Winefeed

Do global awards actually drive Japanese wine sales?

• Approximately 70% of Japan's 400+ wineries are family-owned, often too busy with daily operations to pursue exports or global awards.
• In 2024, Suntory From Farm Tomi Koshu 2022 won 'Best in Show' at Decanter World Wide Awards, the highest accolade.
• Repeat international award winners are typically larger producers like Château Mercian, Grace Wine, and Katsunuma Jyozo, not small family wineries.
• Katsunuma Jyozo's 2003-2004 Vinalies Internationales medals led to an export deal with Bernard Magrez Group, expanding into European markets.
• Château Mercian executive credits restaurant placements and high-profile events like the 2016 G7 Summit, not awards alone, as key to overseas success.

Kosmic Kitty Wines® Continues National Retail Expansion Across Major Grocery Chains and State-Controlled Markets

• Kosmic Kitty Wines® is expanding distribution across major supermarket chains and state-controlled markets.
• The brand is produced by South Bay Wine Group LLC based in Rolling Hills, CA.

The Asian Wine Market Few Exporters Are Watching

• Mongolia's imported wine market nearly doubled while industry attention focused elsewhere.
• France became the largest beneficiary of Mongolia's wine import growth.

The Ultimate Champagne Flavor Map [Infographic]

• Champagne must be produced in the Champagne region to bear that label; house style is a proprietary blend distinguishing each maison.
• Three grapes permitted in Champagne: Chardonnay (mineral, light, elegant), Pinot Noir (richer, fruit-forward), and Pinot Meunier.
• Champagne undergoes two fermentations: first in vats, second in bottles to produce bubbles; maturation occurs in bottle, not barrel.
• Minimum 12-month lees aging is required; longer aging with dead yeast cells develops brioche and almond flavors, creating creamy texture and fuller body.

Wine Cellar Buying Guide

Which Wine Cellar Is Right for You? A Buyer’s Guide to Wine Enthusiast Cellars Every wine collection tells a different story. Some are carefully curated for long-term aging, while others are built around everyday favorites, or to be proudly displayed.

Antinori takes helm of Primum Familiae Vini

• Alessia Antinori appointed president of Primum Familiae Vini for 2026-2027, representing the 26th generation of Marchesi Antinori.
• PFV is an association of 12 historic family-owned wine estates founded in 1991, focused on family ownership and intergenerational succession.
• Antinori's presidency theme is Art, Architecture and Wine, emphasizing estates as custodians of cultural and architectural heritage.
• Marchesi Antinori traces winemaking history to 1385; Antinori nel Chianti Classico (opened 2012) cited as celebrated contemporary architectural project.
• Château Haut-Brion opening new winery designed by Annabelle Selldorf in early 2027.

Inaugural Wineries Without Walls Sells Out Ahead of July 12 Debut in Upper Marlboro

• Wineries Without Walls, a Maryland Wineries Association event, sold out ahead of its July 12, 2026 debut.
• The inaugural event will be held at Celebrations At The Barnhouse in Upper Marlboro.
• The sold-out event will welcome hundreds of wine enthusiasts.

7 Mistakes Everyone Makes Their First Time in Napa (and How to Avoid Them)

From reserving tastings to deciding where to eat, navigating Napa Valley as a first-time visitor can be overwhelming. Here are our best tips

After The Last Pour

• SOiF, a Shanghai natural wine bar co-founded by William Zhu, closed its doors after helping drive the city's natural wine movement and bistro boom.
• Shanghai's two-month Covid lockdown in 2022 devastated hospitality and collapsed consumer confidence, from which the bar scene never fully recovered.
• Uncontrolled expansion of bistros after 2022 diluted quality; many venues adopted the bistro concept for fashion rather than investing in products or building loyal customers.
• By late 2023, Shanghai had over 83,000 Dianping results for 'natural wine' versus 26,000 for craft beer, indicating the category's prominence despite market contraction.

Pure Brilliance: DWWA 2026's Best in Show whites and rosés

• Austrian Weissburgunder from Domäne Roland Chan (Wachau) won Best in Show, the first-ever for Austrian Pinot Blanc.
• Birgit Eichinger's Kamptal Grüner Veltliner achieved Best in Show, marking the first award for Austria's Kamptal DAC region.
• Santo Wines' Santorini Assyrtiko, matured in clay amphorae, was the only amphora-aged wine among 50 Best in Show awards.
• Château De L'Aumérade's Provence rosé won Best in Show; Provence claimed the rosé award for the second consecutive year.
• Two Chenin Blancs, one from Loire's Savennières and one from South Africa's Stellenbosch, won Best in Show, showcasing the varietal's range.

