Hurrah! At last, I’ve persuaded the mighty Wine Society to grace our pages, and I’m delighted.
Founded in 1874, the WS is the world’s oldest cooperative wine club, famed for sourcing top-quality wines at modest prices and for championing lesser-known regions. I’ve said it before: if, for whatever bizarre reason, I had to buy wine from only one source, it would be from the Wine Soc. Its Exhibition range is famously fine, and Mrs Ray and I selflessly tasted our way through it, arriving at the following delectable Drinkers’ Dozen. If not already a member, you’ll need to become one, but it costs only £40 for life with a £20 voucher to say welcome.
The 2024 The Society’s Exhibition Marl-borough Sauvignon Blanc (1), produced by Jane Hunter, is a bargain. I’ve not had a better Kiwi Savvy Blanc at this price. With restrained gooseberry fruit and crisp, zingy citrus, it’s an understated joy. £12.50.
The 2024 The Society’s Exhibition Grüner Veltliner (2) is a toothsome take on Austria’s signature grape from Willi Bründlmayer. With creamy, peachy, lemony fruit and a lightly spiced finish, it’s a wonderfully versatile food wine. £14.95.
The 2024 The Society’s Exhibition Albariño (3), from Pazo de Señorans in Galicia, is all that fine Albariño should be: fresh, peachy, saline, invigorating. £16.50.
The 2021 The Society’s Exhibition Gewürztraminer (4), produced by the Hugel family, is quintessential Alsace Gewürz, heady with aromas of fresh-cut roses and lychees, with spicy, gingery fruit in the mouth, starting sweet and drying on the finish. £16.50.
The 2023 The Society’s Exhibition Chablis (5), too, is just how it should be. From Jean-Marc Brocard, it’s fresh, clean, lightly honeyed yet dry, the crisp, clean fruit unobscured by any oak. £17.
The 2023 The Society’s Exhibition Pouilly-Fumé (6), from Domaine Landrat-Guyollot, is also a textbook example with an exhilarating freshness to its pure grapefruit/gooseberry/quince-like fruit and the longest of dry finishes. £17.50.
The 2023 The Society’s Exhibition Fleurie (7) is a steal. Supplied by the leading négociant Les Vins Aujoux, it’s aromatic, juicy and beguiling, with lush bramble fruit that Mrs Ray gulped like Ribena. £12.50.
The 2023 The Society’s Exhibition Malbec-Mendoza (8) from Catena Zapata boasts fresh violets and buckets of fresh, ripe plum/damson fruit and cries out for an accompanying sizzling sirloin steak. £12.50.
The 2022 The Society’s Exhibition Crozes-Hermitage (9), blended by Nicolas Jaboulet in cahoots with Wine Soc buyer Marcel Orford-Williams, is full of silky, dark hedgerow/cherry fruit, tingling with peppery spice. £14.50.
The 2022 The Society’s Exhibition Langhe Nebbiolo (10), from the Dellapiano family in the heart of Barbaresco and Langhe, is all smoky cherry fruit, herbs, spice and touches of liquorice. £14.95.
The 2020 The Society’s Exhibition Rioja Reserva (11) from Rioja Alta is simply gorgeous. Soft, smooth and spicy, with generous sweet fruit and a long, savoury finish, it’s trad Rioja at its best. £17.
Finally, the 2022 The Society’s Exhibition Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon (12) from Vasse Felix. With crunchy, chewy blackcurrant fruit and touches of mint and eucalyptus, it’s unmistakably Margaret River and undeniably delicious. £17.
The Exhibition Case has one bottle of each wine. The White Case has one bottle each of wines 1-6 and the Red Case has one each of wines 7-12. Delivery, as ever, is free.
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