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Texas High Plains growers struggle as pandemic wine boom ends, contracts fade

• Texas wine industry relies on 644-kilometre separation between High Plains growers and Hill Country wineries, a system built on handshake trust now under strain.
• Pandemic surge from 2020 to early 2023 drove aggressive grape purchases and rising prices; when consumer sales softened, inventories backed up and buyers withdrew.
• Growers now farm by contract tier: fully contracted blocks receive premium care; uncontracted fruit gets minimal attention to preserve cash, directly linking vineyard investment to buyer certainty.
• March 2025 freeze lowered High Plains yields significantly, particularly whites, creating a painful reset that may rebalance supply but threatens growers already facing multi-year losses.
• Major growers including Jet Wilmeth, Andy Timmons and Neal Newsom are retiring or reducing acreage, forcing wineries dependent on their fruit to confront succession risk and regional fragility.

Anheuser-Busch becomes top wine seller via BeatBox acquisition

• Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired an 85-percent stake in BeatBox, the wine-based beverage brand, for $490 million in February 2026, with a path to full ownership.
• BeatBox's performance under ABI ownership reversed the brewer's poor track record in wine, which included discontinued brands Dewey Stevens (1986) and Babe Wine (2023).
• BeatBox alone propelled ABI to sixth among all wine marketers with seven million cases in 2025, accounting for roughly 40 percent of the wine-based cocktails category.
• BeatBox grew around 30 percent in dollars and volume in the 52 weeks through mid-April 2026, with its Cherry Limeade flavor outselling Bud Light Lime-a-Rita in dollars.
• Wine-based cocktails surged to 18 million cases in 2025, led by BeatBox and competitor BuzzBallz Chillers, offsetting broader wine category declines.

English estates launch prestige cuvées to rival Champagne's finest

• Nyetimber released England's first prestige cuvée in 2018, the 1086 white and rosé at £150-£175, modelled on Champagne's concept after proprietor Eric Heerema acquired the estate in 2006.
• Chapel Down's Kit's Coty Coeur de Cuvée (2013 vintage debut, now £126) and Gusbourne's Fifty One Degrees North (2022 debut at £195, magnum at £395) joined the super-premium sparkling market with seven to eight years lees ageing.
• Langham created a solera-based Perpetual Blanc de Blancs released in 2025 at £109.95, blending grapes from 2017-2020 vintages in a single 2,000L oak foudre to express Chardonnay across multiple years.
• Squerryes launched Patience 2014 in July 2026, its prestige cuvée from a family-owned Kent estate on North Downs chalk, named after a 17th-century merchant ancestor and released nearly a decade after preserving the vintage.

Centre-Loire appellations gain traction as Sancerre prices soar past fifty dollars

• Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc now sells for $40 to $50 per bottle, forcing buyers toward cheaper neighboring appellations: Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, and Coteaux du Giennois, most priced $20 to $30.
• Clément Berthier, Sancerre appellation president, states the region is at production capacity with no plans to expand vineyards or output, limiting supply growth.
• Centre-Loire producers report rising harvest dates driven by climate change, with 2024 picking potentially beginning August 20, forcing winegrowers to experiment with abandoned acidic varieties to preserve freshness.
• Paul-Henry Pellé, organic farmer at Domaine Pellé in Menetou-Salon, and Emile Balland in Coteaux du Giennois both cite acidity loss as the primary challenge from warming temperatures.
• Nearly three-quarters of Sancerre production is exported, with half reaching the United States, while neighboring appellation exports remain much smaller despite rising quality and availability.

