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English insurer Neil Utley acquires historic Château Vignelaure in Provence

• Neil Utley, English insurance entrepreneur, bought Château Vignelaure on 23 July 2026, a 56-hectare Provence estate founded by Georges Brunet in 1960.
• Vignelaure pioneered red blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah in northern Coteaux d'Aix; the estate inspired Trévallon and shaped late 20th-century Provence winemaking.
• The estate has cycled through multiple owners since the 1980s; Utley's purchase marks significant investment in vineyard replanting and cellar renovation, last major updated in 1972.
• Vignelaure now produces 40% rosé, 20% white, and 40% red; winemaker Philippe Bru will remain in charge and aims to maintain style while improving quality and sales.
• Utley plans cosmetics and spa ventures using estate grapeseed oil, honey and olives, signalling diversification beyond fine wine as his first wine-industry investment.

Celebrity wine brands surge from 2005 to 2025, peak during pandemic

• Kyle MacLachlan launched Pursued by Bear in Walla Walla in 2005, pioneering the celebrity wine trend that accelerated through the 2010s.
• 2020 saw a massive surge in celebrity wine launches, with at least seven major brands debuting during pandemic lockdowns.
• Post Malone, Cameron Diaz, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige all entered the market in July 2020 alone, signaling peak celebrity interest.
• Earlier adopters like Francis Ford Coppola (2006) and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Château Miraval (2013) established the model for leveraging fame to drive wine sales.
• Celebrity wine brands now represent a considerable sector of the industry, though launch momentum has slowed since 2020.

Welsh producers seek world's first natural wine appellation

• Welsh winemakers have applied for Natural Wine of Wales PGI, which would require organic viticulture, spontaneous fermentation, no synthetic chemicals, and production entirely in Wales.
• Paul Rolt, winemaker at Hebron Vineyard in Carmarthenshire, leads a producers' group including Richard Morris and Jean de Plessis of Ancre Hill Estate and David Morris of Mountain People Wines.
• The scheme would exclude PIWI grape varieties and bar wines made at English facilities, unlike the existing Welsh wine PGI which permits 15 percent English grapes and English winemaking.
• UK wine producers face no ingredient labelling requirements, unlike EU counterparts; the application seeks transparency via QR codes or direct label disclosure of all inputs.
• Defra's Geographical Indication Scrutiny Panel has assessed the August 2025 application and requested further information; Rolt reports positive feedback from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Rathfinny gains planning approval to expand Sussex wine tourism

• Rathfinny Wine Estate in Sussex received unanimous planning approval from South Downs National Park Authority to expand its guest accommodation.
• The producer will add six luxury 'Grape Pickers' Huts' in a former quarry, a four-bedroom Stable Block, and refurbish existing Flint Barns accommodation.
• Rathfinny, which achieved B Corp certification in 2023, cited growing international demand for wine tourism from Scandinavia and North America.
• Mark Driver, co-owner and co-founder, said the expansion allows the estate to welcome more guests and create new hospitality jobs in the region.
• Accommodation within the South Downs National Park remains limited despite rising visitor interest in English sparkling wine.

Billecart-Salmon launches first Ratafia after 208 years, using press-juice byproduct

• Billecart-Salmon, seventh-generation family maison in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, released its inaugural Ratafia Champenois in spring 2025 after two centuries without one.
• The 18% ABV fortified wine uses second and third press Pinot Noir must from biodynamic vineyard Clos Saint-Hilaire, blending four vintages (2019-2022) aged in Burgundy oak.
• 500mL bottles retail at €58 in France; distribution begins early 2027 across independent retailers, restaurants, and five-star hotels in key markets.
• Asia-Pacific launch scheduled autumn 2026 at venues including Rosewood Hong Kong, Agnes Brisbane, and confirmed partners in Singapore and Shanghai.
• Chief winemaker Florent Nys said each vintage contributed distinct character: 2019 richness, 2020 maturity, 2021 freshness, 2022 length; second edition bottling planned end of 2026.

Vintae completes Bodegas Riojanas acquisition with 90% stake

• Vintae's holding company Gevisa Wine Capital acquired 90% of Bodegas Riojanas after Spanish court approval, completing a restructuring that began in May.
• Gevisa invested €12 million in the deal and will provide Bodegas Riojanas with up to €5 million in additional financing for operations.
• Bodegas Riojanas, founded in 1890 and owner of Monte Real and Viña Albina brands, remains publicly listed on the Spanish continuous market.
• Ricardo Arambarri Pérez became chairman and Fernando Martínez Sampedro became chief executive under the new ownership structure.
• The acquisition adds Bodegas Torreduero in Toro, Bodegas Viore in Rueda, and a 56% stake in Veiga Naúm in Rías Baixas to Vintae's portfolio.

