News
Issues affecting the wine industry and the wine you drink
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Sud de France Label Will be Banned
From the 2025 vintage onwards, the Sud de France label will be permanently banned from wine bottles, after a ruling by the Conseil d’État on 3 December 2025 confirmed that the term does not meet the criteria for a recognised geographical indication under EU rules. The label, launched in 2006 to promote wines from what is now the Occitanie region, including the former Languedoc-Roussillon territories, has long served as a unifying brand for a wide range of wines. According to the Conseil d’État, “Sud de France” fails to correspond to any legally defined locality, administrative area or officially recognised wine…
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Waitrose Insights into How Wine is Evolving
The latest Waitrose Food & Drink Report paints a vivid picture of how wine drinking in the UK is evolving, revealing a shift in taste, attitude and even climate that is reshaping the nation’s habits. Waitrose surveyed a panel of 4,393 customers, in September 2025, for the insights in this year’s report. It is a story of lighter styles triumphing over heavier bottles. We’re seeing a clear move toward longer, lighter serves that offer the feel of a proper drink without the higher alcohol levels, a shift driven by what many are calling the summer of the spritz, with the…
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New ‘Get Yourself a Glass’ Podcast
There is a new monthly podcast called Get Yourself a Glass, hosted by Victoria Moore, wine columnist for The Daily Telegraph, and Andrew Neather, former wine critic at the London Evening Standard and author of the book Rooted in Change, which I reviewed recently. In each episode, Victoria and Andrew chat about what they have been doing and drinking, all built around a central theme. This time the focus is English wine. They explore why they think Ridgeview has gone into administration and why the new Chapel Down winery has been scrapped. They also discuss the costs of wine production,…
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British Consumers More Negative About Non-Alcoholic Wine
A new study investigates how consumers in Australia, the UK and the US perceive and evaluate non-alcoholic wine. It analyses more than eleven thousand online product reviews covering 326 products sold through major e-commerce platforms, applying sentiment analysis, topic modelling and logistic regression to identify what shapes satisfaction and how perceptions vary across markets and wine styles. The findings show that consumers are most satisfied when they feel the product offers good value for money and fits with health-led or lifestyle-driven drinking choices. These two factors have the strongest positive influence on satisfaction. Curiosity and expectations also play a role,…
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Old Vine Garnacha Scientific Insights
New research from DO Campo de Borja has provided scientific proof that old vine Garnacha produces wines with greater aging potential and stronger site-specific character compared to grapes from younger vineyards. The findings, presented at the Old Vine Conference’s Meeting of the Minds 2025 in northern California, conclude the region’s four-year Garnachas Históricas project, carried out in collaboration with the Universities of Zaragoza and Navarra and several local wineries. Led by Professor Vicente Ferreira at Zaragoza’s Aroma Analysis Laboratory, the study compared grapes from vines aged 30 to 90 years with those from younger plots. The older vines consistently produced…
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Smallest Vintage in Germany Since 2010
Germany is set to record its smallest wine vintage since 2010, with the nationwide grape must harvest estimated at just 7.3 million hectolitres. This marks a 7% decline compared to last year and a 16% drop against the 10-year average of 8.7 million hectolitres. The sharp reduction is largely due to poor yields in the major wine-producing regions of Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Baden and Württemberg, where factors such as smaller grape berries, low must yields and heavy rainfall in mid-September led to significant losses. Rheinhessen alone saw a 23% drop from the 10-year average, while similar declines were reported in Pfalz,…
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Wine Neck Capsules or No Capsules?
