Latest dispatches

The Week in Wine: Episode 02, Wine-Searcher

Don "rediscovers" Merlot, Olly has a 2007 wine from Spain. Can you recognize elements of a young wine in an old one? Magic Margaux comes out in the Bordeaux En Primeur tastings; vineyard workers in Napa celebrated on the same day as ICE agents round people up in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo; more woes for the California wine industry (including the winding down of the Paraduxx wine brand). Haul of World War II-era Nazi documents found inside Champagne crates in Argentina's Supreme Court. Asterix's magic potion was wine, says archeologist; Israeli wine tasting called off over Gaza conflict; LA Confidential actor in Ribeira Sacra; More layoffs in Cognac; Winegrower commits suicide in Bordeaux; French cooperative, Vignerons de Buzet, could be out of financial strife thanks to wine giant Grands Chais de France. French barrel renting company forecasts doubling turnover; Spain exports show slight uptick; Fronton celebrates 50th anniversary; Bugey producers complain that name is the

The Week in Wine: Episode 03, Wine-Searcher

Don drinks a glass or two of Olly's natural wine – and likes it; Olly has a delicious Saumur blanc. Italian consorzio pushes lightweight wine bottles; Best Value Rums top readership scales along with cuts at the US TTB; hail batters French vineyards, from Cognac to southern Bordeaux, Languedoc, Champagne and flooding in the vineyards; recent export figures for Italian wines "worryingly" down; bottle recall at Cellier des Dauphins; wine labels feature in Argentinian torture case; France's regional Workplace Ministry takes on industry behemoth Grands Chais de France; Cité du Vin embezzlement charge thrown out.

The Week in Wine: Episode 04, Wine-Searcher

Don rediscovers the youthful joys of Barossa Shiraz; Olly drinks a well-made but forgettable wine (and a fantastic Brunello di Montalcino). Will big red wines have a resurgence? Embracing the wide world of wines. Can you ever match a wine to someone's personality? US winemaker Paul Hobbs' adventures in South America; our best value Tequila and Malbecs top the reader charts; winemaking and starting up a vineyard in the wider Paris region; the stasis of tariffs and its effects on the wine world; the continued woes of En Primeur. Proper tasters swallow, say French wine tasting gurus; Montepulciano to add parish names to their labels; Boisset buys the other Dauvissat (ie not the one you're thinking of); mildew pressure in southern France and Spain; arrests around winery theft in Ribera del Duero nab Spanish crime gang; and wine sales continue to fall in France.

The Week in Wine: Episode 05, Wine-Searcher

Don drinks cocktails (and a nice Central Otago Pinot Noir); Olly drinks a beer at his local. US vineyards look to avoid ICE raids; sexual violence, harassment and sexism in the wine industry (Olly talks to Isabelle Perraud of feminist organisation Paye ton Pinard); Bordeaux En Primeur "worst in 40 years"; Champagne fraudster faces more jail time; Lanzarote vineyards to feature in new TV series; Courvoisier hit by downsizing; and France's Pays d'Oc region looks to reuse wine bottles in environmental push.

The Week in Wine: Episode 06, Wine-Searcher

The Week in Wine: Episode 07, Wine-Searcher

The Week in Wine: Episode 08, Wine-Searcher

The Week in Wine: Episode 09, Wine-Searcher

The Week in Wine: Episode 10, Wine-Searcher

The Week in Wine: Episode 11, Wine-Searcher

Don sings the praises of a "go-to" whiskey (Bushmills); is Chenin Blanc cruelly underrated? Readers still looking into the best Bourbons of 2025; between fraud in Puglia and Pantelleria, a cooperative going bankrupt and labor exploitation, Italian wine is having a turbulent summer; Oliver talks about his interview with Chateau Garbage's Emre Rende; should wine lists be more adventurous? The continued woes of the wine industry; have we hit rock bottom? Will things get better or worse? A CBD influencer who extorted, threatened and intimidated a winegrowing family in Bordeaux is sentenced to three years in prison, French winegrower releases Palestinian solidarity cuvée; direct action wine group CAV hits a major wine merchant in southern France, emptying tanks of wine; French Jean Dujardin actor launches Bordeaux whiskey; EU approves new Pago de Tharsys Vino de Pago; and Spanish Olympian says wine "not incompatible with sport".

The Week in Wine Episode 12

Remembering Nicolas Potel and the people behind the wine we drink; the best Bourbons of 2025; the US government shutdown and its effect on wines, wine labels and stopping new wine from hitting the shelves; irate feedback from readers and the issues around publishing reader comments, defamation and libel; cannabis smuggled in barrels discovered in Bordeaux; intern dies at Chapoutier; Burgundy winegrower spat with mayor; Cognac to start major vine-pull program; and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra pairs Schubert with Shiraz.

