winefeed

Paul Boutinot steps back from wine distributor after 33-year run

• Paul Boutinot sold his eponymous wine distributor to its management team in 2013, ending his 33-year ownership since founding it in Stockport in 1980.
• Boutinot Wines grew from importing French wines to restaurants into a major distributor producing 70% of its own portfolio across France, Australia, Chile and South Africa.
• The buyout was led by Dennis Whiteley, Michael Moriarty and Tony Brown MW, executives who had helped build the business and shared Boutinot's winemaking philosophy.
• Boutinot's business model applied fine-wine production methods to affordable wines, including his 1983 Cuvée Jean-Paul blend that reached one million bottles annually within eight years.

Adelaide winery Heartland Wines enters administration with $3.6m debt

• Heartland Wines, Adelaide-based red producer, appointed administrators Daniel Lopresti and Anna Agostino on 15 June after $3.6m total debt emerged.
• Westpac, largest secured creditor, provided overdraft and credit card facility that ballooned to AU$1.2m by mid-June.
• Directors disclosed wine stock worth AU$1.1m in fair market value, materially below its recorded book value at administration date.
• Administrators exploring sale or recapitalisation while retaining all employees and maintaining normal trading operations.
• Collapse reflects broader Australian wine crisis: 2026 harvest fell to 1.27m tonnes, a 25-year low, down 19% year-on-year.

US buyers lift fine wine market to price stability in H1 2026

• US fine wine buyers increased their share to 26.9% of purchase value in Q2 2026, up from 20.7% average in 2025, according to Liv-ex data.
• American buyers paid an average 1.1% premium above market price in Q2, compared to 0.03% in Q1, supporting overall price stability across fine wine indices.
• Asian buyers retreated during H1 as shipping costs surged up to 60% due to the Iran War, while private collectors now drive the market as merchants remain risk-averse.
• Liv-ex forecasts price stability will likely continue if US buying holds through H2 and purchase prices remain at or above market levels.
• Top-line stability masks selective demand; trade volumes remain depressed despite index gains, creating what Liv-ex calls quiet opportunity for disciplined buyers.

Australian wine harvest hits 25-year low as prices fall further

• Australia's 2026 crush dropped to 1.27 million tonnes, down 19% from 2025 and 25% below the 10-year average, according to Wine Australia.
• Vintage value fell 26% to A$837 million despite the smaller harvest, with grape prices falling 6% year-on-year on average.
• Red varieties accounted for 80% of the production decline; white grapes now make up the majority of the crush for only the second time in 12 years.
• Wine Australia's Peter Bailey and Sandy Hathaway attributed the collapse to weak global demand and extreme weather including late frosts, heatwaves and flooding.
• Four consecutive vintages have now fallen below the long-term average, signalling what Bailey called an underlying reset in grapes required by winemakers.

Rioja brands including Federico Paternina go to auction after group insolvency

• IAG Auction will sell four Rioja brands belonging to Marqués de la Concordia Group on 27-29 July as part of insolvency proceedings for United Wineries entities.
• Federico Paternina, Lagunilla, Marqués de la Concordia and Rioja Santiago generated €18.49 million in normalised Rioja DO sales during 2019-21, with Federico Paternina accounting for 52%.
• The portfolio reached 41% of sales through exports, concentrated in Nordic countries [27.72%] and Central Europe [21.93%], offering geographic diversification.
• The sale offers established brands with decades of history and international recognition, allowing buyers to accelerate market positioning faster than building new brands from scratch.

Profitable Napa wineries build loyalty through hospitality as half the valley loses money

• WineBusiness Monthly's annual survey found 50 percent of Napa vineyards reported revenue declines and 51 percent saw profit drops in the past two vintages, with 2026 seen as pivotal.
• The 49 percent of growers still profitable rely on direct-to-consumer sales, flexible club memberships, and member-focused events rather than casual tasting room traffic.
• Chateau Montelena, Domaine Carneros, and Pestoni Family Estate cut tasting costs and added immersive experiences like sabering classes and international member trips to boost guest-to-club conversions.
• Baldacci Family Vineyards saw tasting room revenue drop 11 percent and on-site traffic fall 21 percent year-over-year, but average order values rose among fewer, higher-spending visitors.
• Napa's grape glut and falling prices have unlocked access to premium fruit from long-waitlisted vineyards like Beckstoffer and Hyde, giving producers a cost advantage during the downturn.

