Adventurers' Case

This Ukranian wine comes from the Odesa region and is produced by Bolgrad winery, who are the biggest producer of still wine in the country. The vineyard location benefits from two opposing air masses coming from the fresh water Yalpug lake and the saline Black Sea. Not seeing any oak, this is a fresh and accessible style of chardonnay made from a producer making wine in very challenging circumstances. It blends the chardonnay with a little aligoté and in the 2024 vintage it is bright and energetic and full of classic stone-fruit and citrus notes.

A family estate in the Lavaux region, with only three hectares of vineyards, the Testuz family created La Cave Beau Réveil label to be able to buy grapes from their friends and neighbours to increase their production. This wine of only 12.3% has great vibrancy, floral, citrus and white pear notes. Perfect with shellfish, smoked salmon or as an aperitif.

This is a new project in Odesa, Ukraine by talented winemaker Eduard Gorodetsky. There is no winery yet – it's currently in progress – but it is proving understandably logistically challenging during a war. This merlot is a great example of a juicy, accessible red that is bursting with red plum, cherry and cedar spice. The tannins are present yet supple and this is an ideal red to serve with roast beef and tomato-based pasta dishes.

Edoardo Miroglio is an Italian winemaker who set up an estate in the Thracian Valley in Bulgaria. The estate has over 120 hectares and there is careful attention to detail in producing very drinkable and good-value wines. The pinot comes from hillside plots that gives freshness. This is a rich style of pinot at 14% but well balanced and lots of the classic red-berry and spice notes you expect from this grape.

A distinctive, honeyed, delicately floral white from the small appellation of Gaillac in south-west France, perfect with poached trout. The wine is made predominantly from the local loin de l'oeil grape with 15% sauvignon blanc adding an aromatic edge. Alain Rotier, owner of the estate, is one of the leading lights of the region and is highly respected by his peers. Domaine Rotier’s Les Gravels is a good example of a producer quietly refining what it does over the long term rather than chasing quick fixes. Cover crops have been part of a 20-year programme here, helping to improve soil health, retain moisture and, in Alain Rotier’s view, add extra depth and character to the wines. Hedgerows and trees have been planted around the vineyards, while a partnership with a local bird conservation group has helped monitor wildlife across the estate. In the cellar, water-saving equipment and hydrogen peroxide cleaning have reduced water use, and the 2025 vintage arrives in a bottle weighing less than 420g and without a capsule. It’s thoughtful, practical progress, rooted firmly in the vineyards of Gaillac.

Winners in our Climate and Nature programme in 2025, this is a winery that is focused largely on the melnik varieties. Relatively new, this family estate started making wine in 2013 and have 30 hectares. This wine comes from the Bulgarian region of Melnik and is a blend of shiroka melnik, melnik 55, melnik 82 and ruen. Melnik 55 is a new variety that is a cross between melnik and valdeguié, shiroka melnik is an ancient, late-ripening variety that is lighter in colour, produces red berries and forest aromas and is pinot-noir like. Melnik 82 is a valdeguié cross. This is a juicy and generous red full of brambles, spice and notable tannin grip. Villa Melnik is the first producer in Eastern Europe that the Climate and Nature Programme has funded, and we’re excited to play a part in the detailed three-part initiative they have already embarked on to strengthen their estate’s resilience to climate change. With the aim of reducing reliance on fertilisers, The Wine Society’s funding will help Villa Melnik to build a closed-loop system by creating two composting fields. These will make use of the organic waste from the winery and vineyards – grape marc, pomace and pruning cuttings – and convert it into natural, slow-release nutrition for the vines. As Villa Melnik’s vineyards are based on sandy soils with low levels of organic matter, they will strongly benefit from slow-release nutrients, improved soil structure, increased carbon content and microbial activity, and the associated greater water holding capacity provided by the compost.