The Week in Wine: Episode 13, Wine-Searcher

Martinborough Pinot Noir; the impact of Australian winemakers on New Zealand wine; Pinot Blanc vs. Pinot Gris; Calmére sale in Napa, Napa vineyard prices and the worrying drop in interest at recent California charity wine auction; Hungary's vineyards under threat from Flavescence Doré and the lack of coverage in wine news; non-alcoholic Sauternes; thieves don't steal wine from Bordeaux Second Growth Ducru-Beaucaillou; more direct action vandalism as intruders empty wine tanks in Bordeaux; former Yquem owner's wine collection up for auction; and we look at the coming stories of tasting a 100 year-old Tuscan wine and a 2025 Burgundy vintage roundup.

The Week in Wine: Episode 14, Wine-Searcher

Spring and frosts in the vineyard; Burgundy's 2025 vintage hints quality without quantity; Is everyone a secret Zinfandel lover?; the wider beauty and appeal of southern Italian red varieties; the utilitarian Sangiovese and whether or not Chianti Riserva stacks up against Chianti Classico; tasting 100 year-old Tuscan wine and vino-pomorphism – how often are wines described as people?; the appeal of Lake Garda wines; is everyone really a closet fan of Rum; how much did Covid-19 do for the spirits industry (at home, at least); Old vines; and, finally, Natural Wines and U2.

The Week in Wine: Episode 15, Wine-Searcher

Natural wine summed up by Konstantin Baum MW; is Natural Wine now just a facet of wine?; people really love Rum; the beauty of a Dark and Stormy cocktail; the Supreme Court's ongoing look at Trump's wine tariffs; is the concept of Old Vines overrated for the consumer?; what does sustainable mean?; Copper sprays banned in France, the impact on Organic Viticulture in the country; the Greeks as the true origin of wine in France; smoke taint in northwestern Spain; viticulturist electrocuted in the vineyard; more doom and gloom for the wine trade's economic outlook; but....is Ireland our only hope?

The Week in Wine: Episode 16, Wine-Searcher

Don rediscovers an old friend; unmemorable wines; has wine reached rock-bottom; Elon Musk, trillionaires, and would the wine world be better with a more affluent middle class (is the wine market a reflection of a shrinking middle class?). Are South African wines overlooked? Is the wine industry itself the main consumer of its own news (and not the wine consumer)? Cognac producer billed for duty on Cognac stolen from its premises. Chapoutier planting agave in the Rhône (with a view to Tequila production). Argentina's slashing of red tape in wine production (off the back of Milei's neoliberal reforms). Alsace celebrates a great 2025 vintage. Ungrafted vines. The beauty and charms of Oporto.

The Week in Wine: Episode 17, Wine-Searcher

Old - wine - favourites (Australian Shiraz joins California Chardonnay in Don's glass this weekend); why on earth should you/you should drink non-alcoholic beer; chucking it all in to make wine; US spirits hit doldrums overseas (is the current administration to blame?); the best Sauvignon Blancs of 2025 – and the small country with a surprising six entries in the top ten (and no, it's not France, New Zealand or the USA). Male wine critic has a go at superstar singer Rosalía's pronunciation of Sauvignon Blanc; fall vineyard land values in Bordeaux hit the big-name appellations; Abruzzo's Casauria is officially Italy's newest DOCG; Spain leads bulk wine market (with Italy and New Zealand vying for second place); and more on Argentina's push to deregulate their wine industry.

The Week in Wine: Episode 18, Wine-Searcher

Don drinks Rioja Gran Reserva and gin while Olly enjoys skin-fermented Semillion from Sonoma. We look over a stunning run of vintages in Barolo and talk about wine being aged (and made) in space. Don is slightly unimpressed with the ice and whiskey debate and wonders if writers shouldn't take more of a position on their subjects. We talk about the "Grand Cru Gang" theft trial in Bordeaux; look at murmurs in Burgundy (that things might not be so rosy and that wine tourism in the region might not be doing so well); the Georgian Prime Minister's gift of wine to the Pope (and we ask if the Swiss Guard is the most wine-savvy military force in the world); another wine destination in Pauillac; Spain exports on a slow downward trend; still more on Argentina's deregulation of the wine industry; and a politician caught drink-driving in Mendoza. We also touch on Chardonnay Rose being admitted into Champagne, Gaza being the centre of the ancient wine trade, uprooting in the Loire and the state of

