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Fifteen sommeliers name expensive Bordeaux bottles worth the premium price

• Fifteen wine professionals were asked which high-priced Bordeaux justify their cost despite the region's brand prestige and classification systems inflating prices.
• Scott Woltz, beverage director at Bibliotheque in New York, chose Château Palmer for its emotional intensity and Burgundian perfume of violets and graphite.
• Julie Dalton, master sommelier at Stella's Wine Bar in Houston, named Château Haut-Brion as her first-growth pick for its angular minerality distinct from other top estates.
• Cody Pruitt, co-owner of Capitaine and Chateau Royale in New York, selected Château Lafleur for its remarkable combination of power and elegance rooted in family farming precision.

Breaky Bottom, England's pioneering Sussex vineyard, listed for sale at £4 million

• Breaky Bottom Vineyard near Lewes, founded by Peter Hall in 1974, is on the market for the first time following Hall's death in October 2025, with Knight Frank handling the sale at £4 million guide price.
• Hall established the estate when Britain had only seven vineyards; his sparkling wines were served at King Charles III's coronation, Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, and the 2012 London Olympics.
• The 15-acre property includes six acres under vine producing around 10,000 bottles annually of two sparkling cuvées: Seyval Blanc and a Chardonnay-Pinot Noir-Pinot Meunier blend introduced in the early 2000s.
• The sale includes a working vineyard, four-bedroom farmhouse, traditional Sussex barn winery, and supporting agricultural buildings; Knight Frank expects international interest as premium, small-scale vineyard assets remain resilient.
• Hall's son Toby said the family hopes the new owner will preserve Breaky Bottom's heritage while building on its legacy as English wine production rose 39% in 2025 to 16.5 million bottles.

Japanese winery awards boost prestige, but export impact remains unclear

• Japanese wines have won major international awards since 2010, including Decanter World Wide Awards and International Wine & Spirit Competition recognition, yet most producers remain small family operations.
• Repeat award winners are large producers like Château Mercian, owned by Kirin Group, and Katsunuma Jyozo; mom-and-pop wineries rarely enter competitions due to export costs and strong domestic demand.
• Chizuko Oda, Katsunuma Jyozo's representative, credits 2003-2004 Vinalies Internationales medals with securing a distribution deal with French magnate Bernard Magrez Group across Europe.
• Kenneth Lee, Japanese wine importer in Hong Kong, says awards raise awareness but questions their direct sales impact; restaurant placement and tastings now matter more than competition wins.
• Japanese wines face pricing challenges overseas despite premium positioning; mountainous terrain and weather hazards drive up production costs through hand-harvesting and specialized trellis systems.

Champagne houses map their flavor profiles by grape blend and aging time

• Champagne's three permitted grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, create distinct flavor profiles: Chardonnay-dominant blends taste mineral and light; Pinot Noir-heavy blends taste richer and fruit-forward.
• Extended aging on dead yeast cells (lees) during Champagne's second fermentation develops brioche and almond notes; longer aging produces bready, buttery flavors and creamy texture, increasing body weight.
• Winemakers distinguish house style through two key choices: grape blend ratios and lees-aging duration, with minimum required aging of twelve months but optional extension at disgorgement.
• Champagne houses position themselves along two axes: mineral-to-creamy flavor and light-to-full body, allowing consumers to identify which house style matches their taste preference.

Brown-Forman seeks new chief executive as Lawson Whiting retires

• Lawson Whiting, chief executive of Louisville-based Brown-Forman since 2019, has announced his retirement; the company will search internal and external candidates to replace him.
• Whiting's departure caps a turbulent tenure marked by Covid lockdowns, failed EU trade deals imposing 50% bourbon tariffs, and a 60% sales collapse in Canada last year.
• Brown-Forman rejected takeover bids from Pernod Ricard and Sazerac worth $15 billion; controlling Brown family refused to cede control held for over 150 years.
• Full-year 2026 net sales fell 1% to $3.9 billion; company expects flat organic sales this year with operating income declining 3% to 5% amid economic pressures.
• Whiting oversaw restructuring including 12% workforce cuts, sale of Finlandia vodka to Coca-Cola, and a successful ready-to-drink Jack Daniel's partnership with Coca-Cola.

