Making every sip count
Leader: Amy Wislocki, Magazine Editor
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 lasting memories. There have been periods when I’ve had to give up alcohol – for health or child-bearing reasons – and at other times, my philosophy has been to get the most from every sip.
If the only wine on offer is mediocre, I’ll pass; if I’m not enjoying a wine, I’ll stop drinking it; and I’m still teased, 10 years on, for bringing my own wine glasses on a camping trip (though my friends were secretly delighted). We all – even, especially, wine lovers – have to be mindful of our wine consumption, and all manage it in different ways. For this reason, I believe an article on moderation does have a place in a wine magazine. Do email in and share your own experience of building a mindful and rewarding relationship with wine.
See what’s inside Decanter magazine June 2025
In focus
- Bordeaux 2024 en primeur: Topline analysis Georgie Hindle’s expert view, with much more to follow next month
- Wine, moderation & pleasure: How can we practise mindful drinking without impacting our enjoyment of wine, asks Ines Salpico
- Sober somms Marianna Hunt talks to three sommeliers who either don’t drink wine, or reduced their intake
- Vintage report: Barolo 2021 Michaela Morris introduces this five-star vintage, and picks 40 top buys
- Regional profile: Hampshire Sylvia Wu is impressed by the wines from this English wine region on the rise
- Chacra Chardonnay: A meeting of minds Burgundy meets Tuscany, in Argentinian Patagonia. Amanda Barnes MW on an exciting joint venture
- Four decades of Cloudy Bay Emma Jenkins MW visits the iconic New Zealand name on its 40th anniversary
- My other passion: Maya Dalla Valle Maiah Johnson Dunn talks dressage with the director and winemaker at Napa’s Dalla Valle estate
Spirits
- Distilled Spirits news
- Clear contenders Henry Jeffreys on the shift towards vodkas with character
Food & travel
- What to eat with no- and low-alcohol drinks Victoria Moore looks at how restaurants are upping their game for non-drinkers, and recommends some hero pairings
- Travel: A wine lover’s guide to Lavaux Tina Gellie visits Switzerland’s scenic, UNESCO-listed wine region
Learning
- Books etc Sophie Thorpe on Drunk by Edward Slingerland, plus an aria…
- Wine wisdom Expert advice, and ‘The Ethical drinker’ on sustainable wine-growing in the UK
Buying guide
- Editors’ picks Decanter staff share highlights from their recent tastings
- Panel tasting: Cape reds blends We rate 43 Pinotage-dominant blends
- Panel tasting: Jumilla 117 whites, rosés and reds tasted and rated, from this region in southeastern Spain
- Weekday wines Decanter’s in-house tasting team brings you 25 top picks, ready to drink and priced at £30 or less
- Weekend wines Priced £30-£60, seven standout buys to impress
- DWWA 2024 highlights US stars
Collecting & investing
- Marketwatch Auction news and new releases, plus Bordeaux’s pricing woes
Regulars
- Writing this month Meet four of the authors from this month’s Decanter
- Uncorked News, inspiration & more
- Andrew Jefford’s column
- Guest column Not all Marlborough Sauvignon is boring, says Roger Jones
- The Last Drop Celebrity bottles, crisps and wine, and more…
Credit: Decanter / Main image: Florent Larronde
Welcome to Bordeaux
Georgie Hindle, Regional Editor for Bordeaux
Hey Bordeaux lovers, and welcome to this year’s guide. To me, one of the most fascinating things about the wine world is that it’s a rabbit hole of discovery – the more you want to learn, the more there is to know (and love). Of course, you can stop at ‘I like Bordeaux wines’, or you can dive head first into the details that shape every sip: grape varieties, vintage conditions, fermentation tricks, oak ageing and beyond.
In this supplement to our June issue, I dig into two hot topics: organic winemaking and shiny new cellars. Sounds simple on the surface – organic’s better for the planet and us, new cellars beat old ones, right? Not quite.
It all hinges on soil, style, technology and the winery’s vision – all you have to decide is what matters most to your palate. Are you looking for vibrant, energetic and racy mineral reds? The plateau of St-Emilion delivers, as Panos Kakaviatos reveals. Craving clarets that are bold, structured and muscular? The Médoc’s 2016 vintage is a knockout, as our panel tasting reveals.
Sweet and white wine fans, we’ve got you covered, too, with a range of styles to savour. The best way to find your favourite, though? Visit Bordeaux and taste, taste, taste. There’s a calendar packed full of open days to discover the estates, the wines and the people who make them.
Against a tough backdrop for wine right now – with shifting trends and tighter budgets – it’s down to us to help ensure Bordeaux’s magic endures. So grab this guide, explore, and raise a glass to a never-ending journey and all the learning along the way…
Enjoy!
Inside Decanter’s Bordeaux supplement 2025:
- Writing on Bordeaux Meet four of the expert authors whose words grace this year’s Bordeaux guide
- Go-to Bordeaux Decanter staff reveal their favourite value picks
- Guest column: Charlie Geoghegan The risk of increasing homogeneity
- What’s next in Bordeaux? News from the region, plus diary dates
- Les Etrangers Valeria Tenison meets six expat winemakers shaking things up in a region where regulations rule
- Building the future Innovation and investment is redefining winemaking in Bordeaux, says Georgie Hindle
- Limestone soul St-Emilion’s limestone plateau is central to its identity, as Panos Kakaviatos shows
- Interview: Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy Georgie Hindle meets Château Mouton Rothschild’s head winemaker
- 2015 revisited: 10 years on After a decade of evolution, how are the 2015s faring? Gareth Birchley finds out
- The famous ‘5’ vintages Gareth Birchley on the spookily successful median vintages of the past 80 years
- True grit: Bordeaux’s organic revolution Georgie Hindle explains why organic viticulture is so difficult and picks 20 top eco-friendly buys
- My Bordeaux: 10 city hotspots to seek out Local Valeria Tenison’s top spots for enjoying the best wines
- Take three Stephen Brook visits a trio of châteaux whose wines have been transformed by their current owners
- Panel tasting: Médoc 2016 One of the region’s finest recent vintages cements its reputation, our experts identifying 11 Outstanding wines
- Expert’s choice: Montagne St-Emilion Andy Howard MW picks 18 favourites from this low-profile Right Bank sub-region on the rise
- Sip young, savour old Three châteaux, three vintages. Stephen Brook illustrates the evolution of Sauternes, using 2020, 2018 and 2009
- Style counsel Dive into Bordeaux’s diverse range of fresh and vibrant dry whites with Andy Howard MW
- Drink now or wait? Vintage guide
