winefeed

by Primal Wine
ArchiveWEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST 20265 AUG
01The Drinks Business·

Endeavour Group axes 80% of Australian vineyards, profit crashes AU$374m

  • Sydney-based Endeavour Group, Australia's largest liquor retailer and winery owner, will sell most Australian vineyards and wineries to cut grape growing by 80 percent.
  • CEO Jayne Hrdlicka announced the group will shift to buying 99 percent of bulk wine and grapes from external growers instead of using estate fruit.
  • Profit forecast plummets from AU$426 million in 2025 to AU$52 million in 2026 after AU$311 million in asset writedowns and restructuring charges.
  • Endeavour is selling Chapel Hill in McLaren Vale, Oakridge in Yarra Valley, and Josef Chromy in Tasmania, but retaining Cape Mentelle and Dorrien Estate.
  • The divestment reflects broader Australian wine sector collapse: exports hit a 22-year low and the 2026 harvest fell 19 percent year-on-year.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
02The Drinks Business·

Heineken commits to regenerative barley across UK supply by 2027

  • Heineken UK partnered with maltsters Muntons and Boortmalt, merchant Cefetra and agronomists Soil Capital to launch a regenerative malting barley programme paying farmers a premium on regenerative yields.
  • The initiative aims to source nearly half of Heineken UK's malted barley through regenerative agriculture by 2027, with first harvest in 2026 and consumer distribution in 2027.
  • Participating farmers across England and Scotland receive multi-year contracts, financial incentives, agronomic support and bespoke practices tailored to their land to reduce transition risk.
  • The programme will supply barley for Heineken, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, John Smith's, Foster's and Amstel brands brewed by Heineken UK, which produces 1.3 billion pints annually.
  • Soil Capital will independently measure and verify farm-level outcomes across 30 indicators including soil health, biodiversity and water management to ensure transparency and credibility.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
03The Drinks Business·

Yalumba releases six-wine 2026 Rare & Fine Collection across four vintages

  • Yalumba, Australia's oldest family winery, launches its 2026 Rare & Fine Collection comprising six wines from 2021 to 2024 vintages on August 19.
  • Flagship Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2023 sells exclusively through The Wine Society's in-bond First Release programme, called an absolute bargain by the retailer.
  • Collection includes The Caley, The Octavius Old Vine Shiraz, The Tri-Centenary Grenache, The Menzies, and The Steeple across Barossa and Coonawarra regions.
  • Sam Wigan, head winemaker, said Yalumba makes each Rare & Fine wine only when viticulture and winemaking elements align to deliver something special.
  • Owner Robert Hill-Smith noted the multi-vintage span reflects the estate's philosophy that Grenache shines young while Cabernet and Shiraz blends benefit from bottle age.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
04Decanter·

English estates launch prestige cuvées to rival premium Champagne

  • Nyetimber pioneered England's prestige cuvée concept in 2018, releasing white and rosé bottlings at £150-£175, matching premium Champagne pricing.
  • Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Langham and Squerryes have since launched their own super-premium sparkling wines, each priced £109-£395, with extended lees ageing as a hallmark.
  • These cuvées are produced in small quantities from selected vineyard parcels and named after estate heritage, adopting the Champagne prestige model of storytelling and scarcity.
  • Extended ageing on lees, typically seven to eight years minimum, is a defining technical marker that justifies the premium positioning across all releases.
  • The trend reflects growing recognition of English sparkling wine quality and signals a shift in how domestic estates compete in the luxury wine market.
Reported byDecanter
05The Drinks Business·

UK fine wine distributors lose millions as consolidation looms inevitable

  • Jeremy Howard, CEO of Cru World Wine, says fine wine faces inevitable consolidation as top 15 UK companies collectively lose nearly £20 million yearly despite £850 million in annual sales.
  • The sector has too many small merchants with duplicated costs, masked during Covid demand surge but now unsustainable; top 15 firms spend £210 million on admin to sell £850 million in wine.
  • Brett Fleming of Armit Wines and Helen Miller of Goedhuis Waddesdon both expect consolidation to accelerate, citing inflation, fiscal policy headwinds, and pressure from restaurant closures like Heston Blumenthal's Dinner by Heston.
  • Howard argues smaller firms cannot afford modern technology and inventory management; a neutral technology platform owned by producers, merchants and collectors could reduce individual overheads and improve survival rates.
  • Industry leaders expect a 'leaner, more efficient world' but warn consolidation will likely eliminate administrative jobs, as the current model cannot sustain profitability across the fragmented distribution chain.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
06The Drinks Business·

