winefeed

US wine industry lacks unified marketing infrastructure to counter health narratives

• Gino Colangelo, founder of New York PR agency Colangelo & Partners, says US wine has no equivalent to dairy or almond sector marketing bodies that sustain consistent campaigns.
• Come Over October, a pro-bono campaign Colangelo launched four years ago with wine critic Karen McNeil and PR figure Kimberly Charles, reached 3 billion media impressions but receives inconsistent company funding.
• Wine regions investing steadily, such as Wines of Georgia, Chianti Classico, Prosecco DOC Consortium, and Chile, build market share through incremental campaigns; sporadic efforts fail to sustain traction.
• Colangelo argues the current US wine downturn is cyclical, but its depth depends on sustained industry marketing investment; without it, market share erodes rapidly.
• Competition from THC beverages, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, and sober-curious trends among younger consumers compound pressure on the industry to fund collective advocacy.

Endeavour Group sells Chapel Hill and most Australian wineries

• Endeavour Group, the wine division of Australian supermarket chain Woolworths, is selling physical assets of Chapel Hill Estate in McLaren Vale and most other wineries it owns, announced 30 July.
• The company will retain Chapel Hill, Riddoch and Krondorf brands but sell their vineyards and cellars; only Cape Mentelle and Dorrien Estate in Australia plus Isobel Estates in New Zealand remain fully owned.
• New CEO Jayne Hrdlicka is pivoting to a model where Endeavour sources 99% of wine from bulk suppliers instead of growing grapes, as part of a AU$300 million cost-cutting restructure.
• Chapel Hill, acquired for an undisclosed sum in 2019, comprises 13.69 hectares of vineyard, a heritage 1865 chapel, and full winery infrastructure; the listing signals it need not remain a winery.
• The sale reflects Australia's wine crisis: exports fell to a 22-year low and the 2026 harvest dropped 19% to 1.27 million tonnes, the lowest in 25 years.

Australian wine exports hit 22-year low amid global consumption decline

• Wine Australia reported exports fell 7% in value to A$2.3bn and 6% in volume to 598 million litres in the year to June 2026, the lowest volume since 2004.
• Global wine consumption has dropped to its lowest level since 1961, driven by cost-of-living pressures, changing consumer habits and competition from alternative alcoholic beverages.
• Australia's three largest markets all declined: mainland China fell 15% to A$756m; UK and US shipments reached 25-year lows, with weak demand across most price categories.
• Canada bucked the trend, rising 20% in value to A$188m, partly from market-share gains during US trade disputes; several Asian markets also grew, with Thailand recording record export values.
• Peter Bailey, Wine Australia manager of market insights, stated the global decline reflects lasting shifts in consumer behaviour rather than temporary downturn.

Younger Bordeaux drives iDealwine to record €33.9 million year

• iDealwine, the Paris-based online auction house, sold 391,000 bottles for €33.9 million in 2025, a 9% value increase and 19% volume surge.
• Bordeaux volumes jumped 23% to 105,000+ bottles (one in three lots), with value up 19% to €12.5m, defying talk of regional oversupply.
• Wines under 10 years old climbed to 28% of Bordeaux lots from 20% the prior year, driven by modern Bordeaux's approachability when young.
• The 2025 en primeur campaign saw subdued demand despite attractive pricing; fewer collectors now buy futures to cellar long-term, preferring to drink soon after purchase.
• Château Lafleur volumes doubled but prices fell 25% to €471 average, coinciding with its withdrawal from Pomerol; Château Figeac added 72% volume with stable pricing after elevation to premier grand cru classé A.

Majestic Wine commits £4m to open four stores in 2026/27

• Majestic Wine, owned by Fortress Investment Group since 2019, will invest £4 million across its UK store network this financial year, opening at least four new branches.
• The first new store opened in Trowbridge, Wiltshire on Wicker Hill, stocking over 1,000 wines plus beers, spirits and gifts, with WSET-trained staff and free tastings.
• Since separating from Naked Wines in 2019, Majestic has opened more than 25 stores and refurbished dozens of existing branches across England, Scotland, Wales and Jersey.
• The retailer's Trowbridge outlet will serve both retail customers and hospitality clients through Majestic Commercial, which supplies 4,200 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels across the UK.
• Investment continues a broader long-term growth strategy announced in March, including logistics improvements and system upgrades alongside the retail expansion pipeline.

