Dolcetto and Barbera.

“Sandrone are iconic restaurant wines, and we are obsessed with selling them to the restaurant trade,” Simpson professed, adding they work well on a list because they are competitively priced. “That I think is the battle. Margins have gone up exponentially in the restaurant/hotel trade over the last couple of years. So, selling expensive wine through a restaurant is really tough at the moment because people aren’t prepared to spend more than £150 a bottle on average. So you need to find good value at the beginning but what’s good is that the younger generation of restaurateurs seem to be moving beyond natural wines to proper wines, and that suits people like us who can supply them with something interesting, which isn't everywhere and doesn’t have huge distribution. We seem to be in a sweet spot of having brands people actually want.”

Certainly, the Pol Roger Portfolio’s Australian and Californian agencies have been sagely selected. The former comprise a Yarra Valley legend in Mount Mary, an outstanding Margaret River winery in Voyager Estate and an up-and-coming star in Mulline Vintners from the Geelong region.

“Mount Mary is iconic but nobody had tasted it as it disappeared off the market for years, being sold through La Place,” Simpson said. “But it’s come back into the old distribution system. As for Mulline, we got the tip-off about them about four or five years ago from a Mornington Peninsula sommelier. He said these are the new cool kids on the block. We’ve been with them from the start, and we think they’re really good and offer value with the price of Burgundy having gone up exponentially. They’re proper cool climate, not trying to be big Australian examples.”

Talented winemaker Ben Mullen, who previously worked at Yarra Yering, Oakridge, Torbreck, Leeuwin Estate, Craggy Range and Domaine Dujac, crafts site-driven, refined wines that articulate the distinct terroirs of Geelong, with particular emphasis on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah.”

Star winemakers and distillers

Talking of star winemakers, Pol Roger Portfolio boasts another in Brad Grimes of Napa producer Abreu, whose masterclass at the tasting featured older vintages (2012-14) and the 2021s from his four single vineyard labels – Cappella, Madrona Ranch, Las Posadas and Thorevilos.

“Brad’s one of the great winemakers of California,” Simpson declared. “If you had all the money in the world, you’d drink Abreu as it’s lottery winners’ wine. My favourite from Napa is the Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon, which I drink at home. There are still great stories coming out of California. I go out there every couple of years and there’s always someone new, someone exciting opening up. It’s a bit like Burgundy of old…they’re all related or working for each other. Pol have become a leading light in Napa Valley distribution when everyone else is slightly scaling it back.”

The remaining quintet of Pol’s world-class Californian stable are Staglin Family Vineyard, whose historic Rutherford Bench estate was first planted in 1864; Cornell Vineyards, in Sonoma’s Spring Mountain, which dates back even further; revered Napa producer Bryant Estate; Robert Sinskey Vineyards (both Napa and Sonoma); and TOR Wines, another Napa Valley icon founded by the celebrated Tor Kenward.

Finally, “a brand that has revolutionised our business” as Simpson put it, annnounced a new release at the tasting. The venerable Speyside distillery, Glenfarclas, that was first licensed in 1836, have re-introduced a 17-year old whisky into the market to fill the void left by the 21-year old which was taken out of it four years ago. Glenfarclas’ brand director, Peter Donnelly, was on hand to explain the thinking behind it.

“We feel there’s quite a big step between the 15 and 25-year olds,” he said. “So the 17 will fit in nicely into the market. We’re actually launching it this week to our customers, with a retail price of £130-140. There’s quite limited stock but we want people to buy it and buy another bottle.” Like all Glenfarclas spirits, it is matured fully in ex-Oloroso casks. Rich and spicy, it represents another majestic addition to the distillery’s long line of great whiskies.

Five wines that caught the eye

Abreu, Thorevilos 2017

Opaque in colour, this powerful example of super-premium Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from a renowned site contains a smallish percentage of Cabernet Franc and a dash of Petit Verdot. Firm but fine-grained tannins are counter-balanced by vibrant acidity and layers of concentrated black and blue fruit, notably blackberries, black cherries and blueberries. Opulent yet refined, with layers of complexity and a very lengthy finish.

Bodegas Artardi, Quintanilla 2018

Family-founded in 1985, Artadi left the Rioja DO in 2015 to focus on Alavesa terroir-driven wines. From organically grown Tempranillo fruit, this medium to full-bodied wine with chalky tannins has aromas of violet, lavender and clove. On the palate, there are notes of blackberries and blueberries with some stony minerality. Fresh, complex and very long.

Champagne Pol Roger, Cuvée de Réserve Vinothèque Brut Vintage 2004

Pol has long been renowned for the top quality of its 'bubbles', and this library release from the 2004 vintage is blessed with a characteristically fine, tight mousse. Seductive aromas of flint, nectarines, cashews and grapefruit. Imbued with both salinity and notably bright tension, this has biscuity and brioche notes ahead of a long, spicy finish. Disgorged 2015.

Sandrone, Le Vigne Barolo 2021

The multi-vineyard blend of Le Vigne affords a balanced wine with earthy aromas of truffle, flowers and spice. Lean, tight and muscular with powerful tannins balanced by vibrant acidity, the wine has notes of raspberries and red cherries with hints of balsamic and mushrooms. Multi-layered and long, it is approachable now but will reward further cellaring.

