What to buy from The Wine Society this summer
From a Lanzarote white to sparkling kombucha and a must-buy bag-in-box, here are the stand-out buys from The Wine Society's spring/summer range
I’ve been a member of The Wine Society since I was 21 – and I love it. Being not-for-profit, their prices are always competitive – while their free delivery makes it dangerously easy to order on repeat. The range is big – but there are some real gems, with a Buying team who spends time with boots on the ground, seeking out new producers and wines, meaning there are always new things to try. I went along to their Spring/Summer Press Tasting to check out what was new – and am finally reporting on it. Here are my favourites.
Sparkling
LA Brewery x The Wine Society Soon, My Friend Sparkling Kombucha: I’m always on the eye out for good non-alc options that don’t cost a bomb – and especially those that aren’t laden with sugar. This is a delicious, refreshing choice. £8.50
2019 Zephyr Blanc de Blancs, Brut Nature, Marlborough: There’s much more to Marlborough than Savvy B. A brilliant value fizz, this pure Chardonnay spent a whopping 64 months on lees with no dosage added, creating a wine that is packed with biscuity richness, with a taut, bone-dry palate and a creamy lick to the finish. £26 Currently sold out but coming back in stock soon…!
White
2024 Luis Perez Muelle de Olaso Vino de Pasto, Jerez: “Vino de pasto” is the new forefront of Sherry – unfortified, site-driven wines that capture all the salty intensity of Fino. This is a delicious example from Willy Perez – the nose offering savoury salty and oaty notes alongside a touch of honey. There’s textured weight to the concentrated palate with a long, pure, saline finish. £18
2024 Lagar de Fornelos Pazo de Seoane, Rîas Baixas: A beautifully lithe, fresh Atlantic wine – seaspray freshness and green-apple bite, it’s long, vibrant and deliciously mouth-watering. £16
2023 Jable de Tao Blanco, Lanzarote: I first came across Jable de Tao last year (courtesy of importer Indigo) and was blown away, so particularly happy to see them landing on The Wine Society’s list. This is a field blend of indigenous grapes – mainly Malvasîa Volcánica, with Listán Blanco, Diego and Listán Negro, all ungrafted and up to 200 years old, planted at over 1,000m above sea level. Spending around nine months in a combination of larger, neutral oak and concrete, the wine offers floral tones and sweet peach fruit with a deliciously stony, mineral backbone, bright citrus and yet plenty of weight and texture too. A serious wine. £37
2024 Cosme Palacio Glorioso Blanco, Rioja: White Rioja can be glorious – although cheaper examples can be rather lean and anonymous. This, the first vintage from the property’s new Australian winemaker Jackson Brooke, avoids any such pitfall – with clever use of oak and lees to create a wine with lovely texture and oodles of bright fruit. £11.50
2025 Familie Mantler Gemischter Satz, Niederösterreich: This cult bargain is now also available in bag-in-box– a genius move from Buyer Freddy Bulmer. Gemischter Satz isn’t the most fashionable of styles – the traditional Austrian field blend, but Familie Mantler have given it a natty-styled upgrade with this Chin-Chin-esque branding. Mainly Grüner Veltliner with a dash of Müller Thurgau and Muskateller, the nose is spicy and floral, with a pleasing fatness to the palate – yet plenty of acidity driving through its core. Stock up for any garden party plans. Epic value. A modest 11.5% too. Bottle: £8.95. Bag-in-box: currently down from £26 to £22.50
2024 Bononia Estate Gomotartzi Sauvignon Blanc, Bulgaria: I’d normally give lower-priced Sauignon Blanc a very wide berth, but this manages to combine a lovely ripeness (without being overly pungent) with loads of freshness to deliver a bright, crisp Sauvignon Blanc at a very punchy price point. £11.95
2024 Ch. Thieuley Blanc, Bordeaux: Another new vintage rather than totally new wine, but exactly the sort of thing I’d associate with The Wine Society: classic white Bordeaux at a very good price. The Sauvignon Blanc is tempered with 40% Semillon and 15% Sauvignon Gris, creating a wine that is textured, green-fruited, zesty, lively and utterly delicious. £11.50
2024 La Colombera, Timorasso Derthona: Every time I taste a Timorasso I tell myself I need to drink it more – and it was no different with the new vintage of this wine. With a honeyed, nutty edge to the nose and a gorgeous chalky, saline palate, it’s very serious for the price. £19.50
2024 Mas de Libian Cave Vinum, Rhône: This organic and biodynamic estate sounds idyllic, also producing olive oil, honey, grains, fruit and vegetables, alongside wine. A blend of 35% Viognier, 35% Roussanne, 20% Clairette and the remaining 10% a mix of Chenin Blanc, Muscat, Rolle and Chouchillon, with some skin contact on half the blend, this white has a vibrant Viognier-led nose with peach and honeysuckle, a beautiful roundness and texture to the palate, yet a piercing mineral line. Lovely. £16
2025 Geyerhof StockWerk Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal: Another brilliant value wine from Austria, a vivid and vibrant blur of green fruit and minerality. £13.50.