Moldova's vineyard density and native grapes position it for global wine trade growth

• Moldova ranks first globally in vineyard density at 114,000 hectares, covering 7% of agricultural land and producing 3% of GDP and over 8% of exports.
• Chernozem black soil, found on only 1.8% of Earth's surface, enables yields of 8-12 tonnes per hectare and supports Moldova's wider agricultural export strength.
• Cricova and Mileștii Mici operate vast underground limestone cellars, with the latter holding 1.5 million bottles in 200km of tunnels and the Guinness World Record.
• Native Fetească varieties, Rară Neagră, and Viorica offer distinctive alternatives to mainstream grapes; Rară Neagră at Purcari provides a lighter-red option competing with Pinot Noir.
• Divin brandy holds protected geographical indication status since 2012 with regulations matching Cognac and Armagnac, aging from three to twenty-five years.

Wetherspoon profits fall despite 4% sales lift as costs surge

• JD Wetherspoon, a UK pub chain with 793 managed venues, warned annual profits will miss market expectations despite like-for-like sales rising 4% in the final quarter to July 2026.
• Food, labour, repairs, energy and business rates all rose faster than revenue, squeezing margins at a business built on affordable pricing with naturally slim profit per transaction.
• Wetherspoon ended the year with net debt of £720 million, in line with prior year, and spent £42 million on share buybacks and £12.2 million acquiring pub freeholds.
• Unlike competitors Marston's and Fuller's, the chain historically avoids costly subscriptions to sports channels, limiting exposure to premium live sport beyond major tournaments.

Profitable Napa wineries pivot to hospitality as half the valley loses money

• WineBusiness Monthly's annual survey found 50 percent of Napa vineyards reported declining revenue and 51 percent saw profit drops in the past two vintages, pushing growers toward mothballing or abandoning acreage.
• The 49 percent of Napa growers turning profits are cutting tasting-room prices below $75, building wine clubs with tiered memberships, and investing in direct-to-consumer sales rather than relying on walk-in visitors.
• Chateau Montelena, Domaine Carneros, and Baldacci Family Vineyards report membership growth and higher spending per guest by hosting members-only events and offering experiences like sabering classes or multi-day member trips.
• Lower grape prices have opened access to premium fruit from Beckstoffer and Hyde vineyards that previously had decades-long waitlists, giving survivors a cost advantage and quality boost.
• Profitable wineries emphasize relationship-building and emotional connection over scoring points, with CEOs noting that members who feel part of a community stay longer, buy faster, and refer new customers.

Irish alcohol consumption falls to lowest level in 25 years

• Irish adults drank 9.30 litres of pure alcohol last year, down 2.1% and 35.6% below the 2001 peak, per the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland.
• Wine volume rose 4% to claim 29.4% market share, while beer dropped 2.7% despite holding 42.1% share; spirits and cider remained flat.
• Ireland's per-capita consumption now sits just below the 10-litre EU and UK average, ending its reputation as an international outlier for high drinking.
• The Licensed Vintners Association and DIGI are urging the government to cut excise tax on alcohol by 10%, citing Ireland's highest EU rates and pressure on pubs and restaurants.
• Diageo invested €30 million in alcohol-free stout production at Dublin's St. James's Gate and plans a €200 million expansion in Kildare.

RNDC files for chapter 11 bankruptcy after shedding most US markets

• Republic National Distributing Company, the second-largest US wine and spirits distributor, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas to wind down remaining operations and seek buyers for residual markets.
• RNDC lists liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion against assets of $500 million to $1 billion, with over 100,000 creditors and $300 million in major unsecured claims.
• The largest single claim is $93.92 million owed to Proximo Spirits for trade debt and litigation; smaller suppliers face risk of non-payment as they lack leverage to demand upfront payment.
• RNDC sold or transferred most US markets in recent months to Reyes Beverage Group, Columbia Distributing, Martignetti Companies, and BreakThru Beverage Group, preserving over 5,000 jobs in the transition.
• Approximately 1,450 RNDC workers remain employed; the company secured court permission to continue paying wages and benefits to retain staff during the reorganization process.

