Who made the naughty list in the wine world in 2025?
This was another fascinating year in the world of wine, with some great initiatives and events celebrating the people who make this vital and brilliant industry tick. But there were also some things on my naughty list… read on to find out who made the cut.
Nice List – Aldi
Aldi’s wine department is fantastic, and they are excellent at promoting English wine and making it affordable. Over the Summer they released their Winemaster’s Lot English Sparkling, a premium quality traditional method fizz for only £17.95. At the time I revealed who the actual producer was (a respected estate whose wines usually sell for three times that) and got in a little bit of trouble as it was meant to be a secret… oops. It really does make it such a find though!
Naughty List – Aldi
But I’ve popped them here too for their release of the Bowler & Brolly Specially Selected Sparkling Wine of England for only £9.99. “English sparkling wine” is understood to be traditional method, like Champagne, which is more time consuming and costly. This wine, however, is tank method like Prosecco – which isn’t on the label. Aldi have labelled it “Sparkling Wine of England” rather than “English Sparkling Wine” to apparently show this fact, but that is pretty nuanced! Customers may think they are getting a traditional method fizz for a real bargain at under a tenner. (I will add that if you have picked up a bottle, the wine is still delicious and well made so enjoy).
Nice List – Morning Wire Toast Awards
It has been a horrific time for hospitality, coming out of lockdown to face ever tougher budgets and restrictions, so it was brilliant to see Morning Wire rewarding this vital industry in the Square Mile. The awards covered everything from the best pub, best family activity and best rooftop restaurant in the city and I presented them with friend and wine pro Matthew Jukes. As well as expert judges, a staggering 30,000 Morning Wire readers voted for their favourites showing just how loved this corner of the capital is.
Naughty List – Champagne problems
Netflix’s new Christmas film “Champagne Problems” went onto my naughty list within the first three minutes with its bizarre portrayal of how champagne is made. Please readers, do not take your lovely wine and pour sugar and yeast into it. This will not instantly make a sparkling champagne in the glass… Should Netflix plan on making any other wine films and require a consultant to fact check, please allow me to throw my hat in the ring.
Nice List – Santa Rita Estates
I was a judge for the Positive Luxury Awards, which celebrates businesses in the luxury space making positive, provable impact on the world. Chile’s Santa Rita Estates enormously impressed us all with their commitment towards environmental sustainability and to their community as well. Spanning everything from conservation to educational and health programmes, they are transforming lives as well as landscapes. An honourable mention also goes to Sea Change, a wine company who raises money for ocean conservation and Vinca, who launched the first recycled and recyclable aluminium wine bottle this year.
Naughty List – The real cost of wine
People can equate spending money on wine with pretentiousness but that is because many don’t understand where their money goes. Spending a little more on that bottle can have a sizeable impact on what you are drinking. I shall use the example of a £9 bottle of wine. The UK duty is around £3 plus another £1.50 in VAT, so 50% of that bottle is just tax. The bottle itself and its packaging is around 80p, and transport is around 45p. Stockists want to make a profit and usually the mark up is around 30%. This leaves just £1 of your original £9 to actually cover the wine, including the farming, winemaking and everyone’s salaries. Many of these costs are fixed so just paying a few pounds more means more is going into the wine itself and the fair wages of the workers.
Nice List – Hambledon vineyard
I had to let Hambledon Vineyard know I could not make a press event as it was school holidays. The usual response is “oh that’s a shame, next time” but they immediately provided childcare for the day. This allowed working parents to attend easily and guilt-free and represented a brilliant step forward in work flexibility. Our school terms still run like there is one stay-at-home parent to care for the children (or that we have enough money to pay for weeks of holiday camps) but that isn’t the general reality. Having Hambledon realise that and come up with a solution felt like a gamechanger.
Naughty List – Tiktok trends that ruin wine
Tom Hanks may be a national treasure but his unhinged “Diet Cokagne” drink of two-thirds diet coke topped up with champagne and its subsequent repetition across social media was a travesty. Likewise, the summer viral experiment of slicing up frozen chillies into Sauvignon Blanc. Ok, admittedly I tried that on my own Instagram account– and it was not a success. Spicy, lip-numbing wine? No thank you. Let’s leave wine as intended by the winemakers.
Nice List – Visibility and accountability
This year saw a boost of support for diversity in wine. Humble Grape, whose Fleet Street branch won Best Wine Bar at our Toast Awards, asked me to host a panel event for International Women’s Day. It sold out in record time with a wait list, showing the huge desire for these discussions. Curious Vines, a platform for women and non-binary individuals, created the “Accelerate Action” campaign online to foster unity and the confidence to speak up when witnessing harassment. Spear-headed by Queena Wong with Effi Tsournava and Sophia Longhi, many of the most respected people in wine took part, leading to more conversation and positive action.
Naughty List – Snobs and bigots
Boring bigots need to get the message, wine snobbery is officially out. From the waiter who tries to embarrass you into spending more, to producers who assume the women in the room are hobbyist bloggers. Set aside those unfounded assumptions or it’s a sack full of coal for you….