Celebrity wine launches surge from 2005 to 2025, with 2020 peak

• Kyle MacLachlan, actor in Twin Peaks, launched Pursued by Bear winery in Walla Walla in 2005, marking an early entry by a major celebrity into wine production.
• A wave of celebrity wine brands accelerated sharply in 2020, with Post Malone, Cameron Diaz, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige all debuting labels that year during pandemic lockdowns.
• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Château Miraval in Provence, purchased in 2012 and launched commercially in 2013, became entangled in their divorce; Pitt now owns 50 percent of the estate.
• Celebrity wine brands now represent a considerable sector of the wine industry, leveraging famous founders' fanbases to drive sales of rosés, sparkling wines, and organic offerings.
• Most celebrity labels emphasize specific styles or production methods: organic viticulture (Avaline), low-intervention winemaking (MianU), or French rosé blends (Maison No. 9, Hampton Water).

Soju surges past shōchū in U.S. market as Asian spirits gain share

• Soju grew 133 percent between 2019 and 2025 to under one percent of U.S. spirits volume, while shōchū rose only 11 percent over the same period, according to IWSR consulting director Koryn Ternes.
• Green bottle soju, the mass-produced sweet style made mandatory by Korea's 1965 rice ban, dominates U.S. exports and retail shelves, with Jinro the world's best-selling spirit for 25 consecutive years.
• James Barlow, fine wine and Asia portfolio manager at Spec's in Texas, said the retailer purchased under $1 million in Asian spirits in 2018 but now buys multi-millions, crediting soju's fruity flavors and lower ABV.
• Craft soju producers like Tokki Soju, founded in Brooklyn in 2016 by Douglas Park, are slowly gaining ground as consumers mature beyond green bottle brands and seek traditional expressions.
• Shōchū brands iichiko and Mizu focus on bars and restaurants rather than retail, with higher-proof cocktail-ready options targeting bartenders as key ambassadors to reach whisky and mezcal drinkers.

RNDC files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after shedding majority of 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 of $1-10 billion against assets of $500 million, $1 billion, with over 100,000 creditors and $300 million in unsecured claims led by $93.92 million owed to Proximo Spirits.
• The distributor sold off majority of its markets in recent months to Reyes Beverage Group, Columbia Distributing, Martignetti Companies, and BreakThru Beverage Group after exiting California last June.
• Bankruptcy does not include National Distributing Company or RNDC's six joint ventures in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and New York, though the Alaska joint venture is included.
• Small suppliers face potential losses as they lack leverage to demand payment upfront; approximately 1,450 remaining employees will continue to receive wages under a court-approved first day motion.

Penn Station bottle shop stocks niche wines for commuters and tristate demand

• Penn Cellars, opened late December 2024 in Penn Station's transit hub, stocks niche producers from Josh Cellars to Frank Cornelissen alongside mass-market bottles.
• Buyer David Bruno, formerly in fine dining, pitches unfamiliar wines to commuters and has shifted many toward higher-quality choices at lower price points.
• The station's foot traffic draws Tri-State travelers who request small-allocation wines unavailable in suburban retail, creating demand for cult bottles outside New York City.
• Ready-to-drink canned and boxed wines drive sales to commuters boarding evening trains, with Bruno offering plastic cups and ice for immediate consumption.
• Tracks bar, reopening in Penn Station under original owner Bruce Caulfield, will collaborate with Penn Cellars to expand wine education and on-premise sales.

Ancient vine-training systems vanish as labor costs and mechanization reshape European viticulture

• Italy's alberata system, once common around Naples, survives on only a handful of hectares after being replaced by mechanizable methods like Guyot and vertical shoot positioning.
• Lanzarote's hoyo pits, dug after volcanic eruptions in 1730-1736, remain viable because tourism draws thousands of visitors; active vineyards fell 19 percent between 2000 and 2026 despite local subsidies.
• Rías Baixas producers maintain the labor-intensive pergola for Albariño because specialized machinery now handles ground tasks, and the DO bans mechanized harvest anyway.
• Veneto's bellussera hybrid, which once supported silk production and livestock, fell from common practice to nine percent of Piave DOC as those industries vanished; climate resilience and wine tourism may revive it.
• Survival of traditional systems depends on region-specific economics: tourism, local regulation, mechanization aids, and climate adaptation determine whether heritage vineyards thrive or disappear.

