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Gamay: Cheerleader of Wine Grapes

Picture this: The sky turns raspberry red as the sun sets on a warm evening during the town’s baseball match. At halftime, the Beaujolais Belles appear, led by Gaby Gamay, head of the cheerleading squad. Gamay’s team always brings the glow: vibrant, cheerful and full of energy in their hot pink outfits and silky skirts, with bubblegum pink pom-poms bouncing playfully, perfectly in time with the music. Light on their feet and nimble, they jump, twist and turn, but when it’s time for the pyramid, they show strength. The younger members assemble at the bottom while the more experienced ‘Cru’ show dexterity with complex moves at the top.

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Gamay makes wines that are vibrant and pinky red, comparatively light in body and fruity, with bursts of strawberry bubblegum, ripe red berries and raspberry leaf. Behind all that energy and bounce, however, there’s a real sense of balance. The world's most famous region for the grape is Beaujolais, France, where quality levels vary as you move up the pyramid, but you can find it in small pockets elsewhere too. It’s aromatic and elegant with very soft tannins, making it one of those gentler reds that can take a slight chill on a warm day. It also loves a baguette with paté or a charcuterie lunch.

It’s Beaujolais Nouveau day next week (Thursday 19th Nov), so I’ll do a full Beaujolais run-down then with its own Sips Safari!

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GAMAY SIPS SAFARI

Gamay 1: Beaujolais, France

A bit like Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, Gamay at the moment really is all about one region - and that is Beaujolais, just South of Burgundy proper. Here, it thrives in granite soils, producing everything from light, fruity, perfumed Beaujolais Nouveau styles to straight Beaujolais, then Beaujolais-Villages, and finally, at the top of the pyramid, the more serious, age-worthy wines from the 10 famous ‘Crus’. From north to south, these are: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

Try: Dominique Piron Beaujolais Villages 2024, £14.75 Waitrose

Gamay 2: Loire Valley, France

While not nearly as prestigious as Beaujolais, Gamay from the Loire Valley in France offers fresh and approachable, easy-drinking styles from regions like Touraine and Anjou, where it’s also often blended with other varieties. Loire Gamay wines tend to be light, fruity and often slightly spicy, perfect for early drinking.

Try: ‘L’Artiste’ Gamay Noir, Bougrier, Loire Valley, 2023, £15.95 Fine Wine Direct

Gamay 3: Switzerland

Switzerland also produces notable Gamay, especially in the Valais and Geneva regions, where it’s often blended with Pinot Noir to create ‘Dôle’ wines. These styles tend to be fresh, fruity and slightly more structured than lighter Beaujolais styles, with riper, red fruit flavours and a subtle earthiness. They are hard to find in the UK though and tend to be pricey.

Try: Gamay Mont-sur-Rolle, Maison Blanche, 2023, £32.58 Alpine Wines

Also try:

Outside France and Switzerland, Gamay is slowly gaining traction in the Willamette Valley Oregon, in Canada’s Niagara Peninsula, New Zealand and California, where some producers are experimenting with both light and structured styles. If you find them, compare them to a Beaujolais!

Gamay is…

🎨 Vibrant, raspberry red in colour

🏋️‍♂️ Very soft and very juicy when young

👃 All about strawberry bubblegum and fresh raspberry notes

📍 The star grape of Beaujolais, France

🍴 Pair with cold cuts, paté, duck and mushrooms

Want to learn more? Free subscribers get recommendations and drinks wisdom but paid subscribers also get the full HelenaSips Video Wine Course and extra resources!

Black olive: There’s an ancient evil eye or ‘Malocchio’ tradition among Southern Italians, Greeks and the Maltese where olive oil is dropped into a bowl of water. If the drops spread or merge, the evil eye is on you. If this happens, prayers are said and the water is thrown away to lift it.

Black pepper for healing and banishment: Pepper is hot and has been used by healers across time to burn out illness. Also, a sniff makes you sneeze, which folklore says expels spirits from the body.

Brambles for healing: An ancient healing ritual from southwest England and parts of Wales and Ireland involves patients crawling through, or being passed through, an arch of brambles several times to leave illnesses such as whooping cough, boils or rheumatism behind on the thorns. Later, this also included healing the heart.

Crystal sound to drive evil away: Ringing bells are among the oldest protective tools in Europe and are strongly associated with this time of year to scare evil spirits away.

Leather vs evil spirits: In 17th and 18th-century England, people hid well-worn shoes in walls and chimneys across the country to trap evil spirits. As a leather shoe takes the shape of its wearer, people thought it held something of their spirit and could act as a decoy. Thousands of old shoes have been found in building renovations since!

Plum for resilience: In Western European folk magic, people kept pieces of smoothed plum wood as pocket charms or whittled them into wands for resilience. The plum tree itself is incredibly resilient and can bloom through severe late-winter frosts, so people believed its wood had a shielding property against curses and sickness.

Sage for wisdom and clearing energies: ‘Smudging’, i.e. burning white sage to clear stagnant energy, is well known in modern spiritual and wellness circles. European sage is also known as a natural antiseptic and is still used to cleanse wounds and support digestion. It’s also long associated with memory and, therefore, wisdom, hence ‘sage’ meaning ‘wise’.

Salt for purification: Before refrigeration, salt was the best way to preserve meat and fish, so it became seen as the enemy of decay as well as corruption because it stays pure and unchanged over time.

Smoked meat for purification: In Celtic traditions during Beltane, people drove cattle between two bonfires to cleanse them of disease and evil spirits before summer. Then at Samhain, those not fit enough to survive winter were slaughtered, salted and smoked to preserve their meat.

Strawberry for protection and nourishment: In an old, rural Bavarian tradition, people tie baskets of wild strawberries to cattle horns as gifts for the elves, who in turn protect the herd and its milk. Nourishment for nourishment.

Violet for letting go: Victorian widows would switch from black to violet-coloured clothing as they began to publicly let go of their grief.

Wine Rituals

Release & Protection: Côtes du Rhône

Andy Cato spent most of a decade filling dancefloors as one half of Groove Armada with Tom Findlay. He gave us “At the River”, “I See You Baby” and the Grammy-nominated “Superstylin’”, as well as nine albums (six of them hitting the UK top 50) and the Lovebox Festival.

Then in 2008, he moved his family to France and by 2013 had sold the rights to his own songs to buy a farm in Gascony, France, swapping basslines for microbiomes. He went on to co-found Wildfarmed, a pioneering regenerative farming and food company on a mission to scale the transition to regenerative agriculture and make better food, from better farms, available to more people. Andy now farms in Oxfordshire and you might even have spotted him on Clarkson’s Farm recently.

So how does someone go from headlining festivals to obsessing over crop rotation and making a difference to our planet? Have a listen…

Find Andy Cato

Instagram: @wildfarmed @groovearmada

wildfarmed.com

In the glass…

Hawkstone Wildthing Wildfarmed Lager

Find it at Tesco for £9.50 fo 4 x 44ml

*******

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Halloween or Samhain energy is about so many things, but releasing negative shizzle and what no longer serves us, while building protection for the dark months ahead, are key themes. We have a waning moon this week, which serves this manifestation ritual perfectly too. Here’s what you’ll need and why:

Which Wine for a Protection and Release Ritual?

Find a Southern Rhône red, which will usually be a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Think red Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Why? The classic tasting notes for Rhône Syrah bring black pepper, which drives unwanted energies away as well as black olive for protection. A violet lift symbolises the release of past pains. Grenache adds a sage note to enhance purification and wild strawberry to appease the spirits, while Mourvèdre brings cured-meat, leather and smoke notes to further symbolise purification and protect against bad juju. Together, they ooze dark plum and bramble fruit, known for shielding against negative energy. More info on what’s behind these below!

What you’ll need

• A wine glass - crystal if possible

• A small, fireproof dish

• Black pepper

• Salt

• Pen with black ink

• Paper

• Black candle

• Somewhere safe to burn your notes!

Manifesting with a Rhône Red: The Wine Ritual

Set the scene by adding a pinch of black pepper or a sprinkle of the grains into your dish. Next, light the candle with the intention of cleansing and banishing, then very gently strike the glass so it rings out like a bell. Pour some wine into it, then swirl and sniff it, seeking out the aromas written above if you can - but don’t taste it yet.

Next, tear some paper into strips. On each piece, write something down that you don’t want to take with you into the future: Jealous feelings about something work-related? Get it down. An old wound you’re sick of carrying? Note it. Guilt for something you can do nothing about? A habit you want to break? Write everything you can think of.

Making sure you have somewhere safe to put the strips of paper while they burn, take each one separately, read it aloud to the candle then fold it away from you and hold it in the flame until it catches. If you’re feeling bold, state the following as it burns, then drop it into the fireproof dish alongside the black pepper.

“By the power of earth and flame, I sever ties and strike your name!”

