News
Issues affecting the wine industry and the wine you drink
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Whites Mellowed by Age
There’s new research on how bottle aging affects the sensory characteristics and quality perception of various dry white wines, specifically those made from Alvarinho, Arinto, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Bianco grape varieties. A panel of experienced tasters and students assessed the wines using dark glasses to prevent colour bias, focusing on various sensory attributes such…
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Brit-Nat: A New Wave for the UK Wine Industry?
The Buyer Magazine has an article on how Brit-Nat, a category of British pét-nat, might disrupt the UK wine industry. Pét-nat is an emerging style in English and Welsh winemaking that contrasts sharply with traditional English sparkling wine. Whereas traditional English sparkling represents the established norms, Brit-Nat embodies a countercultural ethos with its non-conformist, artisanal…
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Majestic Sees 94% Surge in Organic Wine Sales, Exceeding Growth Expectations
DrinksRetailing is reporting Majestic has had a significant 94% increase in organic wine sales over the past year, nearly doubling from the previous year. This growth, spanning both retail and on-trade supply sectors, surpasses the company’s initial forecast that predicted a doubling of organic sales within three years. Majestic attributes this success to the improved…
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UK EPR Will Cause Wine Price Increases
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is a new UK legislation aimed at making producers fully responsible for managing packaging waste costs. The EPR fee structure includes Environmental Regulator Fees, covering Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) and Environment Agency fees, and Scheme Administrator Fees, which cover recycling costs for household and public bin packaging waste. The…
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Risks and Benefits of Drinking for Older Adults
A new study looks into the belief that light to moderate drinking, particularly of wine, offers health benefits for older adults. The research, involving over 135,000 participants aged 60 and above from the UK, reveals that alcohol’s impact varies based on an individual’s existing health conditions and socioeconomic status. For those with pre-existing health issues…
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Australian Wine Industry Faces New Challenges
The Financial Times newspaper is reporting (might have gone behind paywall by the time you read this) how, in the 1980s, the Australian wine industry faced severe challenges, with some family businesses, like the Calabria family, resorting to washing bottles for others to stay afloat. Today, the industry faces even greater difficulties, particularly as global…
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Tesco Expands Wine Selection with 16 New Premium Additions
Drinks Retailing is reporting Tesco has introduced 16 new wines to its range, sourced from Bibendum, focusing on English wines, Prosecco and premium South American wines. Some of these wines are new to the UK market, with some brands making their first appearance in Tesco. The new listings include: Tesco Finest English White (Balfour)Tesco Finest…
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New Rioja Viñedos Singulares Parcels
Rioja Viñedos Singulares is a special designation within the Rioja wine region, introduced in 2017 to recognise and highlight wines from unique, single vineyards. This classification emphasises the distinctiveness of specific vineyard sites and aims to showcase the terroir and unique characteristics of these plots. A Viñedos Singulares vineyard must be at least 35 years…
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The Controversy of Terroir in Wine
The French term ‘terroir’, often bandied about by winemakers, sommeliers and marketers, refers to the unique environmental factors that impart distinctive characteristics to wine. Terroir encompasses a myriad of factors including the soil, climate, topography and even the local flora and fauna, all of which interact with the grapevines. It is this intricate blend of…
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Understanding Light Strike in Wine Degradation
Sometimes, wine doesn’t quite live up to expectations. I’ve encountered this when comparing wine at tastings to subsequent purchases, more so with rosé and white wines. After looking into this deeper, I suspect one culprit might be light strike. One trend in the wine industry is the increased use of white flint bottles. These bottles…
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Wine Chemical Parameters, Quality and Price
There’s new research from Romania, published in the Scientific Bulletin of Biotechnologies, into how certain chemical parameters in wine influence its sensory properties. The study shows that while wines may be chemically sound and meet all the required standards, these chemical values alone do not guarantee that the wine will be well-received by consumers. This…
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Strangely, Non-Volatile Parts of Wine Also Affect Aromas
The research The remarkable effects of the non-volatile matrix of wine on the release of volatile compounds explores how different components in wine affect the release of aroma compounds. Researchers studied six Spanish wines that were first stripped of their original aromas and then mixed with a standard solution of 15 different aroma compounds. The…
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The Science Behind Sparkling Wines
New research Understanding the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wines from a scientific perspective provides a comprehensive exploration of the processes involved in the tasting of champagne and other sparkling wines. The study looks into the dynamics from the moment the bottle is uncorked to the bursting of bubbles in the glass, emphasising the…
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UK Surpasses 1,000 Vineyards
UK vineyards have surpassed the milestone of 1,000 vineyards, marking a 9.2% increase from the previous year, with 1,030 vineyards now registered. Sales of English and Welsh wines grew by 10% in 2023. There are now 221 wineries, and the total area under vine has reached 4,209 hectares, reflecting a 123% growth over the past…
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Women Judge Wine More Stringently
A new study Factors explaining differences in wine experts’ ratings: The case of gender, credentials, occupation and peer effects by researchers from Spain and France investigates the reasons behind the variability in scores given by wine experts to the same wines under identical tasting conditions. The research examines how personal characteristics such as gender, industry…
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Jam Shed ‘Spin to Win’ Promotion
Jam Shed is launching a new promotion featuring a ‘Spin to Win’, offering consumers a chance to win from over 25,000 prizes. The promotion runs from 1st July to 30th September and includes 1,695,894 neck flags across six SKUs: Shiraz, Chardonnay, Malbec, Rosé, Tempranillo, and Red Blend. Available in major grocery stores and retailers nationwide,…
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Cheapest UK Supermarket for Branded Wine
A Which? investigation has found that Tesco is the cheapest supermarket for branded wines if you have a Clubcard. An analysis of prices for 15 branded wines at major UK supermarkets (Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose) from 1 February to 30 April 2024 revealed Tesco’s Clubcard discounts made it the most affordable, with…
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Italian Wine Production Fell by 17% Last Year
The Drinks Business is reporting that, in 2023, Italian agriculture suffered significantly due to extreme weather, with wine production being particularly affected. Europe experienced its hottest summer in 2,000 years, leading to a 3.9% drop in agricultural output in Italy. Specifically, the production of vines, fruits, and olives decreased by 11.1%, and overall wine production…
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UK Vineyard Visits Surge
A new WineGB tourism report (PDF) reveals a significant rise in vineyard visits in the UK, with a 55% increase in two years. The report highlights WineGB’s initiatives to support wine tourism and outlines seven policy changes it urges the government to implement to boost growth. The report shows that 300 vineyards and wineries are…
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UK Wine and Spirits Contributes £76 Billion to UK Economy
Drinks Retailing News mentions a recent report commissioned by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) revealing that the UK’s wine and spirits industry contributed over £76 billion to the economy in 2022, a significant increase from £49 billion in 2017. The study, conducted by economic consultancy Cebr, found the industry generated over £22 billion…
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