Winefeed

South Australian wineries win 12 of 26 trophies at Royal Adelaide awards

• Adelaide Hills producers took Best Pinot Noir (Sidewood Estate) and Best Sparkling Wine (Simon Tolley Wines), categories Tasmania usually dominates.
• Evans & Tate's 2024 Redbrook Estate Chardonnay won Most Outstanding White Wine; Berton Vineyards' 2023 The Black Shiraz won Most Outstanding Red.

Gang steals 30,000 bottles worth €5m from Antinori winery in Cortona

• Masked gang of at least seven broke into Marchesi Antinori's Cortona cellar, disabled alarms and cameras, and loaded two trucks.
• Thieves took 30,000 bottles from 2023 vintage, including Solaia, Tignanello and Guado al Tasso, valued at €5m (£4.2m).
• The company's insurance does not cover theft of wine at this value, and the theft was discovered Monday morning.

VINITECH-SIFEL 2026 trade show set for Bordeaux, 1-3 December

• VINITECH-SIFEL, a wine, fruit and vegetable trade show, runs 1-3 December 2026 in Bordeaux with 700 exhibitors.
• The event expects 40,000 professionals from 70 countries across 70,000 m² of exhibition space.
• The International Buyers Program may fund 4-star hotel stays and travel costs for eligible overseas investors.

Treasury Wine Estates cuts 170 roles as new operating model nears

• Treasury Wine Estates has cut 170 roles, mostly in marketing, IT, finance and support at offices, per The Australian.
• Most redundancies are at the Melbourne headquarters, with some believed to have hit its vineyards.
• The restructure takes effect 1 October 2026 under a simplified portfolio focused on Penfolds, DAOU and Matua.

Vinitaly.USA moves to New York's Pier 36 for October 2026 debut

• Vinitaly.USA, run by Veronafiere with the Italian Trade Agency, debuts in New York on October 26-27, 2026, after two years in Chicago.
• Pier 36 will host 300 exhibitors presenting 2,500 labels, the largest exhibitor count the event has had.
• The fair includes a 95-winery delegation organized by the Italian Trade Agency, plus Asti, Sicilia, and Prosecco regions.

Global wine demand shifts from red toward white and sparkling styles

• IWSR data show red wine's share of global wine consumption fell from about 52 per cent in 2012 to 43 per cent in 2025.
• Over the same period, white wine rose from 31 to 34 per cent and sparkling wine from 8 to 13 per cent.
• Red wine has lost ground as consumers drink less often and choose wine for more casual, lighter occasions.

French wine harvest projected 14% below five-year average after summer heat

• France's 2026 harvest is estimated at about 35 million hectolitres, down 2% on 2025 and 14% below the 2021-2025 average.
• The International Organisation of Vine and Wine said France's 2025 production was its lowest since 1957.
• Champagne's harvest finished in September for the first time, with output halved from last year and the five-year average.

Australian wine exports to Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines rise despite slower markets

• Australian wine exports to Malaysia rose 13% in volume to 3 million litres and 30% in value to A$55 million in the year to June 2026.
• Australian wine exports to Indonesia jumped 300% in value to A$21 million, with volume up 88% to 864,000 litres.
• Australian wine exports to the Philippines fell slightly to 2.5 million litres worth A$11.5 million in the year to June 2026.

Bordeaux leads fine wine trade as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti dominates producer volumes

• Bordeaux took 33.0% of traded value this week, ahead of Burgundy at 28.5% and Champagne at 13.9%.
• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti was the top-traded producer, accounting for 10.6% of overall fine wine trade.
• US buyers made up 47% of Burgundy purchasing by value, focusing on Dom Pérignon, per the weekly Liv-ex trade data.

Emeritus Vineyards credits dry farming and grape sales for weathering California's market downturn

• Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol, CA, sells a meaningful share of its fruit to winery partners, a key part of its diversified model amid market contraction.
• Jones credits the established reputation, inherited from her father Brice Cutrer Jones, with sustaining operations in the downturn.
• Emeritus began a four-year transition to dry farming in 2007, which it says improved wine quality, flavor and vine resilience.