US lifts 25% Scotch tariff after Trump-King Charles talks

• President Trump removed a 10% tariff on Scotch whisky imposed in April 2025, which was set to rise to 25% on single malts. The change took effect 24 July following King Charles III's state visit.
• Scotch Whisky Association data shows US-bound shipments fell 15% between May and December 2025 after the tariff was introduced, though the US remained the sector's largest overseas market.
• The removal creates a zero-for-zero tariff regime covering Scotch and other UK whiskies, with reciprocal duty-free entry for Bourbon and American whiskey into the UK.
• Scottish First Minister John Swinney and spirits industry leaders including Distilled Spirits Council president Chris Swonger called the move a win for businesses and workers on both sides of the Atlantic.
• Pernod Ricard's Nodjame Fouad, CEO of aged spirits and Champagne, signalled industry hopes for further tariff relief on Irish Whiskey, Champagne and Cognac to ease costs for hospitality businesses.

Trump's new tariffs threaten US wine and spirits trade across multiple markets

• The Trump administration imposed tariffs ranging from 10 to 50 percent on alcohol imports from major suppliers including the EU [15 percent], Canada [35-50 percent], Brazil [50 percent], Switzerland [39 percent], and others as of August 7, 2025.
• A US Supreme Court ruling in July 2025 invalidated many of Trump's earlier tariffs, including reciprocal tariffs on European wine and spirits, potentially entitling importers to reimbursement for costs already paid.
• The EU-US trade deal of July 27, 2025 set a 15 percent tariff on most European goods, but wine and spirits remain unresolved and may face the full rate unless included in exempted strategic products.
• Canada imposed a boycott of US alcohol resulting in an 81 percent drop in US exports to Canada from March 2025 to February 2026, prompting Trump's 50 percent retaliatory tariff on Canadian spirits.
• Scotch whisky tariffs were lifted in July 2025 following a royal state visit, but industry groups estimate the 15 percent EU tariff alone could eliminate over 25,000 American jobs in wine, spirits, and hospitality sectors.

Teamsters push 75% tariff on Mexican beer to shift production home

• Sean O'Brien, Teamsters president, called for a 75 percent tax on Mexican beer in a Fox News interview to move Modelo and Corona production to US breweries.
• The union filed arguments with the US Trade Representative that Mexico uses tax policy to artificially boost beer exports, undercutting American wages and competitiveness.
• Constellation Brands, which holds US licenses for Modelo and Corona, disputes the tariff case, citing a May 2026 think-tank study claiming 74 percent of imported Mexican beer's economic value flows to American workers and businesses.
• Constellation provided data to researchers at the think tank Unleash Prosperity but denies any financial relationship with the organization or involvement in the study's publication.
• The Teamsters have direct financial incentive to shift Mexican beer production northward, as it would create unionizable jobs in US breweries where the union could recruit and collect dues.

United Spirits profit surges 52% on premium whisky and gin demand in India

• United Spirits, Diageo's Indian subsidiary, reported standalone net profit rose 51.6% to 3.91 billion rupees in Q1 ending 30 June, up from 2.58 billion rupees a year prior.
• Premium spirits drove growth, with net sales in the prestige segment rising 10.1% year-on-year and accounting for 91.7% of total sales.
• Karnataka's May tax reform abolished price controls and introduced strength-based excise rates, allowing producers to raise prices on premium spirits and reduce tax burden.
• CEO Praveen Someshwar cited double-digit growth in the Prestige & Above segment and flagged McDowell's brand relaunch as a driver of future gains.

Six DWWA medal winners chosen for summer drinking and entertaining

• Decanter World Wine Awards 2026 assessed nearly 17,000 wines blind from 58 countries, awarding medals from Bronze to Platinum based on expert tasting panels including Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers.
• Hambledon Classic Cuvée Brut, English sparkler, Gold medal, 95 points: built for crowds; 12% alcohol, 12.5% abv in magnum format suits summer entertaining.
• Rapaura Springs ROHE Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2025, Best in Show, 97 points: only sixth Marlborough Sauvignon to win the award; layered fruit and savoury notes pair with grilled fish.
• A La Mano Tavel rosé, Gold, 95 points, and Kurtatsch Schiava, Alto Adige, Gold, 95 points, selected for food pairing: deeper styles that match charred meat and work chilled as evening reds.
• Spier Villa Blue Albariño, South Africa 2025, Top Value Gold, 95 points, and bhn Riesling, Oregon 2023, Gold, 95 points, complete range from coastal white to orange-wine style for summer exploration.