Joule's Brewery secures £2 million approval to restore historic Harborne pub

• Joule's Brewery, based in Shropshire, won planning approval for £2 million restoration of The New Inn in Harborne, Birmingham.
• The brewery spent two years consulting locals and designing plans to preserve the pub's original Victorian bar and parlour rooms.
• Restoration will add new spaces and an extensive garden while keeping the pub trading under current landlords Ade and Bernie.
• Work begins in 2025; this is Joule's largest single investment in any of its Taphouses to date.
• Brewery cites community support and belief that independent pubs are worth preserving as drivers of the decision.

Canada backs cider exporters with CA$98,450 federal grant

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada granted Cider Canada, a non-profit founded in 2021 representing 165+ producers, CA$98,450 through its AgriMarketing Program.
• Cider Canada will match the grant, bringing total project funding to CA$196,900 through March 2028 to expand international market presence.
• The initiative includes export branding, UK market research, a bilingual marketing toolkit, and a targeted trade mission with business-to-business meetings.
• Global cider demand is rising with Europe holding 37% market share as of 2024, driven by innovation and younger drinkers.
• The project aims to help Canadian producers understand priority markets and build relationships with international importers, distributors and retailers.

Château Léognan appoints Sébastien Vergne as consultant winemaker

• Château Léognan in Pessac-Léognan, Graves, hired Sébastien Vergne (formerly Château Margaux) as consultant winemaker in January 2025.
• The 6-hectare vineyard, planted in the 1980s by Olivier Bernard, remained unlabelled until Philippe and Chantal Miecaze purchased it in 2007.
• The estate is distinguished by an unusually high Cabernet Sauvignon content, typically 70%, which performs well in both hot-dry and cold-wet vintages.
• Marielle Cazaux, winemaker from 2007 to 2012, later moved to Pomerol estates Petit-Village and La Conseillante, establishing the property's quality trajectory.
• No synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers have been used since planting; the vineyard sits in a forest that covers 54 of its 60 hectares.

Stuart Ralston and Stuart Skea open Lyla, Edinburgh seafood restaurant with considered wine list

• Chef Stuart Ralston and Group Head Sommelier Stuart Skea opened Lyla at No. 3 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, a 28-cover seafood restaurant pairing high-acid cooking with a classical, Eurocentric wine list.
• Skea's wine program emphasizes grower Champagnes, Spanish regions beyond Tempranillo, South African producers and Jura, with Krug featured across multiple vintages and as potential house wine for Krug Ambassade status.
• Ralston's cooking uses Japanese ingredients and fermented elements to check richness with acidity; courses arrive with different techniques and ingredients to avoid repetition, paired deliberately by Skea with Austrian oak Chenins and mature whites.
• Lyla earned VERiFAIR workplace accreditation and explicitly refuses vegetarian, vegan, and allergen-free menus, signalling operational clarity over universal adaptation.

Actor Sam Neill honoured as New Zealand wine Fellow before death

• Sam Neill, actor and Two Paddocks founder in Central Otago, was named a Fellow of New Zealand Winegrowers in 2026 for over 35 years in wine.
• New Zealand Winegrowers cited Neill for using his international profile to promote the country's wines, regions and people with authenticity and warmth.
• Neill established Two Paddocks in 1993 and grew it from five acres into four vineyard sites across Gibbston, Alexandra and Bannockburn, focused on organic Pinot Noir.
• He resisted the celebrity winemaker label, insisting Two Paddocks be judged on wine quality alone, not his film fame.
• Neill died aged 78 before his induction at the New Zealand Wine 2026 Celebration Dinner scheduled for August in Wellington.

