winefeed

by Primal Wine
ArchiveFRIDAY 24 JULY 202624 JUL
01

Vintae takes 90% stake in Bodegas Riojanas after court approval

  • Vintae's holding company Gevisa Wine Capital completed acquisition of Bodegas Riojanas, Rioja, after Commercial Court No. 6 of Logroño registered the restructuring plan.
  • Gevisa acquired 90% stake through €12 million investment using capital reduction and debt capitalisation, with additional €5 million financing facility available.
  • Bodegas Riojanas retains publicly listed status and will trade on Spanish continuous market after final CNMV share admission process.
  • Ricardo Arambarri Pérez appointed chairman and Fernando Martínez Sampedro became CEO under new board structure, with two independent directors to join in September.
  • Vintae's portfolio now includes Bodegas Riojanas, Bodegas Torreduero in Toro, Bodegas Viore in Rueda, and 56% stake in Veiga Naúm in Rías Baixas.
02

Champagne caps 2026 production at 250m bottles, lowest since Covid.

  • Comité Champagne set the 2026 marketable yield at 8,800kg/ha, equivalent to 250 million bottles, the lowest since 2020's pandemic cap of 8,000kg/ha.
  • The limit marks a fourth consecutive year of cuts: down from 9,000kg/ha in 2025, 10,000kg/ha in 2024, 11,400kg/ha in 2023, and 12,000kg/ha in 2022.
  • Growers and winemakers imposed the ceiling to prevent overproduction beyond market demand and to gradually reduce excess inventory while maintaining vineyard profitability.
  • First-half 2025 shipments grew 1.2% to 107.1 million bottles; if sustained, annual shipments would reach 269 million, above last year's 266 million.
  • The 2026 growing season was marked by frost, June heat, and drought, with harvest expected 10 to 15 days earlier than normal, starting around 20 August.
03

Gusbourne creates bespoke sparkling for British Airways Club World from July 2026

  • Gusbourne Airbourne Reserve 2021, a Pinot Noir-dominant sparkling, launches in British Airways Club World cabins from July 2026, replacing Sparkling Rosé 2019.
  • Tim Jackson MW, master of wine, selected Airbourne Reserve for its performance at altitude in the pressurized cabin environment.
  • Gusbourne now exports to more than 40 markets; Norway alone accounts for 40% of export volume, up from zero nine years ago.
  • The bottle features Airforce Blue labelling with herringbone deboss referencing Royal Air Force twill uniforms and the RAF roundel.
  • Gusbourne has won the Chairman's Trophy at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships and received the King's Award for Enterprise for sustained export growth.
04

Stag's Leap 1973 sells for $22,500, five times low estimate at Christie's

  • A bottle of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine that won the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting, sold for US$22,500 at Christie's online auction against a US$4,000-6,000 estimate.
  • Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, made the 1973 that outscored French reds at the historic tasting, establishing California as a fine wine region.
  • Christie's auctioned 50 lots from Stag's Leap's reserve cellar, including rare vintages from 1974-2023 and a magnum edition of which only 1,973 were produced to mark the tasting's 50th anniversary.
  • A 1974-2023 vertical lot and a 55-bottle mixed collection failed to sell, underselling their pre-sale estimates of US$4,000-6,000 and US$10,000-15,000 respectively.
  • Juan Muñoz-Oca, estates director at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, called the record price a testament to the wine's enduring legacy and Napa Valley's standing among the world's great wine regions.
05

Sicilia DOC unites fractious producers under single regional brand

  • Sicilia DOC was established in 2011 after years of negotiation to create a unified regional brand, competing with narrower sub-appellations like Etna DOC that producers favored individually.
  • The designation has gained traction as Sicily's international profile rose, boosted by The White Lotus television series filmed in Taormina and post-COVID travel to the island.
  • American tourists returning from Sicily now seek specific Sicilian grapes they discovered on visits, such as Grillo, Nero d'Avola, and Inzolia, driving demand for Sicilia DOC wines.
  • Producers including Tasca d'Almerita offer diverse Sicilia DOC wines across the island's regions and grape varieties, from Mozia whites to Mount Etna minerality, under a single appellation banner.
  • Sicilia DOC balances regional simplicity for consumers against pressure from sub-regional interests, mirroring similar consolidation efforts in Abruzzo DOC established in 2010.
06