France’s Heatwave Cuts Wine Harvest as Growers Brace for Smaller Vintage

• France's heatwave is reducing wine harvests across Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy, with Champagne expecting ~10% production decline and Bordeaux potentially down 20% or more.
• Extreme heat accelerates grape ripening, risking higher alcohol levels, lower acidity, and imbalanced wines despite appearing ripe.
• Champagne may harvest around August 15, potentially the earliest on record; Burgundy around August 20; Bordeaux Crémant as early as August 1.
• Smaller global supply unlikely to create widespread shortages due to weak demand and excess inventory, though premium appellations and white wines face tighter supplies.
• Burgundy's Premier Cru and Grand Cru whites remain undersupplied, making production declines more impactful there than in village-tier reds.

French heatwave to cut Champagne yields by 10%

• Champagne yields forecast to drop 10% due to prolonged French heatwave and drought.
• Champagne harvest expected to begin around August 15, roughly a month earlier than typical decades ago.
• Burgundy and Bordeaux producers expect significant output declines but say it's too early to quantify losses precisely.
• Prolonged heat increasing sugar accumulation in grapes, potentially affecting alcohol levels and flavor profiles.
• Champagne houses may mitigate production impact by drawing on reserve wines despite lower grape yields.

Mourvèdre Was Made for Heat. Rising Temperatures Are Testing It

• Mourvèdre, heat-tolerant but late-ripening, is struggling to maintain balance and elegance even in its traditional hot regions as temperatures rise.
• Bandol producers are experimenting with canopy management techniques, gobelet training, higher pruning, shade planting, to protect grapes from extreme heat and sunburn.
• Irrigation, traditionally avoided in dry-farmed Bandol, is becoming necessary as drought intensifies; some vines died during the 2022-2024 drought in Jumilla.
• Jumilla's vineyard surface area halved over 20 years, with only higher-altitude sites (600-800 meters) remaining viable as lower areas were abandoned.
• Bandol's cooler sites traditionally reserved for rosé (75% of production) are now being considered for red wine as climate shifts.

Seven organic Sauvignon Blanc for summer sipping

• Sauvignon Blanc is tricky to grow organically because it's sensitive to powdery and downy mildew, requiring regular fungicide treatments.
• Copper-based Bordeaux mixture is the only permitted organic fungicide for powdery mildew, but the vine's flower is sensitive to copper.
• Domaine les Eminades in Languedoc credits nearly 20 years of organic farming and the region's clement climate for their Sauvignon's disease resilience.
• Andreas Tscheppe's Blue Dragonfly from south Styria, Austria is fermented with natural yeasts, minimal sulphur, and aged almost two years in large old barrels.

It’s Hard to Find a Bad White Burgundy, These 10 Are Exceptional

• White Burgundies span price ranges from affordable Pouilly-Fuissé to premium Grand Cru expressions.
• The selection showcases the full range of what Chardonnay can express in Burgundy.

Highlights: Flint Vineyard Pinot Noir Precoce 2025 England

• Flint Vineyard Pinot Noir Precoce 2025 is a 12% ABV English wine from East Anglia.
• Blend includes Pinot Noir, early-ripening Frühburgunder (Pinot Precoce), and whole bunch portions.
• Fermented and aged in concrete tank and neutral oak; scored 92/100.
• Notes of redcurrant, cranberry, and strawberry; serve slightly chilled; priced around £25 per bottle.

Portland, Maine: Come Hungry

• Cabbage dishes in Portland, Maine are consistently excellent; author recommends ordering cabbage when on the menu.

Mountains and Magliocco

• Calabria has nine DOCs; only Cirò has achieved fame, though the region has grown vines since before Roman times.
• Magliocco comes in two variants: Magliocco Dolce (tannic, eastern Calabria) and Magliocco Canino (acidic, late-ripening, potentially Sangiovese-related).
• Casa Comerci, a certified organic 27-hectare estate near Nicotera, grows only Magliocco Canino and Greco Bianco, fermenting and aging exclusively in stainless steel tanks.
• Magliocco Canino is extremely late-ripening; Casa Comerci's 2017 rosé was harvested in early December, with October harvests normal even today.
• Cirò wines dominate local wine lists despite being 200km northeast of the Tyrrhenian coast; winery Librandi has significant market control.

The Sysco-ification of Wine

• Gallo controlled 33% of U.S. wine market in 2023 and has since acquired Rombauer, Hahn Family Wines, Massican, Whiny Baby, and Bev canned wine.
• Top 11 wine suppliers controlled 71% of U.S. wine in 2024, according to American Association of Wine Economists data.
• Independent wine distributors fell from roughly 3,000 in the 1990s to just over 1,000 today.
• Three dominant distributors, Breakthru, RNDC, and Southern Glazer's, controlled 53% of wine and spirits distribution in America as of 2024.

Summer 2026 Natural Wine Salons

• Sous Les Pavés, La Vigne in Paris (June 6-8) will be its 25th and final edition, featuring 60 natural vignerons with a strong Alsace lineup.
• Over 40 natural wine salons are scheduled across France, Italy, Germany, UK, and Czech Republic from May 30 through August 2026.
• Haut Les Mains salon takes place July 26th in Burgundy as the climax of summer wine events.