Swirl and sniff the wine again, then take a small sip to seal the deal. Try if you can to pick out the tasting notes but say them out loud regardless to bring their qualities to your wine spell: Dark plum, black olive, sage, violet, leather, pepper…

When your papers have finished burning, sprinkle salt over the top for purification.

The Folklore Behind It All

For centuries, humans have leaned into ritualistic practices using elements like these and it’s only relatively recently that we seem to have forgotten them. This is a rich world with many different examples of why we use certain things, but here are some of the background stories for the elements that suit this ritual perfectly:

Salt for purification: Before refrigeration, salt was the best way to preserve meat and fish, so it became seen as the enemy of decay as well as corruption because it stays pure and unchanged over time.

Black pepper for healing and banishment: Pepper is hot and has been used by healers across time to burn out illness. Also, a sniff makes you sneeze, which folklore says expels spirits from the body.

Crystal sound to drive evil away: Ringing bells are among the oldest protective tools in Europe and are strongly associated with this time of year to scare evil spirits away.

Violet for letting go: Victorian widows would switch from black to violet-coloured clothing as they began to publicly let go of their grief.

Smoked meat for purification: In Celtic traditions during Beltane, people drove cattle between two bonfires to cleanse them of disease and evil spirits before summer. Then at Samhain, those not fit enough to survive winter were slaughtered, salted and smoked to preserve their meat.

Sage for wisdom and clearing energies: ‘Smudging’, i.e. burning white sage to clear stagnant energy, is well known in modern spiritual and wellness circles. European sage is also known as a natural antiseptic and is still used to cleanse wounds and support digestion. It’s also long associated with memory and, therefore, wisdom, hence ‘sage’ meaning ‘wise’.

Black olive: There’s an ancient evil eye or ‘Malocchio’ tradition among southern Italians, Greeks and the Maltese where olive oil is dropped into a bowl of water. If the drops spread or merge, the evil eye is on you. If this happens, prayers are said and the water is thrown away to lift it.

Leather vs evil spirits: In 17th and 18th-century England, people hid well-worn shoes in walls and chimneys across the country to trap evil spirits. As a leather shoe takes the shape of its wearer, people thought it held something of their spirit and could act as a decoy. Thousands of old shoes have been found in building renovations since!

Strawberry for protection and nourishment: In an old, rural Bavarian tradition, people tie baskets of wild strawberries to cattle horns as gifts for the elves, who in turn protect the herd and its milk. Nourishment for nourishment.

Brambles for healing: An ancient healing ritual from southwest England and parts of Wales and Ireland involves patients crawling through, or being passed through, an arch of brambles several times to leave illnesses such as whooping cough, boils or rheumatism behind on the thorns. Later, this also included healing the heart.

Plum for resilience: In Western European folk magic, people kept pieces of smoothed plum wood as pocket charms or whittled them into wands for resilience. The plum tree itself is incredibly resilient and can bloom through severe late-winter frosts, so people believed its wood had a shielding property against curses and sickness.

Mike Figgis is an artist in every sense of the word. He is not only an Oscar-nominated film director and musician but a man who involves himself in every part of the creative process from writing screenplays to composing the music and editing. He is also a very talented photographer.

You may know Mike best from Leaving Las Vegas; The film that won Nicolas Cage an Oscar and earned Mike two nominations of his own, but Mike has never stopped learning and pushing the boundaries of film. He’s the one film students look to for a more curious, human approach.

Most recently, he took us behind the scenes of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Megalopolis with his fascinating documentary, Megadoc and now, he’s working on his very own unicorn project that we get to hear about first!

Please subscribe if you enjoy these conversations - and tell your friends.

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Find Mike Figgis

Instagram: @figgismike

Podcast: Figgis Unfiltered

The 36 Dramatic Situations book & card deck

In the glass…

Torrione, by Petrolo

A red wine from Tuscany made with a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

petrolo.it

*******

Liked this? Listen to more episodes:

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Co-Founder of Renais Gin, Alex Watson

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October is Georgian Wine Month and I was lucky enough to spend a few days there recently, so it’s the perfect time for a One Minute Wine Ace Guide. Want a deeper dive? Paid subscribers, stay tuned for more!

ONE MINUTE WINE ACE - GEORGIA

The country of Georgia is the original home of orange wine, or amber wine as they call it there. It’s where the oldest evidence of winemaking on the planet has been found, (dating back 8,000 years!) which is why it’s known as the cradle of winemaking. Georgia is a unique place where wine is woven into just about every element of the culture, way beyond mealtimes. You’ll find wine styles here that you just won’t find anywhere else. Here are the key things you need to know about Georgian wine:

Where is Georgia?

Georgia sits right where Eastern Europe meets Western Asia, with Russia to the north and northeast, Turkey and Armenia to the south and Azerbaijan to the southeast. The Black Sea sits on its western coast and Tbilisi is the capital city.

Which grapes do they use in Georgian wine?

Georgia has a whopping 525 indigenous grape varieties but only 8 have real clout and two stand out for quantity. On the red side, Saperavi leads the way for plantings and Rkatsiteli is the flagship on the white side.

What is orange or amber wine?

What we call ‘orange’ wine in the UK and elsewhere is ‘amber’ in Georgia, so if you want to sound like a pro, if it’s Georgian, call it ‘amber’. Orange wine is simply a white wine made like a red wine, where the juice is left in contact with the skins to absorb more colour and texture (see this piece for a deeper dive). This can be done in steel tanks, barrels or terracotta pots known as ‘qvevri’ in Georgia.

GEEK FACT! In Georgia, the pots which stay in the ground and never move are ‘quevri’. Amphorae are just for transportation!

Other styles of Georgian wine

While the orange (amber) wines of Georgia have finally started trending after 8,000 years, the reds and whites are well worth a taste - and you’ll find that there are two clear methods of making wine here, whether it’s red, white or amber: European-style and ‘traditional or ‘qvevri’-style. In this context, European-style winemaking generally refers to modern, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks or oak barrels, which give winemakers much more control over skin contact and filtration than buried clay qvevri. The resulting wines are clear and bright with more fruit and less tannin than their more rustic, ‘traditional’, qvevri-aged counterparts.

The key wine regions of Georgia

Georgia currently has just under 50,000 hectares of vineyards planted, of which 87% are located in the region of Kakheti in the southeastern part of the country. 5% lie within Imereti, 5% in Kartli and 2% in Racha-Lechkumi. Less than 1% can be found scattered across the 6 other wine-producing regions: Meskheti, Guria, Adjara, Bolnisi. Samegrelo and Abkhazia.

Try These Georgian Wines

Amber: Orgo Rkatsiteli, £22.90 on offer georgian-wine.co.uk

A particularly fresh style of amber wine to start you off. Made with 100% Rkatsiteli grapes from Kakheti, this has had 6 months in qvevri with skin contact. It’s dry and textural but rounded with notes of honeyed pear and camomile.

White: Kisi Special Reserve 2023, Tbilvino, georgianwinesociety.co.uk

The charmingly named Kisi is an indigenous Georgian white grape that’s coming back from near extinction and here, it’s made in the ‘European style’ to keep its freshness. A little tropical with some ripe pear and a quirky hint of matcha, this is a great example of the grape.

Red: Château Buera Saperavi Qvevri, £26.90 georgian-wine.co.uk

A dry red wine made from 100% Saperavi grapes in the Napareuli micro-zone of Kakheti, made with wild yeasts and macerated with skins for one month in qvevri. Think dark, bramble fruit and plum with a silky texture and an earthy finish.

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What is orange wine?

Spoiler alert: it’s not made from oranges. It is, in fact, quite simply, white wine that’s made like a red wine. Here’s what I mean:

The colour and texture in red wine actually comes from the skins, which are added to the pressed grape juice to soak. If you peel a red wine grape, you’ll see that the pulp is white (99.9% of the time)!

With normal white wines, the juice is pressed, then the skins are discarded, whereas with orange wine, the white grape skins either stay with the juice or are added back in to soak for a while. This adds a certain amount of colour as well as tannin and texture to the wine. How orange a wine will be depends on how long the skins are left in with the juice and which grape varieties are used, as they all have varying hues and skin thickness.

What does orange wine taste like?

It’s a style that sits in between white wine and red wine, hovering somewhere around rosé. It’s weightier than most pinks and tends to be drier and more grippy too with tangy, often savoury, nutty flavours, making them brilliant food wines. I love a glass of orange wine with savoury snacks, roast chicken or a chunk of comté.

Geek Fact! This orange wine style is trendy now but it’s actually thousands of years old! This was the original way of making wine back in ancient Georgia where full grape bunches were put into clay pots called qvevris, which were then buried in the ground to keep them cool and just left to do their thing. In Georgia however, they say ‘amber’ not orange. This ancient, what we now call ‘non-interventionist’ approach, where grapes are simply left to ferment, is at the heart of the natural wine movement.

Not all orange wines are made in this more natural way with qvevri, however, even in Georgia. Some are made as most modern wines are these days, using stainless steel tanks, oak barrels or even oncrete eggs.

