It’s a small tasting, the annual Welsh Wine Showcase Event, but it is vitally important because it appears to me that this niche celebration shows in just perhaps 20 minutes of deliberations the absolute progress and evolution of Gwin Cymreig. And it is overwhelmingly positive, even if the natural voices, and there are a few, don’t appeal to my sensibilities.
This month, I have found three headliners and a further six wines from these estates, which are all utterly sensational. It is telling, at least to me, that the three wineries that sat atop the pile this year come from an ‘old’ estate, a ‘middle-aged’ estate, and a relative ‘newcomer’.
While the protagonists perhaps do not fall into these ageist categories, it is true that White Castle was indeed founded in 2009, Velfrey in 2016 and The Dell in 2021. I think this is a significant fact that underscores the importance of experienced hands as well as nascent, ambitious wine folk in the emerging category of Welsh wine heroes.
And even more fascinating and noteworthy is that this month’s collection of wines is unlike any others in England, which gives them greater legitimacy and importance. There is an overwhelming reason to shop for delicious wines in Wales today, as they have never been better.
2025 The Dell Vineyard, Clidda Gawr, Col Fondo, Monmouthshire
£25.00
This Col Fondo, or sparkling wine with no disgorgement, beauty from The Dell is my favourite version of this tricky style of wine in the whole of the UK.
It is lightly cloudy but pristinely clean and untroubled by funk, which endears it to me greatly. The wines at The Dell are made with unmistakable subtlety and poise, and Clidda Gawr (named after a local giant but probably is more accurately personified by a local sprite!) is made from Phoenix, Reichensteiner and Schönburger.
There is next to no sugar here and masses of acidity, which keep the enchanting floral flavours on the straight and narrow. At the time of writing, there were 350 bottles remaining from the 425 made, so hurry along if you want to taste this magical potion!
In addition, 2025 Y Lleidr (£22) is a Pinot Noir, Seyval Blanc, Solaris rosé that parades shimmering pomegranate and raspberry tones, and sets the bar extremely high for all ’25 vintage rosés in the land.
2025 Yr Afanc (£20) is a wine I have followed for a few years, and it is always a joy. Made from Solaris, Phoenix, Reichensteiner and Schönburger, the 2025 is the finest to date, and for some reason, it always reminds me of a super-dry, kaleidoscopic Jurançon Sec, with its innate counterpoint between orchard fruit and dramatic tension. Finally, 2023 Pen Y Clawdd (£35) is a true sparkling rosé made from Pinot Noir and Seyval Blanc, and, once again, the brightness and elegance, embodied by all The Dell wines, are here in abundance!
2023 Velfrey Vineyard, Rhosyn Sparkling Rosé, Pembrokeshire
£42.00
Andy and Fiona Mounsey have already hit the high notes with their stunning Rhosyn Rosé, when the 2021 vintage made it into my MoneyWeek column celebrating Welsh Wine Week last year.
This means that the 2021 was made from four-year-old vines, given the tech sheet for my featured 2023 states it is made from venerable six-year-olds! Wow, this is incredible, because the delicacy, balance and harmony shown by this 80% Seyval Blanc, 20% Pinot Noir blend is astonishing.
Once again, the production is tiny, with only 1,547 bottles made, but I urge you to track it down because it is the antithesis of the muscular, showy rosés that proliferate the market.
There is no sense of skinsiness here, just melodic silkiness, and the finish haunts the palate for minutes after each sip. Interestingly, I also like Velfrey’s NV Sparkling Brut (£36), which wanders along an apple-pie-like theme of fruit flavours, and is made from a similar recipe, albeit in white form. It is fascinating, then, how Rhosyn is a more slender and supple creature than the white!
One final note, and I say this far too often, so please forgive me for extended repetition, but great rosés must smell pink. Shut your eyes and breathe in. Rhosyn sports one of the most hypnotic and resonant cherry blossom perfumes of the year so far!
2025 White Castle Vineyard, Siegerrebe, Monmouthshire
£26.50
- www.whitecastlevineyard.com
- www.blasarfyd.com
- www.finewinesdirectuk.com/cardiff-store/
- www.grapebritannia.co.uk
and coming soon to
Robb and Nicola Merchant are inspirations to all who meet them. It was this couple who first got me hooked on still Welsh wines, and this superb Siegerrebe is their finest to date.
Texturally, it has taken on more creaminess and silkiness than in previous years, and the floral theme is captivating, with orchard tones, stone fruit hints, and oyster-shell freshness.
This wine is a perfect example of a style that has evolved from a decent effort in years past to a triumphant creation today!
In addition, 2025 Gwin Gwyn Phoenix (£26.35) is a leaner, brighter, and tangier white with a Sancerre-like silhouette and a gentler approach on the palate than any Savvie B! It is a consummate crowd-pleaser and, like the other wines in this month’s article, it has a flavour all its own.
White Castle has long made impactful red wines, and yet 2023 Pinot Noir Précoce (£37.11) raises the bar further than ever before. Spice and earth tones underpin a superbly suave chassis of ripe Pinot fruit, and where once the balance was close enough but not perfect, in 2023, this is a completely harmonious wine. Llongyfarchiadau!