Freemark Abbey brings thirty-year library to London trade tasting

• Freemark Abbey, a historic Napa Valley winery, will present nine wines spanning 1995 to 2023 at Princess Alexandra Hall in London on 22 July, led by winemaker Kristy Melton and sommelier Patrick Schmitt MW.
• The tasting draws on Freemark Abbey's library of back vintages maintained since the 1960s, showing wines made by winemaker emeritus Ted Edwards alongside Melton's work since 2020.
• Six Cabernet Sauvignons will anchor the tasting: three from Bosché Vineyard, two from Sycamore Vineyard, and one Napa Valley blend, each in multiple vintages to demonstrate terroir consistency.
• The event supports a new UK distribution partnership aimed at widening Freemark Abbey's recognition among British trade and press beyond its historical reputation from the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
• The winemaking vision spans decades with Edwards installing new fermentation tanks and French oak in the 1990s, then Melton continuing precision-focused refinement using her laboratory science background.

Green Awards 2026 adds co-operative producer category, launches Green Day forum

• The Drinks Business Green Awards 2026 opened entries on 18 September deadline, introducing Best Co-operative Wine Producer of the Year category recognizing collaborative models, wine quality and sustainable production.
• A new one-day Green Day programme in November will feature panel discussions on biodiversity, sustainability certification costs, technology access for small growers, and ethical labour practices in drinks production.
• Green Day includes a walk-around tasting of certified sustainable wines and co-operative producers' bottles, alongside producer presentations and online coverage for participating companies.
• The 2025 awards recognized Sogrape, Domaine Bousquet, The Wine Society, Concha y Toro and Porto Protocol for sustainability achievements linked to reduced resource use and stronger brand positioning.
• Winning producers demonstrated that environmental programmes cut water and energy consumption, improve soil health and reduce packaging weight while providing clearer commercial narratives for buyers and consumers.

Old Vine Photography Competition crowns inaugural winners across continents

• Old Vine Conference held its first photography competition on 15 July, receiving 272 entries and 3,664 global votes across four categories.
• Winning images came from Australia, Bolivia and Spain, chosen to raise consumer awareness of old vineyards and their communities.
• Belinda Stone, Old Vine Conference executive director, framed photography as an emotional bridge between wineries and drinkers.

Rosé's boom risks collapse if producers chase excessive leanness

• Patrick Schmitt MW notes rosé is one of few growth categories in struggling wine markets, loved across age groups from Jeremy Clarkson to Kylie Jenner.
• Rosé's appeal rests on balance: dry and mouthwatering with red-berry and stone-fruit flavours, crisp finish, and weight on mid-palate without sweetness or heavy tannins.
• Schmitt detected a stylistic drift toward excessive leanness in The Global Rosé Masters blind tasting, with many rosés tasting herbaceous, hard, or thin rather than soft.
• He warns the category risks the fate of 1990s Chardonnay, which lost consumers when a pendulum swing toward skinny, cool-climate styles overcorrected from oaky excess.
• To preserve rosé's success, producers should retain ripe fruit, moderate alcohol, and soft texture in everyday offerings; experimentation belongs at the premium end only.

Champagne houses turn artist collaborations into lifestyle marketing

• Ruinart commissioned Czech artist Alphonse Mucha in 1895 to design an Art Nouveau Champagne poster, establishing a trend for creative partnerships across the region.
• Veuve Clicquot collaborated with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama on La Grande Dame 2012 labels and sculptures in 2021, and paired La Grande Dame 2018 with fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus on limited linen-wrapped bottles launched at New York Fashion Week.
• Bollinger holds a 45-year partnership with James Bond films beginning with 1979's Moonraker, and last year became official Champagne partner of Aston Martin to host VIP experiences globally.

Trinchero and Joel Gott launch Sauvy B, electrolyte-spiked wine spritzer for younger drinkers

• Trinchero Family Wines, the third-largest US wine supplier, released Sauvy B, a 4.5% ABV ready-to-drink spritzer made with Sauvignon Blanc, sparkling water, and Himalayan salt for electrolytes.
• Winemaker Joel Gott, whose brands Joel Gott Wines and Three Thieves are part of Trinchero's portfolio, partnered on the product to introduce wine to younger consumers through a 'cool' format they will actually drink.
• Each 12-ounce can contains 90% sparkling water, 9% wine, and natural fruit flavoring; grapefruit and lime launch first, with pineapple and watermelon planned for fall 2025.
• Sauvy B joins a wave of low-ABV canned beverages targeting health-conscious drinkers, including Stateside's Super Lyte and Svedka Vodka Water, all benchmarked at 4.5% ABV.
• Four-packs sell for $14 and roll out to Target, Total Wine & More, and Walmart nationwide this week, with on-premise availability expanding through January 2027.