Fine wine market stabilising at the top, with uneven recovery and cautious buyers

• Liv-ex indices rose slightly over the past year, and Q3 trade value rose steeply versus Q2 2026 and Q3 2025.
• Recovery is narrow, with demand returning first to top-end wines and back vintages, while performance varies by region, producer and vintage.
• The Fine Wine 1000 in real terms is back to 2015 levels, and the bid:offer ratio suggests prices are unlikely to fall.

UK vineyards can claim SFI 2026 payments for cover crops and habitat

• The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 includes vineyards and permanent horticultural crops, with 71 actions available.
• Payments could add income for vineyards adopting biodiversity measures that also help meet supply-chain and assurance requirements.
• The RPA uses satellite imagery to monitor SFI delivery, and cover crops sown too late can be established within 12 months.

Seven proposed US AVAs spanning California, Oregon, New Jersey and Ontario-adjacent New York

• Seven potential new American Viticultural Areas are pending approval from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
• The proposed Deschutes River AVA would be central Oregon's first recognized winegrowing region, covering 723,760 acres.
• The Rutgers-studied Hunterdon Hills area in New Jersey covers about 200,000 acres and ranks second in suitable premier grape land.

VinePair's weekly roundup previews Southern Glazer's probe, Maker's Mark releases, and more

• California has launched an investigation into Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits over a reported bribery matter.
• The roundup also covers Maker's Mark's new product release, Trump's ban on Canadian alcohol, and Stateside's legal dispute with AB InBev.
• Other items include GunBun's bankruptcy filing and Trump's plan to lift the tariff on Irish whiskey.

Bouvet-Ladubay marks 175 years as Saumur's largest sparkling producer

• Bouvet-Ladubay, founded in Saumur in 1851 by Etienne Bouvet and Célestine Ladubay, is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.
• The house, run by the Monmousseau family since 1908, is the largest producer of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine in Saumur.
• Its cellars are carved into tuffeau limestone and span eight kilometres, with works sourced from around 80 winegrowers across 100-plus plots.

Economist Mike Veseth to keynote 2027 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento

• Wine economist Mike Veseth will give the keynote at the 2027 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium on January 26 in Sacramento.
• Veseth, professor emeritus at the University of Puget Sound and editor of The Wine Economist, will discuss global economic forces reshaping the wine trade.
• Registration and housing open October 20, 2026, at 9 a.m. PDT; keynote luncheon seats are limited and need separate registration.

Wine Australia study profiles Thai and Vietnamese wine drinkers and their buying habits

• Wine Australia commissioned Starburst Insights to research who buys wine in Thailand and Vietnam, and when and why they drink it.
• Thai and Vietnamese wine drinkers skew female, affluent and urban, mostly in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
• Red is the leading style in both markets, with fruity, sweet, refreshing, smooth flavours preferred, and wine mostly drunk socially at home.

Bartenders say American drinkers abroad are curious, though they still favour vodka Martinis

• Giorgio Bargiani of The Connaught Bar in London says American bar guests are entertaining and show genuine interest in staff and other customers.
• Bartenders in London, Madrid and Rome report American visitors often order vodka Martinis, customised drinks and spirit substitutions.
• Americans took a record 24 million trips to Europe in 2025, per The Wall Street Journal, with a further 5 percent rise expected this year.

Part Two of vineyard lab series examines how irrigation water shapes soil minerals

• Viticulturist Stan Grant's second instalment in a three-part lab-analysis series covers irrigation water's role in vineyard mineral nutrition.
• Nearly pure irrigation water, such as Sierra Nevada snowmelt, strips minerals from soils, making them more acidic and less permeable over time.
• Saline well water high in sodium and chloride can harm soils under drip emitters and damage foliage when sprayed directly.

Winefeed September 2026 newsletter covers vineyard climate resilience and regenerative research

• An Italian study in Environmental Microbiome found cover-crop under-vine mulching raised microbial diversity in a non-irrigated northern Italian vineyard.
• The same study reported improved soil conditions and reduced pathogen pressure from the cover-crop mulch system.
• A 2026 Field Crops Research study on Mediterranean rainfed vineyards found roller-crimped cover crops improved soil cover and vine water status.

