Berry Bros. and Rudd recently held their Spring Press Tasting to celebrate the expansion of their Drink Now range with a wide range of over 90 wines from different regions around the world that cost under £40 and represent exceptionally good value.
New this year is Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Own Selection Soave Classico, produced by Pieropan as well as their new Own Selection Australian Cabernet Shiraz, made by Hewitson. They also showcased a wide range of New World wines alongside popular European regions such as the Loire and wines from Austria and Italy.
Low and no alcohol wines
Low and no alcohol wines are gaining popularity among younger generations and so a new Spanish Blanc de Blancs NV, Bolle, La Mancha, priced at £24.95, offers a rare, double-fermented and de-alcoholised Blanc de Blancs from La Mancha that blends 75% Chardonnay with 25% Silvaner and has a natural fruit and freshness to it. For those who prefer a rosé, the Sparkling Rosé NV, Bolle, La Mancha, also priced at £24.95, is crafted from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Silvaner and makes for the perfect summer serve with gentle aromas of strawberries and cream wrapped in red berry and blackcurrant notes.
Sparkling wines
Sparkling wine is always popular in the summer and so there was a nice selection for us to try from Hambledon in Hampshire, including Berry Bros. & Rudd English Sparkling Wine by Hambledon at £28.50. Based on the 2022 vintage, this wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Berry Bros. & Rudd English Sparkling Rosé by Hambledon at £29.95 is made from Chardonnay with a small percentage of Pinot Noir, which gives it a vibrant pink colour and fruity depth.
The Berry Bros. & Rudd Champagne by Mailly, Grand Cru, Brut, Champagne from France at £38.00 is produced for Berry Bros. & Rudd by Champagne Mailly. With a blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay it’s a delicious and elegant Champagne.
There were also a selection of Champagnes over the £40 threshold worth mentioning that included a Champagne Siret Frère & Soeur, Réserve Perpetuelle, Extra Brut, Champagne priced at £69.00, a Champagne Roger Coulon, Esprit de Vrigny, 1er Cru, Brut Nature, Champagne at £52.00, Champagne Odyssée 319, Jour 1: Chardonnay, Le Levant, Grand Cru, Avize, Extra Brut, Champagne at £64.00, a 2020 Champagne Odyssée 319, Jour 2: Chardonnay, Le Couchant, Grand Cru, Avize, Extra Brut, Champagne at £64.00, a 2018 Champagne Leclerc Briant, Abyss, Brut Zéro, Champagne at £160.00 and superb 2017 Champagne Dom Pérignon, Brut, Champagne at £195.00 which is a celebration of harmony, precision, intensity, minerality and complexity.
White wines
There were some excellent white wines for us to try including a new 2025 Spanish Txakoli, Rezabal, Getariako Txakolina, Basque Country, reasonably priced at £10.50, made from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri, the region’s native grape variety. The 2024 Berry Bros. & Rudd Own Selection Gavi di Gavi, Tenuta Santa Seraffa from Piedmont in Italy at £16.25, is a new addition to their Own Selection range, crafted by Tenuta Santa Seraffa with a focus on sustainability. Also from Piedmont was the 2024 Roero Arneis, Giovanni Rosso at £19.50. At the same price is the new 2025 Berry Bros. & Rudd Soave Classico by Pieropan from Veneto, Italy and at £18.95 there is the 2024 Villa Antinori Bianco from Tuscany with its blend of Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Trebbiano and Riesling.
And speaking of Riesling, another new wine this year it the 2024 Riesling, Calcaires Jaunes, Muré from Alsace in France, priced at £26.95, as is the 2023 Stadt Krems Steinterrassen Riesling from Kremstal in Austria at £20.95, with its mineral bite and acidity, making it a perfect pairing for seafood.
Also, from Kremstal is the 2024 Grüner Veltliner, Lössterrassen, Stadt Krems at £18.95 which is a rich, ripe and well balanced wine.
At £22.50, the 2024 Pinot Gris, Domaine Bruno Sorg from Alsace in France offers great value as does the 2024 Redstone Riesling, Gunderloch from the Rheinhessen region in Germany at £16.50.
There were also some excellent Australian whites for us to try including the 2024 Mount Horrocks Watervale Riesling from Clare Valley in Australia at £24.95 and a 2023 Cullen “Grace Madeline” Sauvignon/Semillon from Margaret River at £29.95, which comes from one of the oldest winemaking families in Margaret River with its organically and biodynamically certified vines.
The 2024 Iggy, Rebula, Adelaide Hills at £38.00 is a new addition to the range. Also from Margaret River, it offers excellent value at £17.95 and is a ripe yet elegant expression of Chardonnay from Western Australia’s premium wine region.
Also worth a mention is the 2025 Savage, Salt River, Sauvignon Blanc from the Western Cape in South Africa at £22.50, crafted from fruit from 35-year-old bush vines in Stellenbosch.
