whichwinewith

03/04/2026

27/03/2026

20/03/2026

27/02/2026

As of early 2026, there are over 1,100 registered vineyards in the UK.

The total vineyard area has more than doubled in the last decade to over 4,200 hectares, which is a 510% increase in vineyard area since 2005.

20/02/2026

Whilst there are thousands of different grape varieties making up wine, table and raisin grapes, in fact only 13 varieties make up over 1/3 of the world’s vineyard area, with 33 varieties covering 50% of it.

Can you name the 13 varieties?

13/02/2026

Here’s the breakdown:

1. There’s no strict legal definition - different regions have different rules, and in many places, “old vines” isn’t regulated at all. One vineyard might call 20-year-old vines “old,” another might wait 50 or 100 years. Basically, it’s a suggestion, not a law.

2. Old vines can sometimes mean better concentration - older vines usually produce fewer grapes, but the grapes they do produce can be more intense in flavour. This can lead to richer, more complex wines—but it’s not guaranteed.

3. It’s partly about marketing - “old vines” sounds classy and artisanal, which can justify a higher price even if the wine itself isn’t dramatically different from a younger-vine version.

4. Not all old vines are better - vines that are too old can struggle with disease or yield tiny, inconsistent crops. A young vine in perfect health can produce excellent wine too.

🍇 To sum up, “Old vines” = probably good grapes, maybe complex wine, and definitely sounds fancy on a label. But it’s not a guarantee of quality and you should check for specific age statements or certification to be sure you’re getting value for your money!

06/02/2026

There is no wrong answer when it comes to guessing the flavours you can smell and taste in wine (well…..maybe if you are tasting blackcurrant in a white wine…but say it confidently enough and some will believe you!!).

This is because everyone’s sense of smell and taste differs due to a mix of biology, experience and context.

🧠 Biology - people are born with different numbers and types of smell and taste receptors. Some people are ‘super tasters’ (extra-sensitive) whilst others can’t detect certain smells at all!

💭 Memories - your brain identifies flavours by matching them to memories. If you’ve never smelled a particular scent e.g. redcurrant or leather, your brain won’t label it in that way even if the aroma is there.

🤧 Other factors - stress, tiredness, illness (especially blocked nose!), temperature of the wine, glass shape and background smells can all affect what you smell and taste in the glass. Try tasting a wine after cleaning your teeth - not only does it taste disgusting(!) but I’m guessing you won’t pick up many flavours.

So don’t panic if you’re lost for words at a tasting but your friend could write an essay with their tasting notes. Just swirl the wine, nod thoughtfully, and confidently say something like “tastes like I need another glass!” 😉🍷

01/02/2026

Fillet steak🤝Pinot Noir

🍷 from wenlockcellars
🥩 from A Ryan and Son Ltd

31/01/2026

What a lovely afternoon celebrating the opening of new wine shop wenlockcellars in Much Wenlock. I also popped into the local butcher, pie shop and cheese shop - all on the high street.

I haven’t been to Much Wenlock since I was at school there, and it was lovely to see the thriving community and local businesses doing so well 🍷

30/01/2026

The amount of bottles of wine produced from a vine can depend on the management of the yield.

Some winemakers focus on high-yield and inexpensive winemaking techniques to make mass-produced wines (e.g. a lot of the brands you see at the supermarkets), and these vines can produce up to 20 bottles of wine per year.

Others, however, will deliberately reduce the yield (for example by restricting the amount of water to the vines) so that the vines are under stress and less grapes are produced. Those grapes are often more concentrated in flavour, colour and tannin and so higher-quality, for premium winemaking. These vines typically only produce one (or less) bottles per year.

Very expensive dessert/sweet wines can use a lot of grapes as they are often left on the vine longer to dehydrate, concentrating the sugar and flavour. A standard 750ml bottle of sweet wine uses 600-800 grapes, but this figure increases to thousands of grapes for a 375ml bottle of expensive dessert wine or ice wine.