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

• Public Housing Community Fund, Cork Collective, and nonprofits built playgrounds and walkways from 450,000 wine bottle corks at Marlboro Houses in Gravesend, Brooklyn.
• Cork Collective, founded by architecture firm Rockwell Group and cork maker Amorim in 2024, sourced corks from NYC restaurants, ground them, and mixed with adhesive before laying.
• Children at Marlboro Houses submitted playground designs that shaped the final installation, making the project resident-led.
• Cork surfaces absorb stormwater to reduce flooding, contain no toxic materials unlike plastic or asphalt, and lower ambient temperature by 20 to 30 percent.
• Fewer than one percent of 13 billion corks made annually are recycled; three billion are discarded yearly in the US.

Independent wine merchant wins inaugural sustainable buyer award

• Di Camillo, owner of Wine & Such, won Decanter's first Sustainable Wine Buyer award for embedding sustainability throughout sourcing and shop operations.
• The judging panel found her entry stood out for weaving sustainability into every decision rather than adopting isolated initiatives like cork recycling.
• Majestic won the separate Sustainable Drinks Buying Team of the Year award in the same inaugural competition.
• A significant number of entrants left the sustainability section blank, suggesting many buyers either overlook or undervalue the criterion.
• The Wine Buyers Awards, launched in 2020, added the sustainability category in 2025 to recognise buyers shaping industry trends toward responsible practices.

Disease-resistant grape hybrids cut fungicide sprays 80 percent, gain European plantings

• PIWIs, or fungus-resistant hybrid grapes, require two to three fungicide sprays per season versus eight to 15 for traditional varieties, reducing chemical, fuel, and labor costs.
• Modern genetic testing technology rhAmpSeq, deployed since 2019 via the US VitisGen initiative, lets breeders identify disease-resistance genes with precision and stack multiple protective layers into single varieties.
• German plantings reached 4,000 hectares in 2025, up 10 percent annually; France is developing ResDur hybrids crossed with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot to maintain regional signature while resisting mildew.
• A 2026 Luxembourg study found PIWIs delivered twofold economic savings and threefold environmental benefit over traditional varieties, with largest gains in soil health and reduced water toxicity.
• PIWIs require no change to existing vineyard practices beyond reduced spraying; industry success depends on tasting mature-vine commercial volumes and competitive retail pricing alongside sustainability messaging.

Vineyards deploy netting to cool fruit clusters amid heat stress

• Vineyard netting, traditionally used for hail and bird protection, is now being engineered to reduce cluster temperature and preserve color, acidity, 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 the 35-degree Celsius degradation threshold.
• At Catena Zapata in Mendoza, light netting intercepts roughly 15 percent of radiation; Luis Reginato, head of viticulture, observes reduced vine stress in hot conditions without blocking beneficial UV exposure.
• At Petra in Tuscany, Marco Simonit's 2025 trials found white and green shade nets more effective than black nets; Merlot sunburn dropped from 41 percent in unshaded control to three percent under 90 percent shade.
• At Boroli in Barolo, netting placement matters critically: fabric must be kept away from clusters to avoid heat burn, and open nets outperformed dense ones, suggesting shade level and airflow balance the benefits against heat trapping.

Grape sunburn spreads beyond hot regions as heat waves shift vineyard practices

• Sunburn occurs when berry surface temperature exceeds 104-109°F under high light, causing chlorophyll and polyphenols to degrade and producing flavors of asphalt, creosote, and leather.
• Joanna Gambetta, Ph.D., wine scientist at University of Newcastle, Australia, found that defoliation at veraison increases sunburn risk; defoliation at end of flowering allows berries to build photoprotective compounds.
• Producers in Provence and Napa Valley are abandoning midseason leaf removal and east-side exposure, shifting to late defoliation, kaolin clay sprays, and canopy-focused vineyard design.
• At Chêne Bleu in Ventoux, a 40°C heat wave in August 2023 caused significant damage; white varieties now receive no summer leaf removal and Syrah only limited east-side stripping.
• Tyrrell's in Hunter Valley reports kaolin clay reduces canopy temperature by up to 9°C; sorting sunburned fruit remains the final defense when prevention fails.