Want to know more about Georgian wine? I’ll post an easy overview next week. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!

Orange Wine Sips Safari

GEORGIA: Qvevris Kisi, Georgia, £12 M&S & Ocado

Here’s a Georgian wine made in the traditional way with qvevris from the country’s biggest wine region, using a majority of the beautifully named Kisi grape. Dry and textural, this has a vibrant, orange peel freshness with a hint of savoury nuts and a ginger biscuit kick.

CHILE: Macerao Naranjo Orange Wine, Chile, £9.50 Waitrose

A Chilean wine made with Moscato grapes in the more modern, skin contact style without clay pots. Quite light in body compared ot many and very dry, this has a lovely, bergamot, earl-grey tea aroma with a candied lemon peel note and a nutskin finish. A good one to start yoru orange wine journey with.

USA: Bonny Doon, Le Cigare Volant, USA, £15.50 Tesco

A blend of Grenache Blanc, Grenache and Muscat from California, this is a bold, richly coloured and flavoured wine. Think grilled peaches and tea with toast, bitter orange peel, baking spice and smoke. Definitely one to have with protein. grill;ed chicken, halloumi or even pork will do the job.

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Helen Thorn is an Australian-British comedian, writer, podcaster and one half of the Scummy Mummies comedy double act that she created with Ellie Gibson. She has spent the best part of a decade making mums everywhere feel less alone (and considerably more entertained), while turning the chaos of parenting and adult life into bestselling books, a hit podcast and numerous sell-out live shows.

Her latest book, How to Face Big Change and Come Back Stronger, is out now, drawing on the women who helped her through a very difficult few years of navigating the sudden, gut-punching end to her marriage followed by the grief of losing her darling mother.

Right now she’s touring the UK with Hot Mess, the new Scummy Mummies live show covering everything from menopause to mansplaining and training for a marathon without being able to run. In this episode, we hear how she’s managing it all!

In the glass…

Apérol Spritz: Fill a large wine glass with ice. Add three parts Prosecco D.O.C. Extra Dry, two parts Aperol and one part soda water. Garnish with an orange wheel and serve with crisps and an olive.

Find Helen Thorn

Instagram: @itsmehelenthorn & @scummymummies

The Scummy Mummies Podcast

Helen’s Books

How to face big change and come back stronger NEW

Get divorced, be happy

The Tour

Hot Mess: Find dates and book tickets for the new Scummy Mummies tour HERE

***

Liked this? Listen to Series One:

Actor & Winemaker Sam Neill

Designer & Artist Laurence Llewellyn Bowen

Olympian Legend, Dame Jess Ennis-Hill

Designer & entrepreneur, Cath Kidston

‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris

Wine Expert Tom Gilbey

Broadcaster & super athlete, Vassos Alexander

Co-Founder of Renais Gin, Alex Watson

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REAL Blush Slow Fermented Sparkling Tea, £9- £10 Tesco Waitrose

As far as Champagne alternatives go, why not pick something that actually does you good rather than a de-alcoholised fizz pumped of sugar? Sparkling teas and kombuchas offer the pop of Champers and the yeasty, brioche complexity with none of the nasties - and they’re good for your gut. REAL blush is made with First Flush Darjeeling and White Peony teas, which give it a totally natural, tangy, red fruit flavour. There are lots of other flavours to try too and they also now come in cans.

Bunta Beer, £3 Wise Bartender buntabeer.com

This Indian-founded, UK-brewed non-alcoholic beer was created specifically to pair with Indian food as it’s lower in carbonation to prevent that overly bloated feeling. This one is crisp and citrusy with a refreshing orange peel note and a herbal tang. With National Curry Week happening as we speak (until 11th Oct), it’s a great time to try it too.

Wilfred’s British Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo, £22 Ocado, £30.50 Masterofmalt

More like a posher, more delicious Campari, this is a serious, British-made aperitivo that tastes like it has booze in it thanks to a moreish bitterness from the orange peel and rosemary, as well as a warmth e from cloves. It’s pricey, but with a non-alcoholic fizz, you’ll see its worth. It would make a great gift for the non-drinker in your life too.

CLUBMERA Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo, £27 for 6 x 200ml, clubmera.com

CLUBMERA sits somewhere between an Apérol Spritz and a Negroni in style and it’s a pretty-looking, plug-and-play tipple. Quite light in body with some serious spritz and dark red in colour, it looks the business in the glass - and tastes it too. There’s lots of flavour here: bitter orange peel, spice, herbs and a kick of pink pepper. A properly grown-up soft drink.

Warner’s Botanical Aperitif, £18 M&S in store

Fans of Botvio or Mother Root will love this new launch, which is now in M&S. Made on a farm in Northamptonshire, this uses raw apple cider vinegar as a base, softened by wildflower honey and combined with lavender, lovage, angelica root, chamomile, dandelion root, gentian and wormwood with orange, grapefruit peel and cardamom. It’s quirky and delicious: earthy, yet floral and bittersweet. Try it with soda water and a slice of orange.

Nirvana Alcohol-Free Stout, 0.5% £28 for 12 x 330ml nirvanabrewery.com

We all know Guinness 0.0% is the bomb, but it’s nice to change things up occasionally. Brewed in London, this is a little lighter and sweeter than the big G but with lots of gorgeous flavours like coffee bean, chocolate malt and caramel. The bitterness on the finish is softer too and the new nitro version is much better for the creaminess than it used to be.

Old Speckled Hen ZERO, £5.50 for 4x440ml cans, Morrisons

Not to be confused with the lower-alcohol version, the ‘Chicken Ale’ has a new 0.0% baby. Fans of the original should be impressed with the profile of this classic ale, which is lightly malty and gently fruity. Naturally, it doesn’t quite have the body of the 5% version but flavour-wise, it’s almost there. Refreshing and old school at the same time. Lovely jubbly.

Athletic Brewing Co. Run Wild Alcohol Free IPA, 4 x 355ml, £5 Tesco

A very different animal from the malty ale and the creamy stout, this hoppy IPA is the real deal. With tons of citrussy, flavour and crunchy bitterness on the finish, this is refreshing and crisp - the perfect foil for getting through beer o’clock unscathed. At 56 calories per can too, it feels even more virtuous. Up there with Guinness when it comes to the ‘I can’t believe it’s not booze’ factor.

CHANCE Clean Cider, 300ml, £2.25 M&S

Brand new into M&S is the UK’s first dedicated, alcohol-free cider - and no, it’s not just apple juice! Made with British apples by real cider-makers, this slightly spritzy sipper is clean by name and clean by nature. With a seriously pure and crisp apple flavour, there’s an extra dimension to this that stops it just tasting like juice. A bit on the pricey side but a classy drop.

DOSE & CO Sparkling Beauty Collagen Drinks, Holland & Barrett Waitrose

The UK’s first sparkling collagen drink in a can, this novel concept ticks a lot of boxes for me in midlife. With two flavours at the moment (lime & mint and raspberry & pomegranate) you can taste the collagen a little in these but they do feel like they’re doing you good. Drink very cold and they double up as an alcohol-free, no-nasties treat and your drinkable skincare!

Water Junkie Functional Drinks, £2-£2.49 Holland & Barrett Waterjunkie.com

These functional mushroom-led drinks are a revelation - and no, they do not taste remotely mushroomy. There are three flavours to try, each with one mushroom leading the way based on its superpowers, then souped up with good-for-you additions like ginseng, ashwagandha, and magnesium. Choose DREAM with Reishi, WIDE AWAKE with Lion’s Mane or FEEL ALIVE with Chaga. The flavours are complex, fresh and delicious too. My new go-to soft drink.

Like this? See previous recommendations:

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Alcohol-Free & Mid Wines: Which should I try?

Cin Cin!

It was a small tasting for Lidl yesterday with just a few core wines and the new Wine Tour, which launches at the end of this month. More on those when they’re actually available. For now though, these are my top picks from the core range:

Comte de Senneval Brut Champagne, £13.99

Not a new wine for Lidl but I feel this non-vintage sparkler gets better every year. Easy drinking, rich and fruity, think rhubarb and red apple crumble. Not the most complex of Champagnes but for the price, this is a steal.

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, £7.49

Not all Prosecco is created equal, as you may have seen in my recent post. This one is a DOCG, however, which is why it has more to say than others, with notes of jasmine, white pear and stone fruit. Still sweet as it’s made in the Extra Dry style, but decent.

Mount Ara New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2025, 9.5% ABV £6.99

LOOK! It’s a ‘mid wine’ at 9.5% ABV. Often, these lower alcohol versions taste unbalanced and sour in my opinion, but this one is great. Unsurprisingly, it feels a tad lighter but still has all the zip of a classic Savvy B and is balanced with it.

