France, Italy and Spain, Europe's three wine-production heavyweights, are all facing challenging 2026 harvests, with heat, drought and efforts to control oversupply keeping production well below recent levels.

France is now forecast to produce 34.9 million hectolitres, its lowest output this century. That is 2% below 2025 and 14% below the 2021–25 average, despite an upgrade to the forecast following better-than-expected yields in Languedoc-Roussillon.

Italy remains Europe's biggest producer, but output is expected to fall 7.2% to around 41.1 million hectolitres. Dry conditions have contributed, while some regions have deliberately reduced yields amid high stocks and weak demand.

Spain is also heading for a relatively small crop, with industry estimates around 34 million hectolitres of wine and must. Extreme heat brought an exceptionally early harvest and reduced yields, although grape quality is reported to be good.

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Majestic Wine Group has formally gone up for sale, with owner Fortress Investment Group launching an auction process after seven years of ownership. Tesco is among the potential buyers taking part.

The formal sale process reportedly began several weeks ago, with several potential buyers understood to be involved, although their identities have not been disclosed.

Fortress acquired Majestic in 2019 and has since significantly expanded the business. It bought wine bar operator Vagabond out of administration in 2024 and premium drinks distributor Enotria in 2025, creating a broader wine and drinks group.

Majestic has also continued investing in its retail estate, committing £4m to its stores and planning four new sites during the 2026/27 financial year. More than 25 shops have opened since Fortress took ownership.

Tesco is reported to be one of the bidders, although it has not commented publicly. The sale could mark another significant change for one of the UK's best-known specialist wine retailers.

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The Old Vine Registry has launched a new seal allowing wineries to highlight wines made from registered old vineyards, giving consumers an easier way to spot wines from historic vines.

Called the OVR Seal, it will enable producers to identify qualifying old-vine wines on both labels and in their digital marketing.

The seal is not a guarantee of quality, sustainability or farming methods. Instead, wines qualify when at least 85% of their grapes come from vineyards registered with the OVR in one of five age categories: 35+, 50+, 75+, 100+ or 150+ years.

Producers pay a one-off US$300 registration fee, making the scheme accessible to smaller wineries. Ten producers across seven countries are among the first adopters, with bottle labels expected to carry the seal as new vintages are released.

The OVR says its database contains more than 12,500 vineyards across 43 countries, making it the world's largest public database of vineyards with vines over 35 years old.

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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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