New Zealand wine exports rose strongly over the past year, with volumes reaching their second-highest June total on record despite a difficult global wine market.

Exports increased 6% to 306.2 million litres in the 12 months to June 2026, up from 288.8 million litres a year earlier, according to New Zealand Winegrowers. However, export value was broadly unchanged at NZ$2.1 billion.

The overall industry recorded an 8% increase in sales, driven by exports, which account for around 90% of New Zealand wine sales.
China was a standout performer, with exports jumping 72%, while shipments to South Korea increased 20%. The US, UK, Canada and Australia also remained important markets.

Meanwhile, the 2026 vintage produced around 440,000 tonnes, 15% less than the previous year. New Zealand Winegrowers said the smaller harvest should bring production closer to current demand and help restore balance.

A newly signed free-trade agreement with India could provide another boost, with tariffs on New Zealand wine set to fall gradually.

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Could cheaper restaurant wine encourage customers to drink more fine wine? An experiment at London’s Michelin-starred Hide suggests the answer may be no.

Speaking at The Drinks Business Conference in London, Hide owner Evgeny Chichvarkin described an experiment designed to tackle one of fine wine’s biggest criticisms: restaurant mark-ups.

Hide allowed customers to order bottles sourced from nearby Hedonism Wines, with only a relatively modest additional charge. The idea was to combine Hedonism’s extensive range and retail pricing with the restaurant experience at Hide.

But the results were disappointing. “Unfortunately, it didn’t bring more people to us,” Chichvarkin said. “We just lost some of the margin.”

Hide initially operated with corkage of around £30–£35 before moving towards more conventional Mayfair restaurant wine pricing. Chichvarkin said the restaurant still accepts lower margins on its finest and rarest wines.

The experiment suggests price alone may not explain why diners are drinking less fine wine. At Hide, wine now accounts for under 30% of sales, with customers increasingly ordering fewer glasses despite an average price of around £24 per glass.

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The British summer of 2026 has drawn interesting comparisons to a classic Burgundian vintage for UK Pinot Noir, with prolonged warmth and steady ripening conditions mirroring those seen in top years like 2015 or 2018 in Côte d’Or.

While Burgundy typically enjoys daytime highs of 25–28°C in July and August with cool nights preserving acidity, southern England in 2026 has experienced similar mid-20s maxima, albeit with less diurnal shift — yet still sufficient to build sugar and phenolic ripeness without drastic acid loss.

Crucially, the UK’s cooler baseline means even these ‘warm’ conditions stay within an ideal bracket for pinot noir, avoiding the over-ripeness sometimes seen in hotter Burgundian years. Growing degree days (GDD) in Kent and Sussex reached levels comparable to a moderate Burgundy summer, supporting even maturation.

Crouch Valley, the unofficial still wine UK region, has produced fruit with remarkable balance, echoing the elegance of a well-judged Burgundy harvest. If 2026 continues to deliver, UK Pinot may not just match Burgundy’s quality — it could offer a compelling, cooler-climate alternative.

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Grape cultivation may have arrived in Iberia from the eastern Mediterranean more than 3,000 years ago, with new DNA evidence supporting the long-held theory of Phoenician influence.

Researchers analysed 28 ancient grape seeds from seven archaeological sites in Iberia and Sardinia, comparing their nuclear and chloroplast DNA with modern cultivated and wild vines.

The oldest cultivated seeds, found in southern Spain, date to around 1000 BCE and carry genetic signatures associated with eastern Mediterranean grapevines. The researchers also found evidence that these imported vines began hybridising with local wild grapes as early as the ninth century BCE.

Some Roman-period grape seeds were very closely related to the earlier eastern Mediterranean vines, suggesting that these introduced vines continued to be grown in Iberia for centuries. The researchers also found evidence that a distinct Iberian grapevine population had emerged by around 2,500 years ago, probably as introduced and local vines began to mix.

Hebén, still grown today and a maternal ancestor of numerous varieties, appears to have been continuously propagated for at least 1,100 years.
The findings support the role of Phoenician settlers in introducing viticulture, which subsequently spread northwards and inland across Iberia.

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A newly identified grapevine gene could give breeders another tool for developing vines with greater natural resistance to fungal disease, potentially benefiting both wine and table grapes.

Researchers have identified VvMYB3R5, a naturally occurring Vitis vinifera gene, that helps grapevines defend themselves against the fungus Colletotrichum viniferum. The gene acts as a transcription factor, switching on other genes involved in producing protective compounds called proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins are the main type of tannins in wine.

The researchers found that increasing VvMYB3R5 activity raised proanthocyanidin levels and improved resistance to the fungus. Silencing the gene had the opposite effect, making vines more susceptible.

The discovery could eventually prove useful in grape breeding. If researchers can transfer or enhance this natural defence mechanism in new V. vinifera varieties, it could help produce vines that need fewer chemical disease treatments. It may also be relevant to future disease-resistant varieties, including PIWI grapes.

There is still considerable work before this becomes a commercial reality, but VvMYB3R5 gives breeders an intriguing new genetic target.

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Blue Nun is back in the UK, with the famous German wine brand returning to national retail distribution after a period away. The brand claims more than one billion bottles have been sold in 64 countries.

Blue Nun, launched in Germany in the 1920s, became one of the world's best-known German wine brands during the post-war boom, helping introduce Riesling to drinkers far beyond Germany.

Now owned by Les Grands Chais de France (GCF), following its 2024 acquisition of Franz Wilhelm Langguth Erben, Blue Nun is now being relaunched in the UK. The first wines are available through Ocado and Drink Supermarket, with wider UK distribution planned.

The range starts with two wines: a Riesling from Rheinhessen and Blue Nun Authentic White, a broader blend of grape varieties. Both are relatively low in alcohol at around 10% ABV and contain 30–40g/l of residual sugar. Prices range from £7.50 to £8.40 a bottle.
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