Jailbird Chardonnay 2025, £5.99

A blatant dupe of the sickly sweet 19 Crimes Chardonnay, this is actually much more palatable than the original. Still bold and ripe with notes of sweet peaches and a touch of caramel, this is a playful wine and a bit of a guilty pleasure. Cheap as chips too!

Côtes de Provence Rosé 2025, £8.49

Here you have a straight-down-the-line, dry, slightly saline Provençal pink that does exactly what it says ‘on the tin’. Crisp and refreshing with a pleasing stony mouthfeel, it’s a good crowd-pleaser that’s perfect for the Indian summer we’re having.

Delxue Coonawarra Australian Cabernet Sauvignon 2025, £7.29

I love showing Coonawarra Cabernets at my tastings as they are so distinctive and show the ‘New World’ style so well. Bold and juicy, this is packed full of spicy blackcurrant notes with a distinctive Coonawarra minty, eucalyptus twang.

Halloween Special - De Bortoli Australian Shiraz Durif, £7.99

A fun choice for Halloween thanks to the redback spider on the label, this is a brooding and concentrated red - quite savoury and firm, with notes of black and red berries, dark plum and black tea from the splash of Durif in there. A foodie red wine.

Primitivo di Manduria 2022, £8.99

Primitivo is often made in quite a jammy style, but this one is drier and more savoury than most. Full-bodied, rich and rustic, think coffee bean and cocoa powder with a hint of grilled meat. One for those autumnal stews or roast lamb.

Like this? Try these:

8 Top Wines from M&S

10 Top Cabernet Sauvignons

3 Alternative Spritz Recipes

The M&S press tasting happened this week and here are a few wines that really stood out to me, all available now. They also have a fantastic new range of non-alcoholic drinks, liqueurs and to-die-for Irish creams that had me making inappropriate noises. More on those soon but until then, wine…

Sparkling Wines

Ribolla Gialla, Friuli, Italy, NV 10.5%, £8

Incredible value, this is a wonderful, dry Prosecco alternative in a very funky looking bottle. Ribolla Gialla is the grape, hailing from Italy’s far northeastern corner and here, the fizz is an easy-going and fruity fizz with notes of pear, herbs and bitter almonds.

Drink with: On its own aperitif style or salty snacks.

M&S Blanquette de Limoux, NV France, £12

Blanquette is an ancient method of making sparkling wines that predates Champagne using the local Mauzac grape and a splash of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. Concentrated and tangy with notes of baked rhubarb in a sea-salt crumble, this is wonderfully quirky.

Drink with: Smoked salmon, seafood and fried chicken.

White Wines

M&S Juanico Albariño, Uruguay, 2026, £10

Yes! Albariño (and Tannat for that matter) is a THING in Uruguay. Didn’t you know?! This one is lovely too. It has the peachiness the grape is known for but is rounder and riper, with more apricot notes and less salinity than the Spanish versions from Rías Baixas. Fabulous.

Drink with: Roast chicken, white fish and nutty cheeses.

M&S Collection Organic Chablis, 2024, £25

Ok this is expensive but at least it does what Chablis is meant to do, perhaps with a tad more fruit. Classic, concentrated, subtle marzipan, chalk and lemon with a moreish mineral core. It’s organic, made by a well-respected producer (Brocard) from old vines too. A great gifting wine.

Drink with: shellfish, delicate white fish, subtle cow cheese. A great gift wine.

Orange Wine

M&S Qvevris Kisi, Kakheti, Georgia, 2023 £12

From the original home of Orange wine, this Georgian sipper is made with 100% Kisi grapes, which are soaked with their skins for extra colour flavour and texture. This is a wonderful, super dry and textural wine with flavours of Earl Grey tea and ginger nuts! A proper foodie wine.

Drink with: Anything nutty, roast chicken, hard cheeses like comté.

Red Wines

M&S Palatia Pinot Noir, Pfalz, Germany, 2024, £10

A proper, cool climate Pinot that’s elegant, lean and very silky with notes of crunchy red cherry, raspberry and earth. With lots of fruit but dry with it, this really is a fabulous, very well-priced wine that can also take a slight chill.

Drink with: Cold cuts, duck and lamb.

M&S Yarri Karri Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023, £14

From the ‘Bordeaux of Australia’, this western region produces some of the country’s finest wines and it’s very well suited to Bordeaux blends. This is full-bodied, silky and elegant with a gravelly minerality, tobacco and lots of cassis. A pro rugby player in black tie!
Drink with: Steak, beef… all the protein. Also, dark chocolate!

M&S Collection Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Bertrand Gonnet, 2022 (NEW SUPPLIER)

I often feel that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is overrated but thanks to Del Boy, it’s still seen as a shortcut to fine wine. This one, however, is a fantastic example of what a good version looks like. Think Christmas cake vibes with spirity currants, cinnamon spice and candied peel. Note that this picture shows the old supplier as this is brand new!

Drink with: Lamb roasts, turkey and all the trimmings, comté.

Like this? Try these:

10 Top Cabernet Sauvignon Wines from Around the World

10 Wines for Organic September

12 Top Pinot Noir Wines from Around the World

Fine Wine from… Essex!

LISTEN: The HelenaSips Podcast

September is widely celebrated as ‘Organic September’ in the wine industry as we hit the peak of wine harvesting in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s therefore a great time to celebrate regenerative, sustainable, biodynamic and organic viticulture. How can you do that? Support wineries all around the world that are making a difference by drinking a bottle!

Recently, I teamed up with one of my favourite places on the Isle of Wight, Ventnor Botanic Garden, for a Wine & Plant Pairing event. Curator Chris Kidd and I led 30 guests through the garden’s various international zones, with him describing the flora and fauna and me pairing them with special wines, each with their own eco-credentials. Here are those wines as well as some others that deserve your attention for the good they do:

Sparkling Wine

Graham Beck Sparkling Pinot Noir 2019, £25 (£20 mix 6) Majestic

With impressive eco-credentials, Graham Beck is the king of what’s known over in South Africa as the ‘Cap Classique method’ (like Champagne). This vintage wine is made with just under 90% Pinot Noir and a splash of Chardonnay, giving red berries on fresh, flaky pastry with a dollop of cream.

Hambledon Classic Cuvée, £32 - £36 Ocado, BBR, ND John

From the UK’s oldest commercial vineyard, this famously rich and biscuity, traditional method sparkling is a near-equal blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Hambledon uses regenerative viticulture, 100% renewable energy and low-intervention winemaking. Stay tuned for their NEW ‘English Cuvée’, which we premiered last night, coming to Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and more early Oct.

White Wine

Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2025, £12.50 Tesco

The Yealands Reserve Sauvignon is a step up from the straight blend, using higher-grade fruit from their coastal Seaview Vineyard site. It’s a particularly zingy and citrusy, minerally white with lashings of passion fruit and cut grass. The winery is now carbon positive too. Big tick.

Florão Branco, Quinta da Fonte Souto, £15 VINVM, Ocado

An elegant white made from Arinto and Verdelho grapes grown within a National Park on the slopes of the São Mamede range, the highest point in Alentejano. It’s cooler here, which helps preserve the acidity and aromatics of this very pretty, citrusy wine with subtle, tropical flavours.

Paul Mas Reserve Marsanne 2024, £12 (£11 mix 6) Majestic

A wonderfully textural, foodie white with notes of apricot, peach, honey and herbs. Les Domaines Paul Mas ensure strict biodiversity and sustainable management, with around 40% of their vineyards being fully organic and the remaining vines using low-intervention, herbicide-free methods. They use integrated biodynamic principles on select sites too.

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Rosé Wine

Mirabeau One Day Rosé, £20 Ocado, Harrods, maisonmirabeau.com

‘One day, all wine will be made like this’, i.e. hailing exclusively from regeneratively farmed vineyards, so say Jeany and Stephen Cronk of Mirabeau. (B-Corp). A jewel in the Mirabeau portfolio, this is an elegant and subtly complex Provençal rosé with notes of red berry, white peach and quince with a twist of orange citrus. Stunning.

Château Galoupet, Cru Classé Organic Rosé 2023, £57 (£46 mix 6) Majestic

Galoupet is one of only 18 official Cru Classé estates (the most premium) in Provence, and it serves as a leading sustainability model, with rigorous regenerative viticulture, ecosystem restoration and packaging innovation across the 160-hectare estate. This exceptional rosé is wonderfully viscous and savoury, with notes of mango, lime, wild strawberry and a slick of salinity. It’ll age beautifully for another couple of years too.

Red Wine

Altano Rewilding Edition Douro Red Wine, £11.25 Tesco

Owned by the B-Corp Symington Family Estates, this is made with a blend of local Portuguese grapes: Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca (which you’ll find in the famous fortified wines of Port). It’s a silky, elegant red with notes of violet, bramble fruit with dark chocolate. It can even take a slight chill. Proceeds from every bottle go towards Rewilding Portugal’s pioneering conservation work.