Bordeaux launches chilled, low-tannin Claret to reverse falling red wine sales

  • The Syndicat des AOC Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur introduced Bordeaux Claret as an official 'mention traditionnelle' for the 2025 vintage, following a 2023 consultation on declining red wine drinking.
  • The style is a light, fruit-forward dry red made with short maceration, minimal tannin, and no oak, served chilled at 5°C, targeting younger consumers in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, China and Japan.
  • The first vintage produced around 16,500 hectolitres, roughly two million bottles, from about 40 producers including major négociants Calvet and Mouton Cadet.
  • Winemakers must meet a defined sensory profile assessed by independent tasting panels, with minimum 11% ABV, maximum 7g/l residual sugar, and colour intensity above a specified threshold.
  • Bordeaux vineyard area has contracted sharply since 2021; the Claret category is positioned to reverse regional oversupply by appealing to by-the-glass service in restaurants and bars.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
07The Drinks Business·

Bibi Graetz exits La Place de Bordeaux amid négociant crisis

  • Bibi Graetz, Tuscan winemaker, left La Place de Bordeaux in 2025 after négociants withdrew commitment to his non-Bordeaux wines amid financial pressure.
  • Graetz entered La Place in 2018 through a négociant partner and achieved rapid success, establishing Testamatta and Colore as major fine wine brands within three years.
  • By September 2025's vintage release, négociants shifted to agent-only roles, buying only pre-sold stock and refusing to commit to beyond-Bordeaux labels like Graetz's.
  • Graetz's existing partners stepped in with exclusive distribution when La Place négociants withdrew, allowing him to maintain his brand.
  • From 2022 onward, Graetz sources grapes exclusively from vineyards above 400 metres elevation to reduce production and increase freshness and acidity.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
08The Drinks Business·

Italian holding company Compagnia del Gusto acquires UK wine merchant Jascots

  • Compagnia del Gusto Holding, an Italian food and beverage investment firm founded by the Cosulich family in 2025, has acquired Jascots Wine Merchants from Freixenet Copestick.
  • The Italian group operates three divisions: Compagnia del Mare (seafood), Compagnia delle Vigne (wine), and Compagnia dei Sapori (regional foods), targeting €200 million turnover within five years.
  • Jascots, founded in 1986 and rescued from administration by Freixenet Copestick in December 2020 after Covid-19 lockdowns, will now distribute Compagnia del Gusto's Italian wine and food portfolio across UK on-trade venues.
  • Omar Raafat, head of Jascots, and Ettore Nicoletto, CEO of Compagnia del Gusto, cited the deal as a milestone in expanding premium distribution in the UK market.
  • Jascots will maintain existing relationships with key brands including Bolney Wine Estate, Champagne Alfred Gratien, and Schloss Johannisberg, with staff transitioning to the new ownership.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
09The Drinks Business·

Anishka Jelicich takes helm of New Zealand Winegrowers after Gregan's 24 years

  • Anishka Jelicich, former global director of responsible marketing at Pernod Ricard in Paris, has become CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers, replacing Philip Gregan who led the organisation for 24 years.
  • Jelicich, a native New Zealander, moves to Auckland from her Paris role to lead the trade body overseeing New Zealand's eighth-largest export, worth NZ$2.1 billion annually across 100-plus markets.
  • Gregan stepped down in June 2025 after four decades in the wine trade, having steered New Zealand wine from negligible international recognition in 1983 to 288.772 million litres exported in 2025.
  • NZW chair Fabian Yukich cited Jelicich's global experience and ability to build stakeholder alignment as critical as the sector navigates coming opportunities and challenges.
  • Jelicich's first priority is to listen and learn across the industry before charting the next strategic direction for New Zealand wine.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
10VinePair·

Centre-Loire's lesser-known regions emerge as Sancerre prices soar above $40

  • Sancerre, the Centre-Loire's flagship Sauvignon Blanc, now sells for $40 to $50 per bottle and has reached production capacity with no expansion planned.
  • Five neighboring appellations, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Coteaux du Giennois, produce similar wines at $20 to $30, gaining buyer interest as Sancerre prices climb.
  • Sancerre exports nearly 75 percent of its production, with half reaching the US, while neighboring regions export far smaller volumes but see growing availability.
  • Producers in the region are experimenting with blending forgotten acidic varieties into Sauvignon Blanc to combat earlier harvests driven by climate change.
  • Winemakers report harvests arriving as early as mid-August, forcing urgent adjustments to preserve acidity and terroir expression as temperatures rise.
Reported byVinePair
11VinePair·

