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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Wine News Archive
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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Conservatives win UK election, what next for wine taxes?
The Conservative party, led by Boris Johnson, has won the 2019 General election by a solid majority and will now be in a position to implement their drinks industry plans.
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With Christmas approaching how much do Brits drink on Christmas day?
A survey commissioned by Drinkaware claims men drink the equivalent of six medium glasses of wine or pints of beer, while women claim the equivalent of four and half glasses of wine on Christmas day.
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The rise and rise of Burgundy sees exports from Burgundy hit €1 billion for the first time
Burgundy’s exports hit a €1 billion for the first time in the year to September, while Liv-ex continues to see the fine wine market fall.
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Canned wine on the rise but problems can cause rotten eggs smell
Canned wine in the US is worth US$70m, up 70%, while the UK has increased sales by 125% to £3.6m, but not all smells so sweet, as canned wines can highlight viticultural and winemaking problems.
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Naked Wines CEO Rowan Gormley to step down as losses grow
Rowan Gormley announced he is stepping down from Naked Wines, after Majestic paid for his takeover and listing of Naked Wines.
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UK general elections - what are the main parties’ positions on wine?
All the main parties have plans that will affect the wine industry, so what are their positions?
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New protein bar could help reduce the effects of alcohol
The Sobar has launched in the US. High in protein it claims to reduce the rate of alcohol absorption by 50% compared to eating on an empty stomach.
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E&J Gallo has acquired Napa Valley winery Pahlmeyer
Iconic winery Pahlmeyer has been purchased by E&J Gallo as part of its super premium strategy.
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Council bans mulled wine
A pop up shop in Castleford town in Yorkshire has been banned from selling mulled wines for the annual Christmas lights festival.
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Hangovers worse if you worry about them
Recent research from Salford University claims that people who worry about hangovers are more likely to experience worse hangovers.
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Australia’s Hunter Valley is the next wine region to face the ravages of fire
Bush fires have broken out in New South Wales with the Hunter Valley and coastal wine regions, the next to experience fire, after the Californian fires last month.
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Spanish Albariño sales continue to grow up 21% in volume.
Spanish Albariño from Rías Baixas DO grew in the UK by 21% in volume and 23.5% in value.
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Waitrose trial Growler FYO (Fill Your Own) in 2 more stores
UK supermarket Waitrose who has been trialling selling wine in a Fill Your Own bottle format has expanded the trial to two more stores after demand outstripped supply.
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Symington announces new modern grape harvester while Rathfinny delights in being old school
Symington Port brand owner machine harvested 45 ha of grapes this summer, a first on Douro's steep terraced vineyards.
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Australian producer McGuigan launches new range of alcohol free wine
Australian brand McGuigan has launched a number of new Zero alcohol wines that will be sold in the UK.
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World wine production down 10% in 2019 but back to the average
With the Northern hemisphere's grapes all but harvested, Spain, Italy and France all saw big drops in grape volumes.
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Sotheby's auction house launches own label range of wines
Sotheby’s, the auction house best known for selling other peoples wines, is offering for sale a range of its own wines sourced from France and the USA.
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Aldi launches popular wine advent calendar
Aldi launches popular wine advent calendar for £49.99 for 2019.
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Californian fires get under control
Californian fires get under control but the effects of the fire are yet to be felt in the wine regions.
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Beaujolais bucks trend with 35% increase in red wine exports to the UK
Beaujolais’ exports to the UK appear to be bucking a trend with exports up 35% in volume and 19% by value in the first 8 months of 2019.
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UK follows worldwide trend of fall in with drink driving deaths
Deaths in the UK caused by drink driving dropped by 64% between 2006 and 2016, along with declines in 34 out of 36 countries.
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Wine Scholar Guild launches new Spanish wine course
Wine Scholar Guild has launched a new Spanish wine course, to accompany its French and Italian courses
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2017 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign was one to sit out, but Italy is gaining support
As the 2017 Bordeaux En Primeur campaign is about to be delivered it appears that most investors appear to have lost money. But Italy appears to be a country that is becoming more popular with LIV-ex investors.
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Italy confiscates Prosecco Pringles
Pringles' Prosecco & Peppercorn flavoured snacks were confiscated in Italy this week.
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Wales to go ahead with Minimum Unit Pricing despite lack of success in Scotland
Welsh minimum pricing for alcohol appears to be going ahead despite evidence showing it makes no difference in Scotland.
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Blaufränkisch and Blue of the Danube comes to London
A tasting in London focused on the quality eastern European grape variety Blaufränkisch is coming up on the 28th October.
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Buried Champagne from the 1890s tasted for the first time, and the conclusion?
Champagne producer Pol Roger whose cellar collapsed in 1900, burying up to to 1.5 million bottles, has this week opened and tried two of the recently recovered bottles.
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Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero make new grounds with new wines
This week Spain’s Rioja has unveiled the first official single vineyard Rioja, while Ribera has created a white Ribera del Duero DO.
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Naked Wines sells Lay & Wheeler
Lay & Wheeler, founded in 1854, sells fine wines, En Primeur and wines by subscription and has been sold for £11.3 million.
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Chapel Down announces largest loss of over £1 million
Chapel Down, one of the UK's largest winemakers, has seen its loss quadruple from £230,000 to over £1 million.
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New Zealand celebrates 200 years since the first vine was planted
New Zealand celebrates the first vines planted in the Bay of Islands by Reverend Samuel Marsden, 200 years ago.
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WSET in new Wine and Food Academy partnership
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust and the Institute of Hospitality are to run the Academy of Food & Wine Service as a joint venture.
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French police raid trafficked harvest workers
An organised crime gang suspected of exploiting more than 160 vineyard workers in France has been dismantled following police raids, according to Europol.
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Minimum pricing in Scotland appears to reduce alcohol purchases
Report on minimum pricing for alcohol in Scotland appears to have reduced alcohol purchases.
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Cava continues to be shaken as producers abandon Cava and set up a competitor hierarchy
Rebellious Corpinnat producers have been setting up their own DO with the Penedès DO.
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Scotland’s change to lower drink drive limits does not seem to be working
The Scottish drink drive limit was changed in 2014 and research indicated it made no difference to the accident rate in Scotland.
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