winefeed

by Primal Wine
ArchiveFRIDAY 7 AUGUST 20267 AUG
01VinePair·

Anheuser-Busch vaults to sixth in wine via BeatBox acquisition

  • Anheuser-Busch InBev paid $490 million for an 85 percent stake in BeatBox in February 2026, acquiring the 11.1 percent ABV wine-based drink launched in 2011.
  • BeatBox sales surged 30 percent year-over-year in the 52 weeks through mid-April 2026, with its Cherry Limeade flavor outselling Bud Light Lime-a-Rita in dollar volume.
  • The acquisition alone lifted ABI into sixth place among all US wine marketers with seven million cases in 2025, though the brewer had abandoned wine investments twice before, discontinuing Dewey Stevens in 1987 and Babe Wine in 2023.
  • Wine-based cocktails surged to 18 million cases in 2025, with BeatBox accounting for roughly 40 percent of the category, whose growth offset broader wine sales declines.
Reported byVinePair
02The Drinks Business·

Wine industry ignores Africa's 500-million-person middle class, ceding market to beer and spirits

  • African Development Bank projects Africa's middle class will exceed 500 million by 2030, with urban population doubling to 1.4 billion by 2050, generating forecast wine market of $8 billion by 2035.
  • Diageo and Heineken embedded structural operations across Africa over decades: Diageo sources 86% locally across multiple markets; Heineken integrated South African operations into single multi-category platform in 2023.
  • Wine industry remains largely absent except for Gérard Bertrand, Rutini, and Concha y Toro, while spirits and beer secured distribution depth, brand loyalty, and shelf space across the continent.
  • African consumers treat wine as status symbol and aspirational marker of professional arrival, with Champagne and sparkling wine highly sought by emerging middle class, yet infrastructure gaps prevent market capture.
  • Late entrants to African wine will negotiate from weakness, pay premiums for shelf space, and compete against established beer and spirits categories; early structural investment now determines competitive position in 20 years.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
03The Drinks Business·

Quilceda Creek secures full ownership of historic Champoux Vineyard

  • Washington winery Quilceda Creek acquired the remaining 21% stake in Champoux Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills AVA, raising its ownership from 79% to 100%.
  • Champoux, first planted in early 1970s and Washington's original Horse Heaven Hills vineyard, has supplied Quilceda Creek's Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon since 1986.
  • The 153-acre site's south-facing slopes and 600-800 foot altitude create temperature swings that ripen Cabernet fully while preserving acidity, according to Quilceda Creek's winemaker Paul Golitzin.
  • Full ownership gives Quilceda Creek complete control over grape sourcing for its flagship wine and allows the Golitzen family to manage long-term vineyard development.
  • Columbia Valley ranks ninth most-purchased region on CellarTracker with 436,000 purchases in 2025, ahead of the Rhône Valley and approaching Champagne's 509,000.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
04The Drinks Business·

Yunnan Red adapts to China's wine boom with local varietals and digital sales

  • Wu Kegang invested US$10 million in state-owned Yunnan Red winery in Mile, Yunnan in 1997; today it produces four million bottles annually across wines, brandy and grape juice.
  • Wynn Wu, second-generation proprietor, shifted focus to entry-level consumers seeking soft-tannin reds like Isabella and fresh whites like Niagara, now the estate's core portfolio.
  • Approximately half of Yunnan Red sales now occur online through Tmall, Red Book and WeChat, a dramatic change driven by e-commerce and influencer partnerships.
  • The premium Dance in the Clouds red, made from Le Pourpre grapes and aged 24-36 months, retails at HK$900 compared to most wines starting at HK$100.
  • Yunnan Red expanded to Hong Kong in the late 2010s and targets Southeast Asian markets next, seeking regions beyond China's domestic capacity.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
05The Drinks Business·

Sicily's 2026 harvest arrives after drought, buoyed by wet winter and global film tourism

