Two British vineyards—Gusbourne and Nyetimber—just landed spots in the World's 50 Best Vineyards 2025 ranking. It's a pretty big deal for the UK wine scene, showing that English sparkling wine is genuinely competing at the highest international level, not just locally. Worth watching as more UK producers keep challenging traditional wine regions.
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The London Wine and Spirits Competitions are worth your attention if you're thinking about entering—they're not just about getting a shiny medal, but they can actually help you land listings with premium retailers and on-trade venues. The Buyer's breaking down how the judging works and what makes these competitions stand out from the usual international award circuit, plus there's an early bird deadline at the end of November if you're considering a submission.
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Plumpton College in Sussex has established itself as the UK's Centre of Excellence in Wine Education, combining world-class teaching with award-winning commercial wine production. The college produces up to 40,000 bottles annually from its 6.5-hectare vineyard, recently earning recognition in WineGB's Top 50 English Wines and two Gold medals at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships.
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Vagabond Wines just launched a DTC platform that lets customers order their wines at home with next-day delivery—a big move for a company that's built its brand around the in-bar self-pour experience. What's clever here is they're using all that tasting data from their bars to power personalised recommendations online, creating a feedback loop that'll help them understand what customers actually want.
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The UK could be about to reclaim its crown as Champagne's biggest export market, thanks to rising demand at home and Trump's tariffs squeezing US imports. According to James Simpson from the Champagne Shippers' Association, the UK's expected to hit around 24m bottles this year while the US drops to similar levels—a significant reversal after the Americans dominated last year. It's a fascinating shift driven partly by strategic stockpiling before the tariffs kicked in, and it shows how trade policy can shake up the global wine market in real time.
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Italy's wine industry report for 2025 is worth a read if you're watching European market dynamics—it's pulling in European Commission data showing consumption dropping 3% across the EU in 2024/25, which is a pretty significant headwind for producers. Given Italy's size as a major wine exporter, whatever's happening in their market tends to ripple across the whole continent.
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After hitting a 63-year production low, global wine output's bouncing back with a 3% jump in 2025—and Italy's leading the charge with an impressive 8% surge. The piece digs into what's driving the EU recovery, so it's worth a read if you're tracking how European producers are clawing their way back after a rough stretch. Good context for understanding whether this rebound's sustainable or just a blip.
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Bordeaux is in serious trouble—bulk wine prices have crashed to just €1 per liter, which is actually below what it costs to produce. It's a perfect storm of changing drinking habits, health campaigns, and global market pressure that's leaving French winegrowers facing real economic losses. This is a major warning sign for the whole European wine industry about where demand is heading.
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The WHO's pushing for stricter alcohol policies and Europe's actually listening—the EU is reviewing its Alcohol Taxation Directive while tying new regulations to the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. This could shake up how wine gets marketed and sold across the bloc, so it's worth watching to see what restrictions actually make it through.
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Romania's wine production just jumped 29% according to the latest OIV report—a pretty impressive growth rate that's putting them ahead of some major EU players. It's a significant shift for a country that doesn't always get the spotlight in wine conversations, and worth watching to see if this momentum sticks around.
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Italy's consumer watchdog just slapped Tannico, the country's biggest online wine retailer, with a €50,000 fine for dodgy discount practices—basically advertising fake price cuts that weren't actually lower than what they'd charged 30 days prior. The case is interesting timing-wise since Tannico was only recently acquired by French wine giant Castel-Frères in October, but the violations happened before the changeover, so the new owners inherited someone else's mess. It's a solid reminder that e-commerce wine retailers are getting serious scrutiny around transparency and fair trading practices across Europe.
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Wine tourism is about to explode—we're talking a projected jump from $46 billion in 2023 to $332 billion by 2034. The really interesting bit? Tourism growth is massively outpacing actual wine sales, which means European wine regions need to get serious about experiences and immersion if they want to capitalize on this shift, especially with European production down 7.5% from the five-year average.
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The Old Vine Conference wrapped up last week in Northern California with nearly 700 total participants tackling heritage vineyard preservation. It's a solid industry gathering, though the US-focused location means it's probably more relevant if you're tracking global old vine trends rather than specific regional market moves.
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Ukrainian winemakers are keeping production going despite the war, and it's starting to make waves in Western markets—particularly the UK where imports are rising. CNN's piece looks at how these producers are maintaining their craft while dealing with unimaginable circumstances, plus a London wine expert weighs in on what this means for UK wine diversity and consumer preferences. It's a compelling blend of human resilience and actual market shift worth paying attention to.
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The Drinks Business Awards are now open for entries ahead of their 2026 ceremony, welcoming submissions from wine, beer, and spirits businesses across the UK and EU. If you've got an innovative product, killer marketing campaign, or standout retail operation, it's worth throwing your hat in the ring—you'll get judged by industry heavyweights like MWs and major buyers, plus the exposure alone could be worth its weight in gold. Deadline's April 24, 2026.
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