A recent study commissioned by the Crealis Group explored the impact of wine capsules, the foil over the top of wine bottles, on consumer perception and purchase decisions. Traditionally viewed as a purely functional component, the capsule’s potential marketing influence had been largely overlooked. Conducted by SenseCatch, the research used a mix of biometric tracking and qualitative interviews to evaluate how capsules affect perceived value, visual appeal, and purchasing choices among thirty regular wine consumers aged between 25 and 50. Participants were observed in a simulated wine aisle and asked to choose between bottles of red and sparkling wines, both…
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Tesco Third-Party Wine Marketplace
I keep track of all the supermarket websites to find wines for my offers page. Something that has been quietly added at Tesco is the integration of online third-party marketplace sellers to include wine. Tesco relaunched its general online marketplace in June 2024, allowing shoppers to buy thousands of non-grocery products from approved partners alongside their usual food shop on Tesco.com. This sits within the groceries site, with a dedicated Marketplace section covering categories such as homeware, garden, DIY, toys, baby, pet care, electronics and more. At launch there were around 9,000 listings, but by January 2025 the number had…
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Chapel Down Drops £32m Winery Plan But Keeps Sales Sparkling
Chapel Down is one of England’s leading winemakers, based in Kent at the heart of the country’s wine-growing region. Best known for its award-winning sparkling wines made in the traditional method, it also produces still wines and runs a visitor centre with tours and tastings. Over the past two decades, Chapel Down has helped put English wine on the map, supplying top restaurants and retailers, exporting overseas and becoming the largest producer by volume and market share. Chapel Down had a steady first half of 2025. Sales went up, especially in supermarkets, and its core sparkling wines kept growing. The…
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Champagne Foil Debate Ends as Tradition Yields to Choice
The Drinks Business is reporting that the Comité Champagne has dropped its opposition to an EU ruling that makes neck foils on Champagne bottles optional, concluding after new research that removing them neither harms sales nor damages the region’s image. The decision follows years of debate across the sparkling-wine world. English producers have argued that scrapping foils trims production costs by 10p–50p a bottle, while some Champagne houses worried that losing this luxury cue might dent demand. Environmental arguments also featured, with estimates that foils account for about 0.6% of Champagne’s production-related greenhouse-gas emissions. Others stressed hygiene and security. A…
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Spain’s Wine Industry at a Red-White Crossroads
The American Association of Wine Economists recently posted a chart showing Spain’s wine production has been declining and it has also shifted away from red. Spain’s falling output is mostly a climate story, amplified by weaker demand and policy responses. After peaking in 2018, production has trended lower as drought, heat and erratic rainfall have reduced yields and made harvests earlier and more variable. 2023 was especially poor, with Spain’s wine output dropping to about 28.3 million hectolitres, its lowest since the mid-1990s. At the same time Spain’s vineyard area edged down by about 1% in 2023, and authorities activated…
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Bordeaux Royalty Chooses Vin de France
Château Lafleur has fired the starting gun on one of the most consequential shifts in modern Bordeaux. In a letter dated Sunday 24 August 2025, the Guinaudeau family confirmed that, from the 2025 harvest, all six of the estate’s wines will drop the appellations of Pomerol and Bordeaux and be labelled Vin de France. For a domaine whose micro-parcels in Pomerol are among the most coveted in the world, the step is as audacious as it is symbolic. The letter frames the decision as the logical extension of Lafleur’s long-held philosophy of working “off the beaten path”. It argues that…
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Climate Change Fuels Rise of Non-Vintage Wines
The BBC is reporting that climate change is leading more winemakers to produce non-vintage still wines, blending grapes from different years to cope with increasingly unpredictable weather. While vintage has long been seen as a mark of quality, extreme conditions like heatwaves, wildfires, and frosts are making single-year production more difficult. To maintain consistency and avoid spoilage, respected producers in California and Italy are embracing non-vintage blends, despite lingering stigma. Winemakers such as Chris Howell in Napa Valley and Riccardo Pasqua in northern Italy have turned to multi-year blends after facing climate-related challenges. Both argue that blending across vintages allows…