  • Sicily's 2026 harvest began this week in the west and will run roughly 100 days across the island, longer than any other European wine region.
  • After a severe drought two years ago that caused €2.7 billion in agricultural damage, a wet winter and spring restored soil water reserves and growers expect high-quality output.
  • Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, shot partly on Favignana in western Sicily, opened 16 July 2026 and is driving travel searches to the exact region where Grillo, Marsala and Aeolian Malvasia are grown.
  • Sicily's dry-farming heritage, including the UNESCO-listed alberello bush-vine technique, gives growers practical knowledge about water scarcity that regions like Bordeaux and Napa now pay consultants to learn.
  • The trade has a single trading quarter to capitalize on the film's marketing; producers and importers must act now to stock set-jetting tourists with western Sicilian whites and Salina Malvasia before cinema interest fades.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
06The Drinks Business·

Mouton, Lafite lead fine wine recovery as markets stabilize

  • Liv-ex fine wine indices stabilized in Q3 2025, ending a broader market decline with uneven regional recovery.
  • Bordeaux dominated wines showing sustained quarterly price gains, led by five Mouton vintages and Lafite 2015.
  • Mouton 2015 reached its 2020 floor by late 2025; Lafite 2015 trades at 2020 lows with continuing upward momentum.
  • Champagne non-vintage bottles, including Pol Roger Brut Réserve and Jacques Selosse Initial, posted strongest gains.
  • Opus One 2013 trades near its 2022 peak as transaction frequency increased alongside rising prices.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
07The Drinks Business·

Endeavour Group axes 80% of Australian vineyards, profits to plummet AU$374m

  • Endeavour Group, Sydney-based owner of 1,700+ liquor stores and multiple wineries, announced plans to divest most Australian vineyard and winery assets and reduce grape growing by 80%.
  • The group will shift to a model of 99% purchased bulk wine and grapes instead of owning vineyards, keeping some wine brands including Cape Mentelle and Dorrien Estate.
  • Profits forecast to drop from AU$426m in 2025 to AU$52m in 2026 due to AU$311m in asset writedowns and restructuring charges, announced 5 August 2026.
  • Properties being sold include Chapel Hill in McLaren Vale, Oakridge in Yarra Valley, and Josef Chromy in Tasmania, while Isabel Estates in New Zealand is retained.
  • The move reflects broader pressure on Australian wine companies facing drought, rising input costs, and a 19% drop in harvest tonnage, with exports at a 22-year low.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
08The Drinks Business·

Heineken launches UK regenerative barley scheme with premium payments to farmers

  • Heineken UK partnered with maltsters Muntons and Boortmalt, merchant Cefetra, and agronomists Soil Capital to buy regenerative barley at a premium, targeting half its malted barley from regenerative farms by 2027.
  • Farmers receive direct premium payments, multi-year contracts, and agronomic support to offset the cost and risk of adopting regenerative practices like reduced soil disturbance and cover crops.
  • First regenerative barley harvest arrives in 2026, brewed into Heineken, John Smith's, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, Foster's and Amstel brands by 2027, affecting 80% of UK pub supply.
  • Soil Capital will independently measure farm-level outcomes across 30 indicators including soil health and biodiversity, providing transparency to justify premium prices and long-term investment.
  • Initiative targets barley regions across England and Scotland, addressing farmer shift away from barley toward higher-yielding oilseed crops as brewer demand for malting barley weakens.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
09The Drinks Business·

Yalumba releases six-wine Rare & Fine Collection from four vintages

  • Yalumba, Australia's oldest family winery, launched its 2026 Rare & Fine Collection on 19 August exclusively through The Wine Society online.
  • The collection spans six wines from 2021 to 2024 vintages, including Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2023, The Caley, The Octavius, The Tri-Centenary Grenache, The Menzies, and The Steeple.
  • Sam Wigan, head winemaker, said Yalumba makes each Rare & Fine wine only when viticulture and winemaking align perfectly, not annually as standard practice.
  • Wines blend grapes from the estate's oldest vines across Barossa and Coonawarra regions, with Grenache intended for near-term drinking and Cabernet and Shiraz designed for cellaring.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
10Decanter·

