winefeed

Collectible tequila market surges on auction record and investment interest

• Clase Azul Dia de Muertos bottle sold for US$35,000 at Sotheby's, becoming most expensive tequila ever auctioned.
• Global tequila market valued at US$12.6bn, projected to reach US$21.6bn by 2033 with 9% growth.
• WineFi launched premium tequila investment fund of 50 barrels, citing historic returns of 15-35% for comparable aged assets.
• Younger consumers driving demand for premium and super-premium tequila, with whisky drinkers increasingly switching to agave spirits.
• Extra Añejo tequila requires minimum three years maturation; supply remains constrained by regulation and agricultural timelines.

Breaky Bottom, England's pioneering vineyard, sells for first time in 52 years

• Breaky Bottom, founded in 1974 by Peter Hall, is for sale at £4 million following Hall's death in October 2025.
• The 15-acre Sussex estate produces around 10,000 bottles annually of sparkling wines from Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay-Pinot blends.
• Hall's wines were served at King Charles III's coronation, Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, and the 2012 London Olympics.
• The sale includes vineyard land, a four-bedroom farmhouse, traditional barn winery, and production facilities.
• Knight Frank expects international buyer interest, citing resilient demand for small-scale, terroir-driven producers despite broader market challenges.

Distiller Offers Solution for Excess Wine Inventory

• A premium distiller is addressing winemakers' cellar space and profitability challenges from surplus stock.
• The distiller converts excess wine inventory into spirits, freeing up storage capacity.
• The service targets producers dealing with inventory buildup that strains physical and financial resources.

Japanese winery awards boost awareness but not always sales for small producers

• Large Japanese producers like Château Mercian and Katsunuma Jyozo dominate international awards; small family wineries rarely enter competitions.
• About 70 percent of Japan's 400-plus wineries are family-operated with limited production, prioritizing domestic sales over costly exports.
• Awards provide commercial credibility: Katsunuma Jyozo's medals at Vinalies Internationales led to European distribution through Bernard Magrez Group.
• Restaurant placement and high-profile exposure matter more than awards for driving sales; Château Mercian's 2016 G7 Summit service boosted credibility.
• Award impact has diminished as wine critics and competitions proliferate globally; importers now rely on tastings and brand storytelling instead.

Kosmic Kitty Wines expands distribution across major retail chains

• South Bay Wine Group LLC produces Kosmic Kitty Wines brand.
• The wine is expanding distribution into major supermarket chains.
• Distribution also includes state-controlled alcohol markets.

London masterclass explores diverse rosé styles and producers

• Tasting event on 10 September at The Chelsea Townhouse in London showcases varied rosé styles and brands.
• Master of Wine Patrick Schmitt hosts the masterclass, limited to 28 guests, for all experience levels.
• Event features both niche and mainstream rosé offerings to broaden drinkers' palate preferences.
• Rosé producers gain direct access to consumers and promotional support through the drinks business and venue.

Pol Roger releases 2019 vintage amid challenging growing conditions

• The 2019 harvest faced April frost, mildew, and August hailstorms, reducing regional yields by nearly 20%.
• Optimal harvesting conditions produced wines with rare harmony, freshness, and exceptional fruit health.
• The 2019 vintage marks cellar master Damien Cambres' first solo release, featuring 63.5% Pinot Noir and 36.5% Chardonnay.
• Average alcohol potential reached 10.7%, exceeding the 2018 vintage's 10.2%, reflecting the vintage's power.
• Aged six years in underground cellars, the wine displays citrus and stone fruit notes with aging potential of 3-5 years.

Sam Neill, Two Paddocks founder, dies aged 78

• Neill planted Two Paddocks' first vineyard in Central Otago in 1993 and spent over 30 years developing it into a benchmark Pinot Noir producer.
• The winery expanded across four sites in Gibbston, Alexandra and Bannockburn, becoming the only Central Otago producer with vineyards in all three principal valleys.
• Two Paddocks became certified organic from the 2017 vintage and earned international acclaim for restrained, ageworthy estate-grown and single vineyard bottlings.
• Neill rejected the 'celebrity winemaker' label, arguing it diminished the wines, and deliberately kept production modest while championing Burgundian principles and screwcaps.
• He died in Sydney aged 78 following a sudden illness, having previously announced he was cancer-free earlier this year after a 2023 diagnosis.

Nyetimber holds top spot as English wine field broadens dramatically

• Nyetimber retained its crown as top British winery for 2026, winning the title three times and in two consecutive years.
• Coates & Seely surged from 12th to 3rd place, marking an almost unprecedented single-year jump in the rankings.
• Hampshire emerged as the most dynamic county, with multiple producers improving standings including Raimes English Sparkling leaping 17 places to 14th.
• Sussex, Kent, and Dorset producers dominate top positions, though geographic spread of quality wine production continues to expand.
• The ranked list grew to 39 producers total, with ten new wineries entering, reflecting deepening talent depth across English sparkling wine.

Actor Sam Neill, New Zealand Winemaker, Dies at 78

• Sam Neill, known for Jurassic Park, was also a significant figure in New Zealand wine production.
• Neill died at age 78.
• Winefeed previously interviewed Neill about his winemaking work in 2021.