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Insights into the Champagne Market
The American Association of Wine Economists recently shared an enlightening table of the main champagne houses by turnover. The 2024 champagne market was worth roughly €3.92 billion. Moët Hennessy alone commands nearly 46.66% of the market, with the top three producers together holding about 61.59%, and the top five controlling over 72.1%. The median turnover per house is €19.16 million, while the average is higher at €112 million, reflecting the outsized dominance of a few large players. At the smallest end, Leclerc Briant accounts for just 0.12% of total turnover. I created the following chart to better illustrate the outsized…
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How Wildfire Smoke Affects Wines
A new study by resarchers at USA Oregon State University looked at why some red wines, especially Pinot noir, can taste ashy or smoky if the grapes were exposed to wildfire smoke before harvest. When grapes are exposed to smoke, they absorb certain chemicals that later end up in the wine. These chemicals include volatile phenols and thiophenols, which can make the wine taste smoky, burnt or leave an unpleasant ashy aftertaste. The researchers wanted to find out how much of these chemicals it takes for regular wine drinkers to actually notice the ashy flavour. They tested this using different…
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Shifting Tastes in a Changing Global Market
The IWSR Global Trends Report 2025 highlights a number of developments that reflect a complex and evolving wine marketplace, shaped by economic, social and technological forces. Premiumisation remains a feature of the wine category, but it is no longer uniform. Economic pressures and changing values mean consumers are increasingly selective, opting for premium wines in specific situations rather than as a consistent behaviour. This shift is particularly relevant in more stable or growing regions such as parts of South America and Asia, while Europe sees more restrained growth. Consumers are drinking less overall, but when they do indulge, they are…
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US 15% Tariff Looms Over EU Wine and Spirits
The Financial Times is reporting (paywall) that the United States is set to impose a 15% tariff on European Union wine and spirits from Friday 1st August 2025, despite lobbying by France and Italy to exempt these products. The European Commission confirmed that while some goods, like aircraft and cork, have secured exemptions, wine and spirits are not currently included. EU trade spokesperson Olof Gill noted that discussions are ongoing, but wine and spirits are expected to be subject to the full tariff rate unless a late change is made. The timing is critical, as US trading partners are racing…
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Shifting Alcohol Habits in the UK and Beyond
Moderation in alcohol consumption, driven by both health and economic concerns, continues to shape global drinking habits, though patterns vary by region and age group. Research from IWSR reveals that consumer spending on alcohol is declining across most of the top 15 global markets. A key indicator is a 20% drop in per capita pure alcohol consumption since 2000, as more consumers shift towards lower-ABV drinks, such as ready-to-drink options and no/low-alcohol products. Younger consumers are particularly engaged in moderating their intake. In IWSR’s 2024 No/Low Alcohol Strategic Study, 75% of Gen Z and 74% of Millennials said they had…
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New WineGB Industry Report 2025
The new WineGB Industry Report 2025 highlights continued resilience and growth in the English and Welsh wine sector, despite economic pressures and regulatory challenges. The number of vineyards has risen to 1,104 and wineries to 238, with land under vine expanding to 4,841 hectares, a 510% increase since 2005. Kent remains the leading county for plantings, followed by West Sussex and newly, Essex. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir continue to dominate, with 99 grape varieties now grown in the UK, including emerging plantings of Grenache, Tempranillo and Viognier. Although 2024 saw the lowest average yield since 2016 due to challenging weather,…
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How Science is Uncorking the Secrets of Early Winemaking
A new paper, Advancement and Innovation in Ancient Wine Research by Emlyn Dodd and Dimitri Van Limbergen offers a comprehensive look at how modern archaeological and scientific techniques are transforming our understanding of ancient wine. For wine enthusiasts today, several aspects of the research are particularly compelling, as they provide not only historical context but also parallels in modern winemaking. One of the most striking revelations is the use of ancient DNA to trace the domestication and spread of grapevines. Studies show that domesticated grapevines may have originated independently in several regions, including the Caucasus, Italy, Sardinia and the Iberian…
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Did You Know?