English estates launch prestige cuvées to rival Champagne's top tier

  • Nyetimber released England's first prestige cuvée in 2018, the 1086 range, priced at £150, £175 to match premium Champagne, after proprietor Eric Heerema acquired the West Sussex estate in 2006.
  • Chapel Down's Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvée (2016 vintage, £126) and Gusbourne's Fifty One Degrees North (2016 vintage, £195) followed, each aged seven to eight years on lees and produced in limited quantities.
  • Langham released Perpetual Blanc de Blancs in June 2025 at £109.95, a solera-style multi-vintage blend inspired by grower Champagne, bottled in only 650 units and made without sulphur.
  • Squerryes launched Patience 2014 in July 2026, its first prestige cuvée, with future releases under review as the Kent estate commits to extended ageing on chalk soils at 140-170m altitude.
  • All five estates position small-batch, multi-vintage or single-vineyard sparkling wines at £100 and above, establishing English producers as competitors in the super-premium sparkling category.
Reported byDecanter
11SevenFifty Daily·

Ancient vine-training systems vanish as labor costs and mechanization squeeze traditional growers

  • Italy's alberata system, once common around Naples, survives on only handful of hectares today, replaced by mechanizable methods like Guyot and vertical shoot positioning.
  • Lanzarote's hoyo system, where vines grow in volcanic ash pits, draws thousands of tourists annually and supports island economy, but vineyard area fell 19 percent between 2000 and 2026 due to extreme labor demands.
  • Alberto González Plasencia, owner of Bodegas Timanfaya on Lanzarote, warns that losing hoyos would reduce tourist visits and diminish wine value in tourism-dependent economy.
  • Familia Torres adapted specialized machinery to pergola training in Rías Baixas Albariño vineyards, reducing labor intensity while maintaining heritage method and premium positioning.
  • Bellussera, a 19th-century pergola hybrid in Veneto covering nine percent of Piave DOC, may survive through wine tourism and climate resilience despite decades of decline.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
12VinePair·

Centre-Loire appellations gain traction as Sancerre prices soar past $40

  • Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc now sells for $40 to $50 per bottle, with production capped and three-quarters exported; neighboring Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Coteaux du Giennois offer similar quality at $20 to $30.
  • Clément Berthier, Sancerre appellation president, notes the region has reached capacity with no plans to expand vineyards or volume, limiting supply growth.
  • Chad Stephens, Hawaii sales director for Chambers & Chambers distributor, says demand for Sancerre outpaces supply, forcing reliance on alternative Centre-Loire producers.
  • Centre-Loire winemakers including Emile Balland and Paul-Henry Pellé report earlier harvests driven by climate change, prompting experimentation with abandoned varieties to preserve acidity in finished wines.
  • Pinot Noir from the region is emerging as a value alternative to Burgundy, with winemakers at Domaine Delaporte and others reporting improved quality and favorable price-to-quality ratios.
Reported byVinePair
13The Drinks Business·

Rwanda shuts 101 alcohol makers over illicit drink health crisis

  • Rwanda's Food and Drugs Authority closed 101 alcoholic beverage manufacturers on 3 August and revoked their production licences amid public health concerns.
  • The facilities produced vodka, gin, flavoured wines and banana-based drinks; regulators ordered immediate withdrawal from market and removal of all advertising.
  • The crackdown follows closure of eight liquor makers including Ingufu Gin and Sky Drop Industries, with health minister Sabin Nsanzimana citing over 500 illicit alcohol poisoning cases and 50 deaths this year.
  • Rwanda's alcohol consumption rose from 41% of the population in 2013 to 48% in 2022, prompting the Ministry of Health's "Tunywe Less" campaign.
  • Daily drinkers account for 15% of men and 7% of women; more than 100 people suffered vision loss from illicit alcohol this year.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
14VinePair·

RNDC files chapter 11 bankruptcy after shedding majority of US markets

  • Republic National Distributing Company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas yesterday, listing liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion and over 100,000 creditors.
  • RNDC sold off most of its US markets in recent months to competitors including Reyes Beverage Group, Columbia Distributing, and BreakThru Beverage Group, preserving over 5,000 jobs.
  • The company owes Proximo Spirits $93.92 million in trade debt and litigation, and faces $62.4 million in claims from Empower Annuity Insurance, among 30 major unsecured creditors totalling over $300 million.
  • Small wine and spirits suppliers lacking leverage to demand upfront payment face severe risk, as they depend on RNDC as their only route to market and hold roughly $400 million in unsecured claims.
  • RNDC retained roughly 1,450 employees and secured court permission to continue paying wages and benefits to prevent workforce collapse during the restructuring process.
Reported byVinePair
01The Drinks Business·