Veramonte Pinot Noir, £11.75 (on offer) Ocado & £16.75 Amazon

Organic and sustainably made, this Chilean Pinot Noir from the cooler Casablanca Valley is a wonderfully easy-drinking, medium-bodied red that’s all about smoky, dark cherry spice, some crunchy raspberry and a little earthiness. A fantastic example of New World Pinot and made with respect for the land.

Domaine Bousquet, Virgen Vineyards Natural Malbec 2024, £14 Booths in store, Vintage Roots

From Argentina’s pioneering regenerative organic estate Domaine Bousquet (the first regenerative wine producer outside California to achieve this status), this Malbec is a no-sulphites-added, minimal-intervention red that offers an exceptionally pure expression of high-altitude Malbec. Now available in all Booths stores and online from the end of September!

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Wine & Plant Pairings with Ventnor Botanic Garden

Fine Wine from Essex? Yes - and 10 to Try

10 Top Cabernet Sauvignon Wines from Around the World

LISTEN: The HelenaSips Podcast

Welcome to the inaugural Wine & Plant Pairing event at Ventnor Botanic Garden with me, Helena Nicklin, joined by Chris Kidd, the garden’s curator and paired canapés by chef Michael Jackson. Here’s a reminder of what we're tasting and where to find more information about the producers. Do subscribe if you’d like to hear about more events and get some wine recommendations and drinks wisdom into your inbox once a week!

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Welcome drink: England

Hambledon Vineyard, English Cuvée, Hampshire NV NEW! £30 (landing 14th Oct in Waitrose, 11th Oct in Sainsbury’s)

Served on the lawn at the start of our tour, we’re tasting the brand new Hambledon English Cuvée! A blend of all three ‘Champagne’ grapes: 54% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir, and 8% Meunier, with 5% barrel fermentation and 1% reserve wines, this is an easy-drinking, yet complex and creamy sparkling with a characteristic, brioche-like, biscuity note. Note the embossed floral pattern featuring ox-eye daisies, cornflowers, dandelions, willowherb and wild marjoram, all drawn from the cover crops that grow between the vines to enrich soil health and biodiversity across the estate.

Hambledon Vineyard is located in Hambledon in Hampshire, the home of cricket and cited as the birthplace of English wine! Founded in 1952 by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is one of the producers that put England on the map for fine wine. See more at hambledonvineyard.co.uk

Served with mushroom and truffle crostini.

Mediterranean Zone: Provence

Château Galoupet, Cru Classé Organic Rosé 2023, £57 (£46 mix 6) Majestic

Served amongst the rosemary and thyme, the rockrose and olive trees of the garden’s Mediterranean zone, we taste the flagship cuvée from Château Galoupet; one of only 18 official Cru Classé estates (the most premium) in Provence. This rosé vintage is wonderfully textural with subtly exotic notes of mango, wild strawberry and a slick of salinity and spice. It will age beautifully too for another couple of years.

Biodiversity and sustainability are at the heart of what Galoupet does. The current owners have restored this 18th-century property, its vineyards, and its lands to set an example for organic viticulture and regenerative agriculture in the industry. As much of the land here houses forest as it does vines and the Cru Classé ‘terroir’ for winemaking means the resulting wines are truly exceptional and ageworthy. See more at chateaugaloupet.com

Served with peach and goat's cheese crostini.

Citrus Grove: Portugal

Florão Branco, Quinta da Fonte Souto, £15 VINVM, Ocado

This elegant white is made from Arinto and Verdelho grapes grown near Portalegre on the slopes of the São Mamede range, the highest point in the Alentejano region. It’s cooler here, which helps preserve the acidity and aromatics of this very pretty, citrusy wine with its subtle, tropical flavours.

Quinta da Fonte Souto has a unique terroir with its own microclimate and diverse soil composition, which sets it apart from most of Alentejo. The entire 207-hectare estate sits inside the Serra de São Mamede Natural Park, a protected conservation area and here, eco-friendly winemaking is practised with minimal intervention. Symington Family Estates was also the first wine producer in Portugal to become a Certified B Corporation. See more at symington.com

Served with cucumber bites with dill and cream cheese.

Mediterranean Zone: Portugal

Altano Rewilding Edition Douro Red Wine, £11.25 Tesco

Owned by the Symington Family of Port fame and made with a blend of local Portuguese grapes Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca (which you’ll find in the famous Port fortified wines), this is a silky, elegant red that has substance and flavour. Think violet and bramble fruit with dark chocolate. It can even take a slight chill.

Find this wine by the distinctive viper’s-bugloss and the cork oak trees further into the Mediterranean zone. Proud to be B Corp and using minimum intervention viticulture, proceeds from every bottle of Altano Rewilding red wine goes towards Rewilding Portugal’s pioneering conservation work. See more at symington.com

Served with mini dark chocolate brownies with fresh raspberries.

Asian Zone: China

Saicho Sparkling Jasmine Tea, £19.99 Saichodrinks.com

Among the bamboo, we’ll taste an elegant alcohol (or hot tea!) alternative in the form of a sparkling Jasmine tea. Made with green tea grown in the mountains of Fuding in Fujian Province, China, this is intensely aromatic with notes of Blossom, pear and a subtle woodiness, sitting alongside the more usual green aromas and flavours.

Founders Charlie and Natalie created Saicho as a point where wine, tea, food and culture meet, redefining how it can be experienced in the modern world. They incorporate several sustainability and ethical practices into Saicho’s production and packaging, including sourcing single-origin tea leaves directly by working closely with small-scale tea farms and local growers and using recycled materials. Impressively, they also collaborate with educational foundations to promote sustainability awareness for future generations. See more at saichodrinks.com

Served with smoked salmon blinis.

New Zealand Zone

Yealands Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2025, £12.50 Tesco

Amongst the Olearia, Phormium and the tree ferns all native to New Zealand, we’ll taste this multi-award-winning, quintessentially Marlborough Reserve Sauvignon: a particularly fresh and citrusy, minerally white with lashings of passion fruit and cut grass, made by a fantastic female winemaker: Natalie Christensen. This reserve wine is a step up from the straight blend as it uses higher-grade fruit from their specific coastal Seaview Vineyard site.

Located near Blenheim in the Awatere Valley, Yealands was carbon neutral and sustainable from day one and today works hard to create nature positive - and now also carbon positive - beautifully biodiverse wines where the process actively removes carbon from the atmosphere. See more at yealands.co.nz

Served with smashed avocado with fresh basil and mint on cucumber rings.

South American Zone: Chile

Veramonte Pinot Noir, £16.75 Amazon & Ocado

The aptly named Chilean Wine Palm is where you’ll find your glass of this organic and sustainably made Chilean Pinot Noir, surrounded by lantern trees and hardy Mitique shrubs. A wonderfully easy-drinking, medium-bodied red, this is all about dark cherry spice, some crunchy raspberry and a little earthiness.

You’ll find Veramonte’s Pinot Noir vineyards in the cooler, Casablanca Valley region of Chile surrounded by 2,500 hectares of native forests. The estate is fully committed to organic agriculture, ensuring all of its vineyards are certified organic to promote biodiversity and soil health. See more at winesoftheworld.ie

Served with prosciutto and fig crostini.

South African Zone

Graham Beck Sparkling Pinot Noir 2019, £25 (£20 mix 6) Majestic

We’ll taste our final glass - a traditional method sparkling wine - amongst the Agapanthus, the Red Hot Pokers, Proteas and Birds of Paradise in the South African zone. Graham Beck are the kings of what’s known over there as the Cap Classique method (like Champagne) and this vintage wine is made with just under 90% Pinot Noir and the rest, Chardonnay. Think red berries on fresh, flakey pastry with a dollop of cream. It’s complex and classy yet so easy-drinking and unpretentious.

Graham and Rhona Beck, sadly no longer with us, have left an impressive legacy of sustainability credentials, including a pioneering programme that works alongside winemaking to nurture, protect and conserve the land, reducing and recycling water and using sunlight for power. The company has also set up a successful philanthropic trust to support their workforce and the wider community through education, skills development, sport and recreation as well as health and welfare. See more at grahambeck.com

Served with prosciutto, melon and strawberry bites.

It’s International Cabernet Sauvignon Day today, so time to get the measure of this grape with some classic examples from classic regions. If you want to know a little more about this grape and really get under its skin, I’ve also made my HelenaSips Wine Academy video and article live and FREE for a limited time. Check it out here: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pro Rugby Player of Wine! In the meantime, here’s your Cabernet Sauvignon Sips Safari:

Bordeaux, France

Start with the OG region for Cabernet and head straight to Bordeaux, France - specifically, the Left Bank of the river Gironde and the villages of Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux and Saint-Estèphe. Try these:

Château Beau-Site, St Estèphe 2014, £25 Co-op

A very smart wine for the Co-op and, given the age on it, exceptionally well priced. This is classic left Bank Bordeaux: restrained and elegant with notes of graphite, blackcurrant and cedar.

