Digest #5

WINEGB CALLS THE 2025 HARVEST 'A VINTAGE OF OUTSTANDING QUALITY'

WineGB Dec 18, 2025 Market Trends

UK wine producers are celebrating what looks like their best vintage on record for 2025. The driest summer ever meant an unusually early harvest with ripest fruit and outstanding quality, plus they're expecting the second-largest volume ever at 15-16 million bottles. WineGB's also flagging some serious momentum for English and Welsh wines overall—exports are up 35% and the sector's grown from 4% to 9% annually over five years, so this quality vintage could be a real turning point for the industry.

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Fruit-forward and aromatic wines win over modern drinkers

The Drinks Business Dec 16, 2025 Market Trends

Modern drinkers are increasingly gravitating towards fruit-forward and aromatic wines over traditional styles, according to The Drinks Business. This shift in consumer preferences is worth paying attention to if you're producing, retailing or marketing wine in the UK and EU – it suggests where to focus your inventory and marketing efforts to stay ahead of what people actually want to drink right now.

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UK Wine Market Set for Sparkling Future: Key Trends and Industry Growth Forecast to 2033

Industry Today Dec 16, 2025 Market Trends

The UK wine market's looking pretty bullish through to 2033, with some interesting growth trends on the horizon. Some useful bits of info in this article on what's driving the market forward and where consumer preferences are heading.

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Welsh Vineyards Association celebrates excellence

Vineyard Magazine Dec 16, 2025 Events

The Welsh Vineyards Association held their 2025 awards in November with nearly 60 entries, and it sounds like they really pulled out the stops – Oz Clarke was the star turn, delivering a rousing speech comparing Welsh wine's trajectory to Tasmania and New Zealand's rise to prominence. It's a solid indicator that the Welsh wine scene is gaining genuine momentum and industry credibility, with the event bringing together serious judges and producers to celebrate what's becoming a genuinely competitive regional offering.

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Vagabond brings the UK’s largest urban winery to London

WineGB Dec 12, 2025 News

Vagabond's just opened the UK's largest urban winery at Canada Water in London – a 6,000 sq ft space with a working 100-tonne cellar where you can taste straight from barrel, grab over 100 wines by the glass, and book everything from winery tours to full dinners. It's a pretty interesting move for the London wine scene, especially with their in-house team making award-winning wines from grapes sourced within two hours of the city, and it shows how the retail wine business is evolving beyond traditional bars into proper immersive experiences.

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French Wine Giants Plan €320 Million Merger as Industry Faces Climate and Consumption Challenges

Vinetur Dec 16, 2025 News

Two major French wine producers are joining forces in a €320 million merger as the industry grapples with climate pressures and shifting consumer habits. It's a significant consolidation move that reflects how established players are adapting to tougher growing conditions and changing drinking patterns across Europe. Worth watching to see if this signals a broader wave of M&A activity among traditional wine regions.

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Hungary winemakers fear disease may ‘wipe out’ industry

The Straits Times Dec 14, 2025 News

Hungarian winemakers are facing a serious threat from a disease that could devastate the country's wine industry. This is a significant story for the EU wine sector, as Hungary's a major producer and any widespread crop failure could affect European wine supplies and prices. Worth keeping an eye on how this develops and whether it spreads to neighbouring wine regions.

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Champagne’s split market revealed

The Drinks Business Dec 15, 2025 Market Trends

There's a fascinating split emerging in the Champagne market – LVMH's big brands absolutely dominate search rankings and pricing, but family-owned houses are quietly outperforming them on quality whilst keeping prices lower. The Drinks Business has the data showing this divide is real, which could be interesting for UK and EU retailers looking at where they're positioning their Champagne ranges.

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Portugal’s Wine Production Plunges 20% to Decade Low as Extreme Weather Hits Agriculture - Vinetur

Vinetur Dec 12, 2025 Market Trends

Portugal's wine production has dropped 20% to its lowest level in a decade thanks to brutal weather conditions. This is a pretty significant supply shock that could ripple through EU wine markets—fewer Portuguese wines means potential price pressures and shelf space implications for retailers across Europe. Worth watching to see if other Southern European producers face similar climate challenges this vintage.

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Historic Santorini vineyards struggle against climate change and tourism

Decanter UK Dec 12, 2025 Sustainability

Santorini's wine industry is facing what Decanter's calling an extinction-level crisis – vineyard acreage has collapsed from 3,000-4,000 hectares to just 1,000 over recent decades, with climate change and tourism development now squeezing what's left. The island's famous Assyrtiko is being pushed out by drought, heat, and developers converting vineyards into hotels and villas, forcing harvests earlier each year and production to record lows. It's a cautionary tale about what happens when a historic wine region gets caught between climate stress and tourism pressure.

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WBWE attendance climbs 8% as bulk wine proves resilient

The Drinks Business Dec 12, 2025 Events

The World Bulk Wine Exhibition returned to Amsterdam with an 8% jump in attendance, pulling in over 2,150 participants from 60 countries. The show highlighted some interesting shifts in the market – Spain's dominance in bulk exports, changing purchasing patterns in the UK and Germany, and a real push towards premiumisation and no/low alcohol products. It's a solid indicator that bulk wine remains resilient despite the broader market squeeze.

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‘The role of Ozempic isn’t just about reduced consumption, it’s about a shift in values’

The Drinks Business Dec 15, 2025 Market Trends

The Drinks Business is reporting on how GLP-1 medications like Ozempic are quietly reshaping UK drinking habits, with consumers opting for lower-calorie, lower-sugar options when they do drink. According to DrinkWell's founder, this signals a broader shift towards health-conscious choices rather than abstinence – which means the wine and spirits industry needs to innovate faster on the wellness front or risk being left behind like they were with soft drinks.

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Les Dauphins proves that small can be mighty

The Drinks Business Dec 12, 2025 Market Trends

Les Dauphins, a French canned wine brand from the Rhône Valley, has become a powerhouse in the wine market since launching in 2011 - it's currently ranked eighth among the world's most powerful wine brands according to IWSR. What's impressive is how they've done it: killer 1920s Parisian branding that's actually tied to their identity, plus they've secured major UK retail distribution through Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado. It's a smart case study in how design and brand storytelling can make a smaller producer punch way above its weight in a crowded market.

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Head of Marketing - IWSC / Club Oenologique

Wine Jobs UK Dec 4, 2025 Careers

The IWSC (International Wine & Spirit Competition) is hiring a Head of Marketing based in London. The role involves leading marketing strategy across wine, spirits and global judging categories. Candidates should have senior marketing experience ideally within the drinks, hospitality or events sectors, along with strong leadership and partnership-building skills.

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