I’ve tasted so many incredible bottles this year and had the pleasure of recommending so many great drops to you all. So, it’s time for my end-of-year round-up of all our favourite tipples of 2022. It was hard, and so many exceptional wines aren’t on the list, but I’ve narrowed it down to just ten bottles. There’s only one rule, they must be available in the shop, so in no particular order, here they are.
2019 Grandes Lignes Riesling, Leon Boesch
An 11th generation family estate that started in 1640 at the heart of the Vosges Mountain Regional Natural Park. Incredible dedication and attention go into making these wines, and traditions & practices have been passed down through generations. All the precession and expression you’d expect from a high-quality German Riesling with fine texture and quality you’d expect from some of the best French wine, what a bottle!
2021 Vernaccia Di San Gimignano Mormoraia
I’ve always been a massive fan of Tuscan wines, with their authentic sense of place and the ease they pair so perfectly with local foods. The town of San Gimignano is popular with tourists, but the surrounding areas are also famous for excellent white wine with a perfect almond skin finish. I love pairing this wine with fresh rabbit pasta.
2018 Macon villages du Grappin
2018 was the year I was at Le Grappin for the harvest, it was a perfect harvest in good for quantity and quality and the white wines are drinking perfectly now. This is an excellent example of 2018 white Burgundy from the Maconnais and an exceptional pairing with shellfish!
2018 Anne Arbeau 'Arbelle'
Surprised me the first time I tasted it, I’m a big fan of Jura wines and this is has that same personality but with a slightly different edge. A blend of Vermentino & Chardonnay from the Languedoc with wonderful freshness and plenty of grapefruit zest on the finish.
2020 Vidiano Oenops
A wine I discovered in on holiday in Athens, I got chatting to the sommelier and they high recommended these wines. Vidiano is the grape variety native to the Greek islands, notably Crete. It’s fermented in traditional amphora which gives it extra weight and richness. The aromas on the nose are intoxicating and take me back to my trip to Greece with woody herbs, sea breeze and lemon zest.
Tyrells 2016 Vat 1
After a summer trip to New South Wales and I was completely hooked on Hunter Semillon all this year, there’s nothing like it. I couldn’t get enough! The style of the wine is completely unique to the Hunter Valley. A great place to start is Tyrells, they’re a family-owned estate since 1858. Vat 1 is the most-awarded Australian white wine, it’s a blend of some of their best old vine Semillon.
2018 Donnafugata, Ben Rye, Passito di Pantelleria
Not just for this year, this wine continues to be one of my all-time favourite sweet wines. Incredibly versatile with food but really comes to life with baked fruit desserts. It’s one of those wines where I remember where I was the first time I tried vividly. It’s the passito/ drying method to make this wine that really concentrates the flavours and adds complexity.
2019 Pouilly Fuissé, Vignes du Maynes/Julien Guillot
I visited Julien and loved his sustainable philosophy towards his vineyards. It’s like no other Pouilly Fuisse you’ve tried, this wines have some much character and electricity. At our Burgundy tasting in November, this was by far the most popular white, and it was a great pairing with the rich and creamy Delice de Bourgogne.
2019 Momento grenache noir
We hosted a grenache tasting earlier in the year, as always we asked you to vote on your favourites, and this came up top with the most votes by far. It’s not what you expect from South African Grenache, it’s incredibly elegant and fine, very generous on the palate.
2020 Dalamara Naoussa
Another wine was voted for by our lovely guests in the shop at one of our tasting nights. A couple tried this blind and were convinced it was high-quality Barbaresco. If you love the wines of Piedmont, you’ll find something you love here for sure. Dried sage, baked plums and cranberries. The tannins are incredibly well integrated, but this will perfectly elevate a slow-braised beef dish.