News

Issues affecting the wine industry and the wine you drink

  • Waitrose Launches UK’s First Major Supermarket Cork Recycling Trial

    Waitrose Launches UK’s First Major Supermarket Cork Recycling Trial

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    Simon Judge

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    Waitrose has announced it will be the first major UK supermarket to trial cork recycling, beginning on 7th October in seven stores, including Salisbury, Saltash, Lymington, Bath, Godalming, Truro, and Maidenhead (when it reopens in November). Customers will be encouraged to recycle natural corks at collection points, with the material being processed by Amorim, the…

  • Label Design Influence on Consumer Attitudes Toward Organic Wine

    Label Design Influence on Consumer Attitudes Toward Organic Wine

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    Simon Judge

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    New research ‘healthy = (un)tasty’ intuition concerning colour in organic wine labels explores how the colour of organic wine labels influences consumer perceptions, focusing on the associations with healthiness, tastiness and purchase intentions. The research investigates the effects of red versus green labels on these consumer attitudes. The study confirms that organic labels generally create…

  • Should Rosé Wines Be Darker?

    Should Rosé Wines Be Darker?

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    Simon Judge

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    New research on The effect of rosé wine colours on expected flavour and tastiness explores how different shades of rosé wine influence consumer perceptions, particularly regarding flavour expectations and tastiness. The study involved an experiment with 601 French rosé wine consumers, focusing on five shades of Rosé de Provence wines. It investigated whether slightly darker…

  • Consumer Attitudes and Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Wine

    Consumer Attitudes and Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Wine

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    Simon Judge

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    New research (pdf) looks into how age influences consumer attitudes and their willingness to pay for sustainably produced wine. The research is based on a survey of approximately 2,500 wine consumers across seven countries: the United States, South Africa, Netherlands, Italy, France, Chile and Australia. The study finds that younger consumers, those aged 18 to…

  • Cork vs Screw Cap

    Cork vs Screw Cap

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    Simon Judge

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    There’s a great new in-depth article at Food and Wine on Screw Caps vs Corks. The debate between corks and screw caps in the wine industry revolves around tradition, functionality and consumer perception. Corks, traditionally used in wine bottles, are praised for their ability to help wines age and develop complexity due to their porous…

  • Whites Mellowed by Age

    Whites Mellowed by Age

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Brit-Nat: A New Wave for the UK Wine Industry?

    Brit-Nat: A New Wave for the UK Wine Industry?

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Majestic Sees 94% Surge in Organic Wine Sales, Exceeding Growth Expectations

    Majestic Sees 94% Surge in Organic Wine Sales, Exceeding Growth Expectations

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • UK EPR Will Cause Wine Price Increases

    UK EPR Will Cause Wine Price Increases

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Risks and Benefits of Drinking for Older Adults

    Risks and Benefits of Drinking for Older Adults

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Australian Wine Industry Faces New Challenges

    Australian Wine Industry Faces New Challenges

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Tesco Expands Wine Selection with 16 New Premium Additions

    Tesco Expands Wine Selection with 16 New Premium Additions

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • New Rioja Viñedos Singulares Parcels

    New Rioja Viñedos Singulares Parcels

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • The Controversy of Terroir in Wine

    The Controversy of Terroir in Wine

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Understanding Light Strike in Wine Degradation

    Understanding Light Strike in Wine Degradation

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Wine Chemical Parameters, Quality and Price

    Wine Chemical Parameters, Quality and Price

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Strangely, Non-Volatile Parts of Wine Also Affect Aromas

    Strangely, Non-Volatile Parts of Wine Also Affect Aromas

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • The Science Behind Sparkling Wines

    The Science Behind Sparkling Wines

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • UK Surpasses 1,000 Vineyards

    UK Surpasses 1,000 Vineyards

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    Simon Judge

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    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…

  • Women Judge Wine More Stringently

    Women Judge Wine More Stringently

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    Simon Judge

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    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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