South Korea's non-alcoholic beer market surges 33% as soju sales decline

• Consumer spending on non-alcoholic beer in South Korea reached 73.3 billion won (£39m) in the year to May 2026, up 32.6% from 55.3 billion won in the prior three-year period.
• Men's spending on non-alcoholic beer has overtaken women's for the first time, reaching 40 billion won versus 33.3 billion won, reversing a three-year trend.
• Soju shipments fell 13.4% between 2019 and 2025, from 916,000 to 793,000 kilolitres; major producers including Lotte Chilsung Beverage and HiteJinro have reduced alcohol content to 15.7% ABV.
• Workplace culture shifts, economic pressures, and younger workers rejecting mandatory after-work drinking are driving the decline, alongside South Korea's binge drinking rate falling to 33.8% last year.
• Alcohol-free social venues including morning raves and sober events have proliferated; Non, an Australian non-alcoholic drinks producer, secured listings at Michelin-starred Seoul restaurants and luxury hotels including Four Seasons.

Tequila auction record sparks investment boom comparisons to whisky

• A bottle of Clase Azul Tequila Dia de Muertos sold for US$35,000 at Sotheby's on 30 June, setting a tequila auction record and becoming the first tequila to top a Sotheby's spirits sale.
• The bottle, from a 300-bottle 2017 inaugural release retailing at US$250, sold for nearly three times its high estimate, signaling strong collector demand for rare, story-driven bottles.
• WineFi launched a fund of 50 premium tequila barrels held in Jalisco, Mexico, citing tequila investment as comparable to whisky 15 years ago, with historic returns of 15-35% on aged tequila assets.
• Global tequila market value is projected to grow from US$12.6bn to US$21.6bn by 2033, driven by younger consumers trading up to premium expressions and constrained supply of properly aged liquid.
• Jonny Fowle, Sotheby's global head of spirits, said the record sale could mark the dawn of a new collectible tequila boom, as whiskey drinkers increasingly turn to agave spirits.

US congresswoman seeks trade probe into Canada's alcohol boycott

• Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York introduced the CANADA Act, directing the US Trade Representative to investigate Canadian provincial restrictions on American beer, wine and spirits.
• Since March 2025, every Canadian province except Alberta and Saskatchewan removed US alcohol from government-controlled liquor stores in retaliation for Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.
• Brown-Forman, owner of Jack Daniel's, reported Canadian sales fell 60% after provincial boycotts took effect; Canada is the largest export market for US spirits.
• A Section 301 investigation could authorize presidential retaliation through tariffs or trade restrictions, escalating the dispute unless both governments negotiate a settlement.
• The legislation faces an uncertain path through Congress and would only require investigation, not automatic penalties, leaving final action dependent on White House decisions.

China's alcohol association demands stricter e-commerce platform oversight

• The China Alcoholic Drinks Association called for stronger regulation of online liquor sales, citing price distortions, high commissions, and unfair competition harming producers and distributors.
• The group urged regulators to oversee commission structures, pricing, and traffic allocation while enforcing antitrust rules; platforms should adopt AI, blockchain traceability, and digital supply chains.
• Chinese alcohol brands reached US$123.4 billion valuation in 2025, yet IWSR forecasts mixed 2026 results as Baijiu struggles and consumers cut spending amid economic uncertainty.
• Drinking patterns are shifting: younger consumers favor casual occasions and value; older drinkers are selective; home consumption and smaller formats, delivery services, and solo drinking are growing.

Pernod Ricard launches premium Chinese whisky with tourism and dining push

• Pernod Ricard built The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery in Sichuan province for CNY¥1 billion, positioning it as China's first premium malt whisky with tourism, tasting rooms and fine dining.
• China's whisky imports surged 22.78% year-on-year to 35.84 million litres in 2025, now topping all spirits imports as a 10% duty cut takes effect and brandy demand collapses.
• The Chuan's flagship whisky, priced HK$680 per 700mL bottle, won gold at the 2024 International Spirits Challenge; two new expressions finish in Pedro Ximénez and smoked Chinese oak.
• The brand partners with Michelin-starred restaurants including Rùn at The St. Regis Hong Kong and Hong Kong Chengdu Restaurant to pair the whisky with Sichuan cuisine.
• Hong Kong government backs The Chuan's global expansion via trade education, restaurant activations and duty-free distribution across Asian hubs including Seoul, leveraging the city's role as a spirits trading gateway.