Voyager Estate, MJW Chardonnay 2020

Named after founder MJ Wright, this is a thrilling Margaret River Chardonnay which is crystalline, flinty and spiced with layers of undulating flavours of white peach, nectarine and citrus. It has a tight, zesty acid line that provides freshness and balance. A delicious creamy honeycomb texture adds complexity to a wine that glitters with purity, finesse and class. Such a long finish.

A legendary importer

Tony Laithwaite: My life in wine

The founder of Laithwaites Wine discusses his second family in France, the trade secrets he’s learnt – and how he built his wine business

From 10 cases in a Cortina boot to a wine business, Tony Laithwaite shares the highs, lows and family milestones of his life in wine

Geoffrey Dean

Published 03 February 2026 10:55am GMT

Tony Laithwaite is one of the wine industry’s most colourful characters. Having created a wine-importation business called Bordeaux Direct back in 1969 – starting with five labels and 150 customers – he transformed it into a multi-million-pound concern, renamed Laithwaites Wine in 2000, which now has over 1,500 wines and 750,000 customers. In 2019, he was awarded the CBE for services to the UK and global wine industry but, modest to the core, he feared the official notification envelope might contain a speeding fine.

As a youth, Tony dreamt of being a farmer, and his love of geography earned him a place at Durham University. While studying there he went on a field trip to Bordeaux and hatched the idea of importing wine. In 1988, nearly 20 years after starting his wine business, he suffered a heart attack; doctors advised him to seek a less stressful career but he carried on regardless with his wife Barbara, expanding the company into one of the great UK success stories. We had a lot of questions to ask Tony, who celebrated his 80th birthday last December, about his fascinating career.

The husband and wife team at their Windsor base, where they turned a small startup into a national success

When did wine first get under your skin?

We were northerners but Dad got a job in London, where we were surrounded by bottle shops. One day, when I was 16 or 17, he brought back a bottle of Mouton Rothschild, which must have cost all of £5 then. He soaked the label off it and stuck it on the cupboard as a souvenir –  and I thought there must be something in this. So I got a bit interested then, and he bought me a little book on wine. I looked at that and thought I’d like to go to France someday to do a harvest. 

How did your early days with the business in France begin?

My grandmother had met an older French lady in the street and took her home for tea, where she told her I wanted to do a harvest. The French lady said she lived in Bordeaux and would take me in before I went up to university. And, after a series of lucky breaks, I ended up working for an old couple named Jean and Ginette Cassin, who had a vineyard in Bordeaux. He ran a co-operative winery and I got a job there. 

My French was terrible at the beginning but they decided to “adopt” me. They became more than friends – they were my French parents, really. I ate and stayed with them at Sainte-Colombe, but they wouldn’t speak English to me, they made me speak French. They taught me not just about wine but about everything French. I do love the French, I always have – especially those two. Eventually, Jean Cassin persuaded me to start a business, so I owe him a lot. He helped me get some wine from his co-op, and sent it across to London – but cases kept being nicked by the dockers! So I drove down to Bordeaux in my Cortina and came back with 10 cases in the boot. Then I rented a van and put 100 cases in it, before buying a new Ford Transit van (after Jean, four other grower friends of his and my granny all put in £200 each). I would catch the night ferry, drive down and pick up the wine that I had already sold by having already had tastings and collecting orders. 

The real reason it worked was that when I delivered wine to people, they would often ask me in to chat about it. This was what got us going.

Who were the winemakers who really influenced you? 

The first person I dealt with outside that original co-op was Henri Bourlon, who was a successful vineyard owner in the Puisseguin-Saint-Emilion appellation. I stayed with him, bought his Château Guibeau wine and have bought it ever since. I now deal with his grand-daughter, Brigitte. When I asked Bourlon for some cheaper wine, he said to go down to the Languedoc and talk to his friends in the Midi. I bought wine from a fanatically passionate guy there who had an estate just outside Narbonne on a ridge called La Clape. I sold a lot of Clape. It was an advantage being quite young as people sort of adopted you, took you around the region and introduced you to others. I learnt everything that way. At the time, the Midi was renowned for plonk. But I’ve always believed in that area and, in fact, that’s probably my main stamping ground now. It’s really exciting these days with all the new possibilities coming along.

How much did you learn from the legendary French oenologist Emile Peynaud?

He taught a wine course at Bordeaux University, which I attended when Jean gave me time off work. Peynaud was the professor there and a great taster. He taught us a lot of things I’ve remembered. One of them was that if you think a wine is off, it’s more likely to be you that’s off. If you have a group of people around a table, and one person says, “I don’t like this wine,” none of them will like the wine. People do believe in their wine merchants, not just me. You get loads of comments like “I’ve never had a bad wine from you,” but logically, they must have had some they liked more than others. Some days you’ll like a wine that on other days you might not like. It’s psychological. 

The other thing that Peynaud did was to make us try two glasses of wine and tell him which we thought was better. We all agreed on one, but he told us both glasses had come from the same bottle. That was a real lesson. 

You’ve built a career finding bottles most of us never see on a supermarket shelf. How do you stumble on those wines?

There’s a network. You’ve got some good growers, and you hear about others from them – especially in places like Australia where everybody’s very open. You don’t do it by sitting in an office and phoning people up. A lot of people do that in the wine trade but it can’t possibly be as good as actually going there and seeing the actual people face to face. I’m not doing so much now, I’m old, but I used to spend so much of my time travelling.