Trinchero adds electrolytes to Sauvignon Blanc spritz for younger drinkers

• Joel Gott Wines, owned by Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits, launched Sauvy B on 15 July: a 4.5% ABV canned spritz with Himalayan salt electrolytes, priced at $13.99 per four-pack.
• The product contains roughly 9% California Sauvignon Blanc blended with sparkling water and citrus flavour, yielding 100 calories per 355ml can; distributed through Target, Walmart and Total Wine & More.
• Joel Gott positioned Sauvy B as a recruitment tool for younger, wellness-oriented drinkers rather than existing wine consumers, aiming to embed 'wine' into their everyday vocabulary.
• Spirit-based RTDs have captured younger drinkers while wine-based canned formats lagged; Sauvy B's varietal name, hydration claim and grocery-shelf price target that gap directly.
• Electrolytes now join low sugar, gluten-free and low-calorie as standard functional claims on wine-adjacent packaging, with 4.5% ABV emerging as an industry standard for functional RTDs.

Bordeaux estates mark anniversaries with golden commemorative bottles

• Château Gruaud Larose in Saint-Julien released a 300th-anniversary 2025 with golden vine-leaf etchings; Cabernet Sauvignon comprises 77% of the blend.
• Château Brane-Cantenac in Margaux marked 100 years under Lurton family ownership with a 2025 golden label featuring an embossed sun inspired by a 19th-century bottle.
• Château Mouton Rothschild's 2000 golden bottle, decorated with a 16th-century Augsburg Ram in gold relief, released at €250 now trades near €1,550.
• Château Angélus applied 21.7-carat gold to its 2012 bell label for Premier Grand Cru promotion; large formats now trade at more than double release price.
• Château Rauzan-Gassies released a wooden case of six bottles spanning three generations (1966, 1996, 2016) to mark 90 years of Quié family ownership.

Independent wine merchant wins inaugural sustainable buyer award

• Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such independent shop in Britain, won the first Sustainable Wine Buyer award from Decanter's judging panel in 2025.
• Judges found her submission showed sustainability threaded through sourcing, producer relationships, and daily operations, not isolated initiatives.
• Majestic won the separate Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year award.
• Many competition entrants omitted sustainability sections entirely, suggesting the sector has uneven commitment to embedding environmental practices.
• The Wine Buyers Awards launched in 2020; the sustainability category was new in 2025 to recognise buyer influence on industry trends and values.

Fifteen US sommeliers name expensive Bordeaux worth their premium price

• Fifteen US restaurant and retail sommeliers were asked which three-figure Bordeaux bottles justify their cost for diners willing to splurge.
• Château Palmer, Château Lafleur, La Mission Haut-Brion, and Château Pontet-Canet appeared as repeated picks across respondents for emotional depth and farming quality over brand prestige.
• Several sommeliers named 'Super Second' estates (Palmer, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Cos d'Estournel) as delivering first-growth quality at lower prices than the official first growths.
• Respondents emphasised family stewardship and vineyard craft over classification rank, citing Lafleur's Guinaudeau family farming and Pontet-Canet's biodynamic methods as justifying premium cost.
• Le Puy 'Barthélemy' and La Mission Haut-Brion were cited as exceptional value relative to peers, offering serious complexity without paying for famous names or reputation.

Juvé & Camps harvests earliest ever, switches to night picking

• Juvé & Camps, a century-old sparkling wine producer in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Spain, began its 2026 harvest in July for the first time in its history.
• High temperatures accelerated ripening on earliest vineyard plots, prompting the winery to pick at night for the first time to protect fruit quality and worker conditions.
• Winter rainfall of 630mm replenished soil reserves after years of drought, allowing vines to ripen with better water availability and producing healthy, uniform fruit with strong natural acidity.
• The winery harvested Pinot Noir and Chardonnay first for base wines, followed by Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, targeting around 1 million kg from its 252 certified-organic hectares at 5,500 kg/ha average yield.
• Juvé & Camps joined Corpinnat collective this year, committing to organic vinification, manual harvest, and minimum grower prices of €0.96/kg, significantly lower than Champagne's €7/kg but structured to support regional sustainability.