US beer sales surge 5.5% nationally during 2026 World Cup

• The Beer Institute reports on-trade beer sales across the US rose 5.5% during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with host cities seeing sharper gains of 15.4%.
• Draught beer proved especially popular: host markets reported 14.21% growth in keg depletions per tap line, more than double the 6.21% increase in non-host regions.
• Massachusetts led individual states with a 27.5% sales increase at bars and restaurants; Boston venues including Sam Adams Downtown Taproom required emergency weekend shipments to meet demand.
• California on-trade beer sales climbed 17.9%, while Philadelphia venues sold over 290,000 beers across six World Cup matches despite premium stadium pricing of $15-$20 per beer.
• The tournament provided critical momentum for a beer sector that faced years of declining volume, with even non-host states seeing 1-3% total beverage revenue growth.

French wine regions adopt back-sweetening to court younger drinkers

• Back-sweetening, adding sweetness to finished table wine before bottling, is reshaping global wine styles as producers target casual drinkers seeking softer, fruitier wines with lower alcohol.
• France's INAO approved back-sweetening up to 9 grams per litre in November 2025; Bordeaux and Rhône regions are now trialling the process to broaden their product ranges and respond to climate change.
• US wines by the glass are already predominantly sweeter due to back-sweetening, following Kendall-Jackson's 1982 success and Gallo's 2013 Apothic; European producers fear losing younger consumers to this trend.
• The shift marks the most significant change in wine styles since the 1980s, when critic Robert Parker and winemaker Michel Rolland popularised big, fruity, high-alcohol reds.

Manhatta wine director picks five summer bottles for heat relief

• Sydney Fusto, wine director at Manhatta on Manhattan's 60th floor, recommends high-acid wines to refresh the palate during hot New York summers.
• Sommariva Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore Brut NV offers apple and floral notes; Fusto pours it by the glass at Manhatta for effortless summer drinking.
• Dog Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 from New Zealand delivers herbaceous and citrus flavors with curry leaf aromas; Fusto serves it by the glass at the restaurant.
• Tiberio Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2023, made from Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, offers dark-hued rosé with pomegranate and cherry notes; Fusto pairs it with barbecue and grilled meats.
• Domaine Giacometti 'Sempre Cuntenu' 2024, a chillable Corsican red from Sciacarello, delivers fruit-forward, juicy flavors ideal for warm weather sipping or pairing with food.

Champagne Barons de Rothschild releases two single-vineyard blanc de blancs

• Champagne Barons de Rothschild, founded in 2005 by three French Rothschild family branches, launched two single-site cuvées from 2021: Les Maladries from Avize and Le Bateau from Cramant.
• Les Maladries is pure Chardonnay from a north-facing 0.3-hectare plot with vines over 80 years old, fermented half in concrete eggs and half in barrels, disgorged with 3g/l dosage.
• Le Bateau comes from a 50-year-old Cramant vineyard on pure chalk soil, fermented and aged entirely in wood, with an even lower 2g/l dosage.
• Cellar master Guillaume Lété said the 2021 vintage, difficult overall in Champagne, was lifted by old vines and optimal ripeness, with 2022 expected to be richer due to warmer conditions.
• The single-site series, released after Le Grand Clos 2019, will continue annually using only grand cru Chardonnay from maize-owned vineyards managed without herbicides.

Fladgate Partnership expands beyond Port into Portuguese table wines

• The Fladgate Partnership, which owns Port houses Taylor's, Fonseca and Croft, has added unfortified wines from Bairrada, Dão, and Vinhos Verdes since 2023 and will rebrand as Fladgate Family Wines.
• The company operates estates across four regions: Douro (Port's home), Dão (inland, featuring Touriga Nacional and Pinot Noir), Bairrada (maritime climate, sparkling centre), and Vinhos Verdes (light whites, particularly Alvarinho).
• Fladgate's table wines apply Port-house winemaking principles, balance, concentration, complexity, age-worthiness, proving Portugal's diversity extends beyond fortified styles.
• The expansion positions the company to demonstrate Portugal punches above its weight as a wine producer, with regional specificity and native varieties driving market appeal alongside its Port legacy.

Wine Hub links to Wine Collector exchange for private seller access

• Wine Hub, software owned by Wine Owners, partnered with The Wine Collector from Nickolls & Perks to connect fine wine traders with private collectors' inventory.
• Wine Hub users can now bid on mature and rare wines stored in bonded warehouses, see pricing and margin opportunities in their trading dashboard, and offer wines for sale.
• The integration allows Wine Hub users to list client-consigned wines on Wine Collector Exchange and access duty-paid and in-bond wines verified and held in professional storage.
• Will Gardener, managing director of Nickolls & Perks, said the functionality mirrors their existing Liv-Ex integration and enables real-time stock control without double-selling risk.
• The partnership follows Wine Hub's earlier LiveTrade connection powered by Bordeaux Index, part of a broader trend toward integrated fine wine trading ecosystems.

