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Anheuser-Busch becomes top-six wine seller via BeatBox acquisition

• Anheuser-Busch InBev paid $490 million for an 85 percent stake in BeatBox in February 2026, nearly 40 years after its failed Dewey Stevens wine cooler launch.
• BeatBox, an 11.1 percent ABV wine-based drink launched in 2011, catapulted ABI to sixth place among US wine marketers with seven million cases in 2025.
• The brand surged 30 percent in dollars and volume in the 52 weeks through mid-April 2026, with Cherry Limeade now outselling Bud Light Lime-a-Rita.
• Wine-based cocktails grew to 18 million cases in 2026, with BeatBox commanding roughly 40 percent of the segment and offsetting broader wine category declines.
• ABI's prior wine ventures, Dewey Stevens and Babe Wine, both failed; BeatBox shows early signs of avoiding that fate through the brewer's distribution and sales infrastructure.

Bordeaux wildfires drive tourists away, slash hospitality revenue

• Wildfires burned 42,000 hectares in Gironde in July; 224,000 people evacuated including tourists, despite vineyards sustaining minimal damage.
• Wine estates report severe tourism losses: Château de Bel and Château La Rame saw mass cancellations; restaurants in Arcachon Basin reported sharp trade declines.
• Cité du Vin museum's visitor numbers fell 60% from late July onward; 80% of its revenue derives from visitor spending on tickets and merchandise.
• Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin Bordeaux confirmed no grape quality impact; nearest vineyards were 15km from fire source, and grapes at veraison stage resist smoke compound absorption.

Wine industry ignores Africa's 500 million emerging middle-class consumers

• African middle class will reach 500 million by 2030, concentrated in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Côte d'Ivoire, with urban population doubling to 1.4 billion by 2050.
• African wine market forecast to reach 1.8 billion litres and $8 billion by 2035, yet wine producers largely absent while Diageo and Heineken embed structural operations across the continent.
• Diageo sources 86% locally across African markets with brands present since 1820s; Heineken integrated South African operations into multi-category platform in 2023 with planned consolidation through 2025.
• Wine perceived in Africa as status signal and aspirational marker mirroring European role; Champagne and sparkling wine already highly sought by African consumers despite lacking industry infrastructure to meet demand.
• Infrastructure challenges real but wine industry risks late entry, paying premiums for shelf space in markets where beer and spirits already built decades of distribution and consumer loyalty.

Quilceda Creek takes full ownership of historic Champoux Vineyard

• Quilceda Creek, a Washington winery, acquired the remaining 21% stake in Champoux Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, raising its ownership from 79% to 100%.
• Champoux, planted in the early 1970s, was the first vineyard established in Horse Heaven Hills and has supplied grapes to Quilceda Creek since 1986.
• The 153-acre site is known for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with characteristics winemaker Paul Golitzin describes as having noble tannins that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
• Full ownership gives Quilceda Creek complete control over sourcing for its flagship Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and eliminates reliance on co-owners.
• The Golitzen family also acquired a separate Bordeaux-variety vineyard on Red Mountain last September, renamed Ad Astra, consolidating high-quality grape supply across Washington.

Mouton and Lafite lead fine wine recovery from 2025 lows

• Liv-ex data shows fine wine market stabilised in Q3 2025 after decline, with individual wines now tracking upwards at different rates.
• Bordeaux dominates recovery: Mouton 2015, 2005, 2010, 2018, 2008 and Lafite 2015 all show sustained quarterly price gains since Q2 2025.
• Mouton 2015 reached its 2020 low and appears to have stopped falling; Lafite 2015 continues rising with tight spreads suggesting further upside.
• Non-vintage Champagnes including Pol Roger Brut Réserve and Jacques Selosse Initial posted strong gains; Liv-ex Champagne 50 index found support on long-term trend.
• Opus One 2013 traded above market price at 2022 peak levels, with rising trade frequency accompanying price increases.

English estates launch prestige cuvées priced above £100 a bottle

• Nyetimber released England's first prestige cuvée in 2018, the 1086 range, priced at £150, £175 per bottle, modelled on Champagne's Dom Pérignon strategy.
• Five English estates now produce super-premium sparkling wines in small quantities at £100 and above: Nyetimber, Chapel Down, Gusbourne, Langham and Squerryes.
• Extended ageing on lees is a defining marker: Nyetimber's 1086 spends seven years minimum on lees, while Gusbourne's Fifty One Degrees North aged 80 months before release.
• Langham's Perpetual Blanc de Blancs uses a solera-style system inspired by grower Champagne, blending vintages 2017-2020 and released at £109.95 in June 2025.
• Squerryes launched its prestige cuvée Patience 2014 in July 2026, named after a 17th-century family ancestor and positioned as the estate's most considered wine to date.

