We’ve been travelling via Zoom to over 20 countries (without ever leaving the safety of our desks), following our buyers around the virtual world and speaking to our producers — all to create and curate a collection of wines for members that we’ve called The Society’s Pioneers.
What, you might reasonably ask, is that?
Well, it might sound a bit cheesy, but I see this collection as a celebration of the best of the best. These wines have been nominated by our buyers not only for their quality, but also because the producer goes way above our already high standards in their care for countryside, soil, wildlife, water and people. These wines hail from the kind of places you’d imagine a David Attenborough or Edmund Hillary to inhabit, if they were into making wine. They’re crafted by people who pour their heart and soul into everything, pushing boundaries and leading the way – and that extra effort shows in the taste.
The Society’s Pioneers is our way of shining a light on these remarkable people and bringing their most exceptional bottles straight to your table.
The collection isn’t huge (nor should it be). These are handpicked wines from vineyards buzzing with energy and life, where synthetic chemicals are non-existent or kept to a bare minimum, people are treated fairly, and where the producer spends more time among the vines than behind a desk. These are people who don’t just make wine – they’re constantly reimagining what it means to grow and craft it well.
I like to think of it as feel-good wines made easy: we’ve done all the checking, so you don’t have to. To earn a place, a wine must go beyond the norm. It must be nominated by our buyers, produced to our highest standards of care for land and people, then verified and approved by me and our specialist team. Every bottle carrying The Society’s Pioneers mark genuinely lives up to the spirit of this category [see here to find out more about the criteria and selection process].
But what does all this mean for you, the wine drinker?
Put simply, we believe this extra effort leads to even better wine. Not in a preachy way – but in a taste way. When a vineyard is alive with plants, insects and birds; when the soils beneath the vines are thriving; and when every decision is made with long-term quality in mind, the winemakers are convinced it shows. Grapes seem to develop an energy of their own, wines gain vitality, purity and a stronger sense of where they come from. They tell better stories.
And crucially, you don’t need to know any of that to enjoy the end result. This isn’t a category designed to make anyone feel worthy. It’s here to make it easy to find wines that taste the way they do because of the effort behind them – from growers who are blazing a trail, doing things differently, reviving traditional approaches with a modern twist, and treating their land and communities with as much respect as their craft.
Why have we done this?
Well, for members that want to, it’s an easy, trusted way to find wines that reflect the things they care about and taste great. For producers, it’s recognition that the extra effort really does matter.
These producers genuinely share our values. We’re proud to champion them. And we can’t wait for you to taste why.
>> Discover wines made by The Society’s Pioneers
>> Read more about what it takes to become a Wine Society Pioneer
>> Go behind the scenes and discover the extra lengths The Society’s Pioneers go to with their craft