75% of UK pubs and restaurants open by the end of May
The number of licensed venues in the UK more than doubled from 32.9% in April to 76.2% in May, but still 25,000 licensed premises remained closed.
Full story »
Wine News Archive
Chianti Classico approves named sub-regions for top wines
The Chianti Classico Consortium has approved the use of village names within the classico sub-region, known as Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive
Full story »
English wine week finishes this weekend with the Wine GB Awards out today
WineGB Awards for 2021 have been released just in time for English Wine Week.
Full story »
Coravin unveils its new sparkling wine preservation system
For some time, Coravin has been a leading method of tasting still wines from the same bottle over a period of months. Now they have launched their new sparkling wine system.
Full story »
Trade deals away, UK does free trade deal with Australia
UK trade deal will save up to 9p for a bottle of Aussie wine
Full story »
US trade deal with EU paused with 25% punitive tarrifs on EU wine exported to America dropped
The US and EU have paused the trade dispute over airplane subsidised, that had seen punitive taxes on EU wines and spirits.
Full story »
ThirtyFifty shortlisted for the IWC Wine Educator of the Year
ThirtyFifty, a leading wine educator in the UK, has been shortlisted for the IWC UK Merchant Awards Wine Educator of the Year.
Full story »
Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships winners are announced
Two £12,000 scholarships have been awarded to BAME/BIPOC students to assist their studies for the Master of Wine or the Master Sommelier.
Full story »
English Wine Week 19-27 June
English Wine Week starts next weekend on Saturday 19th June until the following Sunday 27th June.
Full story »
South Africa finally has some cool news
South Africa’s harvest for 2021 is up by 8.9% on 2020, with cooler and wetter weather the vintage was harvested a couple of weeks later.
Full story »
40 producers from Rioja Alavesa try to break away from Rioja
Rioja Alavesa producers claim to be disappointed with the Rioja DOCa and plan to great a new Viñedos de Álava DO.
Full story »
The truth about the second cheapest bottle on a restaurant being the worst value
A study by the American Association of Wine Economists looked at London restaurants to answer the question of whether they put extra mark up on the second cheapest wine, knowing many people will order it not wanting to look cheap.
Full story »
NZ Sauvignon Blanc will be in short supply in 2021
NZ Sauvignon Blanc will be in short supply later this year as two low vintages and buoyant sales reduce supplies.
Full story »
Mouton Cadet exclusively lists with Freixenet Copestick
Mouton Cadet, the high volume brand from Bordeaux's Mouton Rothschild, has signed a deal to be exclusively distributed by Freixenet Copestick which owns the Cava brand that's been expanding in many areas.
Full story »
Low&no alcohol wines are missing something...sales!
The demand for low and no alcohol beverages while still small, is on the rise, but this week Wine Intelligence said that wine was missing out on the opportunity, compared to beers and spirits.
Full story »
London Wine Fair 17-19 May Online
The 2021 London Wine Fair begins on Monday for 3 days, as a virtual event.
Full story »
UK lockdown restrictions are easing on the 17th May
The UK, Scotland and Welsh governments all confirmed that restrictions on Hospitality were to ease on Monday the 17th May as planned.
Full story »
Bordeaux En Primeur is underway with Cheval Blanc the first to release
The price for the 2020 Cheval Blanc is €380 / btl and is very close to the 2019 vintage of €370 /btl and the quality appears to be at least as good.
Full story »
Australian exports to China fall by AU$313m in four months
China’s import tariff on Australian wines has led to a collapse in sales from AU$325m to AU$12m in the four months of December 2020 to March 2021.
Full story »
Out of this world Petrus to go on sale, with Christie’s predicting a sky high price of US $1 million
A bottle of Bordeaux Petrus 2000 is hoped to sell for $1 million US dollars at auction after spending a year in space.
Full story »
Airport-style duty free shops for Calais and Dunkirk ports
This week a new 1,000 square meter duty free shop was announced for Calais, while work on the Dunkirk shop is due to be completed ready for opening in July.
Full story »
UK Wine Consumption up 2.2% in 2020
The world was drinking 3% less wine in 2020 but the UK saw a 2.2% rise according to the OIV.
Full story »
Yellow Tail the strongest wine brand, in this year’s Global Wine Brand Power Index
Yellow Tail leads pack and along with Jacobs Creek, another Australian wine, in the top 10. Chile has the most brands in the top 10 at 3.
Full story »
OIV publishes the top wine producing countries in 2020 with Italy on top
Each year France and Italy vie to be the world's largest wine producing country, with this year Italy coming in at top place with 19% of the world's wine production vs France at 18%.
Full story »
New Zealand wines are set for price rises after strong sales and a debilitating frost in 2021
The New Zealand 2021 harvest has been severely hit by a hard frost and so, with strong sales over the Covid period, shortages are likely.