Chateau Cantemerle 2020, £45 (£30 case price), Laithwaites

A fab, premium Claret made by the ex-consultant for Lafite and other First Growths. From a generous vintage that’s just showing some age, think spiced cassis, cedar and tobacco.

Coonawarra, Australia

Compare your Bordeaux with a New World Cabernet from Coonawarra in Australia for a fuller-bodied, less tannic and juicier version with tonnes of blackcurrant and a characteristic minty twang.

Deluxe Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra, Australia, £6.99 Lidl

For a cheap-as-chips version that gives a decent idea of a Coonawarra style, try this. It’s sweet and simple, like boozy Ribena with a hint of mint.

Little Giant Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, £13 Waitrose

With extra points for its eye-catching bottle, this bold and fruity, eucalyptus-scented wine is a perfect example of Cab from this specific region. It’s so easy to drink but has structure too.

Napa Valley, California

Napa wines will typically come with hefty price tag but they are serious, nuanced and concentrated. They’ll also need a few years to soften up with age.

*Finest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, £16.50 Tesco

It’s unusual to find Napa Cabernet below, well £40 a bottle but Tesco have done a decent job with this. Full-bodied and grippy, this is a bold, concentrated wine. Decant it to soften it and release that cassis spice. Better with a steak and it’ll age well too.

Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Napa Valley, £70 Winedirect.co.uk

This Cab from an iconic, historic estate was part of the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting where California took on France and won. This is a standout wine that’s drinking now but will be even better with time. Think black cherry and blueberry spice, dark chocolate, dried tobacco and coffee bean.

Also try these Cabernet Sauvignon wines

Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon. Colchagua Valley, Chile

£12.90 Easywineshop.co.uk

Chile produces excellent, easy-drinking cabernets, especially from the warmer regions of the Colchagua and Maipo Valleys. Smooth, rich and spicy, this is very easy-going. A great ‘plug-and-play’ Cab that’s ideal with roast beef or a nut roast.

Robert Oatley Semaphore Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Australia

£14.25 Co-op

Known as the ‘Bordeaux of Australia’ thanks to its gravelly soils, Margaret River in Western Australia makes fabulous wines like this, somewhere in between the more restrained Bordeaux style and more exuberant wines of Coonawarra. This is elegant and perfumed, with structure yet still easy-drinking.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Columbia Valley, USA

£19 (£13 mix 6) Majestic

A more acceptably priced alternative to Napa Valley Cabernets adn easy to drink earlier, this comes from Washington’s oldest winery. It’s bold and juicy with notes of vanilla fudge and plum jam.

Hickinbotham ‘Trueman’ Cabernet Sauvignon, McLaren Vale, Australia 2020

£68 VINVM

For a standout, new world Cabernet, the McLaren Vale is a great place to look and Hickinbotham is a name to know. This is showing its age nicely; like a posh Claret but with more generous fruit and gorgeous notes of mocha, rose petal and herbs. An excellent wine to gift - as long as you can drink it with them!

Did you know that Cabernet was the Pro Rugby Player of wine Grapes?

Watch the video!

Posh Pinot? The Only Way is Essex!

‘Essex’ and ‘fine wine’ are not usually words you’ll see together in a sentence. But as a female wine professional who grew up in Essex during the 80s and 90s, with my formative years punctuated by misogynistic jokes about girls from my part of the world, nothing’s more pleasing than telling the world that this much-maligned county is currently the most exciting region for fine wine on the planet. Fact.

It’s no secret that England is a serious player in the wine industry nowadays, thanks to the posh sparkling wines coming from the Champagne-alike soils of Kent, Hampshire, Sussex and beyond. But as far as the next frontier goes, and certainly when it comes to fine, still wines, all eyes are on Essex. And for good reason, too. Results just in from this year’s WineGB Awards - the top national competition for English and Welsh wine - confirm a genuine shift. For the second year running, the ultimate national trophies have been dominated by wines made with grapes grown in Essex.

Indeed, there are now more than 55 vineyards in the county, making Essex one of the biggest wine-producing regions behind Sussex and Kent. So, where exactly is this exciting wine production happening and why is it different from elsewhere in England?

Which parts of Essex make great wine?

Of the three emerging sub-regions of Essex, it is the Crouch Valley on the Dengie Peninsula, which lies to the east of Chelmsford and south of the River Blackwater, that’s currently getting the most attention from wine buffs. None other than Jancis Robinson, the world’s most famous wine writer, has described it as ‘England’s Côte d’Or’, thanks to the rich and complex, ‘Burgundian’-style, still wines coming out of it made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Burgundy itself has now also got the memo, with producers from the famous French villages of Gevrey-Chambertin and Chassagne-Montrachet recently announcing joint ventures with two of Essex’s top players: Danbury Ridge and Missing Gate Vineyard. It did, after all, hit 40 degrees in ‘cool climate’ Burgundy this summer, which fine wine grapes struggle with.

It’s not just the French eyeing up Essex though: Jackson Family Wines, a major Californian-based wine company, founded Marbury in 2023 - another Crouch Valley operation - persuading celebrated English winemaker Charlie Holland to jump ship from Gusbourne in Kent to build a portfolio of still wines in Essex from scratch.

“I first sat up and noticed the wines coming out of the Crouch Valley in 2018,’ Charlie tells me. ‘Some were a significant step up from anything I had tasted in the UK before. Now I’m winemaking here, being able to consistently ripen grapes to produce still wines above 13% alcohol by volume (ABV) naturally, even in a difficult year, is a game changer for being able to make still wine. Elsewhere, they struggle to get about 11%, which is fine for sparkling - but I firmly believe this is the best place to grow grapes for still wine in this country.”

Being able to ripen grapes fully is more important for still wines. Riper grapes have more sugar, which means more alcohol, fruitiness and body. Sparkling wines, by contrast, actually need grapes to be less ripe, as they are more about crisp acidity than voluptuous ripe fruit.

For riper grapes, parts of Essex have the trump card compared to other parts of the UK. In the Crouch Valley, it’s all about the soils; the heat-retaining London Clay to be precise as well as a warmer, drier microclimate, keeping frost at bay and helping ripen grapes enough to make still wines that aren’t weedy and acidic. North-west Essex around Saffron Walden and out towards Colchester, between the Colne and Stour Valleys, are the two other hotspots for fine Essex wine, though here, there’s more chalk and the focus is largely on sparkling vino and more aromatic grapes like Bacchus and Pinot Gris. Saffron Grange, whose vines sit on chalk, is one to watch, having just won three awards for their sparkling wines at WineGB East 2026, with Bromley Brook, located near Manningtree, taking home ‘Best Pinot Noir’ at the same competition.

Essex knows it’s got a good thing going and happily for its growing number of international visitors, they’ve understood the importance of wine tourism too, with numerous wineries opening up restaurants and tasting rooms on site. Wine educator Paul Laurie, who is known as Essex Wine Man and is an ambassador for New Hall Estate in Purleigh near Maldon, is excited for what’s coming next.

‘We’ve hosted big corporate events with brands like BMW and Porsche recently,’ he reveals, ‘and with new Essex Wine Tour companies setting up as we speak, it’s all only going to get bigger.’

Keep an eye on crouchvalleywinetours.co.uk and many of the wineries offer their own tasting tours.

Thirsty yet? Get a taste of Essex with these ten top tipples:

New Hall Single Estate Pinot Précoce Rosé 2025, £14.95 The Wine Society

Made by Crouch Valley’s oldest winery founded in 1969, this wine is made with Pinot Précoce; a more early ripening relation to Pinot Noir and here, it gives a wonderfully crisp and crunchy, rosehip-scented pink. Sip this as an aperitif or pair it with prawns. Well-priced and interesting, this is a great wine to start your Essex wine journey with.

Bromley Brook, Bacchus 2023, £20 bromleybrookvineyard.com

A fantastic example of wine made with the Bacchus grape from an award-winning vineyard out near Stour Valley, with notes of grass, forest floor and citrus. One for Sauvignon Blanc fans and it will make a great pairing for goats cheese and most types of salad. A good choice for a lunchtime tipple.

London Clay Brut NV, £18.50 crushedandcured.co.uk

London Clay make delightfully fruity, easy-drinking fizzes, which are made like Prosecco but with Champagne grapes. This is an effortless, unpretentious and very modern tipple that’s ideal when paired with simple, salty nuts and snacks. A good choice for intimate gatherings with friends.

Riverview Pinot Noir Rosé 2025, £25 thegoodwineshop.co.uk

Made with 100% Pinot Noir, this is a laser-focussed, pure and lean pink with vibrant ripe berry fruit. Wonderful with smoked or baked salmon and a nice treat with cold cuts, this could also hold its own with lightly spiced Asian food. Try their still Chardonnays and Pinots too once they’re back in stock!