Mendoza winery restaurants gain two new Michelin stars in 2026 guide

• La VidA at Susana Balbo Winemaker's House and Cal at Sitio La Estocada received Michelin stars in Argentina's third annual guide, announced 13 July 2026.
• Winery and winemaker-led restaurants now comprise six of Argentina's fourteen Michelin-starred establishments, up from four after the 2024 guide launched.
• Cal, owned by winemaker Matías Michelini in Uco Valley, also earned a Michelin Green Star for sustainability and received Argentina's Young Chef Award for its 28-year-old chef Enzo González Petra.
• Nine of Argentina's fourteen starred restaurants are located in Mendoza province, with a dozen more winery dining venues among Michelin's recommended establishments.
• Mendoza tourism leaders view the Michelin recognition as crucial for attracting international visitors and boosting the region's wine and gastronomy reputation.

English wine production surges 55% in 2025 as still wines gain ground

• UK wine production reached 124,377 hectolitres in 2025, equivalent to 16.5 million bottles, up 55% from 2024, with white wine surging 131%, according to the Food Standards Agency.
• The WineGB Harvest Report called 2025 a 'mast year': growing degree days hit 1,051 versus a five-year average of 1,008, and potential alcohol rose from 9.47% to 10.48%.
• Still wines now represent a growing share of English production; Essex's Crouch Valley emerged as a heartland for English Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, attracting investment from Burgundy's Domaine Duroché.
• The sector now comprises 1,158 registered vineyards across 4,357 hectares, employs over 10,000 people, and is valued at approximately £14 billion, with wine tourism generating 1.5 million visits in 2024.
• Challenges remain: the 2023 vintage inventory has not cleared markets; large producers dominate sales; Ridgeview entered administration last September before acquisition by The Quantum Beverage Company in February 2026.

Asia's drinks industry gathers for education, trade events across three cities

• Stephan Berg, founder of The Bitter Truth bitters producer, hosted a masterclass at Bar Tincture in Hong Kong for bartenders and hospitality professionals in June.
• Wines of Hungary held its first Bor Camp on June 23-24, 2026 at Mondrian Seoul Itaewam, bringing sommeliers, buyers and educators to taste Hungarian wines and explore South Korean market integration.
• Tokyo's Sake Fair on June 19-20 attracted 5,600 visitors to sample 1,200 sakes from 45 prefectures, with a public tasting featuring 400 award-winning sakes from the Annual Japan Sake Awards 2026.
• Lemsecco launched in China with Lemon and Blood Orange Spritz now stocked in over 400 Freshippo stores and ten premium supermarket chains including Ole, Apio and Citysuper.

Half of Napa vineyards lost money last year; profitable peers emphasize hospitality and flexibility

• WineBusiness Monthly's annual survey found 50 percent of Napa Valley vineyards reported declining revenue and 51 percent saw profit drops in the past year.
• Napa Valley winemaker Julien Fayard, who opened a downtown Napa bottle shop-tasting room in 2023, credits 66 percent growth to foot traffic and local events.
• Profitable wineries including Chateau Montelena, Domaine Carneros, and Baldacci Family Vineyards are converting tasting room guests to loyal club members through experiential events and personalized relationships.
• Chateau Montelena president Matt Crafton reports access to premium Beckstoffer and Hyde grapes previously on multi-decade waitlists, as grape prices decline during the market downturn.
• Successful Napa producers are lowering tasting fees, offering flexible membership tiers, and building community bonds rather than relying on brand prestige alone.

Grape sunburn becomes urgent problem as heat waves spread to cooler regions

• Sunburn in grapes is a stress response to excess light and extreme berry-surface heat, direct sun can raise fruit temperature 22-27°F above air temperature, sometimes exceeding 122°F on exposed sides.
• Chris Tanghe, MS, director of education for GuildSomm, describes sunburned wine as having flattened fruit, oxidized bitterness, and notes of rubber, asphalt, and creosote; symptoms worsen as wine ages.
• Joanna Gambetta, Ph.D., wine scientist at University of Newcastle Australia, distinguishes sunburn browning (cosmetic yellowing) from sunburn necrosis (cell death); Chardonnay berries show damage within five minutes at 104-109°F under high light.
• Producers are abandoning traditional midsummer defoliation and east-side leaf removal, instead using canopy cover, kaolin clay sprays (cooling vines up to 9°C at Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley), and earlier defoliation timing.
• Climate change is pushing heat waves into traditionally cool regions, forcing winemakers to prioritize shade and sorting as defenses; practices once safe in moderate summers now risk crop damage.