Celebrity wine brands surge from 2005 to 2025, clustered around 2020 quarantine

  • Kyle MacLachlan launched Pursued by Bear in Walla Walla in 2005, pioneering the modern celebrity wine trend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blends.
  • Celebrity wine launches accelerated sharply in 2020 during pandemic lockdowns, with Post Malone, Cameron Diaz, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige all debuting brands that summer.
  • Brad Pitt acquired majority control of Château Miraval in Provence after a contentious eight-year legal battle with Angelina Jolie over the jointly owned rosé producer.
  • Kylie Minogue Wines became a top-selling rosé brand in the U.K. within its first year of launch in May 2020, expanding to Australia and the U.S. by 2022.
  • Celebrity wine brands now occupy a considerable sector of the wine industry, with portfolios ranging from organic minimal-intervention styles to premium rosé blends.
Reported byVinePair
12The Drinks Business·

Campari profit falls but raises 2026 margin outlook on tariff relief

  • Davide Campari-Milano reported first-half 2026 net profit of €129 million, down 37% from €206 million in the same period of 2025.
  • Organic sales grew 2.7% despite a 1.0% reported decline to €1.51 billion, reflecting portfolio disposals and currency headwinds.
  • The company raised its full-year adjusted earnings margin outlook, projecting tariff costs of €20 million instead of €30 million.
  • CEO Simon Hunt cited portfolio streamlining, priority brand growth and geographic expansion as drivers of improved profitability.
  • Campari is divesting non-core brands including Bisquit & Dubouché Cognac to Cobblestone Brands and Caribbean rum operations to a French buyer.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
13The Drinks Business·

Southern Glazer's acquires Eagle Rock's Colorado distribution business

  • Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits completed acquisition of substantially all assets of Eagle Rock Distributing Co.'s Colorado operations, expanding its beer, spirits and non-alcoholic portfolio.
  • The deal grants Southern Glazer's responsibility for distributing Anheuser-Busch brands in Colorado including Budweiser, Michelob ULTRA and Bud Light, plus spirits and seltzer lines.
  • Jeffrey Gerali, former senior commercial director at Anheuser-Busch, appointed senior vice president and general manager of Southern Glazer's Beverage Company of Colorado to lead enlarged operation.
  • Acquisition reflects ongoing consolidation in US wholesale drinks sector as distributors seek greater scale and broader product portfolios to serve customers.
  • Southern Glazer's will continue operating from Eagle Rock's existing Colorado facilities while immediately beginning distribution across the territory.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
14VinePair·

RNDC files Chapter 11 after shedding majority of US distribution markets

  • Republic National Distributing Company, formerly the second-largest US wine and spirits distributor, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas yesterday to wind down remaining operations and seek buyers.
  • 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 top unsecured claims.
  • The largest unsecured claim is $93.92 million owed to Proximo Spirits for trade debt and litigation; smaller suppliers with no payment leverage face near-total loss on $400 million in claims.
  • RNDC shed the majority of its US markets in recent months, selling to Reyes Beverage Group, Columbia Distributing, Martignetti Companies, and BreakThru Beverage Group while preserving over 5,000 jobs.
  • The company retained 1,450 workers and sought court permission to pay ongoing wages and benefits to prevent staff exodus during the wind-down process.
Reported byVinePair
01VinePair·

Nine California Chardonnays challenge butter-bomb stereotype

  • California Chardonnay carries a reputation for buttery, oaky excess, steering many drinkers away despite the grape's neutral character.
  • Winemaker decisions in vineyard and cellar shape final flavors far more than the grape itself; many Napa and Sonoma producers lean into richness.
  • Cool-climate California regions like Sonoma Coast, Santa Maria Valley, and Livermore Valley yield bright, acid-driven Chardonnays without overwhelming oak.
  • Nine producers including Presqu'ile, Failla, Massican, and Hirsch Vineyards demonstrate Chardonnay's potential for citrus, mineral, and herbaceous profiles.
  • Fresher Chardonnays use mixed or aged oak rather than 100 percent new barrels, balancing fruit complexity with crisp acidity and drinkability.
Reported byVinePair
02VinePair·