New Hall Sparkling Brut Rosé NV, £30 newhallwines.co.uk

If you’re after a decent Champagne method sparkling with an Essex accent, this sherbety pink is impressive. Think raspberry and strawberry leaf with a touch of biscuit and pretty, floral aroma. Kick off a fancy dinner with this or swap out the Champagne at celebrations. Watch their faces when you say it’s from Essex!

Blackbook Winery, NightJar Pinot Noir 2024, £30 blackbookwinery.com

Made by the brilliant Battersea Urban winery Blackbook using grapes from Clayhill Vineyard in Crouch Valley, this is a silky pinot with concentrated red and dark cherry, bramble fruit and a peppery spiciness. One for lamb or grilled beef and a superb choice to confuse the posh winos in your life when you serve it blind. They’ll think it’s French.

Saffron Grange, The Rebel, Blanc de Gris Sparkling 2023, £30 saffrongrage.com

A fun, new wine from the multi-award winning Saffron Grange, this is a generous, traditional-method Pinot Gris / Chardonnay blend with notes of melon, pear and brioche. A bit different and great for gifting thanks to its funky packaging and star-on-the-rise story. Pair it with pastry-based snacks and it can take a little chilli spice.

Blackbook Pygmalion Chardonnay 2022, £45 Highburyvintners.co.uk

The as yet unreleased 2023 vintage of the Pygmalion Chardonnay was the big WineGB winner this year but try the equally epic 2022 while you wait. Buttery and almost tropical with notes of brioche, lemon curd and hazelnut, this limited edition is crying out for roast chicken or mild curries. One for you ‘open that bottle’ night to be tasted with people who appreciate it.

Danbury Ridge Chardonnay 2023, £39, The Wine Society

Textured, complex and creamy with a lemon peel tang and a pinch of spice, this is a truly knockout Chardonnay, sitting somewhere style-wise between a fine Burgundy and coastal Californian. Pair with nutty cheese, chicken or a posh monkfish dish. Best served as a dinner for two where you don’t have to share it too widely. You might want to decant it too.

Marbury Pinot Noir 2024, £44, Elementarywine.co.uk

Soft and velvety with concentrated notes of dark cherry, baking spice and plum compote, this is an incredibly accomplished English Pinot for such a young estate. It’s like Burgundy but bolder and will love a leg of lamb or some cheeky duck pancakes. Stock up on a few of these to lay down as it will age beautifully too.

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One Minute Wine Ace: Pinot Noir

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ONE MINUTE WINE ACE: Pinot Noir

It’s Pinot Noir Day and to celebrate, here’s my Vinalogy for the grape: If Pinot Noir were a character, it’d be a prima ballerina…

The lights are down in this beautiful ornate building as we watch the Royal Ballet perform Giselle. Swathes of lithe, professional dancers gracefully cross a floor obscured by soft smoke from the dry ice. Giselle appears, fine-boned and elegant in a flowing, cherry-red dress made of silk. She dances barefoot on the earth among the vines, her movements hauntingly beautiful. The way she can make the complex twists and turns seem so effortless is mesmerising.

***

Light-bodied and elegant, Pinot Noir can be a bit of a diva to work with thanks to its very thin skin, which is why it’s often called the heartbreak grape. When all conditions are perfect and the masters get hold of it however, then oh boy, it’s good! Pale cherry red in colour, with refreshingly high acidity and very low, silky tannins, Pinot can taste like a red wine but feel like a white, which is part of its universal charm. Couple this with an unrivalled complexity that comes with age and an ethereal, earthy perfume of spiced red fruit, lavender and raspberry compote and you’ll understand why people spend crazy amounts on the top bottles.

Geek Fact! Pinot Noir is also one of the three main grapes used in Champagne, along with Chardonnay and the red, third grape in the trilogy: Pinot Meunier. So if you have a ‘Blancs de Noir’ Champagne, it will have been made with these two red grapes only and sometimes, just Pinot Noir.

PINOT NOIR SIPS SAFARI

Below are the key places to compare Pinot Noir wines from to get a measure of its style. For a long list of world Pinot recommendations however, CLICK HERE!

Pinot Noir 1: Burgundy, France

You can’t do Pinot Noir without heading to Burgundy (Bourgogne), France, Pinot’s original home. Top-end red Burgundies are usually made with 100% Pinot Noir and are often best with a few years of age on them. Think spicy cherry and lavender flavours with a marzipan note. They’re delicate, earthy, understated and old school in style. It is here that they reach their most complex and elegant expressions.

Pinot Noir 2: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Willamette Valley in Oregon has recently taken the New World Pinot crown, gaining a distinct reputation for some of the most elegant and Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs outside of Burgundy itself. It’s the cool climate and long ripening season that gives it a similar high acidity with a focus on earthy savoury flavours.

Pinot Noir 3: Central Otago, New Zealand

Central Otago in New Zealand is one of the other, classic destinations for great ‘New World’ Pinot. Here, it’s easy drinking, yet serious with more concentrated notes of black cherry and spiced plum fruit, often with a cool minerality freshening everything up.

Also try:

Like many of the other especially famous grapes, Pinot Noir has certainly got around, finding favour in cool spots everywhere, from Sonoma and Santa Barbara in California, to Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley in Australia, Marlborough New Zealand, Pfalz, Germany and England, just to name a few!

See a list of 12 interntaional Pinot Noir wines to try here…

Pinot Noir Recommendations

Pinot Noir is…

🎨 Pale, cherry red

🏋️‍♂️ Light-bodied with fine, silky tannins

👃 All about red cherry and spiced raspberry

📍 A star grape in Burgundy, France but famous worldwide

🍴 Loves duck and lamb dishes as well as hard nutty cheese

Like this? See my One Minute Wine Ace guide to Chardonnay

Or my Vinalogy guide to Sauvignon Blanc

There’s also this piece on the wine icon that is Whispering Angel

Thanks for reading!

H x

With Pinot Noir Day on August 18th, it felt rude not to shout about some excellent bottles I’ve been trying recently. There’s something here for every budget and from most of the top regions around the world that make great Pinot.

Want to know a bit more about the grape and its key regions? Check out this ‘Pinot Noir is the Ballerina of wine‘ vinalogy video! Once you’ve done that, dive into these bottles below and remember, Pinot Noir is one of the few grapes that makes red wines that love a slight chill. Cin cin!

SPARKLING WINES

Graham Beck Pinot Noir Rosé, Roberson, SOUTH AFRICA, £24 (£21 mix 6) Majestic

I keep coming back to Graham Beck because for a traditional method sparklers (made like Champagne), they offer exceptional value. This Pinot is ripe and fruity with red berry and pastry notes.

Waitrose Blanc de Noirs Brut NV, Champagne, FRANCE, £28, Waitrose

With sparkling wine generally, Blanc de Noirs means ‘white made with black grapes’ which often translates as almost entirely Pinot Noir. This own-brand version is fab: biscuity and creamy yet fresh with it.

Balfour Blanc de Noirs 2022, Kent, ENGLAND, £50 Virgin Wines

A great example of what England can do with fizz, this showcases classic brioche and red apple skin notes with a lean, mineral core and a chalkiness on the finish, typical of Kent.

STILL WINES (£7-£17)

Blueprint Pinot Noir, ROMANIA, £7.50 Waitrose

Romania produces lots of accessibly priced Pinot Noir that’s easy drinking, lactic smooth, simple and fruity. Cramele Recas makes this - one of the country’s top producers.

Errazuriz Estate Reserva Pinot Noir, Aconcagua Valley, CHILE, £9.25 Tesco Asda, Waitrose, Ocado

While fairly light on colour, body and alcohol (12.5%) the flavour profile of this Chilean Pinot is more on the brooding, blackcurrant-spice side. Lovely with a slight chill too.

Cave Vinicole de Hunawihr ‘Cuvée Prestige’ Pinot Noir, Alsace, FRANCE, £14.50 (£12.50 mix 6) Majestic

Alsace is most famous for its whites but the Pinot Noirs are gaining momentum! This is a great example: round and creamy with baked strawberry and cedar notes.

Larry Cherubino, Ad Hoc Cruel Mistress Pinot Noir, Western AUSTRALIA, £14.50 Loki Wine ND John Cambridge Wine Merchants

This poised and crunchy Pinot comes from a top producer in one of Australia’s finest wine regions. Think black cherry and raspberry with a cool mineral core and a pencil lead finish.

Nanny Goat Pinot Noir, Central Otago, NEW ZEALAND

£17 on offer until 18th Aug (was £20), Waitrose

Central Otago is THE New Zealand region for elegant, cherry-scented Pinot Noirs and this little Nanny Goat is the perfect benchmark example of the regional style. Silky and perky!

STILL WINES (£20-£57)

Kendall-Jackson ‘Vintners Reserve’ Pinot Noir, California, USA, £20.50 (£18.50 mix 6) Majestic The Wine Press

Coastal California has long been praised for its languid, velvety Pinots like this that taste like strawberries in cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon spice. Still fine wine, but chilled out.

