Does the UK wine scene lack diversity?
A new survey suggests that the UK wine trade may lack diversity with only 14% of those in the trade surveyed claiming a non white ethnicity
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Wine News Archive
UK government started free trade agreement negotiations with Australia and New Zealand
Free trade agreement negotiations have started with Australia and separately with New Zealand. Both are very important non-EU wine suppliers to the UK.
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UK Government launches range of measures to help restaurant and pub trade
The UK government opening of restaurants shows sales are down, but will a VAT cut an government subsidised restaurants help?
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English Wine Week starts from 20th June to 28th June
With the hospitality industry in lockdown English Wine Week will be less about visiting the 400 wineries in the UK, but we can still enjoy a bottle or two.
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Brexit negotiations are back into full swing as Britain prepares to leave the EU trade partnership
Britain’s trade deals are back underway as negotiation with the EU stalls, other trade partners hope that the UK will look at trade with a fresh attitude.
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Seltzers are growing fast in the USA and are being positioned as the drink for 2021 in the UK.
Hard seltzers are flavoured carbonated water with alcohol added and the category has seen huge growth in the US in the last year with brands now looking to launch in the UK in 2021.
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UK Hospitality on lockdown until July and Napa wineries open
The UK Hospitality sector will remain closed till at least the 4th July according to UK Business Secretary.
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Australia’s exports to the UK are down 7% on last year, but is Australia a covid-19 wine winner?
Australia’s exports to the UK were 7% down by $356m Aus (£194m) for the year ending in April, but for January to April the imports were up 3%.
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Bordeaux 2019 en primeur prices continue to soften
Bordeaux 2019 en primeur prices continue to soften. Recent releases with 2 first growths Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Haut Brion are down 30%.
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Bordeaux 2019 vintage is on sale now with big cuts in price while the quality looks good
The well regarded 2019 Bordeaux vintage is being released the main trend appears to be prices are lower.
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Wine importer buys Domaine Direct
Fine wine importer Flint Wines has completed the purchase of Burgundy specialist Domaine Direct.
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Deliveroo sampling Wolf Blass to homes
Treasury Wine Estates has joined forces with Deliveroo to launch a Wolf Blass sampling campaign.
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UK Government publishes wine tariff rates for post-Brexit trade
The UK Government's 'simplified' post-Brexit tax still has three separate taxes on wines imported, as they release new UK tariff rates.
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UK vineyard news with expansions, adaptations and a late spring frost
UK wineries adapt but are punished with a late spring frost as Rathfinny and Nyetimber continue their expansions throughout 2020.
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Covid-19 news - marathons, restaurants and home deliveries
Medoc Marathon cancelled, restaurants struggles and home deliveries are all in this week's Covid-19 News round-up.
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Austria’s Wachau region has been given DAC status
Wachau DAC has become the 15th region in Austria to gain the DAC status.
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Covid-19 Round-up
France distils, US sales surge, while Indian consumers are desperate for a drink following the lifting of a 40 day ban.
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WSET L1 & L2 courses online with the New online exam
Wine education company WSET announced this week that online exams are now available for the Level 1 and Level 2 courses.
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Sales of Spanish Albariño from Rías Baixas take off in the UK
Spain's Albariño grape that makes fresh white wines sees 50% increase in exports to UK in 2019.
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What is the UK up to when buying wine
Online sales of beer, wine and spirits up 78% in the last 4 weeks in the UK, but UK wineries are losing cellar door sales.
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Covid 19 Round up
South Africa flip flops, while social distancing means the treading of the grapes in Portugal may be scrapped.
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Wine that can no longer be sold to restaurants and pubs may be distilled
A billion litres of wine may need to be distilled as markets dry up around the world.
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The Drinks Business Sauvignon Blanc Masters results shows its value and diversity
The Drinks Business Sauvignon Blanc Master results showed New Zealand was dominant in the awards, but other countries competed well in a range of categories including golds and master awards for the UK, USA Germany.
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Penfolds has finally registered its Penfolds/Ben Fu trademark in China
Penfolds has finally registered its Penfolds brand name in China. The Ben Fu trade mark has taken Penfolds 25 years to be registered.
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Covid-19 and the world of wine
Fine Wine markets hold up and online retailers go back to work.
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Most people drinking the same amount during Covid-19 lockdown
As headlines claim we are drinking more during lockdown, what are the facts.
