Support the winemakers of today and tomorrow

Our Supporting the winemakers of today and tomorrow campaign is far more than just a selection of great wines. It’s both a celebration and a rallying cry. 

Between climate change and a vast range of socio-economic pressures, the landscape of the wine world is shifting more quickly than ever. Out of necessity, innovation is flourishing, new regions and styles are emerging, and thanks to growers like those featured here, quality has never been better.

That’s why we’re shining a light on visionary growers who are redefining the future of winemaking. You’ll find tales of adapting to rapid change, efforts to safeguard wine’s future, inspiring efforts to survive under difficult circumstances and remarkable people who deserve – and in some cases need – our support.

We hope you’ll be inspired to add some of these wines to your basket: every bottle purchased is a direct investment in the longevity and sustainability of exceptional winemaking.

Shifting perceptions of possibility in South Australia

We all know that South Australian reds are big and full-bodied, weighing in at appropriately sun-soaked levels of alcohol. Until we meet a grower like Michael J Corbett from Vanguardist in McLaren Vale, who is shifting the dial towards a very different expression. A big believer in sustainable winemaking, Michael is demonstrating that, despite the climatic challenges in this hot and increasingly extreme region, wines can be made with more moderate alcohol and in a lighter style.

Many more traditional producers would think it impossible to make McLaren Vale grenache at under 13.5% abv, let alone such soulful and delicious examples. Working his old vines entirely by hand, happy to sacrifice yields in pursuit of better wine and healthier vines, he has managed to wean these precious, gnarled plants off irrigation – something practically unheard of in the sandy soils of Blewitt Springs. These wines have all the drive and presence that McLaren Vale wines should have, but without their overt power, imbued with astonishing freshness and poise. They are being garlanded with plaudits from the wine press and have become enormously sought-after in a very short space of time. A triumph of hard work, keen intuition and the desire to change perceptions of what is possible, Vanguardist is true to its name and a winery well worth getting to know.

Bordeaux at a crossroads

For a region so steeped in images of grandeur, it might feel jarring to hear of financial problems in Bordeaux. However, this is unfortunately the case. The region has been hit by a perfect storm of climate change, tiny volumes in the disease-pressured 2024 vintage, shrinking domestic demand and the collapse of its Asian market. 

Against this daunting backdrop, we have been amazed at producers’ ingenuity and indefatigability. One example of many is Vignobles Despagne, who have more than two centuries of experience in the oft-overlooked Entre-Deux-Mers. Their resourcefulness and inventiveness have been extraordinary, from increasing their holdings of cabernet franc (which deals with higher temperatures better and maintains freshness) to planting merlot on north-facing slopes (previously unthinkable in such a marginal climate). 

Not all of their initiatives have borne fruit immediately – a literal example being their plots in conversion to organic, which did not produce anything in the tricky 2024 vintage thanks to mildew pressure. One trump card they have in 2024, however, is their Château Bel Air Perponcher Blanc Réserve: it’s a fantastic vintage for dry white Bordeaux, and thanks to them harvesting before the rains, volumes are good, too. It’s such an appealing, fresh wine, offered at a remarkable price. In terms of both quality and the positive impact your support would bring to them, there’s never been a better time to seize and enjoy it.

Beacons of hope in Syria, Lebanon and Ukraine

A particularly stark illustration of the pace of change in the world of wine was our attempts to feature the exceptional wines of Bargylus, Syria's only private wine estate, in our campaign. Unfortunately, an escalation in the ongoing unrest in the country has meant that we were unable to restock, so we are restricting sales per member to ensure as many as possible get the chance to try them.

To be able to make such great wine in these conditions is an incredible achievement: from finding harvesters and skilled hands in the winery to procuring bottles and corks, every step of the way is fraught with problems. The estate lies in the north-western port of Latakia, and set up by the Saadé brothers, who planted their first vines in the early 2000s. In doing so, they revived a practice that once thrived here in ancient times. However, due to the conflict that continues today, the brothers live in Beirut, communicating with their team remotely, with help from their wine consultant, Stéphane Derenoncourt.