Bacardí opens Puerto Rico warehouses; Prosecco, Italian wine tours and Clarkson's pie debut

  • Casa Bacardí in Puerto Rico opened its ageing warehouses to visitors for the first time, offering a 90-minute Maestro's Walk tour including barrel tastings and blending education.
  • La Gioiosa became Official Prosecco Partner of inaugural London Padel Week (3-9 August), hosting tastings and cocktail activations across five London clubs during the fast-growing sport's celebration.
  • Brothers Augusto and Alberto Gherardi launched AnimaTours, bespoke Italian wine journeys led by certified WSET educators visiting wineries, regional food producers, artisans and local culture.
  • Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone IPA brewery partnered with Marston's pubs to launch a limited-edition beer and beef pie across 498 locations, marking the brewery's largest pub partnership.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
02The Drinks Business·

Australian Vintage launches small-format Poco Vino brand for convenience-focused drinkers

  • Australian Vintage launched Poco Vino last year with colour-coded single-serve bottles in seven classic varieties, winning a Drinks Business Award.
  • Consumer research across 3,000 drinkers in seven markets identified barriers to 75cl bottles: limited exploration, commitment to one style, and difficulty moderating intake.
  • Small-format wine addresses modern priorities of convenience, moderation and quality; bottles stack for easy transport and suit home drinking, picnics and events.
  • Emily Harper, CMO at Australian Vintage, states people now drink differently, seeking formats that feel less formal; Poco Vino sells roughly 12,000 bottles daily globally.
  • Brand positioning emphasises familiar grape varieties and bold packaging to reduce choice overwhelm in busy retail, while wine quality drives repeat purchase.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
03The Drinks Business·

Korean sommelier produces wine for Hong Kong restaurants, not home market

  • Ted Ko, Korea-born sommelier and wine merchant, launched Koyberpunk in 2019 after moving to Hong Kong, frustrated by poor Korean food wine pairings at restaurants.
  • Koyberpunk produces cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay-semillon blend and muscat bailey-A from a 1.5-acre vineyard in Yeongcheon-City, 350km southeast of Seoul, at 8,000 bottles annually.
  • Ko sells cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay-semillon exclusively on-trade in Hong Kong at restaurants including O'RM, Brut wine bar, and Hansik Goo, priced HK$980 per bottle.
  • Ko withheld muscat bailey-A from Hong Kong's high-end Korean restaurants because sommeliers rejected the hybrid grape over brand positioning concerns.
  • Ko doubts Korean consumers would embrace his wines domestically, citing perception that quality wine originates in Napa, Bordeaux or Burgundy, and noting Korean winemaking lacks oenologists and mature technique.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
04VinePair·

Brooklyn public housing complex installs pathways from 450,000 recycled wine corks

  • Marlboro Houses, a New York City Housing Authority complex in Gravesend Brooklyn, opened pathways and playgrounds made from 450,000 recycled wine corks collected from NYC restaurants.
  • Cork Collective, an architecture and cork-recycling partnership launched by Rockwell Group and cork manufacturer Amorim in 2024, ground and bonded the corks into durable walking and play surfaces.
  • Children living at Marlboro Houses submitted playground design mockups that shaped the final layout, developed with Center for Justice Innovation, The Urban Conga, and the Marlboro Resident Association.
  • Cork surfaces absorb stormwater, reduce ambient temperature by 20 to 30 percent, and avoid toxic plastic or rubber alternatives; globally, less than one percent of 13 billion annual cork stoppers are recycled.
Reported byVinePair
05Decanter·

Independent wine merchant wins inaugural sustainable buyer award

  • Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such, a one-person independent shop, won the first Sustainable Wine Buyer award from the Wine Buyers Awards in 2025.
  • The judging panel found her entry stood out because sustainability shaped her entire sourcing model and daily operations, not just isolated initiatives.
  • Majestic won the separate Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year award, showing larger retailers are also embedding the practice.
  • A substantial portion of competition entrants did not complete the sustainability section, suggesting many buyers do not yet view it as core to their role.
  • The awards recognise wine buyers' influence on trends and value; the new sustainability category signals the industry is still developing this competency.
Reported byDecanter
01The Drinks Business·