The new releases from Radford Dale, including Elgin and Vinum bottlings from 2025

• Petroné Thomas promoted to winemaker at Radford Dale in 2024, now overseeing both main estate and Elgin wines; she has Burgundy and Beaujolais experience.
• Radford Dale Elgin Estate plans varietal bottlings of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Cabernet Franc as vineyard replanting matures.
• Cabernet Franc emerged as surprising success at Elgin with only 0.4ha currently planted; two Semillon vineyards being regrapped to Cabernet Franc.
• Semillon 2025 from Elgin is final release before vineyard conversion; Grenache 2025 is last bottling including older Stellenbosch Mountain block.
• No Frankenstein or Renaissance 2024 releases; fruit redirected to Vinum bottlings as crop lacked required directness for premium range.

Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 8/9/26

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

Priorat, In Progress

• Álvaro Palacios L'Ermita 2021, Clos i Terrasses Clos Erasmus 2020, and Familia Nin-Ortiz Mas d'en Cacador 2020 each earned 100-point scores; retail for $1,250, $300, and $180 respectively.
• Traditional Priorat reds age 14-18 months in oak, reach 14.5-15.5% ABV, and blend garnacha or carignan with international varieties like syrah or cabernet sauvignon.
• Terroir al Límit's Les Manyes uses rare garnacha peluda from 60-year-old vines above 2,600 feet, ages eight months in cement, and contains only 13.5% ABV.
• Emerging Priorat producers, Terroir al Límit, Sara Pérez (Mas Martinet), Ferrer Bobet, Josep Grau, Marco Abella, Trossos del Priorat, Hodgkinson, Clos Pachem, Gemma Miró, and Iduvina Olmdeo, represent a shift toward lighter, more complex wines.

Michelin And The Death Of The Wine Guide

• Michelin's Wine Selection Burgundy 2026 awarded nine producers three grapes, 20 vignerons two grapes, 33 one grape, and 32 were merely selected.
• 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 specific cuvées.
• Michelin owns Wine Advocate entirely since 2019 after purchasing 40% in 2017, raising questions about influence on Burgundy selections.
• Consumer wine guides emerged in the 1970s-80s but declined as internet access expanded; Michelin's venture marks the definitive end of the print wine guide era.

Six Wines That Stopped Me in My Tracks

• A Burgundy-born winemaker named Charly relocated to Lower Austria about a decade ago and produces wines under his own label with a French sensibility.
• Charly's Blauer Portugieser 2023, made from grapes sourced from Christoph Hoch, displays ripeness, vivid fruit, and creamy texture atypical of the variety.
• Charly owns one hectare of vines and sources additional grapes from friends farming organically or biodynamically.
• Three of Charly's wines (Grüner Veltliner 2022, Blaufränkisch 2023, Zweigelt 2023) are available from Gute Weine for €27 per bottle, with EU delivery available.

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 relies on ambient cultures for fermentation, minimal sulfite at bottling, and ages exclusively in neutral vessels.
• Applegate Valley's alluvial soils, Mediterranean sun, and overnight temperature drops from Siskiyou Mountains create ideal ripening conditions.

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 emerged from a Christmas Eve 2024 experience in Shaoxing, inspired by citrus and wheat flavor pairing.
• Coram's Chardomi (80% Chardonnay, 20% glutinous rice) and Merlot-rice blend are listed in over 100 restaurants and bistros across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu.
• Good huangjiu ages best between three and eight years; most modern styles are fresher and cleaner than older, sweeter, more oxidized versions.
• Wang dispels the misconception that huangjiu is cooking wine; premium huangjiu is a traditional fermented beverage meant for drinking with food or socially.

A wine of straw

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