Centre-Loire appellations offer Sauvignon Blanc value as Sancerre prices soar past $40

• Sancerre's soaring popularity and $40-50 price point has created demand surge for its neighboring Centre-Loire appellations: Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Coteaux du Giennois.
• Sancerre has hit production capacity with no plans to expand vineyards, while similar Sauvignon Blancs from nearby appellations sell for $20-30, offering comparable minerality and complexity at lower cost.
• Clément Berthier, president of Sancerre's appellation, acknowledges the region's size constraint; nearly three-quarters of Sancerre production is exported, with half going to the US.
• Centre-Loire producers are experimenting with abandoned grape varieties to combat earlier harvests caused by climate change, potentially blending 5-10 percent with Sauvignon Blanc to preserve acidity.

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 licences, citing public health concerns over illicit alcohol.
• The facilities produced vodka, gin, flavoured wines and banana-based drinks; regulators ordered immediate removal of all advertising and withdrawal from retail.
• Eight named producers including Ingufu Gin and Sky Drop Industries were shut the day before as part of the broader enforcement action.
• Rwanda's health ministry reported over 500 illicit alcohol poisoning cases this year, including approximately 50 deaths and 100+ cases of vision loss.
• The closures follow a 2022 survey showing alcohol consumption rose from 41% of Rwanda's population in 2013 to 48% in 2022, prompting a public health campaign.

67 Pall Mall opens Shanghai wine club with 1,500-member cap

• London wine club 67 Pall Mall opens Shanghai location in December with capped membership of 1,500 at RMB38,000 yearly (£4,184), more expensive than its London, Singapore and Verbier clubs.
• Club will hold 5,000+ wines from 40+ countries plus dedicated cellar of 1,000+ Chinese fine wines from Ningxia, Xinjiang, Yunnan and other regions, positioning Chinese bottles alongside Bordeaux and Burgundy.
• Founder Grant Ashton states Chinese winemaking now produces world-class quality but lacks global recognition, and Shanghai club aims to shift that perception through serious presentation.
• Rival Hong Kong-based Club Bâtard launches Shanghai outpost one month earlier with RMB100,000 joining fee (£11,000) plus RMB1,250 monthly subscription (£137), intensifying competition for premium wine drinkers.

Eight emerging EU regions showcase diverse grapes and traditions

• Neil McAndrew, wine trade veteran and adviser to the EU's 'More Than Only Food & Drink' campaign, led a masterclass in Cardiff highlighting emerging EU wine regions and their commercial potential.
• The EU's PDO and PGI certification schemes protect 82% of EU wine production, assuring consumers of authenticity, sustainability and quality while enabling producers to emphasise regional identity and heritage.
• McAndrew identified three emerging consumer trends driving demand: island wines with unique terroirs, Central European nations with indigenous grapes, and climate-resilient hybrid varieties.
• Organic wine is forecast to grow 10% annually through 2030, with Greece, Bulgaria and Romania among the world's top 20 organic regions alongside traditional producers France, Spain and Italy.
• Eight wines demonstrated the diversity: Saar Riesling Sekt, Cypriot Xynisteri, Tokaj Furmint dry white, Greek Lagorthi, Romanian Fetească Neagră and Slovakian Frankovka among them.

Matthew Jukes, British wine writer and broadcaster, dies aged 58

• Matthew Jukes, a British wine writer, critic and broadcaster, died suddenly on 6 August while on holiday in Portugal, aged 58.
• Jukes spent nearly four decades introducing consumers to wine through restaurants, newspapers, books and broadcasting, beginning at Barnes Wine Shop in London in 1987.
• He spent 26 years as wine buyer at Bibendum restaurant in London, building one of Britain's most celebrated wine lists, and wrote for the Daily Mail for 22 years.
• He presented BBC radio programmes and hosted Channel 4's Wine Hunt, authoring 14 books and becoming particularly known for championing Australian wine producers.
• Beyond journalism, Jukes co-owned The Crescent wine bar in Fulham in the mid-1990s and recently founded JUKES Cordialities, a premium non-alcoholic botanical drinks range backed by Whispering Angel creator Sacha Lichine.

