Latest News from Condor Wines

What independent wine merchants are saying about New Zealand – As we continue to build our New Zealand portfolio, we wanted to bring together producers and independent wine merchants to discuss the opportunities for the category in the UK.

Following a fantastic summer celebrating Condor’s 15th anniversary with customers and producers, we’re delighted to have more good news to share. From being shortlisted for another International Wine Challenge Industry Award to giving customers the chance to win a trip to Argentina, alongside new arrivals, award-winning wines and upcoming tastings, here’s the latest from Condor.

How is the 2026 vintage shaping up across South America and New Zealand? Our latest Harvest Report brings together first-hand insights from the winemakers themselves, highlighting the weather, vineyard conditions and early quality expectations from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and New Zealand. From freshness and balance to regional character, discover what buyers can expect from the wines that will be arriving over the coming year.

In 2011, Condor Wines began with just 26 Argentine wines, a strong connection and passion for Argentina, a Ford Fiesta, and a belief there was an opportunity. Fifteen years later, that same spirit still drives everything we do.

When Marco Puyo of Viña Dagaz in Colchagua visited the UK earlier this year, Sarah McCleery joined him to get his views on the future of Chilean wine.

Suavignon Blanc remains one of the UK’s favourite grape varieties. Originally from southwest France, it takes its name from sauvage, meaning wild – a nod to its naturally vigorous character. Now planted around the world, it was the arrival of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand in the 1970s that set it on the path to global stardom.

Malbec World Day is a global initiative from Wines of Argentina marking the role of the country in rescuing and developing the Malbec grape to its current iconic status.

The drive from Tupungato to Piedra Negra is dominated by the majestic Andes, their rocky grandeur filling the view at every turn. It is spectacular. Still, you can only imagine what it might have been like, to arrive there, when there was not a vineyard in sight.

Anyone fortunate enough to visit Argentina – especially for the first time – cannot fail to notice how it adjusts a person’s sense of scale. It is ‘big’ in many ways: 4,300 or so miles of the Andes mountain range, 1.5kg tomahawk steaks, and the three metre wingspan of its glorious condors. Despite so much of the country being so vast, there’s a sense of intimacy, individuality and warmth in Argentina that belies its size.

As we begin our 15th anniversary year, we’re excited to share the first wines from our new project: Flight of the Condor. After spending more than a decade focused on South America, it feels like a natural step for us to explore complementary regions – wines that sit comfortably alongside our South American heartland…

As another year draws to a close, we’d like to thank you again for your continued support in 2025. It’s been wonderful to see so many of you this year – and to be able to introduce so many of our winemakers, both in person and through our virtual events.

My first trip to New Zealand marked the official beginning of our new project, Flight of the Condor – spreading our wings in search of wines with character, authenticity and a genuine sense of adventure.

There’s a book to be written, detailing Ridgway’s global adventures, which start with, in his own words, an idyllic childhood “wading through ponds, jumping on haybales…” in the British county of Dorset and then include selling real estate in multiple countries, a one-way cheap flight out of (boring) Ecuador to Buenos Aires and a failed relationship.

We always love it when our winemakers visit the UK and this October we were thrilled to welcome back Karim Mussi, for a whirlwind four-day trip across the country. Karim’s trip gave our customers the chance to taste his exceptional wines alongside the man himself – and offered him invaluable insight into the ever-evolving UK market.

Santiago Achurra Larraín founded Viña Requingua, which means ‘Corner of the Winds’ in Mapuche, in 1961. Since then, three generations of the family have been part of the winery’s growth into one of Chile’s top 20 producers.

5 unusual grape varieties that your customers will love.

Malbec has a long and celebrated history in Argentina. First introduced in 1853 by French agronomist Michel Aime Pouget as part of an initiative to develop the national wine industry, from the outset it showed great adaptability to it’s new terroir.

The 2025 vintage in Argentina was shaped by a dynamic and often unpredictable growing season. Across Mendoza, producers faced a mix of early warmth, summer heatwaves, and sporadic rains, leading to one of the most condensed, yet diverse, harvests in recent memory.

Earlier this March, we had the pleasure of hosting six winners from our Chile and Uruguay incentive for an unforgettable of wine, warmth and adventure across two of South America’s most exciting wine-producing countries.

After a long journey from London via Rio, we arrived in Buenos Aires to a monsoon downpour but wasted no time diving into the city’s vibrant culture. A fantastic guided walking tour covered history, politics, literature, café culture and, of course, empanadas!