Staying in South Africa, a new 2025 Rondavel Hills Chenin Blanc from Tembela Wines at £16.95 is a superb value Chenin Blanc from the Rondavel Hills, whilst the 2023 Keermont Terrasse from Stellenbosch at £24.50, is an interesting blend of 46% Chenin Blanc, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Chardonnay, 12% Viognier, 10% Roussanne and 2% Marsanne. And although this blend of six grapes changes every year, the core component is always Chenin Blanc from the dryland bush vine Bobbejaan Wingerd (Baboon Vineyard).
A couple of good value Greek whites included a 2024 Domaine Zafeirakis, Malagousia from Tyrnavos at £21.95 and a 2024 Domaine Lyrarakis, Assyrtiko from Crete at just £15.50.
Turning to France, the 2023 Berry Bros. & Rudd White Burgundy by Collovray & Terrier from Burgundy at £17.50 is made from 100% Chardonnay, while the 2023 Berry Bros. & Rudd Pouilly-Fuissé by Olivier Merlin at £34.00, is made by the Merlin family, known for their charming and characterful wines.
Then there is the 2023 Saumur Blanc, Les Perrières, Arnaud Lambert from Loire at £32.00, which is a great expression of modern Saumur. Also from Loire, a 2022 Anjou Noir, Domaine Belargus at £33.50, is the wine maker’s entry-level cuvée and an excellent introduction to Chenin Blanc from the domaine.
Priced at £28.50, the 2018 Alexandre Bain, La Levée, Vin de France has an impressive balance and encapsulates huge complexity.
Heading back to Italy, the 2023 Langhe Chardonnay, Figli Luigi Oddero from Piedmont at £25.50, is a fresh, well-balanced wine from the celebrated Langhe region, crafted from 20-year-old vines. Then from Tuscany, the 2024 Vermentino, La Màgia at £21.95 and 2024 Casamatta Bianco, Bibi Graetz at £36.00, offer a couple of good value alternatives.
Finally, from Argentina is a new 2024 Pulenta Estate VIII Chardonnay from Mendoza, priced at £20.95, grown at close to 1,000 meters above sea level and harvested by hand.
Rosé wines
Popular in summer, rosé wines offer a light, fresh alternative and Berry Bros. & Rudd put together a couple for us to try, starting with an organic 2024 Eva Fricke Pinot Noir Rosé from Rheingau in Germany at £29.95 full of fine, fresh and juicy strawberry-in-the-punnet notes, with just a hint of cream, making it the perfect pairing to strawberries and cream at Wimbledon. The second one is a new 2024 Côtes du Rhône, Sentinelles Rosé, Domaine des Florets at £18.95, which has a light salmon colour with strong aromas of candy, fresh red fruits and white flowers.
Red wines
Turning to red wines, Berry Bros. & Rudd presented us with a large selection to try, starting with a new vintage 2023 Fleurie, Domaine Lafarge Vial, Beaujolais from France at £32.00 and 2023 Côte de Brouilly, Brulhié, Domaine Lafarge Vial, Beaujolais at £34.00.
Also from France was a 2023 Arbois, Trousseau, Singulier, Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot from Jura at £39.00 and 2024 Berry Bros. & Rudd Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir by Benjamin Leroux from Burgundy, priced at £28.25, made from 100% Pinot Noir sourced from declassified Chorey-lès-Beaune fruit and old vines, offering a pure and elegant expression of Burgundy.
From the Loire Valley, a 2020 Bourgueil, Les Vingt Lieux Dits, Domaine du Bel Air at £25.95, a 2022 Saumur-Champigny, Les Closiers, Domaine des Closiers at £20.50 and a 2023 Saumur, Rouge, La Nomade, Domaine Moly at £25.50, which is an entry-level red Saumur from vines situated in Artannes-sur-Thoet with no new oak ageing so as to retain its fruit purity and freshness.
Two wines from Languedoc include a 2023 Domaine Rostaing, Puech Noble Rouge at £27.95 and 2023 Corbières Vieilles Vignes, Fontareche at just £13.95.
From Rhône there’s a 2023 Côtes du Rhône, Reliance, Domaine des Florets at £21.00 and a 2022 Gigondas, Alliance, Domaine des Florets at £40.00, which is a new producer in the range.
There was a wide selection of red wines from Bordeaux, starting with a 2020 Château Anthonic, Moulis-En-Médoc at £25.95 and 2022 L’Hêtre, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux at £29.95. The 2019 Domaine de l’A, Côtes de Castillon at £36.00 comes from the 12‑hectare estate of Christine and Stéphane Derenoncourt in the commune of Sainte‑Colombe, where vines average 40 years of age, while this 2020 Château Puyblanquet, St Emilion at £32.00, is the first under the Malet Roquefort family of La Gaffelière since they repurchased the property and is one of the best value wines of St Émilion. Finally, the 2022 Le C des Carmes Haut-Brion, Pessac-Léognan at £35.95 is crafted by the same team behind Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion.
There were some excellent Italian reds for us to try and first up was a 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo, Francesco Versio from Piedmont priced at £24.00, followed by a 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo, Giovanni Rosso also from Piedmont at £18.50. Staying in Piedmont, the 2021 Barolo, Commune di Serralunga d’Alba, Giovanni Rosso at £34.00 is a blend of vineyards from across the commune: Costabella, Sorano, Ceretta, Baudana and Meriame towards the north; Broglio, Damiano and Lirano in the south.
