A man has been arrested in connection with a suspected £500,000 counterfeit wine operation in the UK. The case highlights the ongoing challenge of fake bottles circulating through trade channels, putting pressure on retailers and producers to verify authenticity and protect their brands.
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Leonardslee Family Vineyards has announced strong growth over the past year, with revenue up 51% and trade sales climbing 60% since launching its English Sparkling wines. The Sussex vineyard is capitalising on this success by opening The Drawing Room, a new premium tasting room within Leonardslee House, offering tutored tastings, vineyard tours and private dining events. The expansion taps into 190,000 annual visitors to the estate's gardens and reflects booming demand for English wine tourism experiences.
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UK wine importer Winetraders has expanded its portfolio with ten new artisan Italian producers as the company approaches its thirtieth anniversary in the business. The move reflects ongoing appetite among UK importers for smaller, craft-focused Italian estates.
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England's recent heatwaves have delivered a boost to wine quality and yields, rewarding English producers with improved harvest conditions. However, the article raises concerns about the risks extreme weather volatility poses to the sector's long-term stability and sustainability. It's a reminder that while warm years are good news in the short term, the wine industry faces broader climate challenges ahead.
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Urban Wine Co founder Richard Sharp talks about his community winemaking venture in London. The piece explores how the business operates and what's driven Sharp's vision for making winemaking more accessible in an urban setting.
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U.S. tariffs are hitting Italian wine exports hard, creating real headwinds for producers trying to reach the American market. This is a significant regulatory development with direct implications for pricing, competitiveness and business strategy across the Italian wine trade. If you're involved in U.S. imports or exports to America, this one matters.
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Pernod Ricard, one of the world's biggest wine and spirits producers, reported a sharp 14.2% drop in sales for fiscal 2026, bringing net revenue to €9.404 billion. Even stripping out currency swings and deal activity, the company saw organic sales decline by 3.9%, signalling real underlying weakness in its core markets.
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Cava producers and grape suppliers are facing a serious market squeeze. Many growers are now receiving less than their production costs, falling significantly short of official minimum prices. With cava sales down a quarter over two years and as much as 4,000 tonnes of grapes potentially left unsold, the Spanish sparkling wine sector is under real strain. It's a timely reminder of how quickly market conditions can shift for established categories.
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The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) represents the biggest change to European packaging law in decades, coming into force from August 2026 with increasingly strict targets through to 2040. Wine companies selling into or through Europe will need to review their entire packaging strategy, from materials and labelling to supply chain design. The article guides businesses through five key questions they should be asking now to prepare.
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Champagne Drappier has recorded its earliest harvest on record following an exceptionally warm and dry growing season. The house, which has been producing champagne for over 200 years, saw grapes ripen earlier than ever before, reflecting the broader climate shifts affecting European viticulture. It's a striking indicator of how vintage timing and conditions are evolving in one of the world's most prestigious wine regions.
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Delaware has legalised wine shipping, but there's a catch: the new law is essentially unworkable in practice, meaning producers and shippers still can't actually use it. The story highlights the ongoing complexity of direct-to-consumer wine sales across US states and the gap between legislative intent and commercial reality.
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A new study shows that wine consumers in Napa would be willing to pay 17% more for wines from producers using heat-protection methods. The research highlights growing consumer awareness of climate risks to vineyards and suggests that investments in protective viticulture practices could command meaningful price premiums, offering producers and retailers a commercial angle on sustainability.
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A US federal court has struck down a Trump administration wage rule governing H-2A agricultural visa workers, leaving growers uncertain about labour costs and compliance requirements. The H-2A programme is vital to wine production in regions like California, and wage regulations directly affect vineyard operations and budgeting. Industry groups are now waiting to see what wage rules will apply next, creating near-term planning challenges for producers reliant on seasonal migrant labour.
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The spritz is booming this summer, and it's reshaping how consumers think about wine and refreshment. Extreme heat, changing dinner traditions, and heavy marketing by Campari have turned Aperol Spritz into a ubiquitous drink on both sides of the Atlantic, whilst new competitors like Hugo Spritz are now outpacing it in some markets. The trend matters for the wine trade because spritz drinks are actually boosting sparkling wine sales, even as they compete for consumer occasions that were once reserved for wine.
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A journalist recently tasted one of only 19 remaining bottles of the legendary 1973 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon – the wine that beat French Bordeaux in the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting. A sister bottle sold at Christie's for $22,500, nearly quadruple its estimate, underscoring the historical and financial significance of this Napa icon. The tasting notes offer a rare glimpse into how this historic wine has aged and why it remains one of America's most celebrated vineyard achievements.
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South America's wine producers are bracing for major disruption as the long-stalled EU-Mercosur trade deal moves forward. Once borders open to European imports, South American winemakers will lose protection against cheap EU competition and won't be allowed to use European geographical names on their own bottles. Smaller producers are particularly worried about bankruptcy, whilst the rush to claim EU tariff quotas on a first-come basis is already creating friction between neighbouring countries.