Pinord's Biodynamic Chardonnay Scores Highly in Wine Enthusiast

• Bodegas Pinord's Lluna Plena Biodynamic Chardonnay received a high score from Wine Enthusiast.
• The wine comes from Penedès, a region in Barcelona known for organic and biodynamic production.
• The recognition reinforces Penedès' standing among world-class white wine regions.

Grape Sunburn Spreads as Climate Change Reaches New Wine Regions

• Direct sun exposure can push berry surface temperatures 22-27°F above ambient air, meaning a 95°F day creates surfaces exceeding 122°F on sun-facing sides.
• Traditional mid-summer leaf removal now increases sunburn risk during heat waves; early-season defoliation allows berries to build photoprotective compounds, reducing damage.
• Kaolin clay particle film reduces canopy temperatures by up to 9°C; some producers have eliminated summer leaf removal on white varieties entirely.
• Sunburned grapes produce cooked and oxidized flavors that worsen with aging, and producers increasingly rely on harvest sorting as a final defense.

French heatwave cuts Champagne yields 10%, triggers earliest harvest ever

• Champagne producers forecast yields roughly 10% below last year due to prolonged heat and drought.
• Champagne harvest expected to begin around August 15, potentially the earliest on record.
• Burgundy and Bordeaux also facing significant output declines; precise losses still uncertain.
• Extended heat and water scarcity are increasing sugar concentration in grapes, potentially altering alcohol levels and flavor.
• Champagne houses may offset lower yields using reserve wines held in stock.

Heat-Tolerant Mourvèdre Struggles as Southern France Temperatures Rise

• Mourvèdre, traditionally grown in Bandol's coastal region, now faces challenges maintaining balance despite heat tolerance as temperatures and drought intensity increase.
• Producers are adopting canopy management techniques, including higher gobelet training and three-dimensional shade systems, to protect grapes from sunburn.
• Drought is forcing reconsideration of dry-farming practices; some Bandol growers now irrigate to prevent vine death, risking changes to regional terroir character.
• Jumilla's vineyard surface area halved over 20 years as hotter southern sites were abandoned; remaining production concentrates on higher-altitude parcels with cooler conditions.
• Climate shifts are reshaping wine styles and regional production: Bandol may reduce rosé output as cooler rosé parcels are converted to red wine production.

Organic Sauvignon Blanc demands careful vineyard work to overcome disease sensitivity

• Sauvignon Blanc is complex to grow organically because it's vulnerable to powdery and downy mildew, requiring frequent treatments.
• Copper-based fungicides, the primary permitted organic option against mildew, can damage Sauvignon Blanc's sensitive flowers.
• Biodynamic farming builds living soil that helps vines overcome disease and climate stress, according to practitioners in France and Austria.
• Years of organic farming can increase Sauvignon Blanc's natural disease resilience, as demonstrated by growers in southern France.
• Organic Sauvignon Blancs range from mineral and grassy styles to tropical fruit-forward expressions depending on terroir and winemaking methods.

Video: visiting an agroforestry coffee plantation in Brazil, the 15 hectare Sombra experiment that’s a collaboration between Fazenda Mió and Volcano Coffee Works in the UK

• Fazenda Mió in Brazil operates a 15-hectare agroforestry coffee experiment in collaboration with UK's Volcano Coffee Works.
• Four coffee varieties are interplanted with three types of tree to provide shade and enhance soil life.
• Cover crops between coffee rows boost soil microbiology and protect the soil.

Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 7/12/26

Hello and welcome to my weekly roundup of the wine stories that I find of interest on the web. I

Mountains and Magliocco

• Calabria has nine scattered DOCs; only Cirò in the east has achieved fame, despite vines grown there since before the Romans.
• Magliocco comes in two variants: Magliocco Dolce (more tannic, eastern Calabria) and Magliocco Canino (retains acidity, extremely late-ripening, possibly related to Sangiovese).
• Casa Comerci, a certified organic estate near Nicotera, grows only Magliocco Canino and Greco Bianco, fermenting and aging exclusively in stainless steel, never barrels.
• Magliocco Canino can ripen as late as early December; Casa Comerci's 2017 rosé was harvested in the first week of December.

Too Difficult?

• Assyrtiko, Greece's assertive grape variety, is high in acidity with texture and volume, dividing wine drinkers sharply in taste tests.
• Orange wines by Joska Gravner of Friuli lack primary fruit notes and florality, requiring different appreciation than conventional white wines.
• Nebbiolo-based Piedmont reds combine pale color with tannic structure and earthy, smoky notes rather than berry fruit flavors.
• Sherry's deliberate oxidation and high acetaldehyde levels create a pungent character that initially deters many tasters but rewards persistence.

The Sysco-ification of Wine

• 71 percent of U.S. wine is controlled by the top 11 suppliers, according to 2024 data from the American Association of Wine Economists.
• Gallo controlled 33 percent of all wine in the U.S. market in 2023 and has since acquired Rombauer, Hahn Family Wines, Massican, Whiny Baby, and Bev canned wine.
• 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 percent of wine and spirits distribution in America as of 2024.