Napa Vineyards Split: Half Losing Money, Winners Lean on Hospitality

  • WineBusiness Monthly's annual survey found 50 percent of Napa Valley vineyards reported revenue decline and 51 percent saw profit drops in the past two years, while 49 percent remain profitable.
  • Profitable wineries are shifting away from high-ticket tasting rooms toward direct-to-consumer strategies: lower tasting fees, immersive experiences, and wine club membership models with tiered entry points.
  • Chateau Montelena, Domaine Carneros, and Eleven Eleven Winery report strong results by prioritizing member relationships and off-site engagement, with Montelena crediting nine-day club tours to Iceland and the Amazon.
  • 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 as fewer, more committed guests replace casual visitors.
  • Lower grape prices have opened access to premium fruit from Beckstoffer and Hyde vineyards that previously had years-long waitlists, giving growers a rare cost advantage during the downturn.
07

Teamsters push Trump tariff on Mexican beer to shift Modelo brewing to US

  • Sean O'Brien, Teamsters president, called for a 75 percent tariff on Mexican beer to incentivize brewing Modelo in the United States instead of Mexico.
  • The union argues Mexico uses tax policy to artificially boost beer exports and suppress wages, undercutting American brewers and their unionized workers.
  • Constellation Brands, which holds US licenses for Modelo and Corona, opposes the tariff, citing a study claiming 74 percent of economic value from imported Mexican beer flows to US workers and businesses.
  • The Teamsters do not organize Mexican workers and stand to gain dues-paying members if production shifts to unionized American breweries.
  • A 2013 Department of Justice consent decree governing Constellation's ownership of Modelo's US licenses may or may not require Mexican production; the full agreement remains unclear.
08

United Spirits profit surges 52% on India premium spirits demand

  • United Spirits, Diageo's Indian unit, reported net profit of 3.91bn rupees for Q1 ending 30 June, up 51.6% year-on-year from 2.58bn rupees.
  • Revenue grew 5% to 61.13bn rupees while operating expenses rose only 4.6%, showing margin expansion.
  • Premium spirits sales jumped 10.1% and now represent 91.7% of total net sales, driven by brands including Johnnie Walker, Antiquity and Tanqueray.
  • Karnataka's May tax reforms reducing excise on premium spirits and removing price controls helped fuel demand for higher-end liquor across India's largest alcohol state.
  • CEO Praveen Someshwar credited consumer-focused strategy for double-digit growth in the Prestige & Above segment heading into fiscal 2027.
09

Wetherspoon profit warning as cost inflation outpaces sales growth

  • JD Wetherspoon, UK pub chain with 793 managed venues, warned annual profits will miss market expectations despite 4% like-for-like sales rise in final quarter to July 2026.
  • Food, labour, energy, repairs and business rates inflation outpaced revenue growth, squeezing margins at a chain built on low-cost positioning.
  • Year-end net debt of £720 million matched prior-year levels despite £42 million spent on share buybacks, offering limited balance-sheet relief.
  • Preliminary results due 2 October 2026; chain opened eight managed pubs and expanded franchised estate to 23 locations during the year.
10

UK-India tariff deal cuts Scotch whisky duty to 75%, opens market access

  • The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, effective 15 July, reduced India's import tariff on Scotch whisky from 150% to 75%, with further phased cuts to 40% planned over ten years.
  • India is Scotch's largest export market by volume, receiving 220 million 70cl bottles worth £286 million in 2025, yet Scotch accounts for only 3% of India's total whisky market.
  • John Kennedy, managing director at Decant Index, expects improved margins for established exporters and potential market entry for smaller producers previously blocked by prohibitive duty costs.
  • Lower tariffs may increase demand for bulk Scotch shipped to India for local bottling or use in Indian whisky brands, benefiting Scottish suppliers and Indian producers alike.
  • Indian distillers including Paul John expressed concern about cheaper imports harming domestic sales, while Scotch producers like Chivas Brothers called the deal a game-changer for exports.
01

Moldova stakes claim as serious wine nation with native grapes and vast cellars

  • Moldova has 114,000 hectares of vineyards covering 7% of its land, the highest vineyard density globally, with wine accounting for 3% of GDP and over 8% of exports.
  • The country sits on chernozem, the black soil covering only 1.8% of Earth's surface, enabling yields of 8-12 tonnes per hectare without irrigation.
  • Cricova and Mileștii Mici cellars are former limestone quarries with 70km and 200km of driveable tunnels respectively, providing ideal natural conditions for traditional method sparkling wines.
  • Fetească family grapes, Albă, Regála, and Neagră, are indigenous varieties with no global equivalents, offering floral whites and dark-fruited reds comparable to Pinot and Malbec but with Eastern European character.
  • Rară Neagră and Viorica are distinctive varieties grown primarily in Moldova; Divin brandy holds protected geographical indication status equivalent to Cognac since 2012.
02