Heat-Tolerant Mourvèdre Struggles as Southern France Temperatures Soar

• Mourvèdre, a late-ripening grape long dominant in France's coastal Bandol region, is now being tested by increasingly extreme heat and drought tied to climate change.
• Producers including Jean-François Ott at Domaines Ott and the Gueissards at Domaine Gueissard are adapting canopy management and planting cover crops to shade vines and retain soil moisture.
• Irrigation, traditionally avoided in dry-farmed Bandol, is becoming necessary; Olivier Colombano, director of the Bandol appellation, recently advised growers to irrigate or risk vine death.
• In Spain's Jumilla region, a three-year drought from 2022-2024 killed some old Monastrell (Mourvèdre) vines; surface area has halved in 20 years as hotter southern sites are abandoned.
• Bandol's wine style is shifting as cooler rosé parcels are converted to red production, raising questions about whether the region's 75 percent rosé output will decline.

Seven organic Sauvignon Blancs offer range from mineral to tropical

• Sauvignon Blanc is difficult to grow organically because the vine is sensitive to powdery and downy mildew, and copper-based fungicides used to combat these diseases damage the flower.
• Jonathan Pabiot, biodynamic winemaker in Pouilly-Fumé, says biodynamic farming helps build living soil and overcome climate risks, though it is not a cure-all.
• Andreas Tscheppe and wife Elisabeth farm biodynamically at 500m altitude in south Styria, Austria, producing Blue Dragonfly fermented with natural yeasts and aged nearly two years in large barrels.
• Patricia and Luc Bertoni of Domaine les Eminades in Languedoc credit nearly 20 years of organic farming and clement southern climate with building disease resilience in their Sauvignon.
• A curated selection of seven organic Sauvignon Blancs ranges from mineral and grassy styles to tropical fruit-forward expressions suitable for summer drinking.

Ten lesser-known Scotch brands offer alternatives to mainstream names

• VinePair compiled ten underrated Scotch brands spanning blended and single-malt styles to challenge the myth that all Scotch is heavily peated.
• Monkey Shoulder, a Speyside blended Scotch, has become bartenders' default cocktail mixer due to its honey, vanilla, and citrus balance.
• Glenglassaugh Sandend and Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie are unpeated Islay and Highland options for drinkers intimidated by the category's smoky reputation.
• Dr. Rachel Barrie, master blender at Glendronach and sister brands Glenglassaugh and Benriach, creates expressions finished in sherry casks that evoke place and season.
• Compass Box Artist Blend and Mortlach 12 Year represent innovative blended and single-malt alternatives to household-name producers like Johnnie Walker and The Macallan.

Osaka researchers develop high-ornithine yeast strain for craft beer

• Scientists at Osaka-based institutions led by Hiroshi Takagi developed ADHorn49, a yeast strain that produces nine times more ornithine than its parent strain using conventional breeding, not genetic modification.
• Ornithine is an amino acid marketed in health supplements for fatigue reduction and sleep improvement; the new yeast allows brewers to boost ornithine content without genetic engineering.
• Laboratory tests showed ADHorn49 fermented similarly to standard yeast while releasing 7.0mg ornithine per litre after four days, compared to negligible amounts in conventional strains.
• 10 Fields Factory brewed a prototype golden strong ale with ADHorn49 containing 19.0mg ornithine per litre, versus 6.1mg in beer made with standard yeast.
• The development offers craft brewers a way to create value-added beers appealing to consumers who prefer products made without genetic modification.

