Spotlight series
Sam Caporn MW recommends: English fizz, affordable options, and wine trends for 2024
Take a look outside your window and you may notice that winter is upon us. And while that may mean heavy coats and thick socks for most, it also means seasonal wine recommendations from our very own Chief Wine Officer wine expert and Master of Wine, Sam Caporn.
Also known as the Mistress of Wine after her acclaimed wine consultancy, Sam Caporn has been a Master of Wine since 2011. She’s also a Madame Bollinger Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in her practical paper for excelling in blind tasting. With a palate trained to amaze, she’s been educating and entertaining Chief Wine Officer guests for the best part of the last decade.
In this article, we explore Sam’s passion for home-grown wines with her personal English fizz favourites, as well as affordable choices for the festive season and how to make the most out of wine deals at your local retailers.
Chief Wine Officer: We love hearing you wax lyrical about English wine. What are your current favourites?
Sam Caporn: “I love English fizz and my favourite producers are Wiston, Sugrue, Gusbourne, Nyetimber, Hattingley and Ridgeview. I really think that England excels at sparkling rosé and so these do tend to be the bottles I reach for. I also love chardonnay-only fizz, so Blanc de Blancs.”
You’re also an advocate for finding value in affordable wines. What are your recommendations for wine lovers on a budget in Winter 23/24?
“There have been so many 25% off promo offers around this year and certainly over Christmas, so try some wines that you think you might like and make a list. Save up if you need to and stock up when you get these great deals. Some wines are already on offer anyway so you can also get ‘double dip’ discounts whereby a wine is discounted by the bottle but then the 25% off can be added on top too. You can get some utter bargains this way and, personally, I keep my eye out for buying Champagne when these promos are on as it’s the best way to buy pricier bottles. For more affordable bottles, I work with Aldi and the discounters work on the ‘everyday’ price model rather than doing regular discounts though they have some phenomenal deals over Christmas too…”
What wine trends are you most excited about going into 2024?
“Sustainability and alternative packaging remain on many agendas. I think Portuguese wines might be hitting a ceiling, but Greek wines are very exciting and maybe Georgia will be next. Low and no alcohol is also very big at the moment, though I can’t say I’m very excited by it.”
Sustainability and alternative packaging remain on many agendas. I think Portuguese wines might be hitting a ceiling, but Greek wines are very exciting and maybe Georgia will be next. Low and no alcohol is also very big at the moment, though I can’t say I’m very excited by it.
– Sam Caporn MW
If you were booking a winter getaway to any wine region in the world tomorrow, where would you go?
“There are a few for different reasons. If money were no object, I’d go back to Sydney, so a break Down Under in the Hunter Valley would be very appealing. South Africa is extraordinary at this time of the year, too. Champagne is super fun for a long weekend, and I think I am going there and to Burgundy in the spring with my husband. I am also desperate to go to Northern Rhône as I love the wines and Piedmont in truffle season for red wine and truffles! I can’t just pick one as they appeal for very different reasons… I just need to win the lottery so I can go to them all!“
Many thanks to Sam and merry merry to everyone reading. You can tick a well-advised wine choice off your festive to do list and enjoy your winter for what it is; cold, cosy, and the perfect opportunity to try something different.
In her own words
Sam has been a Master of Wine for over a decade and runs her own wine consultancy, Mistress of Wine. A Madame Bollinger award-winner and English wine advocate, we asked her questions about her favourite wines, her journey to becoming a Master of Wine, and much more besides.
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Meet Sam
Chief Wine Officer delivers unique networking experiences. Enjoy C-suite discussion, peer-to-peer networking and world-class wine tasting alongside Sam Caporn in a relaxed, informal environment that encourages open discussion between industry leaders.