Bordeaux wildfires force evacuations, threaten tourism as climate stress mounts

• Wildfires near Bordeaux forced 220,000 evacuations across France and destroyed around 240 homes; the French government urged tourists to avoid the region at the height of summer.
• Wine tourism, described by winemaker Edouard Le Grix de la Salle as Bordeaux's only growing business sector, halted abruptly; Château Picque Caillou's general director Peggy Plouhinec said hospitality would suffer from lower tourist numbers.
• Most vines escaped direct fire damage, but months of intense heat and drought have left vegetation tinder-dry; Thomas Duroux, director general of Château Palmer, warned that water stress could force vines to shut down and shrivel grapes.
• Smoke taint risk remains contested: consultant Robert Joseph flagged vineyards 50-100 km downwind of major fires as at risk, but db correspondent Colin Hay noted the nearest vineyards sit 15 km away and 2022 fires produced taint only in isolated parcels.
• Duroux acknowledged climate change has ripened grapes in hot years like 2020, 2022 and 2025, but said Bordeaux now faces an existential crisis requiring water security and vineyard adaptation to withstand future climatic stress.

Ancient vine-training systems vanish as labor costs and mechanization reshape wine regions

• Italy's alberata method, once widespread around Naples, now covers only a handful of hectares, replaced by mechanizable systems like Guyot as labor costs rose through the late 20th century.
• Lanzarote's hoyo system, carved into volcanic rock after 1730s eruptions, survives because it drives tourism; active vineyard area fell 19 percent between 2000 and 2026 despite government subsidies.
• Familia Torres maintains pergola training for Rías Baixas Albariño by adopting specialized machinery for maintenance tasks, though hand-harvesting remains mandatory across the denomination anyway.
• Venice's 19th-century bellussera hybrid, which once supported silk production and livestock, collapsed when those industries vanished; climate change and wine tourism now offer potential economic revival.
• Survival of heritage systems depends on local geography, labor availability, and tourism value; no single approach works across regions, but each preservation contributes to viticultural diversity.

Centre-Loire appellations gain traction as Sancerre prices climb above $40

• Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc now sells for $40, $50 per bottle, but five neighboring Centre-Loire appellations offer comparable quality for $20, $30.
• Chad Stephens, Hawaii sales director for Chambers & Chambers importer, says demand for Sancerre exceeds supply; neighboring regions benefit from spillover interest.
• Sancerre is at maximum production capacity with no plans to expand vineyards, while Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Coteaux du Giennois remain undersupplied to export markets.
• Winemakers across the region, including Emile Balland in Sancerre and Coteaux du Giennois, report earlier harvests due to climate change, forcing urgent adjustments to maintain acidity.
• Matthieu Delaporte, winemaker at Domaine Delaporte in Sancerre, says Pinot Noir quality is improving and now offers better value than Burgundy at comparable quality.

Great Fosters' Tudor Pass reopens with inventive British cooking and globally curious wine list

• The Tudor Pass at Great Fosters in Egham, Surrey, reopened under chef Stefano Di Giosia in 2025 and retained its Michelin star while developing a new identity.
• Sous chef Luca Delfini, who writes the wine list and cooks the menu simultaneously, has built an adventurous list spanning Armenian Voskehat, Georgian qvevri, Japanese Koshu, Croatian Malvazija and English wines alongside classic French regions.
• English wine is treated as a category rather than patriotic garnish, with Chapel Down Kit's Coty Chardonnay at £24 per 125ml making by-the-glass ordering economical, and Balfour sparkling available throughout.
• Delfini describes wine in kitchen terms, acidity cleanses, bitterness refreshes, texture matters as much as aroma, and speaks about pairings before returning to finish dishes, merging sommelier and chef roles.
• Four- and six-wine blind flights cost £80 and £120; Di Giosia cites Italian philosophy that service is 60% of the experience and kitchen 40%, with staff repeatedly leaving the pass to introduce dishes.