Bordeaux pivots to lighter whites, fresh reds, cocktail-friendly sweet wines

  • Bordeaux producers are expanding dry white production to meet global demand for lighter wines, with white grapes rising from niche to dynamic commercial category despite comprising only 12% of plantings.
  • Château Clarke revived its white wine Le Merle Blanc in 1998 and now sells it as an allocated cuvée where demand exceeds supply, prompting expansion plans.
  • Sweet wine producers including Château Arche and Château La Rame are repositioning Sauternes and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont beyond dessert pairing into cocktails, aperitifs and casual dining to reach younger drinkers.
  • Maison Sichel's Alexander Sichel, named newcomer of the year in 2025, markets lighter reds like Ocha using short maceration and whole-bunch fermentation to appeal to high-end restaurants and bars seeking contemporary Bordeaux.
  • Brother Max Sichel launched César, a label bundling annually awarded Bordeaux bottlings at affordable prices, targeting consumers drinking less but demanding better value.
03

Tim Atkin MW elected chair of Spanish wine advocacy order

  • Wine writer and photographer Tim Atkin MW, invested in the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino in 2007, was elected chair, succeeding Sarah Jane Evans MW after her tenure since 2020.
  • Atkin, recently awarded the Officer's Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, holds memberships across multiple wine orders including Chevalier du Tastevin and the Cofradía de Rioja.
  • The order's current membership spans winery owners, writers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, importers, retailers and winemakers across the UK and Spain, working to promote Spanish wine globally.
04

Conte Vistarino releases four single-vineyard Pinot Nero crus from Oltrepò Pavese

  • Conte Vistarino, a family estate in Rocca de' Giorgi, Italy, has released four single-vineyard still Pinot Nero wines to establish Oltrepò Pavese's diversity and prestige beyond sparkling wines.
  • The crus, Costa del Nero, Tavernetto, Bertone and Pernice, each express distinct terroir through hillside position, soil composition and elevation ranging from 250 to 400 metres.
  • All four wines earned Silver medals at this year's Global Pinot Noir Masters, marking the estate's growing maturity and international recognition after years of consistent critical praise.
  • Oltavia Giorgi di Vistarino now applies the same cru philosophy to traditional-method sparkling wines, extending single-vineyard expression across the estate's range.
  • The project positions Oltrepò Pavese among world-class Pinot Noir territories by using site-specific wines to communicate origin and value where a regional designation alone could not.
05

Aldi launches rosé shade guide after one in three UK adults reject wrong colour

  • Aldi commissioned research finding 31% of UK adults had refused a glass of rosé due to colour, worth an estimated £103m annually in rejected sales.
  • The supermarket created a pocket-sized Rosé Swatch keyring to help shoppers identify their preferred shade, with light Provence-style blush most popular at 40.9% of preference.
  • 56% of respondents said colour was important when choosing rosé, yet 56% incorrectly believed rosé was made by mixing red and white grapes.
  • UK rosé volume rose 3% year-on-year to 129 million bottles in 2025, with value sales up 5% to £882m, driven by affordable French brands under £10.
  • Aldi wine expert Sam Caporn MW cautioned that pale rosé is not inherently superior to darker styles, which offer deeper fruit flavours and food-pairing potential.
06

Independent wine shop owner wins inaugural sustainable buyer award

  • Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such independent shop, won the first Sustainable Wine Buyer award from Decanter's Wine Buyers Awards in 2025.
  • Judges found her sustainability approach threaded through sourcing, producer relations, and daily operations, not confined to single initiatives like cork recycling.
  • Majestic won the companion Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year award, showing larger retailers also embedding sustainability into buying decisions.
  • Many competition entrants left the sustainability section blank, suggesting the industry remains inconsistent on treating it as a core business priority.
  • The award category, new in 2025, recognises buyers' influence on trends and signals growing pressure to embed sustainability across wine retail.
07

Trinchero launches Sauvy B, wine spritzer with electrolytes targeting younger drinkers

  • Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits, the third largest US wine supplier, released Sauvy B, a canned citrus wine spritz made with Sauvignon Blanc, sparkling water, and Himalayan salt electrolytes at 4.5 percent ABV.
  • Winemaker Joel Gott partnered on the product to introduce wine to younger consumers through a ready-to-drink format he sees as lacking in the wine category, competing with successful spirits-based RTDs.
  • Sauvy B is 9 percent wine, 90 percent sparkling water, with grapefruit and lime flavors launching first and pineapple and watermelon versions expected this fall; four-packs retail for $14.
  • Initial distribution begins this week at Target, Total Wine & More, and Walmart nationwide, plus Albertsons and Safeway in southern California and Texas, with on-premise availability from October onward.
  • Gott positioned electrolytes as a bridge to traditional wine consumption, hoping younger drinkers who enjoy Sauvy B will eventually purchase wine at restaurants.
08

