Blog | Joanna Simon

Jan 25

WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine l'Ancienne Cure Jour de Fruit Bergerac Sec 2022, France

£16.15, Yapp Brothers The Roche family are better known for their Domaine l'Ancienne Cure Monbazillac but they have long produced very...

Jan 18

WINE OF THE WEEK: Denis Jamain Les Pierres Plates Reuilly Pinot Noir 2022, Loire, France

£16.95, Berry Bros & Rudd Reuilly is better known for its Sauvignon Blanc, of which it produces more than twice as much, but its Pinot...

Jan 11

WINE OF THE WEEK: Mancura Guardián Carignan 2020, Valle del Maule, Chile

£11.49/£12.99, Laithwaites I was going to do a Pinot Noir this week on the grounds that wine drinkers who aren’t doing dry January might...

Jan 4

WINE OF THE WEEK: Macerao Naranjo 2021, Valle del Itata, Chile

£7.49 on offer, Waitrose My first Wine of the Week for 2024 is for anyone who has yet to try an orange wine, anyone who has yet to find...

Dec 21, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Contino Rioja Reserva 2018, Spain

£22–£26, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrison, North & South Wines and other independents If you haven’t got your red wine for the...

Dec 19, 2023

The Festive Sweet and Fortified Wine Guide 2023

There's just time to get in some sweet and fortified recommendations in for Christmas, together with the all-important pairing...

Dec 14, 2023

The Festive Champagne and Sparkling Wine Guide 2023

Welcome to my roundup of Champagnes and sparkling wines for the festive season. It's always a pleasure to publish this – with an...

Dec 14, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Mainente Vigna Cengelle Soave 2022, Italy

£12.50, Stone,Vine & Sun If you think of Soave as, at best, an inoffensive dry white wine that you can safely ignore except when the only...

Dec 12, 2023

The Festive White and Rosé Wine Guide 2023

Welcome to my roundup of 21 white and rosé wines for the festive season. Ranging freely through styles, regions, grape varieties and...

Dec 7, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK:Teliani Valley Winery 97 Unfiltered Saperavi 2020, Kakheti, Georgia

£17.60–£19, D’Arcy Wine, NY Wines, Latitude Wine, Theatre of Wine, Drinkmonger A compelling unfiltered Georgian Saperavi that sees no oak...

Dec 6, 2023

The Festive Red Wine Guide 2023

Welcome to my roundup of 25 red wines for the festive season. Ranging freely across styles, regions, grape varieties and prices (two...

Nov 30, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Ixsir Altitudes White 2022, Lebanon

£24, The Great Wine Co. Calling all Condrieu fans – this unusual, aromatic Lebanese white wine might well appeal to you. Viognier is the...

Nov 23, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Hollick Old Vines Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Australia

£15.95–£20, Harris & Co, Eynsham Cellars, Framlingham Wine Shop, Latitude Wine, Rise & Vine Archetypal, expressive Coonawarra Cabernet...

Nov 16, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Château Courbin Héritage Graves Blanc 2022, Bordeaux, France

£13.95, Stone, Vine & Sun There were three white wines from UK wine merchant Stone, Vine & Sun that I wanted to make Wine of the Week. In...

Nov 15, 2023

High-flying, High-altitude Italian Wines

Vineyards protected by cold northern winds at Tenuta San Leonardo, Italy's answer to elegant, first-growth Bordeaux When I chose the 14...

Nov 9, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Querciabella Ardalico Chianti Classico 2020, Italy

£19.99, Waitrose This very pretty, fruit-forward, young Chianti Classico is named after Ardalico, a character in the epic novel Orlando...

Nov 2, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Gonzalez Byass Leonor Palo Cortado Seco 12 Años, Jerez, Spain

£18–£19.95, The Drinks Emporium, Rise & Vine, Ocado, Flagship Wines, Laithwaites, Averys, Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange Sherry...

Oct 26, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Spier 21 Gables Pinotage 2017, Stellenbosch, South Africa

£24.95–£28.60, Slurp, Rare Vino Wine, Vinvm This is not only the first time a Pinotage has been my Wine of the Week, it’s the first time...

Oct 25, 2023

An English Wine Discovery: Woodchester Valley Reserve Cuvée

A discovery – at least for me, if not for people in the Cotswolds. I don’t think of Gloucestershire when I’m thinking about English...

Oct 19, 2023

WINE OF THE WEEK: Saint Mont Grande Cuvée 2020, Saint Mont, France

£9.50, Tesco It’s no secret that I’m a fan of wines from the appellations in southwest France that treasure their little-known indigenous...