Denmark Hill station produces first vintage from trackside Bacchus vines

• Denmark Hill railway station in south London will release its first wine next year from 22 Bacchus vines planted metres from the tracks by the Camberwell Society.
• The Camberwell Society obtained a Community Licence from Network Rail in 2020 to develop non-passenger areas, including a vineyard alongside lavender and wildflower plantings.
• Bacchus, a German-bred white variety, is England's fourth most planted grape and prized for crisp acidity and resilience in damp climates.
• The station vineyard marks the first wine production at a British railway station, positioning the venue as both horticultural project and destination for local drinkers.

Doña Paula launches wine celebrating Luján de Cuyo's history and regenerative farming

• Doña Paula, a Mendoza winemaker, released Beyond Shadows, a wine that uses an ambiguous label to narrate Luján de Cuyo's past and future.
• The label depicts either two girls or a skull, symbolizing the sub-region's buried winemaking heritage and its living renewal across generations.
• The wine is made from high-altitude Luján de Cuyo vineyards farmed regeneratively, rejecting extraction in favour of a cycle of life, death and renewal.
• Doña Paula's winemaking balances tradition with innovation through gentle handling and careful extraction, mirroring the philosophical approach to its farmed vineyards.
• Beyond Shadows is available in the UK through NorthSouth Wines and positions Luján de Cuyo as a region worth attention for its depth and potential.

Oregon and Washington dominate 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards with record hauls

• Domaine Serene in Oregon won Best in Show for its 2023 Aspect Pinot Noir, scored 97 points. Four of the last four Oregon Best in Show winners have been Dundee Hills Pinot Noirs.
• Oregon collected 72 DWWA medals in 2026, a state record. Alexana's 2023 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir earned Platinum at 97 points; bhn's 2023 orange Riesling became Oregon's first gold in that style.
• Washington earned 46 medals, with five Gold awards, the state's strongest Gold performance ever. Echolands won Platinum for its 2023 Blue Mountain Cabernet Franc, 97 points.
• Washington made historic firsts: Echolands' 2024 Frenchman Hills Riesling won the first Gold for Royal Slope; UpWest's 2023 Syrah claimed the first Gold for Wahluke Slope.
• US wines totalled 466 DWWA medals in 2026, nearly double the previous record. California, Oregon and Washington dominated; Texas, Virginia and Pennsylvania also claimed top medals.

Rutini Wines' Gualtallary Malbec wins back-to-back Decanter awards

• Rutini Wines' Single Vineyard Gualtallary Malbec won Best in Show at Decanter World Wine Awards in 2025 and 2026, in its 2021 and 2023 vintages respectively.
• Gualtallary, a high-elevation Uco Valley sub-region with limestone soils, is gaining recognition among fine wine buyers for elegant, fruit-forward Malbecs with distinctive character.
• Santiago Ribisich, CEO of Rutini Wines, argues that Argentine sub-regions must achieve international recognition equivalent to European appellations like Bordeaux's Médoc.
• Producers in Gualtallary are pursuing formal Geographical Indication status to establish more precise sub-appellations and clarify the region's terroir identity.
• Rutini Wines operates in five Uco Valley sub-regions and distributes to 80 countries, positioning Mendoza's altitude and diverse terroirs as comparable to established fine wine regions.

Fortnum & Mason launches curated chilled reds collection as UK demand surges

• Google searches for 'chilled reds' surged between February and June 2026, with UK consumers now seeking which reds taste best chilled rather than questioning whether to chill them at all.
• Edwina Watson, senior wine buyer at Fortnum & Mason, said chilled reds suit wines with bright acidity, vibrant fruit, balanced alcohol and supple tannins, best served at 10-14°C to enhance freshness and aromatics without masking character.
• Bordeaux approved a new 'Claret' category from the 2025 vintage, allowing all grape varieties with short maceration of two to four days to produce light, fruit-forward, low-tannin, unoaked reds intended for chilling and serving over ice.

Brooklyn housing complex installs 450,000 recycled wine corks in pathways and playgrounds

• Public Housing Community Fund partnered with Cork Collective, architecture firm Rockwell Group, and cork maker Amorim to renovate Marlboro Houses in Gravesend, Brooklyn using upcycled wine corks.
• The $500,000 project laid 450,000 recycled corks sourced from NYC restaurants into pathways and playground surfaces, ground and mixed with adhesive at a Wisconsin recycling center.
• Children at Marlboro Houses submitted design mockups that shaped the final layout, making the renovation resident-led alongside Center for Justice Innovation and The Urban Conga.
• Cork surfaces absorb stormwater, reduce ambient temperature by 20-30 percent, and offer non-toxic play areas, replacing plastic, rubber, or asphalt.
• Less than one percent of the 13 billion corks made annually are recycled; three billion are discarded yearly in the US.