Fifteen sommeliers name expensive Bordeaux worth premium prices

  • Fifteen US restaurant sommeliers were asked which three-figure Bordeaux bottles justify their cost for consumers willing to spend large sums.
  • Château Palmer, Château Lafleur, and Haut-Brion emerged as repeated picks, valued for emotional complexity and terroir rather than brand alone.
  • Sommeliers favoured 'Super Seconds' and smaller family estates over first-growth names, citing better value and craftsmanship than marketing spend.
  • Right Bank Pomerol and Pessac-Léognan Graves were highlighted as overlooked regions offering first-growth quality at lower prices than famous Left Bank châteaus.
  • One sommelier named Château d'Yquem, the region's only dessert wine, as worth the 300-year investment for shared occasions.
01

Domaine Lafage harvests earliest crop in Roussillon on July 23

  • Domaine Lafage in Roussillon began picking on July 23, its earliest harvest ever, driven by budburst 15 days ahead of normal and sustained heat from May onward.
  • Early rainfall replenished water reserves while spring and summer temperatures remained consistently high, advancing the growing cycle across the region.
  • First grapes harvested are Muscat Petits Grains from Mediterranean coastal vineyards, picked at optimal ripeness for Lafabuleuse, a lightly sparkling white expected at 9% ABV.
  • Domaine Lafage's entire estate earned regenerative viticulture certification from A Greener World in early 2026 after years of water management, soil regeneration, and agroforestry work.
  • Roussillon vintners report renewed optimism after several drought-affected years, with winter and spring rainfall restoring vineyard balance and creating conditions for healthy, high-quality fruit.
02

Costco recalls desert willow plants carrying grape-killing pest eggs

  • Costco sold desert willow plants carrying glassy-winged sharpshooter eggs between 24 June and 3 July 2026, triggering a California recall.
  • The leafhopper transmits Xylella fastidiosa bacteria, which causes Pierce's disease in grapevines; infected vines must be destroyed and no cure exists.
  • This marks the second 2026 incident of the pest found on Costco plants; earlier this year sharpshooters were discovered on grapevines the retailer sold.
  • California officials advise customers to isolate purchased plants and contact county agricultural commissioners; disposal requires double-sealed bags in household waste, never compost.
  • Pierce's disease poses existential risk to California's $73 billion wine industry, making containment of the pest a state agricultural priority.
03

Grape sunburn spreads beyond hot climates as heat waves shift vineyard practices

  • Sunburn occurs when berry surface temperatures exceed 104-109°F under high light, causing chlorophyll and polyphenols to break down within minutes, producing cooked fruit, asphalt, and creosote aromas.
  • Chris Tanghe, director of education at GuildSomm, identified sunburned grapes by their flattened fruit character, oxidized bitterness, and rubber and asphalt notes during a 2025 TexSom seminar.
  • Joanna Gambetta, wine scientist at the University of Newcastle, Australia, found that early defoliation at flowering reduces sunburn more than late defoliation at veraison because berries build photoprotective compounds.
  • Producers from Provence to Napa are abandoning midsummer leaf removal and adopting kaolin clay sprays and canopy-focused vineyard design, with Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley reporting 9°C canopy cooling from kaolin treatment.
  • Heat waves arriving earlier and further into traditionally cool regions are making sunburn prevention critical; undetected sunburned grapes produce premature aging, flabby acid, and brown-rimmed color in finished wine.
04

Heat-Tolerant Mourvèdre Struggles as Southern France Temperatures Soar

  • Mourvèdre, long valued for heat tolerance in Bandol and Spain's Jumilla region, now faces stress from record temperatures and prolonged drought that even this variety cannot always survive.
  • A three-year drought from 2022 to 2024 in Jumilla killed some old Mourvèdre bush vines despite their deep roots, forcing growers to irrigate or abandon parcels in the hottest southern areas.
  • Bandol producers are adapting canopy management, raising gobelet training height, and planting shade trees to protect grapes from sunburn and slow ripening cycles as summers intensify.
  • Irrigation, traditionally rejected in dry-farmed Bandol to preserve terroir character, is now essential in some parcels; without it, vines face death before harvest.
  • Wine style is shifting as producers move production from traditionally cooler rosé sites to red wine parcels, and Bandol's rosé output at 75 percent of total production may decline.
01wineanorak·Jamie Goode·