Family has always been part of the story. What is it really like working with Barbara and your sons? 

Barbara and I learnt early on to avoid the subject of the business at home. Barbara had her areas to do with finance and management, and she was MD for 20 years. I was never MD. I just did the wines and the marketing. These days, the business is very much run by our sons. They’re all in their forties now and live reasonably close to us in Henley. They look after the day‑to‑day running, while also managing to keep themselves busy with their own ventures. Henry has his own winery and makes sparkling wines over in Marlow. Will’s got a brewery in Abingdon and Tom has a pub. We couldn’t be prouder to see the boys leading the business now, bringing their own ideas and taking it forward for the next generation.

Is there a place that feels like your second home in wine?

It would be Castillon and Sainte-Colombe, where Jean Cassin asked me to buy his vineyard, the first one I ever set foot in. I don’t go there every month but I get there quite a lot as my vineyard at Château La Clarière is a passion, and we go there for our summer holidays. It’s almost unbelievable that I got to go to France aged 19, landed in this village and I’m still going there 61 years later. How lucky can you get?

Can you pick a bottle with a back story?

Would it be cheating to talk about my wife’s wine? After she had retired from being MD, she and a friend who’d been widowed invested in two hectares in a hamlet called Wyfold. Their sparkling wine has got better and better. It was made by the Roberts family until our son Henry took over making it. It’s won awards and is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a dash of Pinot Meunier.

Your mantra has been “We stop at nothing to bring you great wine” – but was there a time that pushed you to the limit?

My annus horribilis was 1988, when my right-hand man, Tim Bleach, was killed in a car crash in Spain on a buying trip. Then I had a heart attack and I was told: “Pack it in or you’ll have another one” but I couldn’t pack it in. 

Barbara took on most of the work then. I did a little bit but stayed at home a lot. We got through it. It was just the two of us running the business then. It was stupid trying to do it on our own, so we went out there and found some good people, put a whole team of directors in and then the business took off. 

What still excites you most? And what simple advice would you give Telegraph readers for enjoying wine more this year?

I don’t travel much now, although I’m off soon to the Midi and then Australia, where we have an office and a winery in the Barossa called RedHeads. I think I’ve been almost everywhere, and every single wine district in France – which is well over 100! In other countries, I’ve been to all the main regions. I’m not so much thinking about discovering new bits as we have buyers who travel, as well as people in the different regions, who find stuff for us and send it in. 

A good day for me is when I’ve got some wine to write about, and I phone up people and find out about it all. And if it works and people buy it, it’s a fantastic day. In our game, if the customers like it, that’s what counts. I just love to write stuff, and people trust me not just to buy them a wine but to put together a mixed case of wine. My simple advice for readers would be to just try a bit more wine. Try new things you’ve never heard of, and pay a bit more. Find stuff that’s £20 or £15 and really enjoy it; focus on the pleasure it’s giving you.

Interview with James Morrison of Laithwaites

‘How we found the perfect pairing for Laithwaites Wine’

James Morrison, head of brand for the wine retailer, on the thinking behind Wine Shop by Telegraph Media Group provided by Laithwaites

Geoffrey Dean

Published 16 January 2026 9:58am GMT

The offers contained within this article have been provided by advertisers or selected by Telegraph Media Group's commerce content team. Affiliate links are in use, which means that TMG will earn a commission if you click a link, buy a product, or subscribe to a service.

As far as a business fit goes, James Morrison, head of brand for Laithwaites Wine, is in no doubt that the partnership with Telegraph Media Group is the perfect match. 

The wine retailer has been advertising with Telegraph Media Group (TMG) for years and last year started a partnership around grassroots cricket. This year, it has started Wine Shop by Telegraph Media Group, provided by Laithwaites.

“The TMG audience is curious and discerning – they value quality,” says Morrison. “And we know the Laithwaites brand is already well-regarded and resonates with them, so we’re keen to take it to the next level with an even closer relationship. We worked together last year to bring our wines to life through our partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board. This year, the next natural step on that journey is a more integrated experience that’s curated for Telegraph Media Group readers – creating new ways to inspire readers to get into wine and to make it easy to access better wines that aren’t always widely available.”

Laithwaites’ great attraction is that it is still family-owned. Now run by sons Henry, Will and Tom, the business was originally set up in 1969 by Tony and Barbara Laithwaite following a university geography field trip to Bordeaux. 

“We’re a family business, and it all started with getting out there, building personal relationships with growers and discovering brilliant wines the big guys often miss,” Morrison says. “We’ve always believed that the best wines come from real relationships – and we bring those wines home to people who genuinely love them.”

“We believe this more personal, savvy way of buying wine is something that chimes well with the Telegraph Media Group audience. We’re not about anonymous, mass-produced wines; we’re about wines that have a story to tell and bring people together. That makes our partnership feel even more relevant. 

“Because we have long-standing relationships with growers around the world, we’re able to buy wines differently, not like a supermarket. We’re proud to offer a more unique and interesting range – in fact, by knowing growers in the region, we pride ourselves on offering customers wine that is just as good quality as those expensive brands, at a fraction of the price.”

Laithwaites’ extensive network stretches to 23 countries, more than 450 growers and between 1,200-1,800 wines, 95 per cent of which are exclusive to them and not sold in supermarkets or other retailers. “We’re really proud of our range,” says Morrison. “Wine Shop by Telegraph Media Group, provided by Laithwaites, we’ve deliberately created a selection of offers that are exclusive to Telegraph Media Group readers. 