English sparkling producer Nyetimber starts earliest-ever harvest on 14 September

• Nyetimber, England's first exclusive sparkling wine grower, will begin picking grapes on 14 September, its earliest harvest since 1988.
• The harvest of almost 2,500 tonnes could yield over 1.5 million bottles, though late spring frosts damaged almost 30% of vines.
• Hot, sunny weather concentrated sugars in the grapes, giving head winemaker Cherie Spriggs strong hopes for 2026 quality.

Canadian Sparkling Wine: a rare tasting crossing the country, with 24 different wines

• A rare cross-country tasting of 24 Canadian sparkling wines was held, with Niagara heavily represented because the tasting took place there.
• Trius Showcase Blanc de Blancs NV from Niagara scored 93/100, blending 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintages with 10 years on lees.
• York Reserve 2016 from Niagara-on-the-Lake scored 94/100, the highest mark in the tasting, with six years on lees.

Autumn Elegy

• Thieves stole 30,000 bottles of 2023 Solaia, Guado al Tasso and Tignanello from Tuscan winery Marchesi Antinori's cellars last Saturday.
• The robbers disabled the security system and loaded the wine onto two trucks using the producer's own forklifts.

400 Montepulciano Bottles for Thomas Jefferson circa 1805

• A 1350 trade contract between the Del Pecora family and merchant Jacopo di Vanni of Santa Fiora is the oldest known document for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
• A 2024 Consorzio-unveiled Jesuit document dates the first known use of the term Vino Nobile to 1766, replacing the earlier 1787 reference.
• Thomas Jefferson received 473 bottles of Montepulciano in November 1805 and requested 400 bottles annually afterward, per his April 1806 letter.

The Encyclopedia of Wine - Fresh Take or Same Same?

• Dorling Kindersley's The Encyclopedia of Wine publishes October 8 in the UK and November 10 in the US.
• The book was written by 28 contributors, including Jane Anson on Bordeaux and Wink Lorch on the Jura.
• It is a 400-page volume that competes with The Oxford Companion to Wine and The World Atlas of Wine.

Arizcuren, Rioja low & high

• Arizcuren, run by Javier Arizcuren, is the most urban winery in Rioja, based in central Logroño, a city of about 150,000.
• The winery produces around 30,000 bottles a year from a very small space on Calle Santa Isabel, near a Lidl supermarket.
• Javier's family grapes come from hills south of Quel in Rioja Oriental, where Grenache is significant and was once dominant before Tempranillo took over.

Inside the Wine Festival Reshaping How the World Sees Burgundy Right Now

• The 83rd Saint-Vincent Tournante will be held in Volnay on 30 and 31 January 2027.
• For the first time in the festival's history, visitors must register in advance, because Volnay cannot safely absorb large crowds.
• The 2026 edition across the Maranges villages drew nearly 60,000 visitors over the weekend.

Five Minutes with... Thierry and Louis Germain of Domaine des Roches Neuves

• Domaine des Roches Neuves, a Saumur-Champigny estate active for 35 years, is run by Thierry Germain, with son Louis now learning the vineyards and cellar.
• Thierry Germain says he started single-vineyard cuvées after tasting Burgundy wines in the early 1990s and studying geological maps of Saumur.
• The estate's five cuvées parcellaires include Terres Chaudes, La Marginale, Clos de l'Échelier, Les Mémoires and Franc de Pied, the last made from ungrafted vines on sandy soil.

Wine News: What I’m Reading the Week of 10/4/26

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

(Another) Exciting New Chapter

• Jonathan Cristaldi is moving into the role of Chief Wine Critic for The Tasting Panel and its sister publication The SOMM Journal.

Meet Your Robo-Somm

• Tim Atkin tested CellarTracker and food-pairing AI programs and found them weak, citing errors like confusing rosé with red and recommending Champagne for everything.
• Atkin said the SommPal app, from developer Marc Lewin, ranks up to five pairings per menu item and explains the logic behind each one.
• Lewin says SommPal is meant to help novice drinkers where no expert is available, not to replace sommeliers.