Crossing continents
Leader: Amy Wislocki, Magazine Editor
I’m in western Colombia at the moment visiting family. The scenery is breathtaking and the people incredibly welcoming, but in the local supermarket all I can find is basic Rioja or Chilean/Argentinian wine, priced at eyewatering levels.
Certainly nothing resembling the top-class wines recommended in our batch of features on the US this month, or the exciting picks featured in the comprehensive guide to Rioja bundled with this month’s issue. The guide really is a must-read, featuring our first ever Rioja Report (for which we tasted more than 700 recent releases), plus editorial on the names to know, the wines to seek out across all styles, and what to do if you visit.
Last but not least, please take time to answer a few quick questions on our redesign – we’d love to get your views. Just visit decanter.com/mag-redesign
See what’s inside Decanter magazine April 2025
In focus
Cru Americana Ana Carolina Quintela digs into the dazzling dirt of 10 of the US’s most revered vineyards
Vintage report: Napa Cabernet 2022 A year for choosing carefully: Jonathan Cristaldi picks out the star performers from a tumultuous vintage
California shakedown Kate Nowell-Smith explains the origins of and solutions to California’s grape glut
Singular US Pinot Noir Single-vineyard expressions represent peak Pinot Noir, argues Clive Pursehouse
One to watch: Raúl Moreno Ines Salpico meets a wandering winemaker who’s shaking up Spanish wine
Azerbaijan 101 Introducing a new player in wine, by Anthony Rose
Spirits
Distilled Spirits news
Cocktail files: Paloma Laura Foster offers tips on mixing and ingredients for this refreshing tequila tipple
Food & travel
What to pair with Southern cuisine Henna Bakshi’s tips on matching wine to southern US food’s lively flavours
Travel: A taste of the Tamar Take a tour to some of Tasmania’s world-class wineries, guided by Nola James
Learning
Books etc Sophie Thorpe cracks open the latest Classic Wine Library release
Wine wisdom Expert tips, and ‘The ethical drinker’ on how biochar is boosting vineyards’ climate resilience
Buying guide
Editors’ picks Decanter staff share highlights from their recent tastings
Panel tasting: South African Chardonnay A tasting of 128 wines highlights the stellar quality on offer, with 11 scoring 95 points or above
Panel tasting: Provence whites With a dozen Outstanding wines, this tasting showed that this sunny corner of France has more to offer than rosé
Expert’s choice: Santa Barbara Chardonnay Vanessa Rason picks 18 vibrant wines from the southern end of California’s Central Coast
Weekday wines Decanter’s in-house tasting team brings you 25 top picks, ready to drink and priced at £30 or less
Weekend wines Priced £30-£60, seven standout buys to impress
DWWA 2024 highlights Cool-climate precision. Medal-winning rising stars from the heart of Europe
Collecting & investing
Marketwatch Auction news and new releases, plus Bordeaux’s pricing woes
Regulars
Writing this month Meet four of the authors from this month’s Decanter
Uncorked News, inspiration & more
Andrew Jefford’s column
Hugh Johnson’s column
Guest column Eliza Dumais ponders the ‘imperfect science’ of wine scoring
The Last Drop Celebrity bottles, crisps and wine, and more…
Rioja at 100
Ines Salpico, regional editor for Spain
It is both serendipitous and meaningful that a landmark edition of Decanter’s annual Rioja guide – inclusive, for the first time, of a comprehensive report on new releases – coincides with a landmark anniversary of the DOCa Rioja. As the denomination celebrates its centenary, we commit to an ever more complete coverage of the region at a time of exciting evolution and transformation.
While analysing the past 12 months and century, this guide looks decisively to the future. Rioja’s new generation of winemakers and entrepreneurs are a promise of great things to come. Could we be entering a post-post-modern period in Rioja’s history? I think so. Many of the top-scoring wines in our report might already be pages of that new chapter.
Here’s to another 100 years of a fascinating narrative!
Inside Decanter’s Rioja supplement 2025:
Writing on Rioja Meet the four authors behind this year’s Rioja guide
Rioja report: new-release tasting Assessing 12 months’ worth of new Rioja releases is no mean feat, but Ines Salpico and Beth Willard took on the challenge
100 years of DOCa Rioja A timeline synopsis of the first century of this top wine region’s esteemed history
What the locals are drinking How better to discover the latest trends? Beth Willard gets the Rioja trade view
New styles Fintan Kerr introduces the people and the thinking behind Rioja’s second new wave
Joven at heart: next generation Young winemaking talents are putting terroir first, says Noah Chichester
The last botero Noah Chichester meets the one man left in Rioja making the real goatskin wine flasks
Expert’s choice: 2021 Beth Willard’s pick of 18 wines, confirms the ‘pure excellence’ of the historic vintage
Travel: Wild Rioja Off the beaten track for stunning landscapes, one-off adventures and more, with Fintan Kerr
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