Decanter

WINES OF THE YEAR

Editors’ highlights from the past 12 months

Born to do it

My father started his own business, a haulage contractor firm, in the year of my birth. I think he hoped, as it grew from a single lorry to a fleet, that one day he would pass it on to one of his three daughters. In the event we all took different...

Orange, blouge & beyond...

For the second month running I’m going to quote UK importer Doug Wregg, this time on orange wine – see our cover story, p20. ‘It gives me everything I want from a red wine, when I don’t actually want to drink a red wine.’ Unfamiliar as a style to most...

Are we too hung up on abv?

Do you like your red wines sappy and linear, verging on tart, as UK wine retailer Doug Wregg does? Or ripe and soft with ample structure, like Andrew Jefford, Decanter columnist and author of our long read this month on alcohol levels in wine (see...

Verona through a glass

As part of my summer holiday in Italy’s beautiful Garda region, I spent one night in Verona before flying home. While packing for the trip I had remembered to grab a copy of our April 2025 issue, which features a guide to where to drink wine in...

Happy birthday to us!

I don’t think a magazine should go overboard about its own internal milestones, but in addition to the usual content mix, we have taken the opportunity this month to mark our 50th birthday with a look back at Decanter’s journey. We also share pictures...

Beauty in youth

A balmy June evening seemed like the perfect time to head to a regional tasting of Picpoul de Pinet. As well as 30 current releases, eight wines were presented in a masterclass that focused on the newish ‘Patience’ concept. To qualify for the...

Making every sip count

My passion for wine has brought me immense pleasure over the years – since the early 1990s, when I took courses as a hobby and used to pay £5 to attend the Oddbins wine fairs. It has enhanced countless social occasions and is at the centre of many...

Pinot Noir: 20 smart US buys ✤ Wine lover’s guide to the Tamar Valley

Scoring in the spotlight

On a flying visit (my first) to Italy’s beautiful sparkling wine region Franciacorta last week, I could sense a general frustration that the mainly excellent wines, made by the traditional method, are not better known abroad. A sad inevitability, given...

A seat at the table

This month I sat in on a one-day panel tasting (of Italian Vermentino – look out for it in the next issue). I tasted along with the three expert judges, as an observer only, and the fascinating exercise reminded me not only how professionally...

A wine lover’s guide to the Camino de Santiago Wine myths debunked ✤

Decanter at 50

It’s coincidental, but as we enter Decanter’s 50th year of existence, we also unveil a new look to the magazine. We’ve been looking through the past issues, stretching back to 1975, and it’s fascinating to see how it has evolved over that...

IN MY GLASS THIS MONTH

After spending six months in Bosnia in the late 1990s, I follow with interest the wines of the former Yugoslavia. At a tasting of the Wines of Vojvodina, Bicicki’s dry Traminer, Moma, was an example of the exciting developments there. Tangy and floral,...

Food & travel

Wine lover’s guide to Etna; Champagne with your meal

Jefford on Bordeaux

This month’s compelling long read by Andrew Jefford is a piece that has been percolating for some time. While researching the cover story that we asked him to write for last year’s Bordeaux supplement, on the eternal allure of wines from the region, he...

The awesome AMERICAS

Cabernet, Carmenère, Merlot, sparkling... Napa, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil

Voyage of discovery

We’ll always bring you coverage of the classics at Decanter, but adventuring is in our DNA and we consider it equally our duty (and delight) to highlight emerging regions and styles that will be completely foreign to many wine drinkers. The best...

News from Bordeaux

It’s easy to think of Bordeaux as immutable. But of course that’s just not true, as the regional marketing board are so keen to convey to us via their extensive new ad campaign (see ‘Editors’ picks’, p119). En primeur doesn’t stand still either. As...