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01Liv-ex·

Bordeaux holds trading lead as Burgundy's share slips, Lynch-Bages 2005 top-traded

  • Bordeaux led the Liv-ex market with a 37.4% share of purchases, and Lynch-Bages was the top-traded wine overall.
  • Burgundy's share fell to 15.4% from 18.4% last week, below a September average of 24.6%.
  • US buyers claimed over half of Bordeaux's purchased value, lifting the US share of trade to 9.6% from 7.0%.
Reported byLiv-ex: Bordeaux holds trading lead as Burgundy's share slips, Lynch-Bages 2005 top-traded
02Vineyard Magazine·

Surrey funds 17 rural projects, including a vineyard bird-repelling laser

  • Surrey County Council's Farming Innovation Accelerator is funding 17 rural and farming projects from a £500,000 pot.
  • Each of the 17 recipients receives a grant of up to £35,000 plus expert business support, drawn from UK Shared Prosperity Funding.
  • Albury Vineyard will install an automated bird-repellent laser to protect 18 acres of vines, adding over 1,700 bottles yearly.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: Surrey funds 17 rural projects, including a vineyard bird-repelling laser
04Wine Australia·

Australian wine exports fall 7% to $2.25bn as US and China weaken

  • Australian wine export value fell 7% to $2.25 billion in the 12 months to September 2026, volume down 5% to 590 million litres.
  • Exports to the US fell 28% in value to $219 million, driven by tariffs and a shrinking American wine market.
  • Southeast Asia grew 16% to $291 million, with Thailand up 57% to a record $73 million, while Canada rose 12% to $185 million.
Reported byWine Australia: Australian wine exports fall 7% to $2.25bn as US and China weaken
05Liv-ex·

Bordeaux leads fine wine trade at 39.6% share, Lafite 2005 tops sales

  • Bordeaux took 39.6% of traded value on the Liv-ex fine wine market, with Lafite the region's top-traded wine at over a quarter of its value.
  • Burgundy fell from 24.8% last week to 18.4%, while Tuscany rose from 5.2% to 8.9%.
  • Bollinger overtook Dom Perignon and Louis Roeder as top-traded Champagne producer by value, with R.D. 2008 the leading wine.
Reported byLiv-ex: Bordeaux leads fine wine trade at 39.6% share, Lafite 2005 tops sales
06VinePair·

VinePair's weekly roundup covers Supreme Court case, Uncle Nearest sale, and product releases

  • The US Supreme Court agreed to review a home distilling case, per this week's roundup.
  • Uncle Nearest's potential buyers and Fawn Weaver's motion to block the sale were covered.
  • Southern Glazer's bribery snafu and OpenTable's 2026 restaurant report also featured this week.
Reported byVinePair: VinePair's weekly roundup covers Supreme Court case, Uncle Nearest sale, and product releases
01The Guardian·

South African wine estates confront slavery history as evictions and disputes continue

  • Groot Constantia, South Africa's oldest wine farm, runs a museum with panels on the about 30 enslaved people who lived there from 1685 to 1834.
  • Historians say only a handful of South African estates explicitly acknowledge their history of enslavement, in an industry that sold R36.3bn of wine last year.
  • At least 10 families, mostly former workers, have been evicted from Groot Constantia since July, according to two advocacy groups.
Reported byThe Guardian: South African wine estates confront slavery history as evictions and disputes continue
02PUNCH·

Real Housewives drink mass-market, sweet wines, critic argues

  • Wine columnist Cake Zine essay argues Real Housewives favour mass-market, high-alcohol, sweet wines, mostly Californian cabernet.
  • Essay ties this taste to Robert Parker's 100-point system and the 'Parkerization' of wines toward sweeter, fruit-forward styles.
  • Writer notes fine wines like Pomerol and Romanée-Conti are often unknown to the wider public, unlike Veuve Clicquot or Dom Pérignon.
Reported byPUNCH: Real Housewives drink mass-market, sweet wines, critic argues
01Vineyard Magazine·

English vines hit by 2026 heatwaves; harvest 10-14 days early

  • A 2026 UK viticulture assessment examines how repeated heatwaves and drought affected vines this season.
  • Fifty-four Met Office stations set all-time daily maximum records this summer, peaking at 38.2°C in Gloucestershire in August.
  • Harvest ran about 10-14 days earlier than normal, but Bacchus struggled as sugar stalled while acidity kept falling.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: English vines hit by 2026 heatwaves; harvest 10-14 days early
02Vineyard Magazine·

