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Issues affecting the wine industry and the wine you drink

  • Protest Against February Duty Hike on Wine

    Protest Against February Duty Hike on Wine

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    Simon Judge

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    Tim Atkin, Master of Wine, has announced that wine friends are coming together to protest against the exorbitant and potentially devastating February duty hike on wine in the UK. To join the campaign, send a flattened wine capsule or screwcap to Rachel Reeves at HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ, with a…

  • Harnessing Native Yeasts to Revive Terroir

    Harnessing Native Yeasts to Revive Terroir

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    Simon Judge

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    You might sometimes encounter wine descriptions or labels mentioning the use of ‘native yeasts’. This refers to microorganisms naturally found on grape skins or in the vineyard environment. Yeasts play a crucial role in influencing the wine’s aroma and flavour. A new study provides insights into the otherwise widespread use of commercially available yeast strains…

  • M&S Cuts Wine Prices for Affordable Festive Celebrations

    M&S Cuts Wine Prices for Affordable Festive Celebrations

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    Simon Judge

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    M&S has reduced prices on a third of its wine selection in response to consumer budget concerns, with over 120 wines discounted since April, including 22 more cuts this week. To further support customers ahead of the Christmas season, M&S has also revised its wine deal, offering a 10% discount on four bottles (previously required…

  • How European Consumers Value Wine

    How European Consumers Value Wine

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    Simon Judge

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    A new study investigates how wine consumers in France, Greece and Italy value various ‘credence attributes’, including wine origin, production methods (conventional, organic, or biodynamic), price and geographical indication (GI). The researchers assessed which attributes most strongly influence purchasing decisions. The analysis revealed that consumers highly value the origin of wine, especially local origins, followed…

  • UK is Australia’s Largest Wine Market By Volume

    UK is Australia’s Largest Wine Market By Volume

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    Simon Judge

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    Wine Australia has a new report on the period 12 months to 30 September 2024. The report on Australian wine exports highlights a 34% growth in export value to AUD 2.39 billion in the 12 months ending September 2024, reaching its highest levels since 2021. Exports surged particularly due to the lifting of tariffs on…

  • Shoppers Unhappy Over Lower Alcohol Levels in Popular Wines

    Shoppers Unhappy Over Lower Alcohol Levels in Popular Wines

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    Simon Judge

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    The Drinks Business is reporting that Tesco shoppers have voiced frustration online over popular wine brands reducing alcohol content, with some accusing producers of quietly lowering alcohol by volume (ABV) levels. Due to rising UK import duties based on alcohol levels, producers are cutting ABVs on budget wines to manage costs. Concha y Toro, for…

  • WineGB Launches First Sustainability Impact Report

    WineGB Launches First Sustainability Impact Report

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    Simon Judge

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    WineGB has launched its first Sustainability Impact Report (pdf) to coincide with the International Day of Climate Action, marking significant progress in its Sustainable Wines of Great Britain (SWGB) initiative. In just four years, SWGB now covers 43% of UK vines, with 79 members, 31 completing their first audit, and 13 receiving gold certification for…

  • Optimising Flinty Aromas in Wine

    Optimising Flinty Aromas in Wine

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    Simon Judge

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    New research focuses on a study exploring how certain winemaking strategies, particularly the use of different yeast strains and nitrogen supplementation, can affect the formation of phenylmethanethiol (PMT), a sulphur compound associated with ‘flinty’ or ‘struck match’ aromas in wines. These aromas are particularly valued in certain white wines, like Chardonnay. The study found that…

  • Reducing the Cost and Time of Wine Ageing?

    Reducing the Cost and Time of Wine Ageing?

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    Simon Judge

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    There’s new research that examines the influence of ultrasound treatment on the chemical and sensory properties of a five-year-old bottled red wine over a period of twelve months. The study used both low-energy (5 minutes) and high-energy (30 minutes) ultrasound treatments to assess their effects. Sensory analysis revealed that, after three and six months of…

  • European Wine Industry Unites to Combat Anti-Alcohol Movement

    European Wine Industry Unites to Combat Anti-Alcohol Movement

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    Simon Judge

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    The VITÆVINO Declaration is a newly launched initiative by major European wine organisations to combat the growing anti-alcohol movement, which has negatively impacted wine sales and wine culture. The declaration, signed on 1 October 2023, aims to defend European wine culture by highlighting four key points: preserving wine heritage, its economic role in rural areas,…

  • Insights into the UK Wine Market

    Insights into the UK Wine Market

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    Simon Judge

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    Wine Australia has released an insightful report on the UK market, which remains Australia’s number one export market by volume. The report provides a detailed analysis of the current trends and challenges impacting wine consumption in the UK, such as economic shifts, inflation, changes in disposable income and evolving consumer behaviour. The UK economy has…

  • New Liberty Wines Off-Trade Wine Report

    New Liberty Wines Off-Trade Wine Report

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    Simon Judge

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    If you are reading this as someone who in the wine trade, Liberty Wines has its first Independent Off-Trade Wine Report, highlighting the strength of the independent retail sector, which lies in its diversity, specialisation and flexibility. However, tracking the indie market has been challenging due to a lack of data. To address this, they…

  • Change of Scotland’s Minimum Unit Pricing

    Change of Scotland’s Minimum Unit Pricing

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    Simon Judge

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    Drinks Retailing is reporting that the cost per unit of alcohol in Scotland has risen from 50p to 65p, meaning that alcoholic beverages must now be sold at a higher minimum price based on their alcohol content. A 13% ABV bottle of wine will rise to £6.34. This increase in Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) has…

  • 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…

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Did You Know?

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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