Penn Station bottle shop stocks cult wines for commuters and upstate demand

• Penn Cellars, opened late December 2024 in Penn Station, stocks niche producers from Josh Cellars to Frank Cornelissen alongside mass-market bottles, run by buyer David Bruno.
• Buyer David Bruno, trained in fine dining and wine retail, pitches unfamiliar wines to commuters and travelers, moving them from commodity bottles toward quality alternatives.
• The station's position as a Tri-State transit hub lets Penn Cellars supply small-allocation wines to upstate, Long Island, and New Jersey customers who cannot access them locally.
• Ready-to-drink wines and spirits in cans and boxes are stocked for post-work commuters catching evening trains, a format Bruno calls an 'existential use case' for the location.
• Tracks bar, reopening in Penn Station under original owner Bruce Caulfield, will partner with Penn Cellars to expand on-premise wine service in the terminal.

Australian Vintage launches single-serve Poco Vino brand for younger drinkers

• Australian Vintage, a wine producer, launched Poco Vino last year targeting Zillennials with small single-serve bottles in seven markets.
• Research with 3,000 consumers found barriers to 75cl bottles: they limit exploration, tie drinkers to one style, and hinder moderation.
• Poco Vino uses recognisable grape varieties, bold colour-coded labels and stackable bottles to make wine convenient, stylish and easy to choose.
• The brand now sells roughly 12,000 bottles daily worldwide; Australian Vintage emphasises quality wine underpins repeat purchase and category exploration.
• Marketing frames small formats as addressing modern drinking habits: convenience, moderation and quality appeal to consumers seeking less overwhelm at retail.

Korean sommelier produces wine in Seoul for Hong Kong restaurants

• Ted Ko, Korea-born sommelier and wine merchant, moved to Hong Kong in 2019 and launched Koyberpunk to pair wine with Korean food after finding restaurants paired it poorly.
• Koyberpunk produces cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay-semillon blend and muscat bailey-A from a 1.5-acre vineyard in Yeongcheon-City, 350km southeast of Seoul, yielding 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 Michelin-starred Hansik Goo, priced at HK$980 per bottle.
• Ko removed muscat bailey-A from Hong Kong sales after high-end restaurant sommeliers rejected it as a hybrid grape, fearing brand positioning damage.
• Ko doubts Korean consumers would buy his wines domestically, citing their preference for Napa, Bordeaux and Burgundy over local producers still experimenting with techniques and microclimates.

Yunnan Red shifts strategy as Chinese wine drinkers embrace local bottles

• Yunnan Red, state-owned winery in Mile acquired by Hong Kong investor Wu Kegang in 1997, now produces four million bottles annually across wines, spirits and juice for Chinese domestic consumers.
• Wynn Wu, second-generation proprietor, credits Isabella and Niagara grapes, varieties thriving in Mile's clay soil and 1,480-metre altitude, with introducing ordinary Chinese drinkers to wine; nine of ten first-time drinkers embrace the fresh flavour profile.
• Yunnan Red launched premium cuvée Dance in the Clouds in 2015 using Le Pourpre grapes, aged 24 to 36 months total; 2018 edition retails at HK$900 versus entry-level wines starting at HK$100.
• Online sales now represent approximately half of revenue through Tmall, Red Book and WeChat; influencer collaborations and locally sourced ethnic-minority artwork on labels distinguish the brand in digital channels.
• Recent portfolio expansion includes lower-alcohol canned wine at 7% ABV with no added sugar, reflecting market demand; Yunnan Red has expanded to Hong Kong on-trade and eyes Southeast Asian distribution.

Sicily's 2026 harvest arrives after drought, as film tourism peaks

• Sicily began its 2026 harvest this week after enduring a near-20-year drought two vintages ago that cost €2.7 billion in agricultural damage and forced early picking.
• Producers expect high-quality whites and reds with good balance, aided by a wet winter that restored soil moisture across the island's largely dry-farmed vineyards.
• Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, filming 91 days on location in the Egadi islands and Aeolians through July, created a 100-day overlap with Sicily's harvest season and set-jetting tourism surge.
• Western Sicily's Grillo and the Aeolian islands' Malvasia, grown using UNESCO-listed head-trained bush vines unchanged for centuries, sit at the exact coordinates of the film's principal locations.
• Producers have one trading quarter to capture cinematic attention through by-the-glass flights, cellar-door tastings timed to ferry schedules, and sommelier messaging before the film leaves cinemas.

