The Queen launches sparkling wine for Platinum Jubilee
The Queen has launched a sparkling wine in celebration of her platinum Jubilee, the sparkling wine is made from grapes sourced from Kent and West Sussex.
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Wine News Archive
Franciacorta sales rise around the world
Franciacorta, the premium traditional method Italian sparkling wine from Lombardy, has seen sales soar in Italy, the US, Switzerland and Germany.
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Hospitality industry braced for soaring inflation
A survey of by UK Hospitality expects inflation prices across the sector to increase by 11%.
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Australia’s wine sales down by AUS$1 billion in China after tariffs imposed
A year after China implemented swinging tariffs on Australian wine the effect resulted in 93% decline in sales to AUS$29 million, a drop amounting to almost AUS$1 billion.
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London Wine Fair moves date to June after Prowein muscles in on its week
London Wine Fair moves date to June after Prowein muscles in on its week.
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WSET starts trading again in China, just in time for new CEO Michelle Brampton
WSET starts trading again in China, just in time for new CEO Michelle Brampton. In January 2021 WSET had to suspend all courses and exams in mainland China after falling foul of Chinese laws.
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Freixenet Copestick purchases UK winery Bolney Wine Estate
Freixenet Copestick purchases UK winery Bolney Wine Estate
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UK hospitality hit by Omicron as Covid passports come into force
Hospitality trade is hit by Omicron Covid variant as Covid passports come into force and parties are cancelled.
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Malbec the top red grape in the UK for Christmas
In a recent survey by Virgin Wines, Malbec was identified as the top red wine this Christmas, followed by Merlot and Rioja.
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Majestic shuts Calais store
Majestic announces the closure of its Calais wine store with the loss of 20 staff.
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Brewer and wine retailer Adnams launches re-fillable wine, beer and gin
Southwold-based wine merchant Adnams has announced that it will offer new refillable wine, beer and gin bottles.
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UK Government increases Covid restrictions in the UK, as hospitality sector underperforms
From Monday 9th December working from home will be encouraged as the government tries to limit the spread of Covid-19 variant Omicron.
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Champagne approves new hybrid variety Voltis
Hybrid grape variety Voltis has been approved for use in Champagne vineyards.
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Robert Mondavi and Languedoc producer Aubert & Mathieu launch NFTs
NFTs come with wines and either the rights to attend events in the future or a copy of the picture of a wine bottle.
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Bonterra launches zero carbon wine by buying carbon credits
Californian organic winery launches Bonterra, claiming to be the first organic winery to go carbon neutral.
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Kylie Minogue Wines one of the fastest-growing and most successful wine brands the UK has ever seen
Kylie dominates the newly created Prosecco rosé wine sector to become the number one Prosecco rosé brand in the UK after just 10 months on the shelves.
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And the most popular wines in the UK are...
A survey of the UK's most popular wines gives some pause for thought as Pinot Grigio and Merlot are the most popular white and red
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Master Sommeliers expelled from Court of Master Sommeliers for sexual harassment
6 Master Sommeliers are expelled from the Court of Master Sommeliers for sexual harassment.
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Natural wine more likely to give drinkers a hangover
The myth that natural wines can prevent hangovers has been shown not only to be wrong, but natural wine are MORE likely to leave drinkers with a hangover.
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Waitrose announces it is ending its wine on tap refill initiative
The trial to fill your own bottle of wine from wines on tap in store achieved, according to Waitrose “phenomenal results”, but sadly those results were not enough for the trial to continue.
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BBR removes capsules to be environmentally friendly
UK-based wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd plans to remove the capsule at the top of a wine bottle from its own range of wines to improve the environmental credentials of its wines.
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British consumers still think heavy bottles of wine are premium & not bad for the environment
Research carried out has shown 40% of drinkers would pay more for a wine with a heavy bottle than a lightweight bottle, despite the known environmental effects of heavy glass bottles.
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Gordon Ramsey launches his own range of 3 Italian wines
Benchmark Drinks, a leading supplier of celebrity labelled wines, has added Gordon Ramsey's name to its portfolio of celebrity wines.
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Romanian Pinot Noir, is it the future of entry level Pinot Noir in the UK?
Romanian wine has seen sales growth in the UK and recent listing of their Pinot Noir in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, the Co-op and Majestic has helped drive growth.
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Trains to power Britain’s Christmas wine supply as HGV shortage continues
The lack of drivers may be a serious problem for moving wine around the UK in the build up to Christmas, but trains are coming to the rescue.
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Low Carbon wines, how to spot greenwashing and protect the environment
As Cop26 wrestles with saving the planet from global warming, here are some top tips to minimise your wine's carbon footprint.
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Superstrength cider the big winner in Rishi Sunak new duty system
Last week UK Chancelor Rishi Sunak proposed a new duty system for the UK. The big winner is super strength cider which will receive a duty cut.