UK vineyards face early, hot 2026 harvest after frost and drought

  • The 2026 growing season began with severe frosts, then turned warm and dry, with rapid ripening across English and Welsh vineyards.
  • Harvest started several weeks early at some sites, while dry weather kept disease pressure low and fruit healthy.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: UK vineyards face early, hot 2026 harvest after frost and drought
03Sustainable Wine Roundtable·

Domaine Bousquet details organic and water-saving practices at Mendoza winery

  • SWR Membership Manager Ilva Fridenberga visited Domaine Bousquet, a winery at the foot of the Andes in Mendoza, in February.
  • The estate is trialing biodiversity and garden vineyard corridors, harvesting from outside the rows, and growing vegetables alongside vines.
  • Domaine Bousquet switched to high-pressure hoses to cut water use and updated tanks and temperature-controlled rooms to reduce energy.
Reported bySustainable Wine Roundtable: Domaine Bousquet details organic and water-saving practices at Mendoza winery
04IVES Open Science·

MODIS satellite data validated for mapping vineyard water use in Italy

  • Padova researchers tested MODIS satellite data to estimate evapotranspiration from a 25-hectare northeastern Italian vineyard.
  • Models combining MODIS data with ground weather observations were calibrated on two years of eddy-covariance measurements.
  • Independent validation against the other two years showed good consistency, suggesting regional-scale vineyard water monitoring is feasible.
Reported byIVES Open Science: MODIS satellite data validated for mapping vineyard water use in Italy
05Vineyard Magazine·

Newick Wine Estate in East Sussex battles frost and pests after 2023 planting

  • Jonathan and Charlotte Sharpe planted 37,000 vines on half of their 16-hectare East Sussex farm at Newick in 2023.
  • Ten frost events in 2026 caused severe damage, with the final one on 10 May limiting the estate's harvest.
  • Vineyard manager Charles Negus and apprentice Linus Holter are trialling methods to control spotted wing drosophila (SWD), which hit the 2025 season.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: Newick Wine Estate in East Sussex battles frost and pests after 2023 planting
06IVES Open Science·

Grenache rootstocks and irrigation shape water use and stomatal control in NE Spain

  • A three-year NE Spain study tested Grenache grafted onto 110-R, 41-B and 161-49C rootstocks, irrigated or non-irrigated.
  • Non-irrigated vines had higher water use efficiency, and 110-R and 41-B outperformed 161-49C.
  • Stomatal conductance differences from irrigation persisted all season, suggesting hormonal signals matter more than hydraulic ones.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Grenache rootstocks and irrigation shape water use and stomatal control in NE Spain
07IVES Open Science·

Italian research urges genetic diversity and climate adaptation for future viticulture

  • Pisa University researchers say climate change may extend viticulture to higher latitudes and altitudes, requiring more resistant grapevine genotypes.
  • Local Italian grapevine varieties are being abandoned in global markets, prompting regional safeguard projects to recover them for biodiversity.
  • The paper reports viticultural trials on Malvasia of Lazio, Cesanese d'Affile and Cabernet Sauvignon under Cordon Spur of Conegliano training.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Italian research urges genetic diversity and climate adaptation for future viticulture
08IVES Open Science·

Vine balance concept and its seasonal dynamics in viticulture explained

  • Vine balance is the appropriate balance between a vine's vegetative growth and its reproductive growth, meaning fruit production.
  • Most quantitative measures, such as yield to pruning weight ratio, are indirect and do not capture seasonal growth dynamics.
  • A dynamic carbohydrate simulation model can show seasonal patterns of growth needs against canopy carbon supply.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Vine balance concept and its seasonal dynamics in viticulture explained
09Vineyard Magazine·

Winter vineyard tools that cut pruning labour and frost losses

  • Cordless battery secateurs and a tractor-mounted pre-pruner are popular tools for speeding up winter vine pruning.
  • Mechanical sweepers pull canes into a row so a flail mower can mulch prunings in the same pass.
  • Frost protection options include candles, wind machines, and the Ventigel, which combines heat and wind.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: Winter vineyard tools that cut pruning labour and frost losses
10IVES Open Science·

