Orange, blouge & beyond…
Leader: Amy Wislocki, Magazine Editor
For the second month running I’m going to quote UK importer Doug Wregg, this time on orange wine – see our cover story. ‘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 of us a decade ago, orange wine has moved into the mainstream, with most retailers offering at least one example. (I’m a fan of Bonny Doon’s Le Cigare Orange, from Tesco, and Maturana’s Naranjo Torontel from Corney & Barrow – both under £20.)
I have to confess, though, that I’d never heard of ‘blouge’. Maybe I don’t hang out in edgy wine bars often enough. Are these wines, a blend of red and white grapes (blanc and rouge, get it?), set to be the next big thing? Probably not, but you have to applaud the creativity of winemakers who are willing to tear up the rule book, responding to shifts in consumer demand, and to challenges posed by climate change. With styles evolving in even the wine world’s most traditional corners, we’re here to make sure you’re bang up to date.
See what’s inside Decanter magazine November 2025
In focus
- All about orange Keen to explore this booming category? Simon J Woolf tells you all you need to know to get started
- 10 grapes to discover Caroline Gilby MW introduces a selection of 10 exciting grape varieties, white and red, from Central and Eastern Europe
- Crémant top buys Anne Krebiehl MW recommends 20 great examples of this value Champagne alternative
- Willamette Valley 2023 Clive Pursehouse on a great year for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with 40 picks
- One to watch: The Landing Emma Jenkins MW puts this exciting winery in New Zealand’s north on our radar
- Authenticity, AI & blockchain Elaine Maguire O’Connor reports on the latest technological advances in fight against wine fraud
- Henri Giraud Tom Hewson on a singular Champagne house that is celebrating its 400th anniversary
- My other passion: Daniel Estrin Clive Pursehouse goes mountain biking with the Oregon winemaker
Spirits
- Distilled Spirits news
- Discover soju Millie Milliken on the Korean spirit finding fans overseas
Food & travel
- The Thanksgiving challenge Charlie Fu has some fun pairing wine with turkey and the myriad trimmings
- Travel: Beaujolais Natasha Hughes MW urges wine lovers to visit this dynamic and beautiful region
Learning
- Books etc Reviewer Sophie Thorpe on two books written by sommeliers
- Wine wisdom Expert advice, and ‘The ethical drinker’
Buying guide
- Editors’ picks Decanter staff share highlights from their recent tastings
- Panel tasting: Northern Rhône 2015 An impressive nine Outstanding wines and 26 Highly recommended from the 46 wines tasted
- Panel tasting: Maremma Toscana A lower hit rate in this tasting of white, rosé and reds from the coastal area
- Expert’s choice: Bonarda Patricio Tapia picks 18 delicious examples
- 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 2025 High-scoring Chilean reds, including two Best in Shows
Collecting & investing
- Marketwatch Auction news and new releases, plus Champagne in focus
Regulars
- Writing this month Meet four of the authors from this month’s Decanter
- Uncorked News, inspiration & more
- Andrew Jefford’s column
- Hugh Johnson’s column
- Guest column Jason Millar on terroir
- The Last Drop Celebrity gin, chocolate and wine, and more…
Don’t miss the ultimate wine experience – book your tickets now for the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter London 2025
Credit: Decanter / Main image: Abel Valdenebro
Welcome to our 2025 Spain guide
Ines Salpico, Decanter Regional Editor for Spain
It’s been an eye-opening, fascinating year, for reasons both good and bad, a turbulent period, not least across southern Europe’s vineyards, where, after years plagued by drought, wildfires caused heartbreaking destruction.
On the other hand, in the face of such severe challenges, there are signs of strengthened passion and creativity, especially among winemakers in what are, perhaps, unexpected Spanish regions. It’s often what happens on the margins and in interstitial spaces – where there are fewer obstacles to be avoided and paradigms can be reconfigured – that shapes the course of history.
Less burdened with expectations and rules, these are places where creativity and talent thrive, allowing for the creation of forward momentum.
This year’s Spain guide focuses precisely on what’s happening in those fertile pockets of freedom that are fuelling a revision of the Spanish wine canon in exciting, promising ways.
Ferran Centelles’ guest column sets the tone by questioning the orthodoxy of the laws that determine DO-stamped winemaking. It has a perfect companion in Beth Willard’s report on wines without DO. We also explore the resurgence of the Levante in the southeast, the new blood of Ribeira Sacra in the northwest and the revival of Málaga in the far south.
But perhaps my favourite feature is a collection of heartfelt reminiscences from nine expert contributors who aren’t Spanish themselves, describing the wine and/or moment that made them fall in love with Spain’s wine and culture. It captures the meaning of this fascinating industry by showing how vividly it connects with memory and emotion. That connection is even stronger when in Spain – a country where emotions are intense and deep. The pages make the case for innovation, creativity, respect for tradition, sense of identity and industrious rebelliousness. All of which could be considered a much-needed reminder of what truly makes a life well lived.
Inside Decanter’s Spain supplement 2025:
- Writing on Spain Meet four expert authors bringing their views and experience to this year’s Spain guide
- Wine news highlights The latest goings-on, launches, people and publications in Spain’s wine world
- Guest column: Time for change Spain should elevate more of its DOs to DOCa, says Ferran Centelles
- How I fell in love with Spanish wine Personal memories from nine senior wine trade figures and writers: their Spanish ‘madeleine moment’
- The new Levante There are so many wine regions, grapes and stories to be discovered in Spain’s southeast, as DWWA Co-Chair Beth Willard writes
- Drought in Spain A serious issue, but Fintan Kerr reveals how producers are innovating to face the challenge
- Ribeira Sacra It’s tough working the steep slopes here, but the rewards can be great, as Noah Chichester discovers
- Unlikely companions Offbeat food and wine pairings, with Decanter’s Ines Salpico and Jonathan Eichholz MS
- Wines beyond the DO Quality wines and individual styles made outside the DO-regulated system. By Beth Willard
- Panel tasting: Red international varieties in Spain Fruit-forward styles, with 25 Highly recommended
- Travel: In pursuit of balance Noah Chichester reveals why enoturismo can help Spain ease its overtourism issue
- Travel: Costa del Sol Local insight from Shawn Hennessey, who shares her pick of destinations for wine lovers, in the popular tourist destination
- Málaga: the rediscovery Sarah Jane Evans MW urges readers to discover the modern wines of Málaga
- Go-to Spain Decanter staff reveal some of their favourite Spanish wines for everyday drinking, priced up to £25
