Wine Champions Mixed Dozen

Our Wine Champions tasters voted this a winner in 2026. ‘Such a crowd-pleaser’, this cracking-value claret really hit the spot. With deep purple colour and generous plum and chocolate, it’s a ‘friendly, classic claret with some guts to it.’ Another taster noted its ‘great depth – it’s something that I think everyone’s going to enjoy.’

A 2026 Wine Champion, where as one taster said, ‘in a line-up of fruity, charming reds, this just had a bit more depth.’ A bramble-packed South African blend of shiraz, mourvèdre, cinsault and carignan, this comes from an amazing vintage. Others praised its ‘pure, vibrant fruit’, ‘lovely dark berries’ and friendly tannins.

Our members love this bold yet balanced nero d'Avola, and its winning performance in our 2026 Wine Champions tastings showed why. ‘Soft, full and ripe’ with ‘plump black fruit and a hint of coffee’, it performs a brilliant balancing act between fruity generosity and oak-influenced spice and structure. Brilliant value.

We know what you drank last summer… and it’s back! And it's a 2026 Wine Champion to boot. The new vintage of this barnstormingly popular, delicately spritzy Austrian white has won our buyers' blind tasting yet again. With its ‘refreshing, sparky acidity’, ‘exuberant, vibrant fruit’ and low alcohol, it’s an absolute peach of a wine.

‘Real shiraz character’ from this ‘classic, fragrant and friendly’ expression, made for us by the excellent Bleasdale. A returning winner in our 2026 Wine Champions blind tastings, this earned high scores for its ‘easy-drinking character with soft tannins and a hint of pepper.’

A New Zealand take on an Iberian grape that was voted a Wine Champion this year by our blind-tasting panel. ‘Peach, grapefruit, passionfruit and a hint of nettle leaf’, all in such ‘smart balance’ mean that, whether it’s seabass, salmon or prawns on the barbie, Anna’s Way is the right one!

‘Like biting into a Granny Smith apple’, this southern French zinger jumped out at our Wine Champions tasters with its ‘sherbetty acidity, freshness and crunch.’ One noted that ‘people who like sauvignon blanc are going to love this.’ And what a great price, too.

A ‘peachy, characterful and lively’ expression of the grape behind Soave, garganega, so good it's been voted a 2026 Wine Champion. ‘Fragrant and with more concentration than its price suggests’, it has delicate sage, pear and citrus aromas that continue on the light, dry palate. Get that fridge door ready!

Our Wine Champions tasters summed it up perfectly as it swept to victory in our 2026 tastings: ‘Peachy, lemony, charming and easy-drinking. This would be lovely served chilled on a nice sunny day – preferably in Italy.’ Need we add anything more? Enjoy!

In the Mediterranean reds round of our 2026 Wine Champions tasting, where ‘the standard and the pleasure factor were so high’, our beloved Portuguese red shone like a beacon. Hailed for its ‘immediate, juicy generosity’, it’s truly a house red of Champions!

A Wine Champion for 2026, this is an inspired Languedoc blend of chardonnay, sauvignon and viognier, which conspire to give an ‘understated, beautifully balanced, zesty’ wine with a herbal hint of garrigue.

‘Pencil shavings, pomegrante, pepper, pot-pourri… all the Ps, actually!’ This southern French grenache-syrah blend is certainly popular, and perennially prevailing, reaching our Wine Championship podium for the second year in a row. ‘Vibrant’ and ‘savoury with lovely black fruit’, it’s also offered at a pleasing price!