Winefeed

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

• South Australian wineries claimed 12 of 26 trophies at the 2026 Royal Adelaide Wine Awards, judged over four days by a national panel.
• Adelaide Hills producers Sidewood Estate and Simon Tolley Wines took Best Pinot Noir and Best Sparkling Wine, categories Tasmania usually dominates.
• Evans & Tate's 2024 Redbrook Estate Chardonnay won Most Outstanding White Wine, while Berton Vineyards' 2023 The Black Shiraz won Most Outstanding Red.

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

• Masked gang of at least seven shut off alarms and cameras, then loaded two trucks with 30,000 bottles from Marchesi Antinori's Cortona cellar.
• Stolen wines, all 2023 vintage and priced €120 to €400 a bottle, include Solaia, Guado al Tasso, Tignanello and 3,000 bottles of Barolo Ginestra.
• Chief executive Renzo Cotarella says the company's insurance does not cover a loss of this value, and it warns customers against off-channel offers.

VINITECH-SIFEL trade show in Bordeaux, 1-3 December 2026, for international wine buyers

• VINITECH-SIFEL, a Bordeaux trade show for wine, fruit and vegetable sectors, runs 1-3 December 2026 with 700 exhibitors.
• Organiser says 40,000 professionals from 70 countries are expected across 70,000 m² of exhibition space.
• International Buyers Program offers eligible investors 4-star hotel stays and travel cost support, with targeted B2B meetings with exhibitors.

Treasury Wine Estates cuts 170 jobs as new operating model nears

• Treasury Wine Estates has axed 170 roles under its previously announced operational and regional restructure, per The Australian.
• Most redundancies are in marketing, IT, finance and support roles, mainly at the Melbourne headquarters and other offices.
• The new operating model takes effect on 1 October 2026, and TWE is recruiting commercial roles in Australia, New Zealand, China and emerging markets.

Thai Airways suspends CEO Chai Eamsiri amid flood disruption and wine deal probe

• Thai Airways suspended CEO Chai Eamsiri on October 2 pending a fact-finding investigation and review of crisis management.
• Chai denies wrongdoing over a reported purchase of about 860,000 bottles of wine worth over 800 million baht (US$24 million).
• Board member Samrit Samniang was appointed acting CEO, while the airline cites flood-related flight and baggage disruption as its stated reason.

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

• Vinitaly.USA makes its inaugural New York City appearance at Pier 36 on October 26 and 27, 2026, after two years in Chicago.
• The fair will host 300 exhibitors presenting 2,500 labels, its largest exhibitor count to date, including 95 wineries from an Italian Trade Agency delegation.
• The wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum returns alongside it, themed "Education is Influence," with registration now open on the Vinitaly.USA website.

Global wine demand shifts from red toward white and sparkling styles

• IWSR data shows red wine's share of global consumption fell from about 52% in 2012 to 43% in 2025.
• White wine rose from 31% to 34% of consumption, while sparkling wine grew from 8% to 13% over the same period.
• Red wine has lost ground as older drinkers cut back and younger consumers favour lighter, occasion-led drinks.

France's wine harvest set to fall 14% below recent average after heat

• The French agriculture ministry estimates the 2026 harvest at about 35 million hectolitres, down 2% on 2025.
• That total is 14% below the 2021-2025 average, after 2025 had recorded France's lowest output since 1957.
• Champagne's harvest fell by half year on year and finished in September for the first time.

Australian wine exports to Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines rise despite weaker US and UK demand

• Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines rank sixth, fourth and fifth among ASEAN wine markets by IWSR 2025 data.
• In the year to June 2026, Australian wine exports to Malaysia rose 30% in value to A$55 million FOB.
• Indonesia exports rose 300% in value to A$21 million, while Philippines exports fell slightly to A$11.5 million FOB.

Bordeaux leads Liv-ex trade as Burgundy and Champagne follow

• Bordeaux took 33.0% of traded value on Liv-ex this week, ahead of Burgundy at 28.5%.
• Domaine de la Romanee-Conti was the top-traded producer, with 10.6% of overall trade.
• Champagne fell to 13.9% of traded value from 21.4% the previous week, in third place.

Emeritus Vineyards pivots to grape sales and dry farming amid California market downturn

• Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol, CA, sells a meaningful share of its fruit to winery partners alongside its own wines.
• Amid the California market downturn, the vineyard is experimenting with new ways to monetize grapes it previously did not sell.
• Emeritus began a four-year transition from irrigation to dry farming starting in 2007, which it says changed wine profiles.

New Zealand wine exports rise 0.5% to NZ$2.1bn as Asia grows

• New Zealand Winegrowers' annual report shows NZ wine exports reached NZ$2.108 billion in the year to June 2026, up 0.48%.
• Export volume rose 6.04% to 306.2 million litres, but value grew far less, with mainland China shipments up 71.91% in volume.
• U.S. shipments fell 7.31% and export earnings dropped 5.39% to NZ$720.62 million, with exporters now facing a 12.5% tariff.

SFI 2026 offers UK vineyards extra income for biodiversity-friendly cover crops

• The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 includes vines and horticultural permanent crops, with 71 actions, several of interest to vineyards.
• Payments could add income for vineyard measures that benefit biodiversity and help meet LEAF Marque's new 5% habitat requirement.
• Overwinter cover crops should be sown by late August or early September, though SFI allows up to 12 months to establish a mix.