Full story »
Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships applications close with 42 candidates
The two scholarships worth £55,000 will be awarded to candidates studying the Master of Wine or the Master Sommelier course.
Full story »
EU allows appellation to create low and no alcohol wines
From 2023, Europe's finest wine regions have the option to create low and no alcohol wines.
Full story »
Fine wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan has been deported to Indonesia
Kurniawan defrauded fine wine buyers by mixing wines to create fakes that he sold for 1.3m between 2004-2012. He was deported to Indonesia after serving 7 years of his sentence in a Texas jail.
Full story »
UK pubs with outdoor space opened this Monday and on Tuesday sales were up on last year
Like-for-like sales were up 59% on the same time last year, but with only 38% of pubs having an outdoor space it is small beer in the big scheme of things.
Full story »
France and parts of Europe hit by the worst frost in decades
Wide spread frost has hit many vineyards over several nights, devastating many of France's top wine regions and parts of Europe.
Full story »
Mavrik claims to have found the solution to smoke taint
Smoke tainted wines have become the curse of Australia and California, and the resulting wines have a loss of fruit, unattractive smoke flavours and a harsh mouthfeel.
Full story »
London Wine Fair goes digital - book now for samples!
The London Wine Fair is being run on the 17-19 May 2021 as an online trade event.
Full story »
UK Hospitality partially open from 12th April
The next big step for the UK, easing out of a lockdown that began before Christmas, will be to allow pubs and restaurants to open for outdoor service on Monday 12th April.
Full story »
UK Government announces Deposit Return Scheme
Returning bottles for cash will be launched in 2024 in England, Wales & northern Ireland. Scotland scheme is due to launch in July 2022.
Full story »
Introduction of the VI-1 form for European wines delayed until December 2021
The VI-1 form is an import document that many in the wine industry do not believe is needed.
Full story »
Massive flooding in the Eastern Australia hits vineyards
With many of the grapes harvested before the floods came, only a few regions had grapes to be picked, but Hunter Valley in NSW still at risk.
Full story »
Golden Vines Diversity Scholarship announces Taylor’s Port as major sponsor
Taylor's Port house has been awarded naming rights to the new Taylor’s Port Golden Vines Diversity Scholarships.
Full story »
The best ways to save money when buying wine duty free from France
Brexit Britain has been under new duty-free rules since January, but with lockdowns and bans on travel, many Brits don’t know what the new allowances mean and how to benefit the most.
Full story »
Is infused wine another crime to add to 19 Crimes?
Australian wine company Treasury Wine Estates is launching a Red wine infused with coffee. Could this be a shot to enlighten innovation or a crime against wine?
Full story »
2020 a tough year for Australia, but 2021 show opportunities
2020 was a year of bush fires, drought, COVID and then the Chinese slapped a horrendous duty on Australian wine.
Full story »
The Golden Vines Awards to fund Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation
The Golden Vines Awards to fund Gerard Basset Wine Education Charitable Foundation, promotes greater diversity and inclusion within the wine trade.
Full story »
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak budget to help the wine business
The UK government's budget this week was good for the wine trade, no duty rises, extensions on VAT, and grants to help business to re-open.
Full story »
Scotland Deposit Return Scheme, momentum grows for the delayed scheme
Scotland will be the first country in the UK to implement a Deposit Return Scheme on the 1st July 2022. The delayed scheme will offer a 20p payment for wine bottles and cans returned.
Full story »
UK road map out of Covid-19 published
The UK government published its long-awaited path out of Covid lockdown this week. The long slow release of the lockdown is hoped, alongside vaccinations, to ensure that the UK does not require another full lockdown.
Full story »
Debt the big headache for hospitality
The UK government's £50k bounce back loan scheme may have saved many businesses but will restrict bounce back recovery.
Full story »
Virgin Wines announce stock market flotation on the back of Covid-19 fuelled home delivery boom
Virgin Wines is planning to list on the AIM stock market on the 2nd March after selling 1 million cases in 2020.
Full story »
Treasury Wine Estates announces restructure amid claims it will try and stay meaningful in China
Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), one of Australia's leading wine companies with wineries in Australia and the US, announced its new company structure, while claiming that it hopes to keep a “meaningful presence” in China.
Full story »
The beginning of the end for Lockdown Britain as Government publishes road map out of Covid crisis
The government will announce on February 22nd its plans for the UK to leave lockdown and for ending all Covid-19 restrictions.
Full story »
Sutton Coldfield shop loses licence to sell alcohol after counterfeit wines found on the premises
KVK Supermarket in Sutton Coldfield lost its licence to sell alcohol after trading standards were called in when shoppers complained of strange tasting wines from Casella Brands, the people behind Yellow tail.
Full story »
Chapel Down puts Curious Brew pub business into administration
Leading UK wine producer Chapel Down has put its award winning beer business into administration to allow RCP (Risk Capital Partners) to buy the business clear of debt.
Full story »