Twelve sommeliers name overlooked red wines worth exploring

  • Twelve US sommeliers and wine retailers were asked to name the most underrated red wines they stock and recommend to customers.
  • Pineau d'Aunis from Loire Valley, Nebbiolo, Tintilia from Molise, and Trousseau from Jura emerged as forgotten European varieties offering distinct flavors at accessible prices.
  • Languedoc, Sierra de Gredos in Spain, and Mount Etna in Sicily were named as entire regions recovering from past cheap-wine reputations through new generation winemakers.
  • Lambrusco, Beaujolais, Mourvèdre, and País were highlighted as wines with recent cult followings that deserve wider recognition beyond wine enthusiast circles.
  • Most recommendations share pale color, bright acidity, and food flexibility, positioning them as alternatives to mainstream Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot.
Reported byVinePair
03The Drinks Business·

London train station plants Bacchus vines, expects first harvest in 2026

  • Denmark Hill railway station in Camberwell, south London, is growing 30 Bacchus vines on its grounds as a community project led by Nick Mair, a French and Spanish language teacher, and Tony Coleman, a construction worker.
  • The pair planted sunflowers in 2022 to test soil viability, then terraced and planted vines in 2023 without mechanical equipment, using the double Guyot pruning method taught at The Mount Vineyard in Shoreham, Kent.
  • The 2026 harvest is expected to yield around 22 bottles, one per vine, after the pair pruned back to nine bunches per vine to manage risk as beginners.
  • Network Rail's Community License agreement with the Camberwell Society forbids selling the wine; the project aims to help commuters engage positively with the station and improve its local reputation.
  • The initiative includes artworks, lavering projects, and a mini lavender farm as part of what Mair calls the "Provencification of Camberwell.".
Reported byThe Drinks Business
04The Drinks Business·

Great Fosters' Tudor Pass pairs adventurous global wines with British seasonal cooking

  • The Tudor Pass, a seven-table Michelin-starred restaurant in Surrey reopened under chef Stefano Di Giosia in 2025 with a reimagined wine programme and Italian-inflected British cooking.
  • Sous chef and wine director Luca Delfini, who took control of the wine list in November 2024, sources globally: Armenian, Georgian, Japanese, Croatian and Greek wines sit alongside French classics and English producers including Balfour and Chapel Down.
  • Delfini uniquely combines the roles of wine director and cook, leaving the kitchen to introduce pairings before returning to finish dishes; four and six-wine flights cost £80 and £120 but remain undisclosed until poured.
  • Di Giosia reinterprets his Abruzzese heritage through British-grown ingredients sourced from local farmers, with wine selections framed to complement acidity, texture and cooking technique rather than prestige alone.
  • English wine is listed as a standalone category rather than token patriotism, with Chapel Down Kit's Coty Chardonnay priced at £24 per 125ml glass, making glass service competitive with bottle purchase.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
05The Drinks Business·

Denmark Hill station releases first vintage from trackside Bacchus vineyard

  • Denmark Hill station in south London will release its first wine next year from 30 Bacchus vines planted metres from the rail tracks by the Camberwell Society.
  • Winemakers Nick Mair and Tony Coleman hand-cleared bindweed, terraced slopes, and installed posts without electricity to establish the vineyard on non-passenger station land.
  • The white wine, named Chateau Denmark Hill, marks Britain's first railway station vineyard and will be produced in tiny quantities with distribution still undecided.
  • Bacchus thrives in England's cool, damp climate and is now the fourth most planted variety in UK vineyards, accounting for roughly 7 to 8 percent of total acreage.
  • Last year Bacchus vines yielded 9.5 tonnes per hectare, well above the five-year average of 6.75 tonnes, signalling stronger commercial prospects for the English white.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
06The Drinks Business·

Doña Paula releases Beyond Shadows wine celebrating Luján de Cuyo heritage

  • Doña Paula, a Mendoza winemaker, launched Beyond Shadows, a wine with an ambiguous label depicting both two girls and a skull to represent Luján de Cuyo's past and future.
  • The skull symbolises buried histories and forgotten vineyard practices that built the high-altitude sub-region's reputation over generations.
  • The two girls represent the hope and renewal of Luján de Cuyo's continuing prestige and the annual harvest bounty.
  • Doña Paula employs regenerative vineyard practices and blends traditional winemaking with modern technique to reflect the region's balance of history and innovation.
  • The wine is available in the UK through NorthSouth Wines and positions Luján de Cuyo as a distinct Mendoza sub-region worth attention.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
07The Drinks Business·

