We won’t be using Twitter/X from now on for social media updates. Seems like the site is sinking to new lows and we want no part of it. Come and find us over on Instagram: winemerchantmag.

There's been a guerrilla flyposting campaign to get the word out about our July edition, which we're now backing up with some social media. Like this. Print edition started landing yesterday and the digital version is live on our website: winemerchantmag.com

Congratulations to our Fortified Wine Trophy winner in this year's Wine Merchant Top 100, a gorgeous Oloroso that is already familiar to many independents. It certainly wowed our judges.

Meet our Orange & Rosé Trophy winner: yet another brilliant Greek wine from Hallgarten & Novum. It was one of the double-take wines on our stand at the London Wine Fair – first-time tasters couldn't believe how good it was, and they were telling their friends. Congratulations!

Congratulations to an old favourite in The Wine Merchant Top 100 competition. A worthy winner of this year's White Wine Trophy, which proved a huge hit with the visitors to our London Wine fair stand this week where all the winning wines were on show.

Here we go! See the list of our Top 100 winners on our website on Monday morning – or, better still, come and taste them at the London Wine Fair. We'll be announcing our Highly Commended wines later in the week, and going into detail about all the wines in our July supplement.

As we speak, wine merchants around the UK are eagerly cracking open their May issue of The Wine Merchant. Ours still haven't arrived from the printers, so we'll have to make do with the FREE digital edition, which you can find on our website, or here: issuu.com/winemerchantma…

There are lots of reasons to attend Wines from Spain's London tasting next Tuesday (May 14). One of them is to join our very own David Williams as he leads independent merchants on a quick-fire tour of some of his highlights. Register here: annualtasting.foodswinesfromspain.com

This is going to be a cracker. A free-pour tasting of 30 IGP Pays d'Oc wines followed by a lunchtime masterclass led by Peter McCombie MW. Some of the wines already have UK representation. Others are looking to team up with indies. Email charlotte@winemerchantmag.com

Very nice packaging from our friends at @walkerwodehouse for our Rioja tasting on Thursday for a group of independents. We don't organise as many Zoom masterclasses as we did during lockdown. But for many indies, they remain a useful and convenient supplement to IRL events.

Congratulations to Jamie Lyons of Ake & Humphris, who wins our April Rising Star prize for the contribution he's made at the Harrogate indie. Want to nominate another Rising Star in the independent trade and win them a lovely Mentzendorff wine? Email claire@winemerchantmag.com

If you don't receive a print edition of The Wine Merchant, the digital version is exactly the same and you can find it here: issuu.com/winemerchantma… Here on Denton Island we prefer the poster-sized version on the walls of the staff canteen.

If you don't receive a print edition of The Wine Merchant, the digital version is exactly the same and you can find it here: issuu.com/winemerchantma… Here on Denton Island we prefer the poster-sized version on the walls of the staff canteen.

Thanks to our brilliant judges in this week's Wine Merchant Top 100 judging. How many of them can you identify in this Instagram reel? instagram.com/reel/C52XlJ6NF…

Some superb Loire wines to be discovered at this event that we've been invited to get involved with. If you're an indie, and looking to import some interesting wines from this endlessly fascinating region, email charlotte@winemerchantmag.com to reserve your place.

This week's mailing of The Wine Merchant includes our annual California Collection supplement, featuring 50 superb wines at a range of price points, as chosen by our panel of experts. You can read the digital version on our website: winemerchantmag.com

Meet The Wine Merchant Top 100 Judges: David Cushley, Feral Pig Wines, Pembrokeshire “It's no secret that it's a challenging time for everyone, but there's always something new and exciting out there waiting to surprise you.”

Stand by, everyone. Mind-blowing reader survey results on the way … and a new addition to the magazine that will make at least five of you extremely happy. We gave in to your demands.

Meet The Wine Merchant Top 100 Judges: Jana Postulkova, Forest Wines, Walthamstow “I’m looking forward to tasting new wines and catching up with fellow judges from independent shops across the country. After some tricky years, I hope this is going to be a good one for indies.”

Meet The Wine Merchant Top 100 Judges: Leo Bruton-Simmonds, The Salusbury Winestore & Bar, London “I spend a lot of time assessing the suitability of wines for the shop. I would love to say this is strictly about what tastes the best, but building a range is a different task."