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

• Italy's alberata system, which trained vines on poplar and elm trees across Naples until the late 20th century, survives on only a handful of hectares, replaced by mechanizable methods like Guyot.
• Lanzarote's hoyo pit system, developed after volcanic eruptions in 1730-1736, shrank from 2,326 hectares in 2000 to 1,889 by 2026 despite boosting tourism, due to extreme labor demands and low planting density.
• Alberto González Plasencia of Bodegas Timanfaya warns that losing hoyos would cut tourist visits and reduce wine value, prompting local subsidies to preserve the system.
• Spain's Rías Baixas region sustains pergola training for Albariño because mandatory hand-harvesting rules make its labor cost no higher than modern trellises, and Familia Torres uses adapted machinery for ground work.
• Veneto's bellussera hybrid system, which once supported silk production and livestock fodder, fell from prominence but may revive as climate change makes it more resilient and wine tourism creates new economic value.

Independent wine shop owner wins first sustainable buyer award

• Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such independent shop in the UK, won the inaugural Sustainable Wine Buyer award from Decanter's Wine Buyers Awards.
• Judges found her sustainability approach threaded through sourcing, producer relations, and daily operations, not limited to single initiatives like cork recycling.
• Majestic won the separate Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year award, showing major retailers are embedding sustainability into business strategy.
• A significant proportion of competition entrants omitted the sustainability section entirely, suggesting the industry remains divided on prioritising environmental practices.
• The Sustainable Wine Buyer category launched in 2025, part of awards recognising how buyers shape trends and values across retail wine ranges.

Bacardí opens Puerto Rico warehouses; Clarkson pie debuts in 498 pubs

• Casa Bacardí in Puerto Rico opened its ageing warehouses to visitors for the first time, offering 90-minute Maestro's Walk tours with barrel tastings and blending lessons.
• La Gioiosa became Official Prosecco Partner of inaugural London Padel Week (3-9 August), hosting tastings and cocktails at five clubs during the fast-growing sport's debut event.
• Brothers Augusto and Alberto Gherardi launched AnimaTours, bespoke Italian wine journeys led by WSET-certified educators visiting wineries, artisans and regional food producers.
• Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone IPA brewery partnered with Marston's pubs to roll out a limited-edition beer and beef pie across 498 locations this month, the brewery's largest pub deal.

Chile's 2026 harvest shows regional distinctions in quality and ripening patterns

• Viña Concha y Toro's 2026 harvest report found winter rainfall and spring conditions varied significantly across Chile's leading valleys, creating distinct growing patterns.
• Limarí's coastal fog slowed ripening, yielding wines with aromatic precision and mineral profiles; Maipo's warmer spring and stable summer produced concentrated fruit with refined tannins.
• Peumo benefitted from early spring growth checked by March rain, allowing gradual ripening of late-ripening varieties like Carmenère; Maule required careful harvest timing after similar rainfall.
• Marcelo Papa, Viña Concha y Toro technical director, said the vintage proved that quality stems from understanding each origin's identity rather than single climatic factors.
• The 2026 season produced no extreme weather events and excellent fruit health across the company's Super Premium to Icon wine portfolio.

Vineyards test netting to cool grape clusters as heat stress intensifies

• Growers in California, Argentina, Italy, and Piedmont are deploying shade netting over fruit zones to lower cluster temperatures and protect color compounds during heat events.
• A 2022 UC Davis trial on Cabernet Sauvignon found shaded clusters had 27 percent more anthocyanins than unshaded fruit when temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, where color degradation begins.
• At Petra in Tuscany, Marco Simonit's 2025 trials reduced Merlot sunburn from 41 percent to three percent under 90 percent shade, with cluster temperatures dropping from 50 to 40 degrees Celsius.
• Luis Reginato at Catena Zapata in Mendoza emphasizes filtered light exposure over full sun; the estate uses light netting to stress vines less in hot, dry conditions without sacrificing useful radiation.
• Net color and placement matter: white and green nets outperform black nets, and nets must stay clear of clusters to avoid trapping heat against fruit; darker nets do not always cool better than open ones.