A vertical of Vega Sicilia: taking a deep dive into Spain’s most celebrated wine producer

  • Gonzalo Iturriaga, winemaker at Vega Sicilia for 11 years, emphasizes terroir and finding the optimal harvest moment as key to winemaking.
  • Vega Sicilia Unico spends 5.5 years in barrel: 18 months in small oak, then remainder in 22,000 litre casks for refinement.
  • All Mwillot from Vega Sicilia is allocated to Valbuena; less structured wines also go to Valbuena with additional year in old oak.
  • Vega Sicilia uses both French and American oak; barrel destination determined after first year based on wine characteristics.
Read the full story
02Tim Atkin·Tim Atkin MW·

The Yang Of Greek Wine

  • Assyrtiko dominated Greek wine's international story for 20 years, but Malagousia has emerged as an equally significant domestic white wine story since the late 2000s.
  • Malagousia was rescued from near-extinction in the late 1970s by viticulturist Vangelis Gerovassiliou, an agriculturalist, professor, and winery owner working together.
  • By 2020, Malagousia had caught up with Chardonnay in vineyard acreage and threatened to rival Moschofilero, with producer numbers skyrocketing.
  • Malagousia ranges from rich, tropical-fruit expressions resembling Semillon or Viognier, to drier, herbal versions echoing Viura or Garnacha Blanca, versatile for food pairing and casual drinking.
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03Everyday Drinking·Jason Wilson·

In Praise of Older White Wines

  • 78% of white wines from Octavian Wine's warehouse shipped to customers came from previous six vintages, versus only 40% of red wines, showing collectors drink white wines much younger.
  • White Burgundy's "premox" crisis emerged in 1995 vintage wines, causing unexpected oxidation in top producers like Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, with no consensus on cause or why it disappeared.
  • Professor Maurizio Ugliano's team at University of Verona is mapping volatile compounds and aroma precursors of Italian grape varieties including turbiana to understand aging development.
  • BIVB's six-year VOLTA study concluded white Burgundy's aging potential is largely built during pressing and élevage, not determined by grape variety alone.
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05The Morning Claret·Simon J. Woolf·

Six Wines That Stopped Me in My Tracks

  • Charly, a Burgundy native, relocated to Lower Austria a decade ago and produces wines under his own label with a French sensibility using Austrian varieties.
  • Charly's Blauer Portugieser 2023, made from grapes sourced from Christoph Hoch, displays ripeness, vivid fruit, and creamy texture atypical for the variety.
  • Charly owns one hectare of vines 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 could not be confirmed online.
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06Maker's Table·Meg Maker·

Notable Releases from Troon Vineyard

  • Troon Vineyard released 2025 Vermentino and 2023 Syrah from Oregon's Applegate Valley.
  • Troon Vineyard practices certified biodynamic and regenerative organic farming in Grant's Pass, western Applegate Valley.
  • Troon ferments with ambient cultures, uses minimal sulfite at bottling, and ages in neutral oak, concrete, qvevri, or stainless steel.
  • Applegate Valley's alluvial soils, high latitude long days, and overnight temperature drops from Siskiyou Mountain winds suit Mediterranean grape ripening.
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07Grape Wall of China·Jim Boyce·

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

  • Coram Collective, founded in 2023 with production from 2024, co-ferments rice wine with grape varieties like Chardonnay and Merlot, and innovates huangjiu (yellow wine).
  • Co-founder Alex Yuanzhu Wang's products are already listed in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu since launching last June.
  • Huangjiu typically shows its best between three and eight years of aging; most good huangjiu is meant for drinking, not cooking, contrary to common misconception.
  • Coram Collective's Chardomi blends 80% Chardonnay grapes with 20% glutinous rice; rice undergoes soaking, steaming, and saccharification before co-fermenting with pressed grape juice.
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08Be Wine Curious·Miquel Hudin·

A wine of straw

  • Dessert wine consumption has declined for approximately 75 years, with no expected recovery due to negative perceptions of sugar and alcohol.
  • Raül Bobet, co-owner of Ferrer-Bobet in Priorat, Catalunya, released a dessert wine requiring 20 years of aging, driven by personal passion rather than market demand.
  • Goût Russe Champagne of the 19th century contained 300g/l of sugar for Russian markets, far exceeding modern dessert wine sweetness levels.
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