Independent wine shop owner wins inaugural sustainable buyer award

• Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such independent shop in London, won the inaugural Sustainable Wine Buyer award at the Wine Buyers Awards, judged by sustainability consultant Anne Jones, writer Chris Losh, and Decanter's sustainability editor Natalie Earl.
• The judges found Camillo's entry stood out because sustainability shaped her entire sourcing model, producer relationships, and daily operations, not isolated initiatives like cork recycling.
• Majestic won the Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year category in the same 2025 awards, launched by Decanter in 2020.
• A significant number of entrants did not complete the sustainability section, suggesting many buyers do not yet see it as core to their role or business practice.

Groove Armada and Signature Brew launch lager using regenerative barley

• Signature Brew, a London east-end brewery and music venue, has partnered with electronic duo Groove Armada and regenerative farm network Wildfarmed to release Do It Right, a Czech-style lager brewed with sustainably farmed malted barley.
• Groove Armada co-founder Andy Cato sold music rights to buy a French farm, then co-founded Wildfarmed as a National Trust tenant farmer in 2018; the beer unites his two worlds of DJing and soil restoration.
• Wildfarmed's network of growers improve soil health, increase biodiversity, reduce water pollution and carbon emissions through regenerative practices, making the collaboration a statement that brewing and nature recovery can align.
• Do It Right retails at £3 per 440ml can exclusively through Waitrose nationwide, with 5% ABV, and launches across UK pubs, bars and venues this week.
• Signature Brew co-founder Tom Bott framed the launch as proof that beer can unite people around shared values and start conversations about land stewardship without sacrificing enjoyment.

Vineyard netting emerges as climate tool to cool fruit zones during heat stress

• Growers in California, Argentina, Italy, and Piedmont are using shade netting not to block birds or hail, but to reduce cluster-zone temperatures and slow ripening during heat events.
• UC Davis research on Cabernet Sauvignon found shaded clusters had 27 percent more anthocyanins than unshaded fruit when temperatures exceeded 35°C, the degradation threshold for red wine color.
• At Petra in Tuscany, Merlot shaded with nets reached 40-41°C versus 50°C in unshaded controls, cutting sunburn incidence from 40-41 percent to as low as three percent under 90 percent shade.
• Net color matters: white and green nets absorbed less heat than black nets, and placement is critical; fabric touching clusters can itself burn grapes or trap heat and create oven-like microclimates.
• The strategy requires calibration across canopy management, water use, and site selection; more shade does not automatically mean cooler fruit, and excessive shading risks reducing beneficial UV light and phenolic development.

Grape sunburn damage spreads as heat waves reach cooler regions

• Sunburned grapes show flattened fruit, oxidized bitterness, rubber, asphalt, and creosote notes in the finished wine, distinct from normal ripeness or heat-vintage character.
• Berry surface temperatures can reach 22 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit above air temperature; Chardonnay berries show damage within five minutes at 104 to 109°F under high light.
• Sunburn browning damages skin color; sunburn necrosis kills cells, cracks skins, and shrivels berries, driven primarily by extreme heat rather than light alone.
• Producers including Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley and Chêne Bleu in Ventoux have abandoned or severely limited midsummer leaf removal and adopted kaolin clay sprays and canopy management to protect fruit.
• Earlier defoliation at flowering, not veraison, allows berries time to build photoprotective compounds and reduces sunburn risk compared to late-season exposure.

Mourvèdre producers adapt canopy and irrigation as heat pushes iconic southern French variety

• Mourvèdre, the heat-loving grape dominant in Bandol rosé and red wines, now struggles to maintain balance and elegance as southern French temperatures rise and drought intensifies.
• Jean-François Ott at Domaines Ott and other Bandol producers are experimenting with three-dimensional canopy management and higher pruning to shade grapes from extreme heat and prevent sunburn.
• A three-year drought from 2022 to 2024 killed even old bush vines in Jumilla, Spain, prompting growers and the Jumilla Consejo to conclude irrigation may be essential for vine survival in dry years.
• Provence viticulturist Alain Deloire warns dry farming cannot sustain Bandol long; Bandol director Olivier Colombano remains cautious but permitted emergency irrigation when vines faced death in 2024.
• Jumilla's vineyard area has halved in 20 years as southern, hotter sites were abandoned, while producers now favour higher-altitude parcels with deeper soils and stronger water retention.