“For people looking for some inspiration, we’ve created a subscription that features our most popular wines. This will be a 12-bottle case of favourites at a special price for Telegraph Media Group readers.

“We’re also going to be sharing cases of fine wines from limited parcels we come across, as well as offers on mixed cases of wine which are relevant to the time of the year. Over the summer, for example, Stuart Broad’s Beyond the Wicket range will be available with a special discount. And as we go through the year, we’ll bring more and more exciting new wines to readers.”

Communication with readers is something Laithwaites is very keen to foster. The company wants to hear back from them and what sort of events and experiences they are keen to embrace. There will be a special dedicated phone line for Telegraph Media Group readers* particularly if they want advice on anything. “Readers will be able to contact their own wine adviser, who can get to know you and what you like,” Morrison says. “That adviser would be the same one each time, which has proved really popular.”

Laithwaites regularly conducts tastings across the country, but its showpiece event this year is in Westminster over three nights from 31 October to 2 November. 

“It’s the UK’s biggest consumer wine event, and has been going since the 1980s,” says Morrison. “We expect more than 5,000 attendees, with more than 450 wines being available for tasting.” It is a testament to the enduring success of Laithwaites, which, Morrison says, has an industry-leading TrustPilot score and as many as 500,000 loyal customers. It is a statistic that speaks for itself.

*Dedicated line for Telegraph Media Group readers: 0330 029 7743 – open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday; 9am to 2pm Saturdays. Or email: customerservices@laithwaites.co.uk

A visit to Romagna's vineyards

Romagna – not content to just be seen as 'Tuscany's neighbour'

Romagna has all the ingredients to be a household name for wine buyers worldwide – the soils, slopes, grapes and climate – so what are winemakers doing to make that scenario a reality? Geoffrey Dean travelled to the region and discovered that not only is the Sangiovese distinctive and drinking earlier, but the wines from the region’s sub-zones have strong territorial imprint and distinctive identities. Not only that but Albana, the once-mocked white grape that was Italy’s first white DOCG in 1987, is now truly coming into its own.

16th January 2026 by Geoffrey Dean

Romagna may be best known for its stunning towns like Ravenna, where eight of its monuments are UNESCO world heritage sites, Rimini, with its ancient Roman arch and bridge, and Ferrara, with its UNESCO-listed historic Renaissance centre, but head into the hills and vinous treats await you. For Sangiovese lovers, in particular, there are many outstanding examples of the varietal, with these being more approachable earlier on than most of their Tuscan or Montalcino counterparts.

The region’s indigenous white grape, Albana di Romagna, was the first in Italy of that colour to be elevated to DOCG status, in 1987. Romagna also has five DOCs – Romagna DOC; Colli di Faenza DOC; Colli d’Imola DOC; Colli Romagna Centrale DOC; and Rimini DOC – as well as four PGIs. In all, there are 107 producers and eight co-operatives.

It is the best Sangiovese, though, that has underpinned the continual rise of Romagna’s burgeoning reputation as a region for top quality wine. Not the unexciting generic Sangiovese di Romagna on flat vineyards south of the River Po, but the Sangiovese di Romagna ‘Sottozone’ (sub-zones). There are 16 of these sub-zones, with some of the best-known being Bertinoro, Brisighella, Castrocaro, Imola, Marzeno, Modigliano and Predappio.

Eleonora Mazza of Palazzo Varingnana

Vinous treats await in the hills of Romagna

Modigliana - source of the Tiber

One of the sub-zones, Modigliana, used to be part of Tuscany until 1923 when Mussolini changed the provincial borders so that Modigliana was in his home province of Romagna, and with it the source of the Tiber which he regarded as sacred. The bulk of producers within the sub-zones use Sangiovese clones of Romagnan origin which, tellingly, proved to be some of the best when Chianti Classico viticulturists conducted quality analyses.

One Modigliana winemaker, Renzo Morresi of La Casetta dei Frati, believes his sub-zone’s wines are a match for any other Italian Sangioveses.

“Modigliana's are possibly as long lived as the best Tuscan and Montalcino Sangiovese wines,” he told me when I visited his winery. “However, we believe that those of Modigliana have little to envy Tuscan and Montalcino examples in terms of originality. Our wines are certainly recognisable for their elegance, minerality and spicy character. We believe they are surprisingly fresh, and therefore modern, although their longevity and authenticity are undeniable.”

Modigliana’s terroir is the key. Its high-altitude vineyards in the Apennines of between 450-570 metres ensure a wide diurnal range, and with it good acid retention in the grapes. Poor marl and sandstone soils are ideal for these Sangiovese vines, which produce elegant, fresh, and long-lived wines with complex balsamic and woody aromas. Dense surrounding forests not only protect the vines but also help produce blueberry, mushroom and forest floor notes on the palate. The region of Modigliana is divided into three valleys – Ibola, Tramazzo, and Acereta – each with unique soil and altitude, producing distinct mineral styles of Sangiovese.

Moreover, there are some very old vines in Modigliana. Cantina Maurizio Costa’s super-premium Cento 2020 flagship is made from a hectare of Sangiovese vines at 300 metres that are over 100 years old. The same winery’s excellent Cabernet Franc ‘Floss’ 2020 label likewise shows how well the variety can flourish in Modigliana.