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Chile is moving to establish a new legal wine category for lower-alcohol wines, with the threshold starting at 8.5% ABV. The proposal would create an official classification for these lighter styles, reflecting both consumer demand and the winemaking challenges posed by warmer vintages. This regulatory change could reshape how Chilean wines are labelled, marketed, and positioned in export markets.
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Wine writer Andrew Jefford argues that while Argentina's Uco Valley is getting all the attention, Luján de Cuyo in Mendoza deserves recognition as a serious quality region in its own right. He describes Luján as having a gentler, more welcoming character with rounder tannins and broader textures—think more Right Bank Bordeaux than the dramatic intensity of Uco. The piece suggests the wine world risks repeating history by overlooking one fine region in favour of the newer, flashier one.
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Australia's wine sector is set to contract further in 2026-27, according to new projections. This continuing decline matters for the global market, especially for importers and retailers sourcing Australian wines. The shrinkage reflects ongoing challenges facing one of the world's largest wine exporters.
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The Radburnd Family has acquired Stonecroft Winery's physical assets on Hawke's Bay's Gimblett Gravels from Fistonich Family Vineyards, including the production facilities and Mere Road vineyard. The Stonecroft brand itself remains with Fistonich, making this a strategic asset purchase focused on production capacity. Winemaker and Managing Director Kate Radburnd will oversee operations at the newly acquired site.
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Marlborough wineries could soon turn thousands of tonnes of winery lees into a valuable soil resource through a new regional programme led by the Bragato Research Institute. The Marlborough Circular Wine Programme will collect sediment left over from winemaking and process it with compost and biochar into a safe soil amendment, helping wineries cut disposal costs whilst returning nutrients to vineyard soils. Over four years, the scheme aims to divert more than 3,500 tonnes of solid lees from landfill annually and reduce emissions by around 4,700 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
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Bowen Estate in Coonawarra has released its milestone 50th vintage, honouring co-founder Joy Bowen who passed away in 2024. The family-owned producer, now run by daughter Emma, maintains an unusually disciplined model: just three wines, hand-pruned vines, and no reserve or special releases. The 2024 cabernet sauvignon and shiraz are priced at $36 and offer excellent balance and varietal character, representing strong value for Coonawarra classics.
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Two winemakers from Marlborough, New Zealand's premier wine region, have taken out national wine competition titles. The awards recognise their quality and stand-out performance in what's typically a competitive field for Marlborough's renowned Sauvignon Blancs and other varietals.
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Jordan wines have performed well in the Tim Atkin SA Special Report 2026, Tim Atkin's annual assessment of South African wines. The report is a key benchmark for quality and reputation in the region, making this recognition significant for the producer's market position and industry standing.
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As we age, do our wine tastes change? Tim James explores this question prompted by American winewriter Terry Theise's recent essay, examining how age affects not just the wines we drink but how we experience them. It's a thought-provoking read for anyone in the trade thinking about how customer preferences evolve over time.
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Wine Magazine's seasonal Category Reports are now accepting entries for the Spring Series, with three categories open: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cape Bordeaux Red Blends. Wines will be judged by a panel including Christian Eedes and specialists from leading retailers, with entries closing on 2 September. The producer of the best wine in each category wins shipping services worth R10,000 from Aspiring Couriers.
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Jamie Goode argues that old vineyards are at risk of disappearing during the current wine market contraction, not because they're poor quality but because they're unprofitable in the short term. He highlights how Australia's notorious vine pull of the 1980s wiped out exceptional Barossa old-vine plantings, and how Spanish producers like Comando G had to fight to save heritage Garnacha vineyards that fell out of favour during the Parker era. Goode poses a thought-provoking question: should there be laws to protect these special old vineyards as treasures?
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Hong Kong and Shenzhen have long been smuggling hubs for getting premium Bordeaux wines into mainland China, but that trade is rapidly disappearing. Tighter surveillance using big-data systems, combined with weaker demand and shrinking profit margins, is squeezing out the grey-market operators who once thrived in this space. The shift suggests the wine trade into China is consolidating around official channels.
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Decanter's guide cuts through the confusion around sake classification and production. The piece explains key differences like Ginjo versus Junmai, clarifies that sake is fermented rather than distilled (and closer to wine than spirits in alcohol content), and offers practical serving and pairing advice for hospitality professionals. It's a handy reference for anyone selling or recommending sake to customers.
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Wine writer Joe Fattorini argues that traditional sustainability conferences are ineffective because they preach to the converted rather than changing behaviour. He highlights the 'sustainability paradox', backed by research, showing that aggressive sustainability claims often backfire with consumers, who either dismiss them as greenwashing or assume 'sustainable' means 'tasteless and expensive'. His point: if the industry wants real change, it needs to win over skeptics and critics, not just celebrate good intentions among believers.
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New Zealand has announced its 2026 Young Winemaker and Young Viticulturist of the Year. Nick Lamain, 30, from Isabel Estate in Marlborough, took the winemaking title after competing in the programme for five years, whilst 24-year-old Kris Godsall from Cloudy Bay was named Young Viticulturist. The competition tested candidates on technical skills, wine judging, lab work, and sustainability practices, with one competitor notably competing in both categories.
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