Fifteen US sommeliers pick expensive Bordeaux worth the premium price

• Fifteen US restaurant and wine-shop sommeliers were asked to name high-priced Bordeaux bottles they believe justify their cost.
• Scott Woltz, beverage director at Bibliotheque in New York, nominated Château Palmer for its emotional character and Burgundian perfume despite third-growth status.
• Julie Dalton, master sommelier at Stella's Wine Bar in Houston, favours Château Haut-Brion among first growths for its unpolished rusticity and minerality.
• Cody Pruitt, co-owner of Capitaine and Chateau Royale in New York, chose Château Lafleur for its family stewardship and farming precision over marketing cachet.
• Other picks included Château Le Puy from the Amoreau family, La Mission Haut-Brion for its Graves terroir, Château Pontet-Canet for biodynamic innovation, and Château d'Yquem dessert wine.

Ten lesser-known Scotch brands worth exploring beyond household names

• VinePair identified ten Scotch brands outside mainstream recognition, including single malts and blends across regions, to help drinkers move beyond iconic labels like Johnnie Walker and The Macallan.
• Monkey Shoulder, a Speyside blended Scotch, became the default bartender choice for Scotch cocktails through balanced honey, vanilla, and citrus notes that work across mixed drinks.
• Glenglassaugh Sandend and Ardbeg 10 serve as gateway expressions for misconceptions that all Scotch tastes peaty or smoky, offering tropical and citrus flavors respectively.
• Bruichladdich's Classic Laddie is unpeated despite being Islay Scotch, revealing fruity and salty notes often masked by smoke in regional peers.
• Master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie at Glendronach, Glenglassaugh, and Benriach demonstrates how three decades of craft creates expressions evoking place and season, exemplified by The Glendronach Original 12 Year.

Texas A&M sends grape seeds to space station to study radiation effects

• Hundreds of Texas grape seeds launched to the International Space Station as part of a six-month Texas A&M University experiment studying cosmic radiation impact on plant genetics.
• Aerospace engineering students Coby Arnold and Arvind Subramanyam designed a protective carrier allowing seeds to survive radiation exposure while triggering genetic changes, working with viticulture specialist Justin Scheiner.
• Seeds will be planted at AgriLife Research vineyard at Thomas Ranch alongside control seeds to compare growth, genetics and grape production for measurable radiation-induced differences.
• Three varieties selected include Lomanto, a Texas cultivar developed by viticulturist T.V. Munson in the early 1900s, chosen for disease resistance and climate tolerance.
• If successful, researchers could bottle wine from space-exposed seeds within years, potentially using radiation-induced mutations to improve future grape breeding or crop resilience.

Grape sunburn spreads beyond hot regions as heat waves intensify

• Sunburn occurs when berry surface temperatures exceed 104-109°F under high light, causing chlorophyll and aromatic compounds to degrade within minutes.
• Chris Tanghe, MS and education director at GuildSomm, identifies sunburned fruit by rubber, asphalt, and creosote notes alongside flattened fruit and oxidized bitterness.
• Joanna Gambetta, Ph.D., wine scientist at University of Newcastle, Australia, found that early defoliation at flowering builds photoprotective compounds, while defoliation at veraison increases damage significantly.
• Producers including Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley and Chêne Bleu in Ventoux now limit or eliminate midsummer leaf removal and apply kaolin clay reflective film to cool canopies by up to 9°C.
• Winemakers including Steve Matthiasson at Matthiasson Wines in Napa Valley now prioritize canopy cover and vineyard design over sun exposure, reversing decades of defoliation orthodoxy.

Heat-Tolerant Mourvèdre Struggles as Southern France Temperatures Soar

• Mourvèdre, bred for heat in Spain's Levante and long dominant in coastal Bandol, France, is losing balance as harvests accelerate and acidity drops under record temperatures.
• Even heat-adapted vines require moderation: a three-year drought in Jumilla from 2022 to 2024 killed old bush vines, forcing growers to consider irrigation despite terroir concerns.
• Bandol and Jumilla producers are experimenting with canopy techniques, raised gobelet training, three-dimensional shade, cover crops, to slow ripening and retain soil moisture.
• Cooler Bandol sites traditionally reserved for rosé are now being planted for red wine, risking a shift away from the region's current 75 percent rosé production.
• Viticulture professor Alain Deloire warns dry farming is unsustainable in Provence, claiming irrigation is now compulsory for most vineyards despite growers' fears of losing terroir typicity.