Chile's 2026 harvest shows regional distinction across valleys

  • Viña Concha y Toro's 2026 harvest report documents how winter rainfall and spring conditions shaped ripening across four key Chilean regions with distinct outcomes.
  • Limarí coastal fog delayed ripening gradually, yielding wines with aromatic precision, tension and mineral character; Maipo's stable warmth produced concentrated fruit with refined tannins and elegance.
  • Peumo benefitted from March rainfall that moderated late-ripening Carmenere, balancing technological and phenolic maturity; Maule required careful harvest timing around similar rain events.
  • Marcelo Papa, Concha y Toro technical director, stated the vintage proved that quality depends on understanding each origin's identity rather than extreme conditions.
  • Each region's coastal influence, structural stability, growing-cycle precision or resilience contributed distinct wine profiles across the producer's portfolio from Super Premium to Icon tiers.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
02SevenFifty Daily·

Vineyards deploy shade netting to cool fruit zones in extreme heat

  • Shade netting, traditionally used for hail and bird protection, is now deployed to lower fruit-zone temperatures and preserve acidity, color, and phenolics during heat events.
  • UC Davis research on Cabernet Sauvignon showed shaded clusters retained 27 percent more anthocyanins than unshaded fruit when temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius during heat spikes.
  • At Catena Zapata in Mendoza and Petra in Tuscany, trials found white or green nets outperformed black nets, and placement matters: nets touching grapes cause sunburn, while one-sided shading prevents heat-trapping oven effects.
  • Boroli in Barolo reduced maximum fruit-zone temperature from 49.2 to 43 degrees Celsius with open-mesh netting, but denser shade nets paradoxically reached 50 degrees, proving more coverage does not guarantee cooler fruit.
  • Growers now balance shading against phenolic development and disease risk, treating the fruit zone as a precision microclimate rather than a simple protection zone.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
03SevenFifty Daily·

Grape sunburn spreads beyond hot regions as heat waves arrive earlier

  • Grape sunburn is a stress response when berry surface temperatures exceed 104-109°F under high light, causing chlorophyll and polyphenols to degrade and producing flavors of leather, asphalt, and creosote in finished wine.
  • Direct sun can heat exposed berries 22-27°F above air temperature, meaning a 95°F day creates berry surfaces above 122°F on the sun-facing side.
  • Producers in Provence and Australia have reversed decades of practice, abandoning or delaying leaf removal in summer and avoiding east-side defoliation to protect fruit from sudden heat waves.
  • Tyrrell's in Australia's Hunter Valley has used kaolin clay spray since 2014, cooling canopy by up to 9°C, as a preventive alternative to leaf removal.
  • Winemakers including Steve Matthiasson in Napa now design vineyards to shade fruit and sort sunburned berries at harvest, recognizing that direct sun damages color, aroma, and acid.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
04SevenFifty Daily·

Mourvèdre faces limits as heat stress pushes Bandol producers to adapt

  • Even heat-tolerant Mourvèdre, long dominant in Bandol, now struggles with extreme heat and drought as France breaks temperature records each year.
  • Producers at Domaines Ott, Domaine Gueissard, and Domaine Tempier are adjusting canopy management and pruning techniques to shade grapes and slow ripening cycles.
  • A three-year drought from 2022 to 2024 in Jumilla killed some old Monastrell vines, forcing growers to adopt irrigation despite tradition of dry farming.
  • Wine styles are shifting: Bandol's cooler sites now grow red wine instead of rosé, threatening the region's current 75 percent rosé production.
  • Jumilla's vineyard area halved in 20 years as hotter southern sites were abandoned, leaving only higher-altitude parcels with deeper soils viable.
Reported bySevenFifty Daily
05The Drinks Business·

