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Will 2026 be our year and what does it look like?

Reading back my thoughts early in 2025 it seems like we got most things right – trading wise we grew in 2024 and closed the year with our highest sales to date.

Two big events happened in the last quarter of 2025; the launch of Deli Dividends our subscription based loyalty scheme and taking delivery of our first commercial vintage of Borrowed Origins.

So 2026 is going to be all about building on these two intrinsically linked projects. However before head there we should start with deli and wine room and our plans for 2026.

The deli continues to go from strength-to-strength with a real identity of innovative products, I think the biggest shift has been moving ‘homemade’ and ‘local’ from front and centre, which may sound counter intuitive given ‘what do you have that’s local’ is probably our most frequent generic request.

I’m going to thank Jeremy Clarkson for bringing this to the foreground of mainstream TV and his staunch position on British produce at The Farmer’s Dog.

We do have plenty of local produce, Richard Bainbridge’s Provision Range is a good example, produced locally, in house at his award winning Norwich restaurant but many of the ingredients; herbs spices, coffee, fruits, simply aren’t grown locally or indeed in the UK so essentially it is ‘assembled in the UK’ 

Likewise our shop range is assembled in the UK – we source where possible from other like-minded independent businesses, but not specifically local, and not specifically British produce, however it assembled locally, in store by Lisa and Michelle.

The wine room, reinforces this approach, with space for about 200 different wines at any one time, and I like to think we have most tastes covered. But if we forced ourselves to only stock local, then I can thinks of only a handful of wineries. We could move further afield and stock wines from all over the country, especially as a lot of fruit grown in the UK is from Essex (yes even Camel Valley in Cornwall source some of their fruit from Essex) 

So is Camel Valley Cornish, or Essex?

My answer is definitely Cornish but you can see the answer is not a straight forward one.

So we put together a rolling flight of 200 seasonal wines, designed to offer maximum pleasure at any given price point. 

This approach has once again put us in the Top50 best independent wine shops in the UK (number 38 for those that didn’t catch the livestream) This placed us the second highest merchant in Norfolk and Suffolk after Adnams – so we’ll take position with pride.

Now onto Deli Dividends and Borrowed Origins. 

Thanks to the numerous early adopters Deli Dividends had a great start, most of the back office seems to work so 2026 is all about rolling out more and more benefits (I should keep on brand and say pay dividends!)

In order to grow beyond our customer base, we need to encourage and promote the peer-to-peer aspect, we want you to be able to use the app in more places; the obvious starting points for Diss are On The Hill and Florenco’s but also we have also chatted with friends in other towns, Finnian’s in Canterbury, Nekter in Shoreditch, Braslou & BinTwo in Cornwall, The Terrace on the Isle of Wight – it’s a little bit of tour guide, a recommended list of likeminded wine shops and deli’s when traveling around the UK and who knows maybe even further afield.

And this is where Borrowed Origins fits in – The underlying principal of Deli Dividends, is a medium of exchange at a local level, from a subscriber perspective you pay in and can exchange for goods and services in store, but if you can spend your balance at other stores, we need something to exchange with them – and that item is Borrowed Origins – our crowdsourced wine project.

All likeminded indie wine shops, like to have a bit of irreverent wine on their shelves for the curious and downright thirsty customers. So when Nekter order a dozen bottles for their faithful customers, they can make a peer-to-peer payment on Deli Dividends which means you can spend your balance at Nekter should you find yourself at a loose end in Shoreditch.

By making Borrowed Origins only available on the app (and in store at Fredricks obviously) national customers will need to subscribe to deli dividends and build up enough credit to make the purchase. 

With only 600 vines in the ground at Burston, we only intend on releasing a maximum of 600 bottles per year – the current wine is a single barrel of 216 bottles and likely to be the same for 2026.

So if you you or someone you know would like a bottle of the 2026 release – then get them to sign up to £2.50 per month and by Christmas they will be able to exchange for a bottle of our next release, or a quiche or twelve 😉

Book tickets for the Top100 tasting here

All of these are available to order – simply get in touch to place an order.