Nearly a third (32%) of UK consumers say they have already used AI for alcoholic drinks advice. More
Among socially active wine buyers, 37% have bought a wine recommended online. More
In 2026, 72% of consumers now think wine knowledge is essential to appreciation, up 20 percentage points on 2025. More
Rías Baixas wines reached more than 107 countries in 2025 and exports represented 31 per cent of the denomination’s total sales. More
Light Strike Can Cause Wine Degradation in Just One Day. More
People actively adjust their wine choices depending on who might see them. More
In the UK, 73% of Alcohol is Bought From Retail Rather Than Hospitality. More
UK wine production reached 124,377 hectolitres that year, meaning the UK accounted for roughly 0.05 per cent of world output. More
For Crémant, grapes must be harvested by hand and the wines must undergo at least nine months’ ageing before release. More
In 2024, the UK was the second-largest export market for Champagne globally, after the United States. More
Local UK bottling of wine represents about 40% of imported wine. More
Around 1% of people, typically severe asthmatics, have a sulphite sensitivity. More
A large 80% of Australian wine arrives in the UK in bulk. More
Only about 0.02% of Australia’s landmass is dedicated to vineyards. More
In 2024, New Zealand produced only 1% of the World’s wine. More
In 2024, the US imported 37% of World production of Pinot Grigio and the UK was is in second place at 27%. More
In 2024, the UK was South Africa’s largest export market, with 40% of total exports. More
In 2024, the United Kingdom imported 22.3 million bottles of Champagne, a decline of 12.7% compared to the previous year. More
Larger Champagne producers source grapes from as many as 80 different vineyards throughout Champagne. More
Champagne houses and growers collectively produce around 300 million bottles annually. More
In 2025, the Champagne region was home to about 2,124 Champagne houses and approximately 19,000 growers. More
Provence is one of the leaders in the conversion to organic viticulture, with 61% of vineyards certified. More
8% of the South Africa’s grape production is Fairtrade-certified. More
Up to 80% of wine aroma compounds come from grape skins. More
Glycerol is the third-largest component of most dry wines after water and alcohol which is why they so often feel ‘smooth’ or ‘silky’ in the mouth. More
Humans are more than 400 times more sensitive to bitter than sweet. More
Humans can detect the earthy molecule geosmin at about 100 parts per trillion and camels are so sensitive to it they can locate damp ground from roughly 50 miles away. More
During the phylloxera crisis of the nineteenth century, 90% of Europe’s vineyards were destroyed. More
In 2025, for La Vieille Ferme, also known as “The Chicken Wine”, sales surged by 49.4% to £110.8 million. More
In 2025, in the UK, Yellow Tail held the top position with sales, marking a 9.8% increase over the previous year. More
In 2024, the UK was the second-largest wine importer in volume and value. More
In 2024, the UK was the fifth-largest wine-consuming country globally. More
In 2025, global wine consumption continued its downward trend, estimated at 214.2 million hectolitres, the lowest since 1961. More
In 2025, online alcohol sales had a 20% increase in value over five years. More
In 2025, the number of UK vineyards rose to 1,104 and wineries to 238, with land under vine expanding to 4,841 hectares, a 510% increase since 2005. More
Moët Hennessy alone commands nearly 46.66% of the Champagne market, with the top three producers together holding about 61%, and the top five controlling over 72%. More
In 2024, the Champagne market was worth roughly €3.92 billion. More
In the marketing year 2023/24, white wine accounted for roughly 55% of Spain’s output, whereas red and rosé together made up about 45%. More
In the UK, 92% of wine is consumed within 48hrs of purchase. More
The majority of wines, 95%, use commercial rather than wild yeast. More
Between 0.5 and 10 litres of water, per litre of wine, are needed for cleaning during winemaking. More
Machine harvesting can achieve up to 100 tons of fruit per day vs 1 ton for a human. More
In Germany, 2025 was the smallest wine vintage since 2010. More
The majority of vineyards, 90% in 2019, are farmed with heavy chemical interventions. Only 6% are organic. More
90% of low and coastal areas in south Europe and California will no longer be able to produce good wine by the end of the century. More
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