Meyer-Näkel, Spätburgunder Blauschiefer 2022, Ahr, GERMANY, £37.70 The Wine Barn

Spätburgunder is German for Pinot Noir and sets the benchmark nowadays for the cool climate Pinot style. This is lean, with redcurrant, cherry and a smoky, slate-mineral finish.

Marbury Pinot Noir 2024, Crouch Valley, Essex, ENGLAND, £44, elementarywine.co.uk, thefinewinecompany.co.uk

Crouch Valley in Essex is the newest, most exciting region for fine Pinot in the world and Marbury is leading the way! Rich and velvety with wild strawberry and baking spice notes.

Two Paddocks, Last Chance Pinot Noir, Central Otago, NEW ZEALAND, £57, VINVM

I had to include this ethereal wine as it was the late, great Sam Neill’s favourite vineyard of his own beloved Two Paddocks holdings. Nervy, mineral and lean, this needs time to come round but when it does, it is hauntingly beautiful just as fine Burgundy used to be.

Listen to my interview with Sam Neill here on the HelenaSips Podcast!

Read this: Wine Icons - Whispering Angel & its 6 Wine Siblings

Read this: Chilled red Wines: Rules of thumb and some to try

This year, the iconic Whispering Angel celebrates its 20th birthday - and what a twenty years they have been! When Bordeaux producer Sacha Lichine bought the Provençal property that would become Château D’Esclans back in 2006, not even he could have foreseen how one rosé would change the wine world in the way it has. Provence has a lot to thank him for - and he has a lot to thank the agency that helped him design the look! But did you know that Whispering Angel is just one of seven wines in the Esclans stable? They’re all pink and all offer something a little different. Here’s what you need to know:

Caves D’Esclans & Château D’Esclans

There are two tiers to the Esclans business: Caves D’Esclans and Château D’Esclans. Caves D’Esclans makes the more accessibly priced, commercially friendly wines in higher volumes, where grapes are sourced more widely from vineyards across the Esclans valley and Côtes de Provence appellation rather than being entirely estate-owned and grown. These are The Pale, The Beach, Rock Angel and the world’s bestselling Provençal rosé, Whispering Angel.

The Pale, £16.50 (£12.50 mix 6) Majestic

This is Esclan’s entry-level rosé and it’s still rather smart. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle (aka Vermentino) and Syrah grown in the Var part of Provence, this is your aperitif pink: crisp and dry with subtle grapefruit and red fruit notes.

The Beach, £13.75 on offer (was £17.75) Waitrose

A slight step up in quality, the Beach hails from Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, where wines are a little more glacial and mineral than the plusher wines of Côtes de Provence. This cuvée made with Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah also boasts impressive sustainable credentials.

Whispering Angel, £23 Waitrose

A classic Côtes de Provence blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle and Syrah, this famous cuvée is elegant and fresh, with riper notes of white peach and strawberry with a pleasing saline core.

Rock Angel, £24 on offer (was £28) Waitrose

The Angel’s big brother, Rock Angel is a slightly more complex and mineral rosé than Whispering Angel, though it still falls under the Côtes de Provence appellation. Made with the same blend, it is cool, crisp and lean - and a great pairing for food.

On the upper tier, we have the estate wines from Château D’Esclans: the Château d’Esclans cuvée itself, Les Clans and Garrus. Grapes for these wines come from the estate’s own vineyard, which features old-vine parcels (some Grenache vines over 100 years old) and are hand-harvested. These are lower-volume, more expensive and more serious, age-worthy rosés which are barrel-fermented in oak rather than just stainless steel. Garrus is generally considered to be one of the most expensive and ambitious rosés in the world!

Château d’Esclans, £41 (£36 mix 6) Majestic

Château d’Esclans is the first estate wine. Made from a blend of Grenache and Rolle, there’s some stainless steel and some barrel fermentation, which means it maintains freshness and some ripe pear and peach fruit while showcasing a lovely, creamy texture and a whiff of vanilla.

Les Clans, £53.99, Selfridges

A fantastic example of a complex and super concentrated Provençal rosé that has the potential to age for at least 6 or 7 years. Another blend of Grenache and Rolle with some barrel fermentation, the fruitiness here really pops. This is a serious, gastronomic style of rosé with a hint of spice.

Garrus 2022, £98 Fortnum & Mason

Garrus is top of the tree at Château d’Esclans. Made from grapes grown on nearly 100-year-old vines, this blend of Grenache and Rolle is entirely fermented and aged in new, large French oak barrels. It is full-bodied and rich with notes of red fruit, white peach and baking spice. A stunning, truly iconic wine that can age for a decade.

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LISTEN to the HelenaSip Podcast!

Series 1 is in the bag! In case you missed them, tune in to listen to how these successful creatives keep themselves sane and happy, all over a glass of something delicious: Actor Sam Neill (RIP), Designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Entrepreneur Cath Kidston, Olympian Jess Ennis-Hill, Plant Geek Michael Perry, Drinks founder Alex Watson, Super athlete Vassos Alexander, Author Joanne Harris, perfumer Sarah McCartney and Wine expert Tom Gilbey.

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Chilled Red Wines

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Thank you for all your support this month!

Spritz Season seems to be a thing, thanks to the success of classic recipes like Aperol Spritz and last summer’s favourite, the trendy Hugo Spritz. It even has its own celebration day now: National Spritz Day on August 1st, so it feels like a good time to try some new things. Here are some alternative spritz recipes that I think you’ll love:

Lemon Aperitivo Recipe

A super simple and particularly refreshing variation on a theme, this spritz uses Allora Lemon Aperitivo al Limone as its base. Inspired by limoncello but offering a more natural, bittersweet flavour without any nasties or tons of sugar, this is a lemon aperitivo that hails from the tiny, sun-drenched isle of Procidan in the bay of Naples near Capri. It’s known locally as the ‘Isola dei limoni’, the ‘isle of lemons’ because of its unique bread lemons, which have thicker white pulp and pith. In Allora, pulp, juice, peel and lemon tree leaves are used to make this uniquely refreshing tipple.

Ingredients & Method

• 125ml Allora Aperitivo Al Limone, £25 alloradrinks.com

• 125ml Sparkling Water

All you need here is equal parts Allora to Soda water, keeping this lighter on the booze and calories and high in refreshment and drinkability. Serve with a slice of lemon and maybe even a cheeky basil or mint leaf.

The Ultimate Rosé Spritz Recipe

I’ve always loved a simple rosé wine spritz, either with sparkling water and fresh fruit as garnish or if I’m feeling more decadent, a fragrant, peach or raspberry tonic. The added zhuzh of a little home-made purée though, adds a delicious upgrade. Here’s the peachy version, though you can swap the peaches for raspberries and use this fever tree Raspberry & Rhubarb tonic instead.

Ingredients & Method

• 100ml Fruity Rosé. (For this, I love Mirabeau X, £10 on offer at Sainsburys until 11/08)

• 75ml London Essence Peach & Jasmine Tonic (£24 for 24 x 20cl, Amathus)

• Pulp of one peach

• Peach slice and sprig of thyme for garnish.

• Pretty straw to stir

Blend your peach flesh until it’s as liquid as possible then place two spoonfuls carefully into the bottom of a large wine glass. Fill to the top with ice then slowly pour the rosé wine in down the side of the glass. Gently do the same with the tonic and marvel at the different layers of colour. You can leave them like that or if they’ve gone wonky. Very carefully mix together to not lose all the bubbles. Garnish and serve.

If you want the cheat version, the Mirabeau X Fever Tree Rosé Spritz mash up is excellent. Find it at Tesco for £12

Golden Hugo Spritz Recipe

(A functional, non-alcoholic spritz)

For those wanting a gentle buzz without any booze, GABA drinks are the way forward and professor David Nutt put these on the map with his brand his brand Sentia. The Sentia GABA Gold is specifically designed for a gentle uplift using a functional botanical blend, which includes ashwagandha, schisandra, damiana, ginseng and lemon balm. The Gold is great choice to mix with the leafy florals of elderflower and cooling mint in this spritz.

Ingredients & Method

• 50ml SENTIA GABA Gold

• 150ml soda water

• 12.5ml elderflower syrup or cordial

• 15ml fresh lime juice

• Fresh mint leaves

• Mint sprig and lime wheel, to garnish

Clap a small handful of fresh mint leaves and add them to a large wine glass. Fill it with ice, then add the Sentia GABA Gold, elderflower syrup and lime juice. Top with soda water and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and lime wheel.

Another functional drinks brand that I love, Smiling Wolf, has brought out some new ready to drink, non-alcoholic, function cocktails in cans, including an Aperol Spritz -and they’re ace! I can barely tell this one is not booze. If you’re not into mixing your own, give these a try.

Want more summer sipping recommendations? Check out these articles:

One Minute WIne Ace: Picpoul de Pinet

How to find really good Prosecco

The Assyrtiko Grape: Among Greek Ruins

Want to listen to something? Discover the HelenaSips Podcast!