Other producers’ Sangiovese to impress included Palazzo di Varignana (Imola sub-zone), Poderi dal Nespoli (Predappio), Fattoria Zerbina (Marzeno), Tenute Tozzi (Brisighella), Villa Papiano (Modigliana) and Tenuta Casali (Mercato Saraceno).

Notable white wines of Romagna

The winemaker of Tenuta Casali, Silvia Casali, revealed her labels are imported into the UK by Stone Vine & Sun. Her range includes the Romagna DOC Mercato Saraceno Famoso 2024, made from the white grape Famoso that, despite being mentioned in 15th century tax documents (when also known as Rambela), was almost extinct when only two rows of it were left by 2000.

Local producers, liking its sweet floral and exotic fruit aromas as well as its bright acidity, clubbed together to save it and were rewarded when it became an official Italian grape variety in 2009.

“Famoso is wonderful news for the region,” winemaker Massimo Randi declared, “because my clients around the world, who buy my reds, ask for something different to Trebbiano. They want a new white wine.”

While Romagna Trebbiano DOC is the most commonly produced white wine in the region (with 14,297 hectares under vine in 2024), Albana (with 768h) is the grape that is Romagna’s point of difference. The best examples of it come from a hilly area known as the Spungone Romagnolo, where calcareous clay-rich soils with marine fossils are found.

Producers whose 2024 vintage impressed included Branchini (Imola sub-zone), Caviro (Faenza), Fiorentini (Castrocaro), Giovanna Madonia (Bertinoro), Giovannini Giorgio e Jacopo (Imola), Podere La Grotta (Cesena), Tenuta Uccellina (Brisighella) and Tre Monti (Serra)

An orange wine from Albana, left on the skins for 20 days and aged in amphorae for nine months, is made by the Giovannini Giorgio e Jacopo winery in Imola. “We named it ‘8000’ as the first amphorae for wine was used 8000 years ago,” says Magdalena Giovannini, wife of Jacopo.

Apart from zippy acidity, aromatic intensity is a notable feature of Albana, with white flowers, pear and herbal notes apparent on the nose. Although the climate is continental, cooling breezes from the Adriatic mitigate the daytime heat. On the palate, light citrus notes are evident along with an almond, slightly bitter finish. Apart from dry (Secco) examples, sweet (Dolce) and straw (Passito) wines are made from the grape, underlining its versatility in the region.

One Romagna Albana DOCG Passito that caught the eye was Raffaella Bissoni 2023. Made from botrytised fruit picked during seven ‘tris’ from 35-year old vines on a half-hectare plot in Bertinoro, this had 140g/l of residual sugar and an abv of 12.5%. Blessed with concentration and a long finish, its vibrant acidity ensured its concentrated quince notes were not cloying.

The last word, though, must go to Romagna’s Sangiovese. To distinguish it from Tuscan and Montalcino versions of the varietal, the Consorzio Vini di Romagnalaunched in 2022 the ‘Rocche di Romagna’ logo that appears on its Sangiovese Sottozone labels. It features the iconic mosaic art of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, the Rocche being fortresses that were built all over the region, remain symbolic of Romagna.

“The objective of the Rocche di Romagna brand,” said the Consorzio's president Roberto Monti, “is to increase knowledge of the multiple identities of Sangiovese in our area, and to stimulate curiosity in the production of the sub-zones, which are the ones with by far the strongest territorial imprint.”

Lead pic. Eleonora Mazza (sales specialist for Palazzo di Varignana)

10 Top Wines from 2025

Geoffrey Dean's top 10 wines of 2025 (with a distinct Southern bias)

Covering the Ashes series in Australia for The Times, wine and cricket writer Geoffrey Dean, suddenly found lots of time on his hands as the five-dayers turned into two-dayers! Here he reflects on the past 12 months – a year which once again had a Southern bias – where not only did Dean cover a lot of ground in Australia, but also managed to make some great discoveries in South America and South Africa.

2nd January 2026 by Geoffrey Dean

,Avignonesi, Poggetto di Sopra, Vino Nobile Montepulciano DOC 2021, 14% abv

From biodynamically-farmed vines that were planted in the Caprile vineyard in the 1970s, this is a classically pure expression of top-end Tuscan Sangiovese. Floral, herbal and spicy aromas accompany glorious red fruit on the palate - notably cherry, mulberry and plum, with hints of hazelnut and chocolate. Possessing earthy complexity with firm but well-integrated tannins, this multi-layered Montepulciano will age gracefully if you can resist it now.

Bodega Colomé, Altura Maxima Malbec 2022, Calchaqui Valley, Argentina

The fruit for this iconic Malbec comes from the highest vineyard for black grapes in the world: Colomé’s Altura Maxima site of 3,111 metres, which was planted on limestone and granitic soils, and produces a floral wine with a genuine sense of place. Elevage is 24 months in third and fourth fill barrels, with French winemaker Thibaut Delmotte declining to employ any new oak. Dried mountain herbs, white pepper and savoury spices assail the senses before notes of blue and dark fruit, elderberries, tar and violets coat the palate. Fine, chalky tannins and racy acidity will allow this great wine to age gracefully.