Global alcohol deaths fall 26% since 2010, analysis finds

  • Alcohol-attributable deaths worldwide fell 26% between 2010 and 2024, according to analysis by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking of Global Burden of Disease data.
  • Disability-adjusted life years linked to alcohol fell 23% over the same period, while high alcohol use exposure declined 10%.
  • The improvement likely reflects combined effects of changing drinking patterns, healthcare improvements, public health initiatives, and broader social development rather than single interventions.
  • Progress exceeds the 20% mortality reduction target that UN member states agreed to pursue by 2030 under the WHO's 2010 Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Use of Alcohol.
  • IARD president Julian Braithwaite cautioned that global averages mask significant regional differences and sustained progress requires continued targeted efforts.
Reported byThe Drinks Business
01wineanorak·Jamie Goode·

Bordeaux Claret: the new AOC Bordeaux Claret Controllée is an interesting move, broadening the appeal of Bordeaux reds

  • AOP Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur volumes have declined 50% over five years due to changing tastes, tariffs, and climate change.
  • Bordeaux launched AOC Bordeaux Claret Controllée in the 2025 vintage: lighter, fruitier reds with lower tannins, lower alcohol, and up to 7 g/l residual sugar.
  • First-year Bordeaux Claret declaration: 16,500 hectoliters from 40 producers, approximately 2.2 million bottles.
  • Bordeaux Claret wines have no oak aging, tannin limits of 209-55 IPT, light color at 3-15 ICM, and are designed to serve chilled.
Read the full story
02Everyday Drinking·Jason Wilson·

The Anti-Aesthetics of Tinto de Verano

  • Art director Zoë Yasemin argues that taste has become performative, driven by recognition and validation rather than personal preference or genuine enjoyment.
  • Tinto de verano, Spanish wine mixed with gaseosa (carbonated lemon-sugar water), exemplifies unpretentious drinking motivated by pleasure rather than social signaling.
  • Social media has intensified performative wine drinking, allowing people to signal taste to thousands rather than just nearby diners, creating an 'arms race' of demonstration.
  • The author argues wine expertise and knowledge carry more power when rooted in authentic personal joy and discovery rather than performance or seeking status.
Read the full story
04Tim Atkin·Tim Atkin MW·

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 rather than individual wines, unlike competitor Guide Hachette des Vins which rates cuvées one to five.
  • Michelin owns Wine Advocate entirely since 2019, raising suspicion it influenced Burgundy selections through WA Editor-in-Chief William Kelley.
  • Consumer wine guides emerged in the 1970s-80s with publications like Decanter, Wine Spectator, and Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book, but internet and AI apps now challenge the printed guide model.
Read the full story
05The Morning Claret·Simon J. Woolf·

Six Wines That Stopped Me in My Tracks

  • Charly, a Burgundy native, moved to Lower Austria a decade ago and produces wines under his own label with a French sensibility using Austrian varieties.
  • Charly's Blauer Portugieser 2023, made from grapes sourced from Christoph Hoch, offers ripeness and hedonistic creaminess atypical of the variety.
  • Charly owns one hectare and sources additional grapes from organically or biodynamically farmed friends.
  • Three of Charly's wines (Grüner Veltliner 2022, Blaufränkisch 2023, Zweigelt 2023) are available from Gute Weine for €27 per bottle with EU delivery.
Read the full story
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 at its Grant's Pass location.
  • Troon uses ambient cultures for fermentation, minimal sulfites, and ages in neutral oak, concrete, qvevri, or stainless steel.
  • Applegate Valley's high-latitude location provides long summer days and cool overnight temperatures from Siskiyou Mountain downslope winds.
Read the full story
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 huangjiu with aged Chinese tangerine peel came from a Christmas Eve 2024 inspiration after steaming rice, combining citrus notes with soft wheat character.
  • Coram's products are listed in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu since launching last June.
  • Chardomi blends 80% Chardonnay grapes with 20% glutinous rice through a multi-step process: rice saccharification, wild yeast fermentation, then co-fermentation with pressed grape juice.
  • Huangjiu peaks between three and eight years of aging; most loses freshness after 10 years, and modern styles are fresher and cleaner than older, sweeter versions.
Read the full story
08Be Wine Curious·Miquel Hudin·

A wine of straw

  • Dessert wine consumption has declined for approximately 75 years, with no expected recovery.
  • Goût Russe Champagne from the 19th century contained 300g/l of sugar for the Russian market.
  • Raül Bobet, co-owner of Ferrer-Bobet in Priorat, Catalunya, released a dessert wine requiring 20 years of aging.
Read the full story