Two wines from Veneto include a 2025 Allegrini Valpolicella at £16.95 and a 2022 Valpolicella Superiore, Ruberpan, Pieropanat at £28.50, which is grown from a single vineyard on Monte Garzon in Cellore d’Illasi.
From Puglia there was a 2022 Salento Zolla Primitivo di Manduria at £20.95 and a 2020 Taurasi, Feudi di San Gregorio from Campania at £29.95, which is a full-bodied, richly textured red wine.
There were three lovely reds from Spain that included a 2025 Lo Bancal de Granatxa, Sangenís i Vaqué from Priorat at £19.95 from an historic Priorat family which can trace its lineage back to before 1700. Then two beautiful Riojas, the first being a 2021 Viña Alberdi Reserva, Selección Especial, La Rioja Alta at £19.95 and the second a 2020 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta at £29.95 with its wonderful, bright, crunchy red berries combined with darker fruit and silky soft tannins, which really allow the expressive nature of the wine to emerge.
Staying in Southern Europe, there was a 2022 Gerações da Talha NaTalha Tinto, Alentejo from Portugal at £26.95 and a light-bodied, vibrant and fragrant 2023 Domaine Lyrarakis, Liatiko, Queen, PGI from Crete at £15.50.
A light and fruity Austrian 2023 Junge Lowen Blaufrankisch/St Laurent, Heidi Schrock at £18.95 rounds off the European reds, which is made from a blend of 85% Blaufrankisch and 15% St Laurent.
We then head to the Southern Hemisphere to try a 2024 Berry Bros. & Rudd Australian Cabernet Shiraz by Hewitson, from Barossa Valley in Australia priced at £24.95, which is their inaugural Cabernet Shiraz, before heading to New Zealand for a 2021 Doctors Flat, Pinot Noir, Central Otago at £38.00 and a 2022 Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah at £19.95.
Three reds from South America included a 2024 Zuccardi, Los Olivos, Malbec, Mendoza from Argentina at £13.95, a 2022 Pulenta Estate I Malbec, Mendoza also from Argentina at £23.50 and a 2022 Viña VIK, Omega, Carménère, Cachapoal Valley from Chile at £30.00.
Rounding off the reds is a new 2025 Rondavel Hills Syrah, Tembela Wines from South Africa at a very reasonable £16.95.
Sweet wines
The single sweet wine was a 2023 Berry Bros. & Rudd Sauternes by Château Suduiraut from Bordeaux at £19.50 with a nose of manuka honey, orange blossom and a delicate hint of ginger, while the palate is rich and concentrated with notes of apricot and nectarine.
Spirits
There was also a selection of spirits for us to taste. From Japan a yuzu-infused Kiyoko Yuzu Aperitif at £24.50 which has lots of zesty citrus and is rather refreshing with a great balance of bitter and sweet. From the USA, there was a Tempus Fugit Spirits, Gran Classico Bitter (28%) at £33.95 which is a sweet yet dry savoury apéritif with a finish that alternates between bitterness and a somewhat lingering orange sweetness. The Tempus Fugit Crème de Banane at £32.50 has an intense note of caramelised banana skins and palate of sweet and sticky bananas.
From France there was a Pierre Ferrand, Dry Curacao, Triple Sec Liqueur (40%) at £34.95, which is a triple sec distilled on Alexandre’s Cognac alembics with an infusion of prune and walnut shell.
And finally, from Switzerland, a Wolfschmidt Kümmel Liqueur (39%) at £30.95 which hailed originally from The Netherlands but was adopted by the Germanic people of Northern Europe, particularly in the Baltic region.
In conclusion
All in all, there were some exceptionally good value wines but if I had to pick out a few standout wines, they would be the Berry Bros. & Rudd English Sparkling Rosé by Hambledon, the Hambledon, Première Cuvée, Sparkling and the excellent 2022 Etna Bianco, Arcuria, Graci from Sicily, thanks in part to the volcanic soil the vines sit in.
I also really liked the lightly oaked 2024 Cherubino, Pedestal, Chardonnay from Margaret River in Australia and the 2024 Eva Fricke Pinot Noir Rosé from Rheingau in Germany.
Then there was the 2024 Berry Bros. & Rudd Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir by Benjamin Leroux from Burgundy and the excellent 2018 Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio di Sotto from Tuscany.
The super smooth 2021 Viña Alberdi Reserva, Selección Especial, La Rioja Alta and 2020 Viña Ardanza Reserva, La Rioja Alta also get a big tick as does the 2022 Gerações da Talha NaTalha Tinto from Alentejo in Portugal. And if you like sweet dessert wines, then the Vinhos Barbeito, Sercial, 10-Year-Old, Madeira from Portugal priced a little above the £40 threshold at £50 is well worth it.
For more information on Berry Bros. & Rudd and to purchase any of these wines, please visit: www.bbr.com.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs by Simon Burrell
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