Chapel Down, Kit’s Coty Blanc de Blancs 2019, English Sparkling Wine 12% abv

A highly impressive English sparkling wine from prized Chardonnay vines in the 100-acre Kit’s Coty vineyard on the Kent Downs. Spending three and a half years on the lees, and with a dosage of 7.5 g/l and a pH of 3.07, this has marked autolytic notes with biscuit, toast and brioche. Head winemaker Josh Donaghay-Spire take a bow. Noble traditional method bubbly to rival distinguished Champenois labels.

Joelle Weiss

Champagne Jacquart, Blancs de Blancs 2018, Champagne, 12.4% abv

Six years on the lees for this terrific vintage Jacquart that ticks all the boxes and more. The Chardonnay fruit came from premier and grand cru vineyards in Chouilly, Cramant, Oger and Villers-Marmery. Winemaker Joelle Weiss revealed that 75% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation, with dosage of 6.5g/l achieving ideal balance. No barrel fermentation as is the policy at Jacquart. “What makes this Blanc de Blancs quite different from previous vintages is the feeling of natural beauty and delicacy,” Weiss told me. “That’s why I describe it as an impression of luminous elegance, natural grace and charisma. It has style after many years of high concentration and high fruit.” White flowers on the nose with mango, pineapple and citrus on the palate.

Château Lafon-Rochet, Grand Vin 2016, Saint-Estèphe, 14% abv

From one of Bordeaux’s best vintages this millennium, the Medoc fourth growth has come up trumps with this blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Intensely perfumed, with aromas of lavender, mint, cigar box and subtle oak-derived cedar and pencil shavings. Beguiling black fruits, with a thread of blue fruit, merge beautifully together in this complex wine, with its polished tannins and firm structure. The Sainte-Estèphe estate, now owned by Jacky Lorenzetti, the Racing 92 rugby club proprietor, continues to impress with new MD Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen at the helm.

Forest Hill, Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Mount Barker, Western Australia, 13.8% abv

From the Mount Barker sub-region of Great Southern, in the South West Australia wine zone, comes a top-notch Aussie Cabernet Sauvignon from an especially good vintage. Forest Hill has long had a reputation for producing superb examples of the varietal, with their very low-yielding, dry-grown vines planted back as far back as 1965. Winemaker Guy Lyons employed 25% new hogsheads with élevage of 12 months. Beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins, it has a mix of blue and black fruit, with earthy notes of cassis, clove and tobacco. Throw in a graphite line and exceptional length, and you have a formidable wine.

Paul Nelson Wines, Loam Chardonnay 2023, Denmark, Western Australia, 12% abv

Paul Nelson, helped by wife Bianca, makes a superb range in Denmark, another sub-region of Great Southern. The Loam Chardonnay is one of Australia’s best examples of the varietal, and worth every penny of its £125 retail price. White peach, lemon and pink grapefruit notes all dance across the palate, with hints of toasted cashew and clotted cream adding complexity. Racy acidity and a saline tang linger on a very long finish.

Dan and Bill Pannell at Picardy

Picardy, Tête de Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022, Pemberton, Western Australia, 13.5% abv

Master winemaker Bill Pannell, in partnership with son Daniel, has crafted a Pinot Noir that is as good as any I’ve tasted in Australia. The sage of Australian wine critics, Ray Jordan, with over 40 years of writing under his belt, gave the wine 99 points, describing it as “something very special - the pinnacle of the Pannell family’s quest for great Pinot Noir.” To reach it, Bill introduced as many as 11 Burgundian clones, six of which he says came ‘from a selection massale that we did from a friend’s grand cru vineyard in Corton.’ The cost of putting these cuttings through Australian quarantine cost the Pannells £15,000. Minute attention to detail in the family’s cool climate Pemberton vineyards that were first planted in 1993 has contributed to Picardy’s inexorable rise in quality. Daniel’s obsession with oak has also paid dividends with multiple toast regimes from seven different French forests and 40 different coopers having been tried. New oak is never more than 25%, with Picardy’s elegant but intensely concentrated fruit allowing its full expression, which is more Burgundian in style than New World. Dark cherry and plum notes with hints of earthy forest floor, truffle, spice and graphite. Complex with relentless length.

Pikes, The Merle Riesling 2025, Clare Valley, South Australia, 11.5% abv

2025 was the second driest on record in the Clare Valley, rendering it one of the most challenging of recent years, but the celebrated Polish Hill River estate managed to produce a Merle to rival the best. Named after owner Andrew Pike’s mother, this comes from the pick of the Riesling fruit. Joyously perfumed with aromas of frangipani, lime zest and citrus blossom, the palate exhibits notes of talc-like minerality and ground ginger with a taut acid backbone. A long, briny finish to a very serious wine that is compelling in its intensity and finesse. Winemaker Steve Baraglia deserves much credit.

Simonsig Family Vineyards, Langbult Steen Old Vine 2024, Stellenbosch, 13% abv

Not just a top South African Chenin Blanc (aka Steen in SA) but THE top one in this year’s Decanter World Wines Awards. Third generation winemaker Michael Malan crafted this classic Western Cape version of the varietal from vines in the Langbult single vineyard planted in 1987 on weathered shale at 100-150m. Five pickings at different ripeness levels were made with each one barrel-fermented separately. Elevage was in 300l and 400l French barrels, of which 20% were new and 30% second fill. Complex aromas of orange blossom, dried apricot and ginger spice give way to notes of white pear, melon and green apple. A streak of minerality as well light creamy texture from lees contact in barrel is apparent in this multi-layered wine that has notable freshness (pH 3.22) and length.