Vineyards deploy shade netting to cool grape clusters during heat stress

• Shade netting is being adopted across regions to lower fruit-zone temperatures and protect anthocyanins, the compounds responsible for red grape color, which degrade above 35 degrees Celsius.
• At UC Davis's Oakville vineyard, shaded Cabernet Sauvignon clusters showed 27 percent greater anthocyanins than unshaded controls during heat events, with cluster temperatures reaching 58 degrees Celsius without shade.
• At Petra vineyard in Tuscany, Merlot shaded with nets on the sun-facing side measured 40-41 degrees Celsius versus 50 degrees in unshaded fruit, reducing sunburn from 40 percent to five percent under 60 percent shade.
• Net color matters: white and green nets perform better than black nets, which absorb excess heat, and nets must be kept away from clusters to avoid heat transfer from the fabric itself.
• Catena Zapata in Mendoza uses hail netting on 90 percent of vineyards, finding that light netting filters intense altitude sunlight into brief pulses, reducing vine stress without sacrificing beneficial UV exposure.

Mowing cover crops early shields Mediterranean vines from drought stress

• Researchers at seven organic vineyards in Occitanie, France studied four service crop management methods over 2022-2024 to balance soil health against vine water stress.
• Early intervention using a mower and tillage before one month after budburst preserved cover crop benefits while eliminating water stress and yield loss versus bare soil.
• Late interventions and roller-crimper methods reduced yields, berry weight and vigour, showing timing of cover crop management critically shapes vine performance.
• Results are context-dependent on soil type and microclimate, but statistically significant impacts suggest early mowing offers a climate adaptation tool for drought-prone Mediterranean vineyards.

Wildfire threatens Bordeaux vintage as blaze approaches city

• A fast-moving wildfire in France's Gironde region has advanced to within 15 kilometres of Bordeaux, forcing 220,000 evacuations across the region.
• Smoke taint, when smoke particles cling to grape skins and impart unwanted flavour, poses the main threat to this year's vintage if the fire reaches vineyards.
• Red grape varieties are considered particularly vulnerable to smoke taint damage, which can harm wine quality.
• Shifting winds and hot, dry conditions have hampered firefighting efforts since midweek, with fire service commander Sebastien Berge saying the blaze's scale makes it hard to predict.
• The Gironde prefect has urged tourists to avoid the region until the fire is under control.

Burgohondo wildfire destroys historic Garedos vineyards in central Spain

• The Burgohondo fire, active since 26 July near Ávila 150km west of Madrid, has burned over 50,000 hectares in Spain's most destructive recent wildfire, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.
• Bodega El Reventón lost its San Gregorio vineyard, containing old-vine Garnacha and Albillo Real parcels dating to the 1920s; Soto Manrique and Indiano Wines also suffered vine losses.
• Sierra de Gredos' mountainous terrain with unchecked woodland vegetation and strict Spanish forest protection laws prevent producers from clearing firebreaks, increasing fire risk and limiting their ability to defend vineyards.
• Charly Gotchac, Indiano Wines co-founder, warns that August represents the highest-risk fire month; the region lacks resources for year-round land management and faces abandonment by younger generations.
• Full damage assessment remains impossible until fire containment allows producers safe access; no dedicated fundraising mechanism existed as of publication.

Grape sunburn spreads beyond hot regions as heat waves intensify

• Sunburn in grapes is a stress response to excess light, UV radiation, and berry surface heat; direct sun can raise fruit temperature 22-27°F above air temperature, triggering cell death and flavor damage.
• Sunburned grapes produce flattened fruit, rubber, asphalt, and creosote notes; winemaker Steve Matthiasson identifies cooked green and fruit flavors, astringent tannins, brown rim, and premature aging in finished wines across multiple regions.
• Traditional leaf removal at veraison now increases sunburn risk; defoliation at flowering allows berries to build photoprotective compounds, and Chêne Bleu in Ventoux stopped summer leaf removal entirely after 2023 heat damage.
• Producers deploy kaolin clay film (Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley reports 9°C canopy cooling since 2014), adjust trellis design, retime defoliation, and sort sunburned fruit at harvest or in the winery to prevent flavor damage.

