Grape cultivation may have arrived in Iberia from the eastern Mediterranean more than 3,000 years ago, with new DNA evidence supporting the long-held theory of Phoenician influence.

Researchers analysed 28 ancient grape seeds from seven archaeological sites in Iberia and Sardinia, comparing their nuclear and chloroplast DNA with modern cultivated and wild vines.

The oldest cultivated seeds, found in southern Spain, date to around 1000 BCE and carry genetic signatures associated with eastern Mediterranean grapevines. The researchers also found evidence that these imported vines began hybridising with local wild grapes as early as the ninth century BCE.

Some Roman-period grape seeds were very closely related to the earlier eastern Mediterranean vines, suggesting that these introduced vines continued to be grown in Iberia for centuries. The researchers also found evidence that a distinct Iberian grapevine population had emerged by around 2,500 years ago, probably as introduced and local vines began to mix.

Hebén, still grown today and a maternal ancestor of numerous varieties, appears to have been continuously propagated for at least 1,100 years.
The findings support the role of Phoenician settlers in introducing viticulture, which subsequently spread northwards and inland across Iberia.

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A newly identified grapevine gene could give breeders another tool for developing vines with greater natural resistance to fungal disease, potentially benefiting both wine and table grapes.

Researchers have identified VvMYB3R5, a naturally occurring Vitis vinifera gene, that helps grapevines defend themselves against the fungus Colletotrichum viniferum. The gene acts as a transcription factor, switching on other genes involved in producing protective compounds called proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins are the main type of tannins in wine.

The researchers found that increasing VvMYB3R5 activity raised proanthocyanidin levels and improved resistance to the fungus. Silencing the gene had the opposite effect, making vines more susceptible.

The discovery could eventually prove useful in grape breeding. If researchers can transfer or enhance this natural defence mechanism in new V. vinifera varieties, it could help produce vines that need fewer chemical disease treatments. It may also be relevant to future disease-resistant varieties, including PIWI grapes.

There is still considerable work before this becomes a commercial reality, but VvMYB3R5 gives breeders an intriguing new genetic target.

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Blue Nun is back in the UK, with the famous German wine brand returning to national retail distribution after a period away. The brand claims more than one billion bottles have been sold in 64 countries.

Blue Nun, launched in Germany in the 1920s, became one of the world's best-known German wine brands during the post-war boom, helping introduce Riesling to drinkers far beyond Germany.

Now owned by Les Grands Chais de France (GCF), following its 2024 acquisition of Franz Wilhelm Langguth Erben, Blue Nun is now being relaunched in the UK. The first wines are available through Ocado and Drink Supermarket, with wider UK distribution planned.

The range starts with two wines: a Riesling from Rheinhessen and Blue Nun Authentic White, a broader blend of grape varieties. Both are relatively low in alcohol at around 10% ABV and contain 30–40g/l of residual sugar. Prices range from £7.50 to £8.40 a bottle.
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Despite a softening overall market, US wine sales are getting a boost from bubbles: sparkling wines and premium cuvées are posting double‑digit revenue gains, signalling consumers still crave celebratory bottles.

New data from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s SipSource tracker reveals that, over the past three months, Champagne revenue jumped 14.7% and Prosecco rose 10.2%, while Sauvignon Blanc edged up 3.2%. Higher‑priced wines – those above $16 – outperformed cheaper ranges, with the $50‑plus segment seeing a modest 0.9 % increase, the only wine tier to stay positive in a 6% market downturn.

Champagne, Prosecco and Sauvignon Blanc contrasts sharply with the broader 6% fall in volume and value across wine and spirits combined, and it highlights the resilience of occasion‑driven purchases.

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Champagne has temporarily raised its maximum permitted alcohol level to 15% for the 2026 vintage, following an exceptionally hot, dry growing season that pushed grape sugars unusually high.

The change is an unprecedented response to a remarkable harvest. Champagne normally limits wines that have been enriched through chaptalisation to 13% alcohol, but some 2026 grapes reached potential alcohol levels above that threshold.

The region experienced its earliest harvest on record, with heatwaves and drought accelerating ripening while sharply reducing yields. The combination produced grapes with concentrated sugars but, surprisingly, plenty of fresh acidity.

The temporary 15% ceiling will only affect a small number of producers, rather than signalling a new direction for Champagne as a whole.

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A Spanish winery has shown that fermentation CO₂ needn't simply vent away — it can become fuel, thanks to a pilot project turning captured carbon dioxide into renewable methane using green hydrogen.

At Viñas del Vero in Aragón, researchers from CIRCE, Rovira i Virgili University and Gonzalez Byass ran the trial through the 2025 harvest as part of the EU-funded FUELPHORIA project. Over 300 hours, a two-stage methanation reactor converted 90% of the captured CO₂ into gas that was roughly 80% methane, with no catalyst degradation.

The team called it Europe's first integrated winery CO₂-to-methane system, built to cope with harvest's short, intense burst of gas rather than a steady year-round supply. Captured CO₂ is also being explored for inerting tanks and cutting water use — turning an unavoidable emission into a genuinely useful resource, and hinting at a promising option for wineries seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.

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