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Wine tourism in Vaud, Switzerland

Geoffrey Dean: enotourism delights in Switzerland’s Vaud region

The Swiss canton of Vaud is a wine tourist’s delight with six AOCs to explore, as well as multiple outdoor pursuits. Chasselas, Gamaret and Pinot Noir are the staple grapes but, with a winemaking tradition spanning more than four centuries, there are plenty of obscure wines made from hybrids to discover such as Galotta and Garanoir. Geoffrey Dean reports.

22nd December 2025 by Geoffrey Dean

For the intrepid wine tourist who is looking for new places in Europe to visit, the canton of Vaud in Switzerland is becoming increasingly popular. Bordering France and the Jura Mountains to the west, and Lake Geneva (aka Lac Leman) to the south, it totals 3,212 square kilometres and is the second biggest wine-producing area in the country, with 3,800 hectares under vine.

The canton of Vaud set up its wine tourism development programme ten years ago.

Like the rest of Switzerland, less than 2% of Vaud’s wine are exported according to Ben Gehrig, director of the Bureau des Vins Vaudois, although producers are keen to increase that figure to raise brand awareness. The Swiss London wine tasting at 67 Pall Mall in November is testament to that. Vaud, meanwhile, continues to work on attracting wine tourists to its beautiful lakeside vineyards, and celebrated cities such as Lausanne, the so-called Olympic capital, and Montreux, home to the most famous jazz festival in the world and the most-visited historic building in Switzerland, the medieval Château Chillon.

Yann Stucki, director of Vaud Oenotourisme, revealed that the canton of Vaud set up a wine tourism development programme as long as ten years ago.

Vaud vineyards

“We wanted to enable wine producers and tourism operators to diversify their activities, and to offer visitors the opportunity to discover the wine tourism gems of the beautiful Pays de Vaud,” he said. “Wine tourism is growing worldwide and creating value-added business models. This theme fits perfectly with the exponential trend towards sustainable and experiential tourism.”

Walking through Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a UNESCO world heritage site

More on a couple of winery visits made later, but the first absolute ‘must’ for any wine tourist is the stunning five-kilometre walk from the village of Chexbres west to the pretty town of Cully. This is part of the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a UNESCO world heritage site, with 800 hectares of vines that benefit from both direct and lake-reflected sunlight as well as stored heat in the terraced stone walls. Cyclists can take the 32-km path from Lausanne-Ouchy to Château Chillon.

The walk is along elevated, well-maintained pedestrian paths through terraced vineyards that afford dramatic views of Lake Geneva below. It is by no means a hard walk, and easily initiated by catching the train from Montreux to Chexbres via Vevey. On arrival in Cully, you can then catch the historic paddle steamer, La Suisse, that takes you on a three-hour circumnavigation of the lake, with stops on its south side, including the pretty village of St Gingolph that borders Switzerland and France.

The boat drops you off in Vevey in the heart of the Swiss Riviera. While best known for being the HQ of Nestlé and the former home of Charlie Chaplin, it also contains a wine museum known as the Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons. Largely dedicated to the local winemaking fraternity’s celebrated ‘Fête des Vignerons’ festival, it represents a charming step-back in time into Swiss wine culture. The festival, last held in 2019 when 20,000 people attended it, has been staged every 20 to 25 years since it was first started in 1819.

Another wine museum well worth a visit can be found in the 12th century Château d’Aigle in the ‘région viticole' of Chablais (one of six appellations in Vaud, the others being Lavaux, La Côte, Côtes-de-l’Orbe, Bonvillars and Vully). The Musée de la Vigne, du Vin & de l’Etiquette, which has stunning views over surrounding hillside vineyards, has a collection of historic winemaking implements, as well as interactive displays and over 1,000 Swiss wine labels going back to the 1920s.

Two wine estates - two approaches

A stone’s throw from Château d’Aigle can be found the Proprieté Veillon Au Cloitre estate, which produces 30,000 bottles per annum. Around 70% of those are Chasselas, with Gamaret (a cross of Gamay and Reichensteiner), Cabernet Franc and Merlot making up the balance. Marc Tavernier, the winemaker, revealed that all are sold within Switzerland but that he would like to export to the UK.

“We are in the Alpes Vaudoises here, so have an Alpine climate which is very similar to a continental one,” he said. “I make three different Chasselas from three different soils - argilo-calcaire, pebbles and alluvial from the river; and glacial deposits.” The latter is where the fruit from 50-year old vines for his top 'Clos du Paradis' 2024 label comes from. Retailing at cellar door for 20 Swiss Francs (about £20), this represented good value for a lower-premium white with pleasing complexity and minerality.

Not far south of Aigle is the village of Ollon, where 125 hectares of vines are grown. Three of these belong to Harald Cropt, who produces as many as 14 different varietals for his Domaine de Trécord labels. “It’s a little bit boring if you only grow Chasselas, Gamaret and Pinot Noir,” he mused, “so I have lots of red crosses like Galotta and Garanoir. Vines have been grown here for 400 years.”

Cropt, a fifth generation winemaker, is an interesting character, having been a champion wrestler at ‘Lutte Suisse’ events until 2017. He produces 11 labels, exporting none, although he would be open to. His Chasselas Grand Cru du Chablais 2024 won a gold medal at the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse, while his Gamay Vieilles Vignes d’Ollon 2023 (from 35-year old vines) showed particularly well. So too did his Pinot Noir Grand Cru d'Ollon 2022 and Vin Doux Naturel Chasselas, fortified to 18% abv with residual sugar of 130g/l.