Grape sunburn spreads beyond hot climates as heat waves intensify

• Sunburn in grapes is a stress response when berry surface temperatures exceed 104-109°F under high light, causing chlorophyll and aromatic compounds to degrade and producing flavors of asphalt, leather, and creosote.
• Direct sun can heat exposed berries 22-27°F above ambient air temperature; in red varieties, heat damages anthocyanins more severely than light does, according to UC Davis research.
• Defoliation timing is critical: removing leaves at veraison creates more sunburn risk than removing them at flowering, when berries build photoprotective compounds; many warm-region producers now skip summer leaf removal entirely.
• Producers including Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley and Chêne Bleu in Ventoux are adopting kaolin clay particle film and reducing canopy exposure, with some achieving up to 9°C cooler fruit zones in sprayed blocks.
• Practices long standard in moderate climates, such as midsummer defoliation and east-side fruit exposure, are being retimed or eliminated as earlier and more intense heat waves reach regions unprepared for sunburn damage.

Global alcohol deaths fall 26% since 2010, analysis shows

• Alcohol-attributable deaths worldwide fell 26% between 2010 and 2024, according to analysis by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking using 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, not a single intervention.
• Progress varies significantly by country and region, masking disparities in how different populations have reduced alcohol-related harm.
• The 26% reduction exceeds the UN's 2010 target of 20% reduction in harmful alcohol use by 2030, though sustained effort is required.

Priorat, In Progress

• Barcelona Wine Week's 'Magnificent Seven' tasting featured legendary Priorat reds: Álvaro Palacios L'Ermita ($1,250), Clos i Terrasses Clos Erasmus ($300), and Familia Nin-Ortiz Mas d'en Cacador ($180), all with 100-point scores.
• Classic Priorat wines typically spend 14-18 months in oak with high alcohol levels (14.5-15.5% abv), featuring concentrated garnacha or carignan blends that dominated the region's reputation since the 1990s.
• Terroir al Límit's 2021 Les Manyes ($235), made from rare garnacha peluda aged only 8 months in cement at 13.5% abv, represents an emerging lighter, fresher style gaining critical recognition.
• New-wave Priorat producers including Sara Pérez (Mas Martinet), Ferrer Bobet, Josep Grau, and biodynamic/natural-leaning makers are shifting the region away from high-alcohol 'bruiser' wines.

Sta. Rita Hills Wine & Fire Celebration: Aug 13-16, Lompoc

No one, including me, pays enough attention to Santa Barbara Wine Country. It’s frankly one of the greatest sources of

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 using Austrian varieties.
• Charly's Blauer Portugieser 2023, made from grapes sourced from Christoph Hoch, features vivid fruit, supple texture, and unusual richness for the variety.
• Charly's Grüner Veltliner 2022, Blaufränkisch 2023, and Zweigelt 2023 are available from Gute Weine for €27 per bottle with EU delivery.

Notable Releases from Troon Vineyard

• Troon Vineyard released 2025 Vermentino and 2023 Syrah from Oregon's Applegate Valley.
• Troon Vineyard, located in Grant's Pass, farms using certified biodynamic and regenerative organic principles.
• Troon ferments with ambient cultures, uses minimal sulfite at bottling, and ages in neutral barrels, concrete, qvevri, or stainless steel, no new oak.

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

• Coram Collective, founded in 2023 with 2024 production, co-ferments rice and grape wines like Chardonnay and Merlot, and innovates huangjiu (yellow wine).
• Coram's products are already listed in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu since launching last June.
• Huangjiu's peak quality typically occurs between three and eight years of aging; older does not always mean better, and many examples lose freshness after 10 years.
• Coram's Chardomi blends 80% Chardonnay grapes with 20% glutinous rice through a multi-step process: rice saccharification, then co-fermentation with pressed grape juice.
• Co-founder Alex Yuanzhu Wang studied Chinese literature and worked in wine purchasing in Shanghai before building the ricery in Shaoxing.

A wine of straw

• Dessert wine consumption has declined for approximately 75 years, with no expected recovery amid concerns about sugar and alcohol.
• Raül Bobet, co-owner of Ferrer-Bobet in Priorat, Catalunya, released a dessert wine with a 20-year aging process driven by personal passion rather than market demand.