European heatwaves shift drinkers toward chilled wines, away from reds

  • During Europe's heatwaves, consumers shift toward rosé, white, sparkling and orange wines served cold, while red wine sales fall and overall beverage consumption declines.
  • Chile is promoting crisp whites and lighter reds via Chile Pacífico, while Bordeaux revived 'claret' as a chilled, fruit-forward red to appeal to younger drinkers seeking refreshment.
  • A June heatwave in France saw wine volumes drop 25 percent on-trade, while water rose 36 percent and beer remained stable; spirits fell 14 percent.
  • iDealwine's prior survey found 45 percent of fine wine buyers seek more white wine as temperatures rise, and 74 percent favour older vintages as more balanced than hot-year wines.
  • Research shows alcohol sales peak above 32°C then decline; if summers grow hotter, the wine trade risks losing drinkers to water, soft drinks and beer entirely.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
08SevenFifty Daily·

Ancient vine-training systems face extinction as labor costs and mechanization advance

  • Italy's alberata system, once widespread around Naples, survives on only a handful of hectares today, replaced by mechanizable methods like Guyot and vertical shoot positioning.
  • Lanzarote's hoyo system, carved into volcanic rock after 1730s eruptions, draws thousands of tourists annually and supports the island's economy, yet vineyard area fell 19 percent between 2000 and 2026 due to labor demands.
  • Alberto González Plasencia, owner of Bodegas Timanfaya on Lanzarote, warns that if hoyos disappear, tourists will stop visiting and local wine values will drop.
  • Spain's Rías Baixas region maintains pergola training for Albariño because specialized machinery reduces labor, and the DO bans mechanized harvesting across all systems anyway.
  • Bellussera, a 19th-century hybrid pergola system in Veneto, nearly extinct after the silk industry collapsed, may survive through climate adaptation and wine tourism.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
09VinePair·

Brooklyn housing complex paves walkways with 450,000 recycled wine corks

  • Public Housing Community Fund, Cork Collective, and nonprofits installed cork pathways and playgrounds at Marlboro Houses, a NYCHA complex in Gravesend, Brooklyn, using 450,000 recycled wine corks collected from NYC restaurants.
  • Cork Collective, launched in 2024 by architecture firm Rockwell Group and cork manufacturer Amorim, ground and bonded the corks with adhesive before laying them on site.
  • Children at Marlboro Houses submitted playground designs that shaped the final layout, making the project resident-led rather than top-down.
  • Cork surfaces absorb stormwater, reduce ambient temperature by 20 to 30 percent, and avoid toxic plastics or asphalt; less than one percent of 13 billion annual cork stoppers are currently recycled worldwide.
Reported byVinePair
10Decanter·

Independent wine shop wins first Sustainable Buyer award from Decanter

  • Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such independent shop in London, won Decanter's inaugural Sustainable Wine Buyer award for embedding sustainability into sourcing and daily operations.
  • The judging panel, led by Decanter sustainability editor Natalie Earl, found her entry stood out for weaving sustainability through every buying decision rather than adopting single initiatives.
  • Majestic won the companion Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year award in the same competition.
  • Many entrants to the 2025 awards ignored the sustainability section entirely, suggesting portions of the industry do not yet view it as core to their role.
  • The Sustainable Wine Buyer category debuted in 2025 within the Wine Buyers Awards, which launched in 2020 to recognise buyers shaping trends and values across their ranges.
Reported byDecanter
01SevenFifty Daily·

Vineyards deploy shade netting to cool grape clusters during heat stress

  • Shade netting reduces cluster-zone temperature and protects anthocyanins, the pigments that degrade above 35°C; a 2022 UC Davis study on Cabernet Sauvignon found 27 percent more skin anthocyanins in shaded versus unshaded clusters.
  • Net color and placement matter critically: white and green nets perform better than black, which absorbs heat; nets must stay away from fruit to avoid transferring heat directly to berries, as Boroli in Barolo discovered.
  • At Petra in Tuscany, 90 percent shade nets dropped Merlot cluster temperatures from 50°C to 40-41°C, cutting sunburn incidence from 41 percent to three percent in one trial; partial shading preserves beneficial UV light.
  • Luis Reginato, head of viticulture at Catena Zapata in Mendoza, uses light netting (15 percent shade) primarily to reduce plant stress in dry conditions rather than limit radiation, since high-altitude desert vineyards receive excess sunlight.
  • Managing the fruit zone through netting is one strategy among many; row orientation, canopy design, water management, and site selection all shape how vines balance heat protection with phenolic development and wine quality.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
02SevenFifty Daily·

