Wine Champions Off The Beaten Track Case

‘If you love dry sherry, you’ll love this’ was the verdict on our ‘shining, super salty’, bracing, bone-dry Exhibition Jura as it soared to Wine Champion status for 2026. Aged for three years under a veil of flor (yeast), it has considerable weight and nutty, spicy, yeasty character. ‘It won’t be for everyone, but it’s a real explorers’ wine,’ said one taster, and a long discussion ensued about the best food matches for it (salted almonds, Comté cheese and coq au vin, in case you’re wondering).

The first Polish wine to be crowned a Wine Champion in our blind tastings! Our panel of 2026 tasters praised its ‘cool, fresh, lavender profile.’ ‘It’s got a little tug of tannins on the finish but it’s a light-bodied, floral and very serious wine.’ It’s made by Kamil Barczentewicz, who is part of the new generation of winemakers in Poland making their mark. With only 12 hectares in the south-east of the country on limestone slopes, he started making wine in 2017 and is now being recognised for his bright, pure and well-balanced wines. There’s definitely element of the savoury and spicy here, with 60% of the wine aged in barrels to bring an attractive note of the latter. Red berries and plum combine with a brightness and lightness of touch on the palate.

‘Outstanding. This was on a different level versus the other under-£12 whites’ was the verdict of one taster in our 2026 Wine Champions blind tastings. This South African exclusive from Chris Williams is a serious bargain with an ‘exotic, buttery’ personality,. Using leftover fruit from his premium The Foundry range, he’s created a brilliant-value white whose class shone through.

The historic Lammershoek Estate - next door to Eben Sadie on the Swartland’s Paardeberg mountain - has seen multiple owners and many rebrands in the last three decades, but stability has finally arrived in the form of the Johannes family. With the young Stefan Johannes at the helm, there is a newfound vision and sense of purpose at the property as he launches his debut 2024 vintage estate wines. The violet-scented, vibrant red is a majority syrah blend, with carignan and mourvèdre in support, brimming with ripe raspberries and blackberries and wild rosemary fragrance. Aged in a combination of old barrels, concrete, and new French oak (20%), this is fresh and medium-bodied with an appealing sweet-juiciness to the fruit and easy-going tannins. A compelling interpretation of this beautiful property and a wonderful maiden vintage. The wine is named ‘Zwartwater,’ in homage to Stefan’s family’s original farm in Mpumalanga in north-eastern South Africa. The latest in the exciting ‘next generation’ of new wave producers out of the Cape, we are delighted to be the first to bring Zwartwater into the UK. ‘I want to find out what this is so I can buy it,’ said one of our Wine Champions tasters as it was voted a winner for 2026.

Michael J. Corbett of Vanguarist has done it again: after three Wine Champions in 2025, two of his genre-redefining wines triumphed this year. With lightness, precision and clarity not normally associated with South Australia, this carignan is ‘so bright, so vigorous; a wine that doesn’t shout, but is so classy’ with intense, seductive scent and sweet, succulent dark fruit.

This remarkable white was one of the most exciting wines in the 2026 Wine Champions tastings. ‘Layered and salty with complex white flowers, and a hint of hay’ with a slight nuttiness on the finish, this is a soulful Spanish white to pair with its classic countrymen. Mario López farms organically and, from 2025, regeneratively, with a particular focus on building healthy soils. His vineyards are entirely dry farmed, receiving no irrigation despite the warm, dry conditions of Valdejalón. Cover crops, winter sheep grazing and compost made from grape skins help protect the soil and retain moisture naturally. The result is a vineyard increasingly able to thrive in challenging conditions, while healthier vines have allowed Mario to reduce sulphur treatments dramatically