Nebbiolo Sunday Funday

• Langhe Nebbiolo lacks widespread advocacy despite its versatility; natural wine influencers avoid it, collectors prefer pricey Barolo, and critics consistently rate it 87-89 points to reserve higher scores for Barolo.
• Young Barolo is now drinkable upon release due to climate change and shifting winemaking styles away from heavy oak, contradicting decades of gatekeeping advice to age bottles 5-20+ years.
• Barolo and Barbaresco are stereotyped as masculine and feminine respectively based on tannin structure, perpetuating gendered marketing that discourages male consumers from approachable Barbaresco at similar price points.
• Climate has shifted dramatically since 2010; producers report subtropical conditions now making Barolo more approachable early, while Austrian oak casks replaced French barriques as preferred cooperage in modern cellars.

The Taste of Carbon Neutrality: International Wineries for Climate Action

The wine world is full of organizations and associations, spanning a wide range of missions, purposes, and themes. Only a

The brilliant Douro wines of Mateus Nicolau de Almeida/Ameztoy & Almeida

• Mateus Nicolau de Almeida founded his Douro winery in 2014 after leaving Muxagat, which he established in 2003.
• His wife Teresa Ameztoy, former chief winemaker at Ramos Pinto (2005-2019), now works alongside him; her father worked for La Rioja Alta.
• The venture farms 4 hectares organically and sources additional grapes from other growers in the Douro region.
• Mateus is the grandson of Fernando Nicolau d'Almeida, who began Barca Velha in 1952, and son of João Nicolau d'Almeida of Ramos Pinto.
• Five wines scored 93-95 points, including the 2022 Trans-Douro-Express Baixo Corgo and 2015 Curral Teles Tinto, both rated 95/100.

Michelin And The Death Of The Wine Guide

• Michelin's Wine Selection Burgundy 2026 awarded nine producers three grapes, 20 two grapes, 33 one grape, and 32 a 'selected' designation.
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux publicly demanded removal from Michelin's guide after receiving only one grape despite being a celebrated Vosne-Romanée house.
• Michelin rates producers based on vineyard management and consistency, not individual wines, differing from competitors like Guide Hachette des Vins which rates cuvées one to five.
• Michelin owns the Wine Advocate entirely since 2019 after purchasing a 40% share in 2017, raising questions about the guide's independence.
• Consumer wine guides emerged in the 1970s-80s with publications like Decanter, Wine Spectator, and Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book, but internet access and AI apps have diminished their relevance.

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 and Côtes Danubiennes sub-brand.
• Charly's Blauer Portugieser 2023, made from grapes sourced from Christoph Hoch, offers ripeness and creamy texture atypical of the variety.
• Charly owns one hectare and sources grapes from friends farming organically or biodynamically, blending French winemaking sensibility with traditional Austrian varieties.
• Three of Charly's wines, Grüner Veltliner 2022, Blaufränkisch 2023, and Zweigelt 2023, are available from Gute Weine for €27 per bottle.

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 uses ambient cultures for fermentation, minimal sulfite, and ages wine in neutral barrels, concrete, qvevri, or stainless steel, no new oak.
• Applegate Valley's alluvial soils, long summer days, and overnight temperature drops from Siskiyou Mountains create conditions for Mediterranean grapes.

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

• Coram Collective, founded in 2023 with production starting 2024, co-ferments rice wine with grape varieties like Chardonnay and Merlot, and innovates huangjiu (yellow wine).
• Co-founder Alex Yuanzhu Wang's huangjiu with aged Chinese tangerine peel emerged from a Christmas Eve 2024 experience; most huangjiu shows its best between three and eight years of aging.
• Chardomi (80% Chardonnay, 20% glutinous rice) co-fermentation requires separate rice preparation steps before blending with pressed grape juice for joint fermentation.
• Coram Collective products are listed in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu since launching June 2023.

A wine of straw

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