We all do it. Buy the same old wines because we know and love them... like putting on a comfy pair of slippers at the end of a trying day, our go-to bottles reliably deliver. Let’s carry on enjoying them, but surely there’s also so much fun to be had by shifting out of our comfort zone occasionally. Discovering new finds is, after all, one of the joys of wine.
This is at the very core of what The Wine Society’s all about – in fact, it was written into our original objectives in 1874 which stated our intent ‘to introduce to members wines hitherto unknown’. We’ve been doing our best to stick to this ethos ever since.
So, how do we go about it? First, by assembling a team of experienced in-house experts, from our buyers, who love nothing more than scouring the wine world to unearth new finds for us to explore, to our wine advisers, Showroom team and events hosts, who can talk all day about the wines they’ve recently enjoyed! Then there are your fellow members, who are quick to catch on to new wines on the block that overdeliver on the quality: price ratio and you’ll find plenty of recommendations over on our Community pages too.
Stick or twist
We recently challenged our team of buyers to come up with some alternatives to our most popular Society wines. It was an interesting exercise involving lively debate. Should you pick a wine from the same grape?
Go up the quality scale to expand your repertoire? Try something completely different of a similar style profile? Turn to the neighbouring wine region?
While our buyers are more than used to tasting wines side by side (and often ‘blind’ where the identities are not known), this is the first time we can remember tasting candidates to trade up to or starting points to explore from. It was fascinating to be a fly on the tasting room wall if only to witness almost philosophical discussions about why people buy certain styles of wine!
We all agreed that after whittling down the selection of 60+ wines, it was key to talk about the key elements of the starting-point wine and where the alternatives took you to.
We very much hope you enjoy the ride!
The tried and trusted bestsellers
Take a look at the wines members turn to time and again. These are bestsellers for a reason. So, if there are some you haven’t tried yet, why not add one or two to your next order? If you find something you like, don’t keep it to yourself – add a review to help others on their wine-discovery journeys.
Let us do the choosing for you
Mixed cases are a great way to expand your wine-drinking repertoire and if you’d like to sign up to receive these on a regular basis (with in-depth wine notes and food-matching tips), our Wine Without Fuss subscription scheme is a great idea.
Trust in the algorithms!
I can’t actually believe I’m advocating this, but while there’s no substitute for the personal, human touch, there are some great shortcuts you can use to find yourself a new favourite wine. AI is being put to use for all sorts of suggestions these days, so no doubt it could become your digital sommelier too, but have you discovered some of the tools on The Wine Society website that we’ve had in place for years?
Our Wine Selector lets you choose colour, style and price point, then serves up a list of potential bottles to try. Or, if you tend to select your wines by their affinity with certain dishes, you could use our Food & Wine Matcher to pick suitable wines for your favourite foods. Our simple Style Guides can help you work out why you like (or don’t like) certain wines and search for others similar in style.
Just ask!
It’s a bit of a cliché, but my friendly Wine Society colleagues really are here to help you. Pick up the phone, drop us an email or pop in to visit us in our Stevenage Showroom. It’s always fun chatting about wine and there’s no greater job satisfaction than uniting curious members with winning wine matches! I asked the team for some of their top tips and how they go about matchmaking.
Tips from the Showroom
‘I don’t always go for direct comparisons but try to establish what the member wants from an alternative, we’ll talk about:
- What flavour profile, weight of wine are they after?
- Are they after trading up or want something of a comparable price?
- Do they want a direct alternative or something a bit little different?
- Is it for sipping or with supper?
- Do they want to explore a region or country and go a bit more in-depth?
I tend to go for a more generous wine but one that still has a link to what they like. Here are some of my failsafe options:
- The Society’s Portuguese Red – try Quinta da Alorna ‘Lutra’ Tinto, Tejo 2024 a slight increase on price but slightly more structure and the same easy-drinking, fruity style. For the more adventurous looking to trade up, I’d suggest a exploring Greece’s xinomavro grape. I’d also recommend this lovely Greek red for those that appreciate nebbiolo and pinot noir.
- The Society’s Côtes-du-Rhône – try Château Courac, Côtes-du-Rhône which is a spicier notch up full of generous full fruit.
- The Society’s Primitivo – try Primitivo di Manduria Riserva, San Moro 2022 with noticeable extra depth and structure.
- The Society’s Loire Sauvignon Blanc – there are lots of variations on this grape from France and beyond, but I’d suggest trying something a bit different. Spain’s Almazuela Verdejo 2024 has always gone down well with its lovely tropical-fruit flavours and freshness.’
Conrad Braganza, Showroom Fine Wine Manager
‘I focus on getting members to talk about what they like as much as I can. Ideally I’d taste one or two wines with them, to see how they react. I try not to impose my personal taste without finding out where their taste is first. If I can tie wines that I’ve enjoyed in with that or give occasions or meals where I’ve enjoyed wines it helps support what I’m saying and often motivates them to do the same. One of my favourite discoveries last year that I would recommend to members that enjoy lighter red styles such as Beaujolais or pinot noir is made by Vallone in Salento in southern Italy from the rare susumaniello grape variety. It is packed with ripe red fruit whilst retaining its freshness and could easily be lightly chilled, as you might do with Beaujolais when the weather heats up.’
Stuart Williams, Showroom Manager
Road-tested swaps from our Tastings team
‘Our ‘Try January’ tastings, where we line-up alternative grapes to the classics, are very popular with members willing to explore, while not straying too far outside their comfort zone. Most popular red ‘swap’ this year was frappato for gamay (Frappato Vittoria, Planeta 2024 for Morgon, Stéphane Aviron 2023) while the white was pinot gris for chenin blanc (Vom Löss Grauburgunder, Weingut Eymann 2024 against Anjou Blanc, Domaine Cady 2022).’
Ewan Murray, Tastings & Events