The 2025 Wine Merchant Top 100 winners have been announced.

Congratulations to all the producers and importers who made the cut this year. These are the 10% of wines that came out on top after a tough day of judging in April, in which 36 independent merchants tasted nearly 1,000 wines.

The winners are listed according to style in the list below. The price we quote is the recommended retail price as supplied by the entrant.

The wines are numbered from 1 to 100 as this is the system we’ve used for the stand at the London Wine Fair, to make it easier to navigate. These numbers do not indicate any position within the Top 100.

SPARKLING WINE

1. Sparkling Wine Trophy : Grande Réserve, Premier Cru, Pierre Mignon, Champagne, France NV, £35.74
2. Best Value Sparkling Wine Trophy : Llopart Corpinnat Brut Panoramic, Penedès 2018, £26.75
3. Champagne Taittinger Brut Vintage 2016, £60
4. Hattingley Valley Kings Cuvée 2017, £88
5. Black Elephant Vintners MCC Zero Dosage Blanc de Blancs 2011, £28.95

WHITE WINE

6. White Wine Trophy: Domaine Belleville Rully La Crée 2022, £36.50
7. Best Value White Wine Trophy: Mauricio Lorca Calma Indómita Albarin 2023, £17.75
8. Domaine Chevrot Maranges Blanc 2022, £48.99
9. Integro Verdeca Puglia IGP 2023, £11.99
10. Riesling Kabinett, Ürzig Würzgarten, Weingut Mönchhof 2018, £17.99
11. Meursault, Grands Charrons, Domaine Philippe Bouzereau 2022, £66
12. Mineralium Chenin Blanc 2023, £10.99
13. Lugana doc Vigne Alte, Zeni 2023, £17.49
14. Roodekrantz Donkermaan Chenin Blanc 2023, £29
15. Moillard Grivot Premium Chardonnay 2023, £26
16. Two Paddocks Picnic Riesling 2022, £24.99
17. Clayvin Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2018, £26.49
18. Custoza Biscardo DOC 2024, £11.49
19. Neethlingshof Gewurztraminer 2024, £18
20. Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier 2022, £17.99
21. Gelblack Trocken Riesling, Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau 2023, £26.22
22. Le Charme Sauvignon Blanc by Christine Cabri 2024, £10.49
23. Sancerre Blanc, La Grand Rue, Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy 2023, £33.75
24. Ontanon Rioja Blanco 2023, £13
25. Nautilus Estate Chardonnay 2022, £24
26. Daschbosch Mossiesdrift Steen 2023, £20
27. Grüner Veltliner, Löss, Weingut Rabl 2023, £15.49
28. Domaine Benoit Badoz Vin Jaune Les Roussots 2018, £49

ROSÉ WINE

29. Rosé Wine Trophy: Xinomavro/Limniona, Apla Rosé, Oenops 2024, £17.49
30. Best Value Rosé Wine Trophy: Terras Lusas Rosé, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Adega de Redondo 2023, £11.74
31. Rosé Karmrahyut, ArmAs 2022, £18.75
32. Xinomavro Rosé, Theopetra Estate 2023, £21.49
33. Miguel Torres Chile Andica Organic Rosé 2024, £12.99
34. Château D’Esclans Garrus 2022, £90