Seven proposed US wine regions await TTB approval, each with distinct climate and soils

• Seven proposed American Viticultural Areas are in early stages, with approval by the TTB often taking several years.
• The proposed Annapolis-Sea Ranch AVA would cover 26,637 acres, with 651 acres of grapes across a dozen vineyards.
• The proposed Deschutes River AVA in central Oregon would cover 723,760 acres, the first recognized winegrowing region there.

VinePair's weekly roundup lists industry headlines and new spirits product releases

• California has launched an investigation into distributor Southern Glazer's over a bribery matter.
• Trump has announced a ban on Canadian alcohol and plans to lift the Irish whiskey tariff.
• GunBun filed for bankruptcy, and Stateside is in a legal dispute with AB InBev.

Saumur's Bouvet-Ladubay marks 175 years with sparkling wines and cellar tours

• Bouvet-Ladubay, founded in 1851 in Saumur on the Loire, is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year.
• The producer works with around 80 winegrowers on more than 100 plots, blending Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.
• Visitors can tour eight kilometres of cellars carved from tuffeau limestone, beneath the remains of an old abbey.

Liu Weiran becomes China's newest Master of Wine, focusing on trade fairs

• Liu Weiran, who returned to wine after a brief finance career, has just become China's newest Master of Wine.
• His MW research paper examined how exhibitors choose wine trade fairs in China, a topic few MWs have written about.
• He says China's Tangjiuhui fair has become a showcase rather than a source of big on-the-spot orders as exhibitor costs rise.

European bartenders say American visitors are curious and chatty, though vodka and Martinis persist

• Giorgio Bargiani of The Connaught Bar in London says American guests are entertaining, curious and open at the bar.
• The Connaught Bar makes about 30,000 Martinis a year, and American guests often specify vodka over gin.
• Arturo Burzio of Rosewood Villa Magna in Madrid reports Americans request bourbon, vodka brands and Cosmopolitans as substitutions.

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

• Viticulturist Stan Grant's second article in a three-part series analyses lab results of vineyard irrigation water samples.
• Nearly pure snowmelt irrigation water strips minerals from soils, making sandy, low-buffered vineyard soils more acidic and less fertile over time.
• Alkaline well waters high in calcium and magnesium can lose fertilizer value as carbonate compounds precipitate, and saline waters can create water stress.

Regenerative vineyard newsletter highlights cover crop and soil microbiome research

• Canavera et al. (2026, Environmental Microbiome) found under-vine cover crop mulch in a non-irrigated Piacenza, Italy vineyard raised microbial diversity.
• The same study reported improved soil conditions and reduced pathogen pressure from cover crop-derived under-vine mulching.
• A 2026 Field Crops Research study on Mediterranean rainfed vineyards found roller-crimped cover crops improved soil cover and vine water status.

Hampshire biodiversity firm Wildflower Co. shortlisted for South Coast tech award

• Hampshire-based Wildflower Co. is a finalist in the Tech for Good category of the South Coast Tech and Innovation Awards.
• Its products include Meadowscape Pro, which establishes meadow habitats in three to four months, and soil-less Wildflower Turf.
• The awards ceremony takes place in Southampton on 15 October.

Vinography Images: Kaleidoscope

Let’s keep the autumn vibe going this week, shall we? Some of the most spectacular autumn vineyard views I’ve ever

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 in Niagara, which is over-represented as a result.
• Trius Showcase Blanc de Blancs NV, from Niagara, scored 93/100, the top score among the Trius wines tasted.
• Inter-provincial shipping restrictions make it difficult to assemble a line-up of Canadian wines from many regions like this.

Autumn Elegy

• Thieves stole 30,000 bottles of 2023 Solaia, Guado al Tasso and Tignanello from the cellars of Marchesi Antinori in Tuscany last Saturday.
• The thieves 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

• The oldest known document for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano dates to October 17, 1350, held in the State Archives of Florence.
• A 2024 document unveiled by the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano shows the term 'Vino Nobile' was first used by the Jesuits in 1766.
• Thomas Jefferson received 473 bottles of Montepulciano in November 1805 and requested 400 bottles annually thereafter, per his April 1806 letter to Thomas Appleton.

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.
• Editor-in-chief David Williams aimed for an authoritative but accessible reference, written by acknowledged experts rather than academics.
• 28 writers contributed, including Jane Anson on Bordeaux, Wink Lorch on the Jura, and Jim Clarke and Kelli White on the US.

Arizcuren, Rioja low & high

• Arizcuren is based in central Logroño, a city of about 150,000, making it the most urban winery in Rioja.
• Owner Javier Arizcuren, an architect who runs his office in the same building, produces around 30,000 bottles a year there.
• All of Arizcuren's grapes come from hills south of Quel in Rioja Oriental, where Grenache is significant and was once dominant.

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's narrow streets cannot safely absorb large crowds.
• The 2026 edition across three 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 Loire estate with 35 years of history, is led by Thierry Germain, with his son Louis now working in the vineyards and cellar.
• Thierry Germain began producing single-vineyard cuvées parcellaires in Saumur-Champigny after being inspired by Burgundy, working with geological maps to identify terroirs.
• The estate's five single-vineyard cuvées are Terres Chaudes, La Marginale, Clos de l'Échelier, Les Mémoires and Franc de Pied, the last made from ungrafted vines on sandy soil.

(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.
• The news was announced in a press release, according to the 1WineDude post.

Meet Your Robo-Somm

• Tim Atkin tested AI wine-pairing apps, including CellarTracker and food pairing programs, and found they often miss pairing nuances.
• Atkin reports AI pairing tools confuse rosé with red, struggle with foreign-language wine lists, and recommend Champagne for almost everything.