Portuguese trial tests chemical and manual thinning to cut Vinhos Verdes yields

  • A 2007 experiment in Vinhos Verdes tested Ethephon, Prohexadione-calcium and manual bunch thinning on Loureiro and Borraçal vines.
  • Manual bunch thinning cut Borraçal yields about 41% and Loureiro yields about 26% against control vines.
  • Ethephon at berry buckshot size lowered Loureiro yields 35% and raised its sugar content, while Borraçal gained no quality benefit.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Portuguese trial tests chemical and manual thinning to cut Vinhos Verdes yields
01wineanorak·Jamie Goode·

With these twelve wines, Juampi Michellini, Matias Riccitelli, Rafael Urreloja and Derek Mossman Knapp illustrate Argentina and Chile’s precocious ability to express the best in any variety

  • Riccitelli's Patagonia Bastardo (Trousseau) is 100% from a vineyard planted in the 1970s and was whole-bunch fermented and pressed to foudres.
  • Undurraga's Terroir Hunter Pinot Noir Trama 2022 comes from limestone in San Antonio Valley, about five kilometres from the ocean, and scored 94/100.
  • Zorzal's Chardonnay Parcelario 2024 from Uco Valley, grown on limestone-influenced soil, is a 'grand cru'-level wine scored 95/100.
Read the full story: With these twelve wines, Juampi Michellini, Matias Riccitelli, Rafael Urreloja and Derek Mossman Knapp illustrate Argentina and Chile’s precocious ability to express the best in any variety
03Maker's Table·Meg Maker·

Owendee

  • Wine-related search queries slump in July but rise sharply through October, peaking on December 31, according to Maker's Table.
Read the full story: Owendee
04The Morning Claret·Simon J. Woolf·

Visiting the Vineyard in the Sky

  • Domaine de Beudon, a family estate at 890 metres in Valais, is reached by a 90-minute hike or a cable car.
  • Jacky Granges-Faiss bought the estate in 1971; he died in June 2016 after a caterpillar vehicle reversed over him.
  • Marion Granges-Faiss now leads winemaking, with ferments on the mountain and ageing and bottling at Pierre-Antoine Crettenand's winery in Saillon.
Read the full story: Visiting the Vineyard in the Sky
05Tim Atkin·Tim Atkin MW·

Nasty Not Nice

  • Tim Atkin argues wine's decline in drinking is because wine is too good and the trade too nice, and proposes making it less fun.
  • Atkin suggests wine merchants adopt car-hire tactics: reserve in advance, collect in person, be told the wine is unavailable and sold extra insurance.
  • Atkin proposes bottling each barrel separately and selling Bordeaux allocations at a Smithfield-style cash sale, including a journalists' barrel at Primeurs.
Read the full story: Nasty Not Nice
06Cab Franc Chronicles·Cab Franc Chronicles·

Inside Chinon’s Lieux-Dits Project

  • Seven Chinon lieux-dits have been officially recognized so far: La Croix Boissée (2018), La Pointevinière (2023), Les Puys, Les Picasses, Les Boulaies (2024), and Vindoux and Les Battereaux (2025).
  • The Chinon Syndicat launched its lieux-dits project in 2014, the first such initiative among Loire Cabernet Franc appellations, avoiding a formal official hierarchy.
  • To qualify, a lieu-dit must be delineated on the French cadastre and named on the labels of at least two vignerons who jointly request recognition.
Read the full story: Inside Chinon’s Lieux-Dits Project
09Be Wine Curious·Miquel Hudin·

Telling a mountain to move

  • DO Montsant, in Catalunya's Priorat area, has revised its bylaws to add certification for 'vi brisat' (orange-style) wines.
  • Montsant's revised bylaws also create a classification for 'minimal intervention' wines, requiring hand-harvesting, organic certification and spontaneous fermentation.
  • The author says the region's newer minimal-intervention rules, including a maximum sulfur dioxide limit, have not been published, as the DO has not responded to his request for the figure.
Read the full story: Telling a mountain to move
10shades of grape·Eveline Chartier·

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 document unveiled by the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano shows the term 'Vino Nobile' was first used by the Jesuits in 1766.
  • In 1806 Thomas Jefferson asked Thomas Appleton for 400 bottles annually of Montepulciano wine from ancient Jesuit vineyards after receiving 473 bottles in 1805.
Read the full story: 400 Montepulciano Bottles for Thomas Jefferson circa 1805