Grape sunburn spreads as heat waves reach cooler regions; growers reverse leaf-removal practices

  • Sunburn occurs when berry surface temperature exceeds 104-109°F under high light; cells die, skins crack, and berries shrivel in severe cases.
  • Heat damage breaks down chlorophyll, polyphenols, carotenoids, and aromatic compounds, producing flavors of cooked fruit, asphalt, rubber, and creosote in finished wine.
  • Defoliation at veraison increases sunburn risk; defoliation at end of flowering allows berries to build photoprotective compounds, reducing damage significantly.
  • Producers including Chêne Bleu in Ventoux and Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley now avoid summer leaf removal on white varieties and limit it to early season or east-facing sides.
  • Kaolin clay spray cools canopy by up to 9 degrees Celsius; vineyard design, trellis orientation, and fruit-zone shading are now primary strategies.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
03SevenFifty Daily·

Heat-Tolerant Mourvèdre Struggles as Southern France Temperatures Rise

  • Mourvèdre, long grown in Bandol and Jumilla for its heat tolerance, is now struggling to maintain balance as temperatures rise and droughts intensify, even in traditionally hot regions.
  • A three-year drought in Jumilla from 2022 to 2024 killed some old bush vines, forcing producers to consider irrigation despite its threat to terroir character.
  • Producers at Domaines Ott, Domaine Gueissard, and Domaine Tempier are experimenting with canopy management, higher pruning, and ground cover to shade vines and retain soil moisture.
  • Bandol's cooler sites, traditionally reserved for rosé production, are being converted to red wine as the region warms, potentially reducing rosé output from its current 75 percent of production.
  • In Jumilla, vineyard surface area has halved in 20 years as lower-altitude sites are abandoned; only higher-altitude parcels around 600 to 800 meters remain viable.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
01Everyday Drinking·Jason Wilson·

The Anti-Aesthetics of Tinto de Verano

  • Art director Zoë Yasemin argues that taste has become performative in 2026, driven by internet-flattened cultural hierarchies where people repeat validated opinions rather than develop independent preferences.
  • Tinto de verano, Spanish wine mixed with gaseosa (carbonated lemon-sugar water), exemplifies unpretentious drinking: consumed for pleasure and refreshment, not to signal status or taste.
  • Social media has amplified performative wine drinking, allowing drinkers to peacock before thousands of strangers rather than just adjacent tables, creating competitive status-signaling around expensive bottles.
  • The author drank unlabeled supermarket wine mixed with gaseosa in Spain during the pandemic for €700/month, finding joy without concern for what the drink communicated about their taste.
Read the full story
03The Morning Claret·Simon J. Woolf·

Six Wines That Stopped Me in My Tracks

  • Charly, a Burgundy native, produces wines in Lower Austria with a French sensibility, focusing on traditional Austrian varieties.
  • Charly's Blauer Portugieser from Christoph Hoch grapes displays ripeness, vivid fruit, and creamy texture, unusually hedonistic for the variety.
  • Charly's Grüner Veltliner 2022, Blaufränkisch 2023, and Zweigelt 2023 are available via Gute Weine for €27 per bottle, shipping to selected EU countries.
Read the full story
04Maker's Table·Meg Maker·

Notable Releases from Troon Vineyard

  • Troon Vineyard released 2025 Vermentino and 2023 Syrah from Oregon's Applegate Valley.
  • Troon Vineyard, in Grant's Pass, farms using certified biodynamic and regenerative organic principles.
  • Troon uses ambient cultures for fermentation, minimal sulfite at bottling, and avoids new oak.
  • Applegate Valley's high latitude provides long summer days and heat, with cool overnight temperatures from Siskiyou Mountain winds.
Read the full story
05Grape 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 Chardonnay and Merlot, and innovates huangjiu (yellow wine), an ancient Chinese fermented beverage.
  • Co-founder Alex Yuanzhu Wang's products are already listed in over 100 bars and restaurants across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu since launching last June.
  • Huangjiu is commonly misunderstood as cooking wine; quality huangjiu peaks between three and eight years of aging, not indefinitely, and modern styles are fresher and cleaner than older, sweeter versions.
  • Chardomi, an 80% Chardonnay and 20% glutinous rice co-fermentation, requires rice to be soaked, steamed, and undergo saccharification before fermenting with freshly pressed grape juice.
Read the full story
06Be 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 the Russian market, representing the peak of sweet sparkling wine production.
Read the full story