As 2021 draws to a close, The Wine Tipster looks back on another busy year. From racing wins to wine tastings, there has been a lot to celebrate amidst the continuing pandemic.

In particular, 2021 has been an exciting year for Prosecco DOC Rosé Millesimato, as The Wine Tipster has been able to present to audiences at virtual and live events in his role as Prosecco DOC UK Ambassador. All of the Prosecco DOC producers of white and rosé wines have received great feedback from trade and consumers. If you haven’t already tried Prosecco Rosé then 2022 is the year!

Looking forward to 2022, The Wine Tipster has the perfect recommendations for seeing the new year in which have been firm favourites of his throughout 2021.

Winbirri Vineyards Bacchus 2020, Norfolk, England, £16.99, Waitrose

English and Welsh still wines remain overlooked. The Wine Tipster hopes that quality wines from grape varieties like Bacchus, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay reach a wider audience in 2022. There are some great UK producers like Bolney Estate, Chapel Down, Woodchester Valley, Simpsons and of course Winbirri producing top class wines. The Wine Tipster first presented Winbirri Bacchus a few years ago and Winbirri first hit the headlines when winning the Platinum Best in Show medal for best value white wine made from a single grape variety at the Decanter World Wine Awards. The Winbirri Bacchus 2020 has been a firm Wine Tipster favourite in 2021 and wines made from Bacchus are reaching new levels as a dry style that should be shouted about more.

Domaine Tempier Rouge Classique 2018 Bandol, France, £29.50

Bandol wines are so underrated and The Wine Tipster’s Dad was a massive fan of Domaine Tempier. The excellent Savage Selection list the fabulous Domaine Tempier wines and their 2018 Rouge Classique. This includes one of The Wine Tipster’s favourite grape varieties, Mourvedre, and is very accessible now as well as after ageing for years. 

Domaine Tempier Rosé 2020, Bandol, France, £23.50 

This is a stunning dry rosé which has been so enjoyable in 2021 and will age for years. 

Andreas Syrah 2018, Boviei Valley, Wellington , Western Cape, South Africa, £21.95 Slurp, Cellar Door Wines

Andreas have 4.5 hectares of vineyards and The Wine Tipster first tasted their wines back in 2014. Their 2015 vintage was excellent and the 2018 is truly memorable, with beautiful intense dark ripe fruit flavours, attractive spicy, herbal and smoky notes, backed by well balanced oak, making an integrated wine that is not over-powering. A wine for South African and Northern Rhône fans too.  

Mediterranean Léoube Gin, £50 Daylesford Organics

Gin has remained incredibly popular in 2021 with the recently released Mediterranean Léoube Gin showcasing why the UK loves Gin so much. Known for their stunning Provence rosés, Léoube have introduced this spirited new addition, which is distilled with olives and wild Mediterranean botanicals. Try a little neat and as a gin and tonic, where you can pick these fabulous botanicals. Léoube recommend a range of lovely seasonal Mediterranean Léoube Gin cocktails too including Autumnal Gin Cocktail⁠.

The Wine Tipster’s recent pieces for The Jockey Club are full of Festive Wines and Christmas Cocktails which are great for seeing the new year too.

However you choose to celebrate, The Wine Tipster wishes you a very Happy New Year and a great 2022. Cheers!

We need a summer, not just because you are all hoping to give the barbecue more of an airing this year than last and enjoy some super al fresco eating and drinking, but also because our English and Welsh winemakers need periods of continuous, consistent sunshine over the next few months. They need to ensure that 2013 is a harvest to remember, unlike 2012 which was dominated by wet and cool weather as we all know, resulting in producers making a lot less wine, although the quality was good. Perhaps surprising for you is the fact that, if everything goes to plan, in England and Wales this year around 7.5 million bottles of wine will be produced, up from 3 million bottles from the 2011 vintage!

English and Welsh wines are rightly winning lots of accolades because we are making some of the best sparkling wines in the world here. Try these from producers like Nyetimber, Camel Valley, and Gusbourne Estate and, locally, Three Choirs in Newent. If you are looking for an easy drinking white then try Three Choirs Coleridge Hill or Willow Brook, both at around 11% abv. Alternatively, have a taste of the excellent Bacchus – the best white variety for quality still whites in England – from Brightwell Vineyard (pictured left) in Wallingford (to be featured at my Wine Talk & Tasting Evening at The Chipping Norton Theatre on Friday 17th May) or Bothy Vineyard.  Whilst the majority of production in England and Wales is of sparkling and white wines, there are good pink fizzes and still rosés too, with a few reds produced by specialists like Strawberry Hill Vineyards in Newent who make Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Other local producers  worth a mention are Poulton Hill Estate in Cirencester and  Bridewell wine available from in Wilcote near Chipping Norton.

So if you haven’t tasted an English wine yet or visited an English vineyard, then you definitely should, and your best opportunity is coming up during English Wine Week which runs from Saturday May 25^th until Sunday 2^nd June. There will be lots of activities and promotions taking place and you will get to taste some excellent wines. More details are available from English Wine Producers or UKvine.