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Issues affecting the wine industry and the wine you drink

  • Wine Buyers Want a Personal Touch for Subscriptions

    Wine Buyers Want a Personal Touch for Subscriptions

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    Recently, the wine subscription market has seen an increase in demand for a more personalised experience. Subscribers are no longer content with fixed selections and want curated choices that match with their unique palate. In a recent edition of the Subscription Commerce Readiness Report, The Loyalty Factor, PYMNTS Intelligence conducted a survey involving over 2,000…

  • Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Wine: The Bottle Weight Accord

    Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Wine: The Bottle Weight Accord

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    The wine industry is increasingly under scrutiny for its environmental impact, particularly its carbon footprint. A recent report by Dr. Peter Stanbury, prepared for the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) (pdf), has shed light on the significant but often overlooked aspect of the weight of wine bottles. The report reveals that the single largest source of…

  • Rapid Growth of Vineyards Bolsters England’s Agricultural Sector

    Rapid Growth of Vineyards Bolsters England’s Agricultural Sector

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    Vineyards have emerged as the fastest-growing edible agricultural sector in England, according to recent DEFRA statistics, with grapes now constituting 36% of the country’s soft fruit crop, marking a sector growth rate of 21% over the past year. Wines of Great Britain has reported a significant growth in vine plantings by 74% over five years…

  • Crisis Distillation

    Crisis Distillation

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    The Wine Economist is reporting that the concept of crisis distillation is resurfacing in the global wine industry. This practice involves government programmes buying surplus wine to convert it into industrial alcohol, aiming to stabilise wine prices and grower incomes. While it was a common practice in the European Union, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,…

  • The French Wine Industry’s Battle Against Climate Change

    The French Wine Industry’s Battle Against Climate Change

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    According to an article in Nature, the French wine industry, a major part of French culture and economy, is grappling with the challenges posed by climate change. With its strict appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) system, which sets rigid rules about geography, grape varieties, and production techniques, the industry faces unique challenges. However, French wine-growers are…

  • New Free Rioja Wine Academy Course

    New Free Rioja Wine Academy Course

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    The Rioja Wine Academy, backed by the Rioja DOCa Control Board, has launched a free introductory online course called Rioja Enthusiast. This course is the academy’s first aimed at consumers and wine lovers with no prior knowledge of wine. The course covers the fundamentals of Rioja wine in just four hours, including topics like reading…

  • Beware of Decoy Effects When Buying Wine

    Beware of Decoy Effects When Buying Wine

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    New research titled Decoy Effects in a Massive Real-World Shopping Dataset focuses on the impact of ‘decoy’ options on consumer choices, specifically in the context of wine purchases in the UK. The study examined a large dataset of 3.6 million wine purchases made by 755,158 unique customers over a one-month period. In the situation where…

  • Spain’s Historic Low Wine Harvest

    Spain’s Historic Low Wine Harvest

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    Spain’s wine industry is grappling with its smallest harvest ever recorded, largely due to a series of extreme weather events. The 2023 grape harvest has been severely impacted by droughts, hail storms and heat waves, affecting vineyards across the country. Spain is expected to produce only 34.25 million hectolitres of grapes this year, representing a…

  • Scots to Be Forced to Pay at Least £6 a Bottle

    Scots to Be Forced to Pay at Least £6 a Bottle

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    The Telegraph is reporting that The Scottish National Party (SNP) has announced plans to increase the minimum price for a bottle of wine to £6. The decision comes in the wake of a surge in alcohol-related deaths and harm in Scotland, which have reached their highest levels in 14 years. The SNP’s drugs and alcohol…

  • Increase in British Vineyard Buying Demand

    Increase in British Vineyard Buying Demand

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    Barrons/Penta is reporting that the United Kingdom is witnessing a surge in interest in winemaking, positioning it as the fastest-growing wine region globally. This increasing interest has led to a significant demand for British wine estates. The southeast England is experiencing a spike in demand for vineyards and undeveloped land suitable for viticulture, from international…

  • Research into Words That Describe Wine

    Research into Words That Describe Wine

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    Simon

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    There’s new research (PDF) from Maria Kana of Linnaeus University into the language used in wine reviews, particularly the adoption of standardised wine vocabularies like the Wine Aroma Wheel (WAW) and the Wine Lexicon of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). The study aimed to understand how closely professional wine reviewers stick to these…

  • Italy Loses Wine-making Leadership to France

    Italy Loses Wine-making Leadership to France

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    Reuters is reporting on the decline in wine production in Italy. The wine output in Italy is expected to decrease by 12% this year (2023), falling below 44 million hectolitres. This significant drop is attributed to extreme weather conditions and fungal diseases that have adversely affected the vineyards. As a result of this decline, Italy…

  • Why is There a Global Wine Glut?

    Why is There a Global Wine Glut?

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    Mike Veseth has a thought-provoking article on Theories of the Global Wine Glut. The world seems to be overflowing with surplus wine. In Australia, there’s an estimation that suggests that the surplus could fill 859 Olympic-size swimming pools which translates to roughly 2.8 billion bottles. In France, the government has set aside two hundred million…

  • How Consumers Select Wine

    How Consumers Select Wine

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    A recent survey, documented on Forbes by one of the researchers Liz Thach, MW, has shed light on the preferences of wine consumers in three major markets: the U.S., Australia, and Italy. The study, conducted in May 2023, highlighted that in all three countries, the taste of the wine was prioritised over its price. Prior…

  • Climate Change Threatens Prosecco

    Climate Change Threatens Prosecco

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    Climate change is posing a severe threat to Prosecco, according to recent research published in the iScience journal. Originating from Italy’s mountainous vineyards, Prosecco has seen a decline in grape yields due to extreme weather conditions and soil degradation. The risk extends beyond losing an agricultural product as it also threatens entire communities’ history and…

  • New Zealand Wine Exports Surged 23%

    New Zealand Wine Exports Surged 23%

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    The Annual Report 2023 from New Zealand Winegrowers covers the past year and says that after three challenging years due to COVID-related uncertainties, the New Zealand grape growers and wineries are looking to the future with renewed confidence. Wine exports have surged to new record levels, showing a growth of 23% in value to $2.4…

  • The Decline of Bordeaux Wine

    The Decline of Bordeaux Wine

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    The Bordeaux wine region of France is currently facing a myriad of challenges that threaten its position in the global wine market. Red wine consumption in France has seen a significant decline in recent decades. Many French consumers are now opting for alternative beverages like beer. While premium Bordeaux wines continue to find buyers, the…

  • Chilled Red Wines Are Reshaping Trends

    Chilled Red Wines Are Reshaping Trends

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    The UK recently experienced one of its wettest Julys on record and this has had a surprising impact on wine sales. Waitrose, a prominent supermarket chain, has reported a significant increase in red wine purchases, particularly those that can be enjoyed chilled. The trend has even found its way onto social media platforms like TikTok,…

  • A Gradual UK Duty Rate Rise

    A Gradual UK Duty Rate Rise

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    If you’ve been visiting the wine shops over the past month, you may have noticed something peculiar. Despite the recent duty hike, not all wine prices have gone up. In some instances, like at Asda, prices initially remained stable, with a few wines experiencing a, greater than duty change, surge much more recently. Meanwhile, The…

  • Wine Tasters’ Sensory Response to Flower Arrangements

    Wine Tasters’ Sensory Response to Flower Arrangements

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    Dr Heber Rodrigues led a study from the UK Centre for Excellence on Wine Education, Training and Research at Plumpton College in East Sussex. The research, published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, explored the intertwined history of flower and wine arrangements. The study aimed to understand how the colour composition of…

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