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The UK Wine Show, the world’s first wine podcast, is one of the best!
This week the Drinks Business announced what they consider to be the top wine podcasts in the world.
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Master of Wine exams cancelled
The Institute of Masters of Wine has cancelled their June 2020 exams in London, Sydney and Napa due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Vin Méthode Nature, is the new French denomination for natural wine
The French government has released rules for the new designation for natural or low interventionist wines.
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Covid-19 and the world of wine
Covid 19 affects all parts of the world of wine from retailers, growers and drinkers.
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Budget busting giveaway as UK pub, bar and hotel trade down by half
Britain’s new Chancellor Rishi Sunak opened the financial flood gates to support for the UK economy over fears of Brexit and Covid-19.
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Australia 2019/2020 bushfire season has seen drop of 4% of production
The bushfires that ravaged Australia over the Christmas period are expected to cause a 4% drop in production in 2020, according to Wine Australia.
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The most powerful wine brands for 2020
The most powerful wine brands for 2020 have been announced and it is a who’s who of the high-volume world of wine.
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New grape varieties continue to be trialled in the New World as growers adapt to a warming world
The New World continues its embrace of new varieties, South Africa has its first commercial crop of Marselan harvested this week while Argentina plants Assyrtiko.
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Global Warming blamed for the 1st failure of Germany not to produce any ice wine.
Germany will not produce any ice wine for the first time for the 2019/2020 vintage after warm weather failed to freeze grapes on the vine.
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Covid-19 lays hammer blow to the trade wine trade shows
Vinexpo Hong Kong, Vinitaly & Prowein, the big wine trade shows, have been postponed due to Coronavirus, while the London Wine Fair plans to go ahead as usual.
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Coronavirus starts to impact the wine industry as key players warn of profits drop
Treasury Wine Estates and Diageo have both warned that profits will be below target from a drop off in sales in China.
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Vivino faces £235,000 fine in Sweden
Vivino has been accused by Sweden’s Systembolaget of illegally selling wine.
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Cans are coming, new canning line opens in the UK
Kingsland in Manchester launches its new 1.2m canning line capable of 80 million cans per year.
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Exports of French wine and spirits to the USA and UK soar over government induced market risks
Exports of French wine and spirits grew by 5.9% to the USA in 2019 as buyers purchased early before new tariffs started and by 4.4% in the UK over Brexit concerns.
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Vivino to launch new personalised matches for wine drinkers
Vivino the wine app is to launch a new matched percentage feature, that is claimed to give the user an indication of how much they are likely to enjoy the wine.
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Amorim claim the carbon saved with a cork offsets the carbon cost of the glass
Cork producer Amorim claim that the net carbon absorbed in the production of a cork is 300-500g, similar to the carbon released in the production of a glass bottle of 400g.
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World's largest wine bottle springs a leak and firefighters are called to stem the flow.
The Guinness World Records largest filled wine bottle has sprung a leak, needing six firefighters to deal with it.
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California produced 10% less wine in 2019 and average price dropped
In California, volume was down in 2019 and so were prices, with the average price down 5%, except in premium regions such as Napa and Sonoma were prices held firm.
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Average bottle price in the UK set to be over £6 per bottle in 2020
The average bottle price in the UK in 2019 was £5.93, up 20p on the year before, and predicted to be over £6 in 2020.
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Re-drawing of Burgundy has been dropped that would have seen Chablis being dropped from Burgundy
The INAO proposed that Chablis will no longer be allowed to make wines as part of the Bourogne AOC, but Beaujolais will. The proposal was dropped after outcry from producers.
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Whether you had a dry, damp or try January, sales of no/low alcohol surged last month
With 27% of UK drinkers cutting their consumption in January, according to a you gov survey, there have been different ways to approach Dry January.
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Organic wine sales rise by 47% in the UK in 2019
Organic wines were one of the big winners in 2019 with sales up 47%. This was part of what is expected to be the entire organic market expected to be worth £2.5bn a year.
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Peak Prosecco and a gin boom that is going pop create opportunities in 2020
We take a look at some drink industry trends that may come about in 2020.
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Majestic changes direction to expansion with the completion of its sale to Fortress Group
Private equity firm Fortress Investment Group LLC has completed the £95 million purchase of all Majestic stores and plans to keep open 190 stores.
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