News

Lulie Halstead, a prominent figure in the wine business, recently addressed the New Zealand Winegrowers Business Forum, sharing valuable insights from her 25-year experience in the industry. She highlighted a common mistake in wine marketing: the tendency of marketers to project their own preferences onto consumers, leading to a misalignment between what is offered and…

The BBC has an article describing a forthcoming change in the UK’s regulations regarding the size of wine bottles post-Brexit. The government has announced that still and sparkling wines will be available in pint-sized (568ml) bottles. This change, resulting from the departure from EU laws, is aimed at offering more variety to consumers. Previously, EU…

Tannins in wines, particularly red wines, are compounds that contribute significantly to the taste, colour, and texture of the wine. New research looks into the complex world of these compounds, specifically proanthocyanidins (PAs). Proanthocyanidins are a group of polyphenolic compounds found in many plants, including grapes. The article explains that PAs in red wine are…

Forbes is reporting that The Court of Master Sommeliers has announced that it will no longer use the terms ‘Old World’ and ‘New World’ in its published materials or examination assessments from 2024. This decision reflects the Court’s commitment to historical accuracy, reducing cultural bias, and acknowledging the growing difficulty in distinguishing between Old and…

A recent article from SevenFifty Daily, written by Alex Russan, looks intothe complex topic of reductive aromas in wine, a subject that has polarised opinions in the wine industry. Reduction, chemically the opposite of oxidation, refers to the presence of volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) in wine, often resulting from limited oxygen exposure. These compounds, which…

An article from Food and Wine, titled “You’ll Be Surprised by How Many Grapes it Takes to Make One Bottle of Wine,” explains the varying quantities of grapes required to produce different types of wine. On average, 1.25 to 1.50 kilograms of grapes, which can be anywhere from 600 to 800 or even thousands of…

There has been a significant advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) related to wine tasting. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Pioneer Centre for AI, along with collaborators from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Caltech, have successfully trained an algorithm to predict individual wine preferences based on human taste perceptions. The study explains how…

Researchers in Greece have explored the use of Augmented Reality (AR) technologies in the marketing of wine, specifically focusing on the creation of innovative consumer-oriented experiences through augmented ‘live’ wine labels. AR apps allow users to interact with wine labels in a novel way. The research (PDF) aims to assess the impact of AR smartphone…

A recent study “Machine Learning for Predicting Wine Quality and its Key Determinants Based on Physicochemical Properties” (PDF download) by Domonkos Frigyes Török, explores the role of various properties in determining wine quality. Sulphates, pivotal in the wine’s preservation and flavour profile, actually play a dual role as both preservatives and taste enhancers. They contribute…

Harpers is reporting that the renowned wine retailer Oddbins has taken a significant turn by closing the physical aspect of its business, signalling the end of an era for a brand that was once a staple on UK high streets. Oddbins, known for its diverse and quality wine offerings, faced challenges in regaining its pre-pandemic…

In recent years, the narrative surrounding independent wine retailers in the UK has been dominated by a sense of impending doom, fuelled by the aggressive competition from supermarkets with their convenience of next-day delivery. However, the latest figures from The Wine Merchant paint a surprisingly different picture, one of resilience and steadiness in a turbulent…