Heat-Tolerant Mourvèdre Struggles as Southern France Temperatures Soar

• Mourvèdre, bred for heat and drought, is losing balance and elegance in southern France as temperatures and drought intensity exceed even this variety's tolerance.
• Producers in Bandol and Jumilla are experimenting with canopy management, higher pruning, cover crops, and selective irrigation to help vines survive extreme heat and water stress.
• A three-year drought from 2022 to 2024 killed old Mourvèdre bush vines in Jumilla, forcing growers to consider irrigation even for heat-tolerant varieties once thought to need no water.
• Cooler Bandol sites traditionally reserved for rosé are now being converted to red wine production as the region warms, potentially reducing rosé output from its current 75 percent of total production.
• Higher-altitude vineyard parcels in Jumilla, around 600 to 800 meters, remain viable as climate refuges, while lower, hotter southern sites have been abandoned over the past 20 years.

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

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

Biofiltro: cleaning up winery waste water with worm power, creating high-quality compost at the same time

• Biofiltro uses worms to filter winery wastewater while producing vermicast, a high-quality organic fertilizer as a byproduct.
• Domaine Lafage in Roussillon and Montes in Chile pioneered the system; Biofiltro now operates 100 installations across vineyards globally.
• Wastewater pH is adjusted to 7 (ideal range), then flows over woodchips where worms at 500g per square meter digest organic compounds, making water suitable for irrigation.
• The system produces 500 kg vermicast per square meter and generates 10,000 m³ of irrigation water annually while consuming significantly less energy than conventional wastewater treatment.

The Yang Of Greek Wine

• Assyrtiko dominated Greek white wine's international story for 20 years, but Malagousia's rise represents the biggest domestic market shift in Greece.
• Malagousia was saved from extinction in the late 1970s by Vangelis Gerovassiliou, an agriculturalist, viticulture professor, and winery owner working together.
• By 2020, Malagousia vineyard acreage matched Chardonnay and challenged Moschofilero, with producer numbers skyrocketing since the late 2000s.
• Unlike sharp, mineral Assyrtiko, Malagousia delivers rich, generous summer and tropical fruit flavors, positioning it as the complementary counterpart for Greek wine drinkers.

In Praise of Older White Wines

• Among serious wine collectors, 78% of white wines shipped are from the previous six vintages versus only 40% of reds, indicating whites are consumed much younger.
• White Burgundy's premox crisis (early 2000s) caused premature oxidation in wines from 1995 onward, including top producers like Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, with no consensus on cause or why it disappeared.
• University of Verona professor Maurizio Ugliano is mapping volatile compounds and aroma precursors of Italian grape varieties including turbiana to understand aging potential.
• A six-year Burgundy Wine Board study (VOLTA) found that wine aging potential is built primarily during pressing and élevage rather than determined by grape variety alone.
• Holding back aged white wine stock costs producers approximately €4.50 per bottle for barrel aging, labor, storage and financing, creating financial barriers to building a mature wine reputation.

Six Wines That Stopped Me in My Tracks

• A Burgundy-born winemaker named Charly moved to Lower Austria a decade ago and produces wines under his own label with a French sensibility.
• Charly's Blauer Portugieser (grapes from Christoph Hoch) features ripeness and creaminess atypical of the variety, with vivid, well-defined fruit.
• Charly sources grapes from organically or biodynamically farmed friends while cultivating just one hectare of his own vines.
• Three of Charly's wines are available from Gute Weine at €27 per bottle with EU delivery; his Grüner Veltliner 2022, Blaufränkisch 2023, and Zweigelt 2023 were tasted at Charaktere fair.

Notable Releases from Troon Vineyard

• Troon Vineyard released 2025 Vermentino and 2023 Syrah from Oregon's Applegate Valley.
• Troon Vineyard farms using certified biodynamic and regenerative organic principles in Grant's Pass.
• Troon relies on ambient cultures for fermentation, minimal sulfites, and neutral oak aging only.
• Applegate Valley's high-latitude climate combines long summer days with cold overnight temperatures from Siskiyou Mountain winds.

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 stocked in over 100 bars and restaurants across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu.
• Huangjiu's peak quality typically occurs between three and eight years of aging; most examples lose freshness after 10 years.
• Chardomi blends 80% Chardonnay grapes with 20% glutinous rice; rice undergoes soaking, steaming, and saccharification before co-fermenting with pressed grape juice.
• A common misconception conflates huangjiu with cooking wine, which uses lower-grade huangjiu with added salt and other ingredients.

A wine of straw

• Dessert wine consumption has declined for approximately 75 years, with little prospect of recovery.
• Raül Bobet, co-owner of Ferrer-Bobet in Priorat, Catalunya, released a dessert wine requiring 20 years of aging.
• Goût Russe Champagne in the 19th century contained 300g/l of sugar for the Russian market, representing peak sweetness in wine history.