Paris bans public drinking through weekend as Europe faces record heatwave

• Paris police chief Patrice Faure suspended public drinking of takeaway alcohol from noon Friday through 7 a.m. Saturday, repeating the restriction Saturday to Sunday, citing heat-related hospital overcrowding.
• Sale and purchase of takeaway alcohol will also be prohibited from 6 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday and again Saturday into Sunday; bars and restaurants remain open.
• Paris hospitals recorded four times their typical cardiac arrests on Wednesday and Thursday, according to health minister Stéphanie Rist, prompting the restrictions alongside cancellations of sporting events.
• The ban is France's second public drinking restriction in a week after authorities prohibited alcohol at Fête de la Musique festival last weekend despite cleanup finding discarded beer cans and wine bottles.
• Faure warned that alcohol under intense sunlight causes heat exhaustion and other "devastating effects," with temperatures expected to peak Monday; violators face fines but not detention.

Exploring speciality coffee and its parallels with fine wine: a visit to Fazenda Mió in Brazil to catch the harvest

• Brazil produces 3.5 million tonnes of coffee annually, roughly one-third of global production, primarily from Minas Gerais region.
• Fazenda Mió spans 2,000+ hectares with 665 hectares of coffee plants at 900-1,100m altitude in Monte Santo de Minas.
• Coffee bushes yield after 3 years, are actively productive for 20 years, and Mió maintains 70-year-old producing plants.
• Post-harvest processing, not farming, is the critical stage determining coffee flavor, with choices including natural, washed, and semi-dry methods.
• Unlike wine fermentation, coffee processing fermentation plays a less direct but still important role in flavor development.

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

Notable Releases from Troon Vineyard

• Troon Vineyard released 2025 Vermentino and 2023 Syrah from Oregon's Applegate Valley.
• Troon Vineyard, located in Grant's Pass, farms using certified biodynamic and regenerative organic principles.
• Troon ferments with ambient cultures, uses minimal sulfite at bottling, and ages in neutral vessels instead of new oak.
• Applegate Valley's alluvial soils, high latitude long days, and overnight temperature drops from Siskiyou Mountains support Mediterranean grape ripening.

Mountains and Magliocco

• Calabria has nine scattered DOCs; only the eastern Cirò region with Gaglioppo has achieved fame, while western areas remain wine-obscure.
• Casa Comerci, certified organic since 2009, grows only Magliocco Canino and Greco Bianco on 15 of its 27 hectares near Nicotera on the Tyrrhenian coast.
• Magliocco Canino, possibly related to Sangiovese, retains acidity and ripens extremely late, Casa Comerci's 2017 rosé was harvested in early December.
• Casa Comerci ferments and ages solely in stainless steel tanks, never using barrels, achieving fruit-focused wines with plummy perfumes.
• Local house red in Orsomarso's La Costa restaurant cost 7-8€ per litre and was made from Magliocco or a blend, served chilled in a carafe.

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 the American Association of Wine Economists.
• Independent wine distributors have collapsed 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 2024.
• A beach restaurant wine list of 23 wines featured only mass-produced brands like Seaglass, Meiomi, and The Prisoner, exemplifying limited choice despite illusory variety.

The Judgment of Paris Revisited

• The 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting pitted California wines against Bordeaux, with Stag's Leap Cab 1973 and Mayacamas Cab 1971 ranking ahead of Châteaux Mouton-Rothschild and Haut-Brion.
• Judge Odette Kahn, editor of La Revue du Vin de France, attempted to hide her scorecard after ranking California wines first and second.
• Chateau Montelena winemaker Mike Grgich credited the tasting's success with enabling him to launch Grgich Hills winery, describing his life as divided 'before and after' the Paris tasting.
• Bordeaux remained the dominant fine-wine market for decades after 1976, representing 95% of the global secondary fine-wine market in 2010, with only Bordeaux First Growths tracked by Liv-ex's Fine Wine 50 index.
• California's land under vines tripled between 1964 and 1984, though the Paris result had minimal impact on other New World wine regions like Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.

Q&8 | Wang Yuanzhu Talks Grapes, Grain & Ancient Wine

• Coram Collective, founded in 2023 with 2024 production, co-ferments rice wine with Chardonnay and Merlot, and innovates huangjiu (yellow wine), an ancient Chinese fermented beverage.
• Co-founder Alex Yuanzhu Wang's Chardomi blend is 80% Chardonnay grapes and 20% glutinous rice; rice requires soaking, steaming, and saccharification before co-fermenting with pressed grape juice.
• Coram's products are already listed in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu since launching last June.
• Good huangjiu typically shows its best between three and eight years of aging; most modern styles are fresher and cleaner than older, sweeter oxidized versions.
• Common misconception: huangjiu is just cooking wine; quality huangjiu is a complex fermented beverage meant for drinking on its own, with food, or shared at table.