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Matthew Cooper head wine buyer at Ellis of Richmond has died after a cycling accident
Matthew Cooper was a key figure in the Ellis team and here at ThirtyFifty we have worked with him over 20 years and interviewed him for the UK Wine Show back in 2006.
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Scottish nightclubs see turnover halve after the introduction of Covid passports
The first week of enforcement of Scotland’s Covid passports to enter nightclubs has seen revenue drop by 46%.
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Trade deal with New Zealand opens the path of slightly cheaper Sauvignon Blanc, if you can find any
The recent trade deal announced by Britain with New Zealand will see wine and primary produce such as lamb meat exported to the UK while New Zealand has dropped barriers to UK goods, primarily manufactured goods such as cars and farm equipment.
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UK alcohol duty steady before a revolution in 2023
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a revolution in alcohol duty that simplifies duty and makes low alcohol wines cheaper, while hitting higher alcohol wines.
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Scholarships in honour of Gerard Basset awarded
Two different scholarships were awarded this week. Both in the name of Gerard Basset, the well known and much loved late Sommelier.
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Coravin wine preservation system to open a wine bar in London
Coravin's pop up winery in Mayfair will offer the largest range of 50 sparkling wines in London as well as super premium wines, all served by the glass.
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Napa and Sancerre harvest, both have big falls in volume but for very different reasons
Napa has a 25-30% drop in volume at harvest due to drought, while Sancerre harvest is down 50% due to frost and rain causing mildew.
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Prince Charles claims he runs his Aston Martin sports car on English wine & cheese
The fuel that powers his Aston Martin DB6 is mainly ethanol, loved by racing car drivers for its performance and can be created using waste food including English wine & cheese
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Huge winery that supplied the Mediterranean 1500 years ago discovered in Israel
The newly found winery from the Byzantine period could supply up to 2 million litres of wine a year.
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Scientist shows that “no safe level of drinking” claim is incorrect
The incorrect claim made in 2019 purported to show that any drinking was harmful, overturning decades to research showing moderate consumption was actually protective.
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Prices set to rise in the drinks industry
Drinks research company CGA has predicted that prices are set to rise in the drinks industry, with three-quarters of hospitality businesses admitting that they are likely to raise prices.
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Decanter announces award results with Wine Society winning Outstanding Retailer of the year
The Wine Society picked up 6 awards and won Outstanding Retailer, with Waitrose winning Supermarket of the year.
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Vaccine passports for the hospitality sector in Scotland are live while Wales will follow soon.
Scotland’s Vaccine passport started off with a rocky start on the 1st October with problems downloading the app, while Wales announced it will require vaccine passports from the 11th October.
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UK chef James Martin launches own wines
James Martin, best known in the UK for the Saturday Kitchen TV show, has teamed up with Wine and Brands to launch a new range of wines.
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2021 Northern Harvest drawing to a close, Port is a bright star
The cooler frosty weather that has caused so much pain for northern France and Champagne in particular, has resulted in fresher, more balanced grapes in the Port producing regions compared to 2020.
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Owners of two top producers in St Emilion face 5 years in jail
Château Angélus and Château Trotte Vieille’s owners face accusations of manipulating the 2012 St Emilion Appelation rankings for themselves and companies they consulted for.
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Majestic announce a cork recycling scheme
Majestic announced this week that it plans to collect corks at its 190 stores, to be used as trial mulch for Cornwall's Eden project.
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USA’s three tier system is under threat as Biden reviews threats to competition in wine
In July Biden signed an executive order requiring the Treasury Secretary, Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to assess threats to competition and barriers to a range of industries including wine.
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WSET student numbers recover to the highest level ever despite Covid-19 and Chinese government ban
The latest WSET academic year for 2020/21 has seen 108,584 students undertake WSET courses, a new record despite Covid 19 and the Chinese government's blanket ban on all courses run in their country.
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Profits at Australian wine giant Treasury hold up after China’s punitive tariffs on Australia
Profits at Treasury Wine Estates, owners of Penfolds, Wolf Blass, 19-Crimes and Lindemans, held up in the face up Covid-19 and punitive tariffs by the Chinese government to record only a small drop in profits of 0.4%
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Jancis Robinson MW sells her website to US media company to focus on the US
Leading wine writer Jancis Robinson MW has sold her www.jancisrobinson.com website to US based start-up Recurrent Ventures, for an undisclosed sum.
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Champagne 2021 vintage looks tough
The weather in 2021 has simply not played ball with French producers. The Champagne region was hit badly by frost, hail and persistent mildew as well as spring rain which has resulted in yields expected to be down by 45%.
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Experienced UK wine drinkers prefer screw caps
Older drinkers prefer screw caps while younger drinkers are more inclined to prefer cork in the UK.
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