Highlights: Château La Négly La Brise Marine Blanc 2021 La Clape, France

• Château La Négly La Brise Marine Blanc 2021 La Clape contains Roussanne, Bourboulenc, and Clairette; 13.5% alcohol.
• The 2021 vintage remains fresh and detailed after nearly five years in bottle, sealed with synthetic cork.
• Current 2025 vintage blends Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Rolle, and Roussanne; retails €12.90 in France.
• 2021 vintage available at UK Tesco (£23) and Quercus Wines (£18); scored 92/100.

Vinography Unboxed: Week of 7/12/26

Hello and welcome to my weekly dig through the pile of wine samples that show up on my doorstep asking

Thinking & Drinking: Shower Wines

• The author selected seven still wines under $20 for a wedding shower in New Jersey, including rosé, white, red, and orange varieties.
• WineWorks, a suburban liquor store in Marlton, New Jersey, stocks mass-market wines alongside good-value selections curated by buyer Charlie.
• The author argues the U.S. wine distribution system favors manipulated industrial wines over thousands of mid-range honest producers, choking out consumer choice.

Six Wines That Stopped Me in My Tracks

• Charly, a Burgundy native, moved to Lower Austria a decade ago and produces wines under his own label with a French sensibility using traditional Austrian varieties.
• Charly's Blauer Portugieser 2023, made from grapes sourced from Christoph Hoch, features ripeness, vivid fruit, and creamy texture, unusually hedonistic for the variety.
• Charly owns one hectare and sources additional grapes from friends farming organically or biodynamically.
• Three of Charly's wines are available from Gute Weine for €27 per bottle with EU delivery; the Blauer Portugieser availability online is uncertain.

Marketing Natural Wine

• Natural wine is the leading opportunity in wine according to IWSR's Opportunity Index and expands globally at around 13% annually, outpacing the struggling broader wine market.
• Paris alone has 600 natural wine bars according to French app Raisin, with natural wine bars proliferating across major cities in Europe, North America, and Asia.
• Georgia defines natural wine as wine from spontaneous fermentation of organically grown grapes with maximum 40 mg/l sulphur dioxide, though the category remains vaguely defined across regions.
• Natural wine labels feature bold, artistic designs with unconventional names and imagery, but designers spend no more money overall, they make bolder, more intentional branding decisions than traditional wine regions.
• Research by Sophie Parker-Thomson MW found wines with no added SO₂ contained the highest levels of biogenic amines, contradicting the natural wine movement's focus on eliminating sulphur dioxide.

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 oak, concrete, qvevri, or stainless steel.

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

• Coram Collective, founded in 2023 with 2024 production, co-ferments rice wine with grape varieties like Chardonnay and Merlot, while also innovating huangjiu (yellow wine).
• Co-founder Alex Yuanzhu Wang's huangjiu with aged Chinese tangerine peel came from a Christmas Eve 2024 inspiration after physical work, combining citrus notes with soft wheat character.
• Coram's products are already stocked in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu since launching last June.
• Huangjiu is often misconceived as cooking wine; quality huangjiu is a complex fermented beverage best consumed between three and eight years of aging, fresher and cleaner than older styles.
• Chardomi (80% Chardonnay, 20% glutinous rice) required saccharifying rice separately before co-fermenting with pressed grape juice, a fundamentally different process than traditional wine fermentation.

A wine of straw

• Dessert wine consumption has declined for approximately 75 years, with no expected recovery amid concerns about sugar and alcohol content.
• Goût Russe Champagne in the 19th century contained 300g/l of sugar for the Russian market, representing the peak of sweet sparkling wines.
• Raül Bobet, co-owner of Ferrer-Bobet in Priorat, Catalunya, released a dessert wine requiring 20 years of aging, reflecting personal passion for the style.