2024 Domaine du Clos des Aumônes Vouvray Sec, Loire: This is textbook Vouvray – all wet wool, juicy cooked apple, lanolin and earthy minerality. It’s textured and vibrant, with a touch of residual sugar (6g/l) that rounds the wine out rather than dominating its profile in any way. Also great value. £14.50
2024 Domaine de la Métairie d’Alon Le Village Chardonnay, Languedoc: Burgundy-inspired Chardonnay that’s a steal. Textured and vibrant with oatmeal complexity. £18
2024 Tilli J Chardonnay, Yarra Valley: Oof. A real star of the tasting for me – this comes from Natillie Johnston, clearly a very exciting young name in Australia, making wine in the Yarra, having worked at a litany of top estates. This has such brilliant tension, vibrant and long – balancing leesy richness with vibrant citrus. And at £21? Phwoar, this is a no-brainer. Looking forward to tasting her Aligoté after Buyer Freddy Bulmer’s rave review: watch this space. £21
Rosé
2025 Familie Mantler Dry Rosé, Niederösterreich: Sibling to the Gemischter Satz, this Zweigelt rosé is scented and fresh – pure strawberry fruit. £9.50
2025 Domaine des Echardières Touraine Rosé, Loire: Very smart rosé, this is lean in all the right ways – offering delicate restraint and bright acidity. An unusual blend, equally shared between Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Grolleau and Pineau d’Aunis. £10.95
2025 Geyerhof StockWerk Rosé, Kremstal: If I were to pick one of the rosés on show, this would be the one I’d go for. Another Zweigelt example, it’s deliciously vibrant, fresh and thirst-quenching. £13.50
Orange
2022 Domaine Loew All You Need is Loew OMAGY, Alsace: This is the sort of thing that makes The Wine Society so darn good – far from traditional, this is a boundary-pushing style selected not because it’s cool, but because it’s delicious. A really complex food-friendly wine, the nose entices with spice, honey and florals, while the palate offers a gorgeous chalky texture and a long, sweet-scented finish. £22. The 2022 is now sold out and there’s a vintage leap to 2025 – available at the same price.
Red
2023 Cos de Luz, Agras País, Chile: From century-old vines, there is around 10% Moscatel interplanted in the vineyard, producing a very pretty, delicate, juicy and bright wine, with fine tannins that subtly build. Very serious for the price – a deal. £13.95
2024 Domaine Sérol Eclat de Granite, Côte Roannaise, Loire: This little-known appellation is home to Gamay Saint Romain, a small-berried, darker-fruited clone of Gamay than is found in Beaujolais. Reductive at first, this opens up to reveal oodles of pepper spice and juicy fruit, with an earthy undertow making this much more than just gluggable. £15.50
2023 Finca Millara Lagariza, Ribeira Sacra: Spicy, juicy and pure Mencía from the steep schist terraces of Ribeira Sacra at an unbeatable price. The winemaker behind it, Iván Olmedo, also happened to be named Tim Atkin’s Galician Young Winemaker of the Year 2026. £13.50. The 2023 is now sold out but the 2024 is available for the same price.