These wines are an inspiring testament to what can be achieved. As Jancis Robinson MW wrote on JancisRobinson.com, ‘It’s remarkable the wine is as good as it is.’ The 2016 Grand Vin Rouge is a blend of syrah, cabernet and merlot, offering exuberant berry fruits, wild herbs, black olive, spice and chalky, structured tannins. The 2017 Grand Vin Blanc is a vibrant sauvignon-chardonnay blend showing lemon peel, stone fruits and white flowers. Both have seen some age and are in their prime. Grab them while you can.

Over the border in Lebanon, conflict has also made life incredibly difficult for growers, including the country’s most famous estate, Chateau Musar. The 2024s were harvested under exceptionally dangerous circumstances, and finding workers to pick and work in the winery proved challenging. To make matters even worse, the domestic market has plummeted due to the unrest. We were the first to import Musar to the UK and have supported them over the years, and are proud to continue to do so. Your support for them and their much-loved, idiosyncratic and exceptional wines has never been more needed.

Great wine’s ability to bring people together during times of adversity can also be seen in our first Ukrainian wine from Bolgrad, the country’s biggest wine producer. Based in the Odessa region, their vines benefit from two opposing air masses coming from the freshwater Yalpug lake and the saline Black Sea – ideal for fresh, crisp white wine. Made with chardonnay and a little aligoté, it’s delicious and at the time of writing it is still being produced, even as the war continues around Bolgrad. It’s an inspiring story and we’ve been delighted to see this wine go down so well with members since its introduction earlier this year.

Drought and determination in Spain

A striking example of the innovation we’re seeing in response to climatic challenges can be found in Spanish resident and Scottish winemaker Norrel Robertson MW and his team. Calatayud faced severe droughts in 2022 and 2023. The younger vines suffered first, prompting the decision to water them individually, an arduous process carried out by hand. The older vines, with their deep root systems, coped remarkably well initially, but by the second year they too had begun to struggle.

For more than a century, many of these vineyards have been dry-farmed, but it’s clear that conditions are changing. Against this backdrop, Norrel and the team came up with some fantastic solutions to help safeguard the vineyards. First, they made the decision to drill a well. Four water diviners were consulted, all agreeing on the best location, and the well now reaches a depth of 200 metres. Another weapon against the effects of drought is biochar, a vegetal carbon created from vine prunings through a process called pyrolysis.

Using their own kiln, they began to produce biochar and buried it on either side of the vines. This material has an exceptional ability to retain water, keeping it available to the vines as needed while also promoting soil health by supporting beneficial microorganisms. In addition, Norrel has implemented keyline design in the vineyards to optimise water management and will soon be applying wool mulch sourced from local shepherds to further enhance moisture retention.

Boosting biodiversity in Piedmont

Our Climate and Nature Programme, launched last year, was our way of putting our money where our mouth is and helping growers to safeguard wine’s future. Setting aside a pot of £64,000 (the figure it would have cost us to offset our way to being carbon neutral), we invited growers to apply for funding to help them with a plethora of projects, all focused on mitigating climate change and ensuring the long-term health of their vineyards.

You can read more about the 11 winners and their amazing endeavours elsewhere on our site. To pick just one of them, the brilliant GD Vajra in Piedmont, north-west Italy, tabled a range of projects that we agreed to support. Cover crops between vine rows can be a great boon to growers, but planting them comes with challenges – and often expense. Vajra will identify and test a number of indigenous botanical species to find out which work best. Focusing on indigenous species means they’re much more likely to boost biodiversity and thrive in the local ecosystem. It also means they can be propagated, saving huge sums on buying new seeds each year.

The estate will then plant hundreds of metres of hedgerows, also trialling combinations of different species of plants and shrubs to establish which has the greatest benefit to flora and fauna. These projects are forward-looking, respect the value of local plant species and will produce learnings that will be shared with many other growers in the area.

These stories are just a few of many you'll find in the wines featured in our campaign. From emerging styles, grapes and regions to future-proofing ingenuity and more, each is superb and worthy of your attention. In such a challenging time for so many growers, we’re grateful to our members for being part of the solution and offering their support. The reward is not just brilliant wine, but also the greater likelihood that we’ll be able to enjoy such an array of it for many, many more years to come.