Both Cropt and Tavernier’s wines underlined how good Vaud wines can be. An extensive selection of them, along with other labels from the canton, were available at the nearby Miroir d’Argentine, an enchanting retreat in the Alpine hamlet of Solalex. Not far from there, the Villars golf club, a mountainous 18-hole course with dramatic views, had an impressive wine list with many Vaud labels in its restaurant.

Vaud, therefore, is a wine tourist’s delight. With six AOCs to explore, as well as multiple outdoor pursuits, you can do so from a variety of idyllic bases, be it Montreux, Vevey, Cully, Villars or Solalex. If you can guarantee one thing, it is that visitors will not be disappointed.

Geoffrey Dean flew on Swiss (swiss.com) from London Heathrow to Geneva, and travelled domestically with Swiss Travel Pass (sbb.ch).

For more information, visit: myvaud.ch/en; aigle-tourisme.ch; montreuxriviera.com; alpesvaudoises.ch; switzerland.com

Festive drinks for Christmas

The perfect wines for the festive season

Christmas is coming and we have a wonderful selection of Laithwaites wines to help ease you into the holiday period. Elevate your entire festive season with these spectacular French wines

Geoffrey Dean

Published 28 November 2025 12:40pm GMT

With Christmas parties and the festive period soon upon us, we have selected a quintet of Laithwaites wines for the festive season. They happen to be all French, from producers with whom Laithwaites has had a long association, and who make consistently good wines year after year. 

These include a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, a Champagne, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the Rhône Valley, a Cru Bourgeois from the Médoc and, for that special occasion, a double magnum of Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux.

Champagne Decelle Frères Brut NV, 12 per cent ABV, £19.99

Currently on offer at half-price, this excellent-value bubbly is made by the Gyéjacquot brothers, Cyril and Frédéric, whose father Michel and uncle Daniel founded the winery back in 1970. Their holdings have expanded to cover seven municipalities in the Aube department of Champagne.

The brothers are passionate about sustainability, with their vineyards being awarded in 2019 the Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) Level 3 certificate (the highest possible, being measured by environment performance indicators). This cuvée is 90 per cent Pinot Noir with the balance being Chardonnay. It spent a year on the lees, giving it some biscuity characteristics to go with its apple, pear and citrus notes. 

Domaine Michel Thomas Sancerre AOC 2024, 12.5 per cent ABV, £19.99

This fine Loire Sauvignon Blanc is made by Michel Thomas’s son, Laurent, in the commune of Sury-en-Vaux, 6km north-west of the town of Sancerre. It has been a best-seller for Laithwaites ever since the company started importing the Thomas family wines two decades ago. Their sloping chalky vineyards, which are meticulously farmed, benefit from a perfect aspect and produce crisp, fresh white wines with flinty minerality.

Despite the challenge of rainfall in June and July in 2024, that was 2.5 times the norm, Laurent Thomas has crafted a beautifully balanced wine with concentration and length. Drink with seafood, goat’s cheese or fish salads.

Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC 2022, 15 per cent ABV, £27

This classic Châteauneuf blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre was launched in 1958 by Félicien Diffonty with the blessing of the then Pope, John XXIII. The family still sends a case of it every year to the Vatican. Félicien’s son Jean-Marc now makes this powerful, full-bodied yet harmonious wine from old gnarly vines with very low yields.

Herbal, spice and candied orange aromas give way to ripe cherry notes on the palate. Ripe with huge concentration, its notable freshness and fine well-integrated tannins balance its 15 per cent alcohol. Drink with rich meats or game dishes

Château Ramage La Batisse, Haut Médoc AOC 2014 Cru Bourgeois, 12.5 per cent ABV, £27

Laithwaites’ Bordeaux buyer, Jean-Marc Sauboua, has such a strong relationship with the château’s owners that he has first call on vintages when they hold them back. This blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon needed time to mature but is now ‘à point’ and a delight.

Medium in weight with soft tannins, it shows some discreet new oak and attractive floral aromas with a hint of tobacco. On the palate, there are notes of plums, blackberries, cherries and walnuts. An elegant wine, it has a long finish. An ideal accompaniment for roast beef, lamb, charcuterie or, on Christmas Day, roast turkey. 

Château La Clarière, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux AOC 2022, 14.5 per cent ABV, £120 (3-litre double magnum)

A favourite of Tony Laithwaite’s, whose love affair with wine started when he was taken in and mentored by the château’s owners when he was a student in the 1960s. In 1980, he was offered the chance to buy the estate and share its exceptional Bordeauxs with the world – a mission he has accomplished, given the many awards that have followed. Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux is a competitively priced red wine appellation that sits immediately to the east of neighbouring St-Émilion, sharing its soils, hills and exposure. 

Predominantly Merlot, it is generously perfumed with black fruits, notably plum, and fine spices. Older vintages have won numerous awards, including the Paris Lauréat Prix d’Excellence (twice). Low yields, rigorous sorting and skilful use of some of the best new French oak for ageing have all combined to contribute to the high quality of this label. Drink with roasted and grilled meats, such as duck, pork or chicken, as well as certain Asian dishes.