The Week in Wine: Episode 19, Wine-Searcher

Don returns to an old favourite – oaked Chardonnay; the multi-faceted beauty of Albariño; and varietal labeling – are we past that stage yet? This week's big stories spanned an interview with Napa winemaking power couple Philippe and Cherie Melka as well as last week's wine news roundup headed by the news of the so-called "Grand Cru Gang" trial. Don has high hopes for his top ten Irish Whiskey story, which is already doing well, and fans of the spirit from across the world (including, apparently, Irish expats in the UAE). This week, we also look at the news that the Michelin guide is getting into wine; the benefits/pitfalls of individual ratings versus panel tastings and Wine-Searcher's own aggregated critic score. Antonio Banderas drinks 18th Century Sherry; Italy and France wine exports to the US struggling as 2025 draws to a close; Champagne sales hit the doldrums (despite a raft of good news coming out of the region); Chianti Classico "a reliably affordable luxury"; French Bloom no

The Week in Wine: Episode 20, Wine-Searcher

To kick off 2026, Don rediscovers his love of Mosel Riesling and Olly raves about a California Chardonnay that's not your regular California Chardonnay. Meanwhile, a look over the top stories of the festive season proves that the big-name wines aren't always what people want and that Irish whiskey is getting a lot of attention lately. Other big stories include Napa dropping prices on its cellar doors, US dietary guidelines sidestepping wine, the continued interest in the Chateau Ste Michelle handover, and the word 'bankruptcy' being touted around both Argentina's Bodega Norton and France's Bordeaux wine region. Olly reviews the main headlines of the last seven days, including Taylor's Swift's endorsement of a Sancerre, a third winegrower suicide in Bordeaux, Lionel Messi's favorite drink (wine and Sprite), a Florida priest's wine and life podcast, a Spanish university looking for people to drink red wine for four years (as part of a study) and a solar-powered vineyard shade. This week'

The Week in Wine: Episode 21, Wine-Searcher

Don drinks an Elijah Craig Rye while Olly celebrates a birthday with grower Champagne. The suicide in Bordeaux and Silicon Valley Bank's bleak prognosis top the most-read wine news stories in what has been a relatively bleak week. Only Oregon Chardonnay looks to buck the trend, while both Don and Olly ask when, if ever, the time will come that Burgundy comparisons are not thrown at any Chardonnay or Pinot Noir made, globally – even in Burgundy, perhaps? Leonardo di Capro has a cameo in the vines of Champagne, promoting an organic push from Telmont but it's mostly bad news this week with US wine exports nosediving 30 percent, protestors baring their buttocks outside Rhône producer Chapoutier (Don also asks what is the correct past tense of the "ess haitch eye tee" word), the demise of another cooperative in southern France has Olly wondering if wine production wont take us back 150 years, and they ask who the current global wine scene is really helping. There's likely more bad news to c

The Week in Wine Episode 25 | Wine-Searcher Podcast

Don drinks a delicious McLaren Vale Shiraz while Olly has a lovely 'Carignane' from Lodi. Don talks Napa Merlot, RTDs taking over the drinks space, an oversupply of agave in Tequila and the latest from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti tastings. Olly asks if there are positives to untended vineyards in wine regions (keeping bird pressure down?) and Don looks at Spanish wines – particularly whites – pushing into the USA. This week's wine news includes the revelation that Rhône wines are creating a pan-regional sparkling wine brand to produce bubbles under; there were a number of stories from the Wine Paris 2026 trade show, including cameos from former basketballer Tony Parker and singer Carla Bruni (leading Olly to question the value of celebrity wines/endorsements); wine/alcohol as a leading source of lead exposure in adult diets in France (after, it must be said, refined breads and alongside the likes of tap water); China threatens France with trade tariffs on wine; Chilean wines exp

Creating 67 Pall Mall

How does a private wine club come to life? 🍷 Suzanne Mustacich discusses the creation of 67 Pall Mall with the club's commercial director Lorraine Carrigan. What makes people feel connected through wine? Follow for more wine insights. #67PallMall #WineCulture #WineLifestyle

Wine Review: 2025 Chateau De Pez Saint Estephe | En Primeur

▶️ Learn more about this wine and past vintages: https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/de+pez+st+estephe+medoc+bordeaux+france/2025?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=enprimeur David Allen MW is at Pichon Longueville Comtesse in Pauillac, but is reviewing an en-primeur sample of the 2025 ‘Pez’. This is the new guise for the Grand Vin from sister property Chateau de Pez in the Saint-Estèphe appellation. David scores the wine 92-93/100. Château de Pez is one of Bordeaux's oldest wine estates, situated in the western part of Saint-Estèphe. The wine is based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in roughly equal measures. The property covers around 48 contiguous hectares (118 acres), of which about 42ha (103 acres) is under vine. Around half of plantings are Cabernet Sauvignon, with 43 percent Merlot plus some Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The vineyard sits on a high plateau, sloping from 18 meters in the south to 12 meters in the north (60 to 40ft). Soils feature about a met

Private wine clubs

What makes a private wine club so appealing? 🍇 Lorraine Carrigan shares her perspective on the attraction of clubs like 67 Pall Mall. Would you join a wine club? Follow for more wine insights. #WineClub #WineLifestyle #WineEducation #WineLovers