RED WINE

35. Red Wine Trophy: Ver Sacrum Gloria S Garnacha 2021, £31.75
36. Best Value Red Wine Trophy: Bodegas Agronavarra Perdido Tempranillo, Vino de la Tierra 3 Riberas 2023, £10.49
37. Barbaresco, Vanotu, Pelissero 2020, £87
38. Agricola Marrone Langhe DOC Nebbiolo Che Vale 2023, £24
39. Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, Domaine de Panisse, Le Clos du Caillou 2022, £47.50
40. Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco 2022, £40
41. Atamisque Serbal Cabernet Franc 2024, £16.50
42. Doña Paula Estate Malbec, Valle de Uco 2021, £15.99
43. Clos de Lôm Isidra Crianza 2021, £25
44. Atlante Vidueño 2022, £36
45. Vina VIK 2019, £155.50
46. Chateau Purcari 1827 Rara Neagra 2022, £16.95
47. Château de Barbe Blanche Rouge, Lussac Saint Emilion 2019, £24.49
48. Domaine Claude Maréchal Pommard La Chaniere 2023, £53.50
49. Crianza, Finca Nueva 2019, £22
50. Las Ninas Ella Reserva Carmenere 2023, £15
51. Vranec, Luda Mara, Tikveš 2021, £17.99
52. Guremani Mukuzani 2021, £14.95
53. Château Tholomies Eclipse La Livinière 2020, £32
54. Château Couhins-Lurton Rouge, Pessac Leognan 2016, £55.49
55. Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Les Fortunés, Chanzy 2023, £25.75
56. Barolo, Sarmassa, Brezza 2020, £65
57. Souson, Ribeiro, Ailalá 2022, £18.25
58. Monastrell, La Purísima, Bodegas la Purísima 2023, £13.49
59. Montes Purple Angel Colchagua 2021, £78.99
60. GCM Coast, Viña Echeverría 2021, £18.75
61. Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico 2022, £19.99
62. Henschke Keyneton Euphonium 2021, £44.99
63. Zero Manipulation, Tollini Vineyard, Peterson Winery 2017, £22.49
64. Nativus Feteasca Neagra de Aversti 2022, £14.95
65. Cave de Gigondas Seigneur De Raveil 2022, £23
66. Cote Sauvage 2021, £20
67. Château Ponzac Maintenant ou Jamais, Cahors 2021, £17.91
68. Château de Pitray Les Prairies Castillon, Côtes de Bordeaux 2021, £22.99
69. Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune 2022, £22.99
70. Agricola Marrone Barolo DOCG 2021, £43
71. Preciso Primitivo Appassimento Puglia IGP 2023, £12.69
72. Baron de Ley El Coto Crianza 2021, £15.99
73. Pantocrator Edition Limitada Rioja 2015, £37.95
74. Vallisto Barbera 2022, £22.25
75. Monemvasia Winery Tsimbidi Malvasia Vin Liastos 2012, £35.99
76. Akitu A2 2020, £33
77. Steeple Vineyard Shiraz 2019, £45
78. Vinha Do Reino, A River Runs Through It, Carlos Lucas Vinhos 2021, £13.99
79. Dugladze Saperavi Reserve 2020, £24.99
80. Toscana Rosso da Uve Leggermente Appassite, Duca di Saragnano 2022, £13.99
81. Les Crus, L’Art du Vers 2022, £15.22
82. Domaine Remoriquet Bourgogne Hautes Côtes De Nuits Rouge 2023, £29.50
83. Integro Negroamaro Puglia IGP 2023, £11.99
84. Cosme Palacio Vino de Laguardia Crianza 2019, £22.49
85. Queiron Mi Lugar 2019, £27
86. Los Cardos Single Vineyard Malbec 2023, £11.49
87. Mas Blanch i Jové Saó Abrivat 2022, £22
88. Grey Garnacha Cariñena Mataro, La Roblería Vineyard 2020, £19.49
89. Jordan Cobblers Hill 2022, £44.65
90. Geografico Chianti Classico Riserva 2019, £20.49
91. Durif, Winemakers Reserve, Berton Vineyard 2021, £14.75
92. Sellas Nemea 2022, £24

FORTIFIED AND SWEET WINE

93. Fortified/Sweet Wine Trophy: Valdespino Premium Collection Palo Cortado Single Cask Macharnudo Alto 2001, £150
94. Best Value Sweet Wine Trophy: Royal Tokaji Sweet Szamorodni 2019, £21.99
95. Moscato d’Asti, Nivole, Michele Chiarlo 2023, £20.25
96. Vakakis Epogdoon Barrel 2017, £29
97. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2021. £72
98. Butler Nephew & Co 20 Years Old Tawny Port NV, £41.55
99. Porto Poças Colheita 1996, £58
100. La Bota No 130 Manzanilla Pasada, Equipo Navazos NV, £55

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