What have you been buying and drinking this April 2025?

It’s that time again. Time to inspire me to spend more money on drinks, even though the WineArk cabinet can’t be closed properly, and the Amex is maxed out.

So, what wine, beer, and other refreshing liquids have you been buying and drinking this month?

The bulk of the last four weeks has been spent in Italy and France, starting with a week of Vinitaly/Verona, then onto Champagne and Paris.

You’d think that I’d find a few things to buy in Parisian cavistes before I came home, right? Or at least duty-free? But nothing said ‘buy me’ and I didn’t have enough shopping time to do it justice (although the selection at a La Grande Épecerie de Paris was impressive).

What about you? Did you load up on Standish, or were you one of the lucky few to get some Giaconda in the three minutes it took for the wines to sell out?

Meanwhile, no Giaconda in Paris, but much 2023 Beaujolais was consumed…

Parisian bars are awash in Beaujolais. Despite 2023 being a problematic vintage in other parts of Italy/France, it’s a lovely vintage for making bright, energetic and absolutely delicious Beaujolais. They’re such drinkable wines too, especially when you get above basic villages-level wines, and for 6-8 euros a glass in a Marais bistro they’re wildly affordable drinks too.

On that theme, I very much enjoyed this Taupenot-Merme Saint Romain 2022 too. There’s a balance there between quite joyous golden fruit and tautness to make for such affable Burgundian drinking. Sure, it’s no La Montrachet, but the charisma vs price on this affordable Burg is so good.

This Domaine du Gros Nore Bandol 2015 was less affordable (€15 a glass at the excellent Divvino in Paris) but a joy. There’s the limitless ironstone and muscular blackness of Bandol Mourvedre, softening a bit, with this balance between savoury, withering dark fruit and something a bit more energetic carrying things so well.

On the beer front, a special mention to the Tête de chou taphouse in Epernay which had a rudely modern West Coast IPA brewed in the middle of Champagne country, and the La Ruée vers l’Orge, which was also a beacon of craft in Paris. The Osteria La Mandorla was also one of my fave places to drink in Verona helped by a clever range of tap beer and a lo-fi wine list worth lingering for (although the bar is tiny).

There was a shedload more less memorable wines in recent weeks (including an underwhelming Idda Gaja Bianco 2023 and a sadly oxidised Chateau Kefraya), but I’ll call this a pretty solid run of drinking highlights.

But what about you? Any value standouts in your April drinking? Let me know in the comments!