Margaux has become England and Wales’ most popular wine-related baby name, overtaking Chardonnay, whose popularity surged after the ITV drama Footballers’ Wives launched in 2002.

An analysis by the Drinks Business of nearly 40,000 first names registered between 1996 and 2025 found that Margaux topped the list with 922 registrations, all for girls. The French spelling of Margot rose steadily in popularity during the 2010s, reaching a peak of 102 babies in 2024.

Chardonnay ranked second with 631 registrations across six different spellings. Its popularity exploded in 2002, when 79 babies received the name, following the debut of glamour model Chardonnay Lane, played by Susie Amy in Footballers’ Wives. Registrations peaked at 119 in 2003 before falling sharply.

Sherry takes third place with 196 registrations, followed by Shiraz with 69 and Tawny with 50. Other wine-inspired choices included Cristal, Syrah, Tuscany and Petrus.

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Thieves have struck one of Italy’s most prestigious wine estates, Antinori, stealing 30,000 bottles worth an estimated €5 million. The haul includes sought-after Super Tuscans from the acclaimed 2023 vintage.

Seven masked intruders broke into Marchesi Antinori’s logistics warehouse in Cortona on 5 October, bypassing security systems and using the facility’s own forklifts to load two getaway trucks. The stolen wines were exclusively premium labels: Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso.

Antinori chief executive Renzo Cotarella believes it could be the largest wine theft in Italian history. Around 10,000 bottles of Solaia were taken, a significant loss for a wine with annual production of just 50,000 bottles and a retail price of approximately €300.

Some of the stock was awaiting shipment to Bordeaux négociants, with other consignments destined for the US and international markets. The estate has warned trade partners to beware of suspicious offers outside authorised distribution channels.

The robbery follows a similar break-in at Piedmont’s Conterno Fantino winery just two weeks earlier, raising concerns about targeted attacks on Italy’s finest wines.

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US wine consumers are benefiting from premium bottles at bargain prices as surplus wine floods supermarket own-label ranges. Meanwhile, a smaller California harvest and stabilising export declines offer tentative signs of recovery.

American wine producers are struggling with excess stocks as consumption falls, creating opportunities for retailers to buy high-quality wine in bulk and sell it under private labels. Bottles that might command $150 under a winery’s own brand can appear for less than $30, with some Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon selling for as little as $9.99.

However, the market may be starting to rebalance. California’s 2026 harvest is unusually early and smaller, with vineyard removals, adverse weather and smoke-taint concerns reducing grape volumes. Industry analysts estimate the state needs a crop of around 2.3 million tons to avoid worsening its inventory problem.

Exports also remain under pressure, with US wine export value down 10% and volume 12% year-on-year between February and July. However, declines in shipments to Canada eased during May to July, suggesting the downturn may be stabilising.

The surplus will take time to clear, but smaller harvests and improving export trends offer cautious grounds for optimism.

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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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