Closure Type: Cork

(2026) Well, this is undeniably delicious and fine. The 12th release from Dermot Sugrue's own operation, farming 20-year-old vines in Sussex, it is 60% Pinot and 40% Chardonnay, and 40% of the base wine was fermented in French oak barriques and older, 600-litre demi-muids. It then had 32 months on the lees. Pale lemon/straw with copious minuscule bubbles, aromas are captivating, spanning a hint of toast and Brazil nut, fresh ceps, and an airy, light but nutty russet apple. There is an ozone and mineral salts freshness too. In the mouth, the wine burst with ripe, exuberant and sweet fruit. It's not sugar, this bottled with just 6g/l dosage, but it is fruity to its core, without sacrificing elegance or vivacious punch. So much dazzling, saline acidity and that bready, nutty hint of richer depth beneath the rippling surface. Fabulous.

(2026) If you know the wines of Puglia in the 'heel' of Italy, you are bound to know Primitivo, one of the region's main grapes and the one with most worldwide recognition. Nero di Troia (also known as Uva di Troia), is another indigenous variety, perhaps less familiar, but I have always found it to make excellent wines. This, from near Brindisi, comes from vineyards on rocky soil, and is made in stainless steel tanks. It has the most vibrant magenta colour and a bright nose of crushed lillies, red berries and slate. The palate is medium-bodied and straightforward, but the fruit density, svelte tannin profile and gentle acid grip all add up to excellent balance, a little clove-like spice in the finish too. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas.

(2026) Now on its sixth vintage, this is 100% Pinot Noir grown on the sandy, silty Redmoors vineyard. The wine spends a minimum of two years aging on the lees. Fine, delicate colour and bubbles, and the the nose has a raspberry and rose-hip, quite sherbetty brightness. In the mouth it is lively and yet a creaminess and strawberry bon-bon character adds softness, finishing alert and crisp, with a salty lick of acidity. A delicious rosé.

(2026) This Bacchus comes from the Marlpit vineyard in Kent and was made by Owen Elias, for a long time winemaker at Chapel Down, now consulting for various wineries and brands. It is highly aromatic, presenting an enticing amalgam of nectarine of and pink grapefruit on nose and palate, floral and talcum notes aromatically cede ground to nettle and passionfruit on the palate. Plenty of sour and pithy lemmon and plum acidity are stylish in the finish.

(2026) Produced from 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, this spent 36 months on the lees and was bottled with a modest 5g/l dosage. The colour has a tinge of copper, and there's a yeastiness and nuttiness - not always evident in pink sparkling wine - but then raspberry and hedgerow berries come through. The dry, quite savoury palate has hints of sour cherry and red berries, with plenty of acid showing a little bitter lemon. Nicely done.

(2026) 2023 was Davenport’s biggest harvest to date, sunshine after September rains allowing the fruit to reach excellent ripeness. Naturally fermented with wild yeasts, around 10% was matured in large oak foudres. There's a blend of aromatic varieties here including Bacchus, Ortega, Faber, Siegerrebe and Huxelrebe, but the natural treatment has led to a restrained style, and one that is softly reminiscent of English summer meadows rather than anything more exotic. It is basically dry, with just enough sweet ripeness against the apple and citrus core, perhaps reminiscent of a dry Muscat or lighter Alsace blend with a little creaminess to the texture. While it won't knock your socks off, it is authentic, light and nicely done. For more information watch the video.

(2026) What a beautifully perfumed wine, exotic with sandalwood, incense and floral notes, rose-hip, strawberry and cherry in a fruity style, but with herbs and soft, sous-bois notes adding a caressing softness. In the mouth, medium bodied and quite charming: that red fruit, pulpy berry softness maintains, but the savoury aspects of gentle cedar and forest floor earthiness are lovely. Refined tannins and perfect balancing acidity means this is a joy to drink nine years on from vintage.

(2026) The lowly 4g/l dosage of Gosset's 2016 vintage gives a bite and mouthwatering freshness to the blend, which includes an unusually high 61% Chardonnay, along with 39% Pinot Noir. It was disgorged on March 2024 so spent over seven years on the lees. Biscuit and a delicate truffle earthiness marry with orangey citrus fruits, a little straw-like herbal character too. In the mouth it has good volume, but the low dosage means it is propelled by taut acidity of crisp apple and minerals, with a bit of grippiness for sure. Fruit is cool and clear, and it finishes with precision. It's an understated and aesthetic style this, that reveals its undoubted charms slowly but surely.

(2026) From 45-year-old vines in an estate founded in the 1960s, there are 35 hectares of vines planted on Schist soils. Made in stainless steel and weighing in with just 11% abv, this has a soft, gently leafy blueberry fruitiness, dry with cranberry notes. In the mouth that cool, well-delineated fruit and acid composition is balanced, though for me the wine does lack a certain fruit density - I don't want a blockbuster Gamay, and this is elegant, restrained but perhaps a little lacking in the final analysis.

(2026) It is relatively rare to see a Gran Reserva Rioja listed these days, the GR rules stipulating a long minimum period of barrel ageing, which for the past few decades has been somewhat out of favour in the region. This Gran Reserva spent around two and a half years in oak, plus three more in bottle before release, although the barrels were all French, rather than the often more obvious American oak. It is 95% Tempranillo plus Graciano. It is aromatic, but more about cedar and sweet damp earth, a hint of chocolate, than overt fruitiness. In the mouth it continues on that cedary path, though there is a solid core of plum and blackcurrant, that is really quite plush on the mid-palate, before juicy acidity, firm tannins and the graphite and spice character reasserts in the long finish. Top tip: decant this for at least one hour and the fruit will emerge more. One for something off the grill or barbie. Watch the video for more information.