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01Liv-ex·

Bordeaux leads trade as Lynch-Bages 2005 becomes top-traded wine

  • Bordeaux held the lead with a 37.4% share of purchases, and Lynch-Bages was the region's top-traded wine.
  • Burgundy's share fell to 15.4% from 18.4% the prior week, below a September average of 24.6%.
  • US buyers drove purchasing, with their share of trade rising from 7.0% to 9.6% week on week.
Reported byLiv-ex: Bordeaux leads trade as Lynch-Bages 2005 becomes top-traded wine
02Vineyard Magazine·

Surrey backs 17 rural innovation projects with £500,000 in grants

  • Surrey County Council's Farming Innovation Accelerator funded 17 projects from a £500,000 pot of UK Shared Prosperity Funding.
  • Over 50 organisations applied, and each of the 17 chosen recipients receives a grant of up to £35,000 plus expert support.
  • Albury Vineyard will install an automated bird-repellent laser to protect 18 acres of grapevines, adding over 1,700 bottles a year.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: Surrey backs 17 rural innovation projects with £500,000 in grants
03VinePair·

VinePair weekly roundup spans Supreme Court case, Uncle Nearest sale, and new releases

  • The US Supreme Court agreed to review a home distilling case, according to VinePair's weekly roundup of beverage alcohol news.
  • The roundup also covers potential buyers for Uncle Nearest, the whiskey brand led by founder Fawn Weaver.
  • Diageo's toxic chemical spill and Southern Glazer's bribery case were among the week's other industry headlines.
Reported byVinePair: VinePair weekly roundup spans Supreme Court case, Uncle Nearest sale, and new releases
01The Guardian·

Volcanic soils give wines a distinctive tension, importers and writers say

  • Volcanic wines come from soils such as ash, basalt, obsidian, pumice and tuff, which vary widely in character.
  • Importer Nic Rizzi of Modal Wines says volcanic wines carry an extra tension that is hard to describe.
  • Victoria Torres Pecis farms La Palma in the Canaries, where black ash soils, high vineyards and low-trained vines are used.
Reported byThe Guardian: Volcanic soils give wines a distinctive tension, importers and writers say
02VinePair·

Germany's Chardonnays gain recognition as warming climate ripens the grape

  • Germany's Chardonnay covers about 3 percent of its vineyards, around 7,000 acres in 2023, and is growing.
  • Importer Collin Wagner says Chardonnay is easier for drinkers to understand than Riesling, which carries more baggage.
  • Warmer southwest regions Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Baden now ripen the grape in most years, with bottles priced around $40 to $60.
Reported byVinePair: Germany's Chardonnays gain recognition as warming climate ripens the grape
03VinePair·

Ohio buyer finds 400 pre-1940 bottles in 1939-sealed mansion cellar

  • John Smith bought Dayton's 1925 Sherman Estates mansion and opened its cellar, sealed since John Q. Sherman died in 1939.
  • He found about 400 bottles, all from the 1930s or earlier, including Niersteiner Rhine wine from 1895 and Cuban rum from around 1919.
  • Smith sold one opened, half-full Bacardi bottle to the company for $1,000; its heritage curator said the find was like Christmas.
Reported byVinePair: Ohio buyer finds 400 pre-1940 bottles in 1939-sealed mansion cellar
04Vineyard Magazine·

Plumpton College recruits Level 3 viticulture apprentices for November 9 intake

  • Plumpton College is recruiting its next Level 3 Viticulture Apprenticeship cohort, starting 9 November, with late joiners possibly accepted in January.
  • For eligible non-levy-paying SMEs, 100% of training costs are government-funded for apprentices aged 16 to 24, subject to funding rules.
  • The apprenticeship combines workplace experience with block weeks of college learning, and qualifications are endorsed by WineGB.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: Plumpton College recruits Level 3 viticulture apprentices for November 9 intake
01Vineyard Magazine·

Oak alternatives' timing and goals shape colour stability and aroma in winemaking

  • Oak chips added during active fermentation barely improve colour stability because oxygen availability is very low.
  • Colour benefits peak during maturation when oak is combined with controlled oxygen exposure such as micro-oxygenation.
  • Greater oak surface area releases aroma faster, and lightly, medium or heavily toasted oak yields distinct aroma profiles.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: Oak alternatives' timing and goals shape colour stability and aroma in winemaking
02Vineyard Magazine·

English vineyards hit by 2026 frosts, then record heat and drought

  • Fifty-four UK Met Office stations broke their all-time daily maximum temperature records during summer 2026, with 38.2°C recorded in Gloucestershire in August.
  • Heat effects on vines varied by age, rainfall and variety, with older vines more resilient and Bacchus struggling most with intense heat and UV.
  • Harvest came 10-14 days early on average, but sugar development stalled while acidity kept falling on many sites.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: English vineyards hit by 2026 frosts, then record heat and drought
03Vineyard Magazine·

UK vineyards face early, warm, dry 2026 harvest after frost-hit start

  • The 2026 English and Welsh growing season began with severe frost, then turned warm, dry and fast-ripening.
  • Harvest arrived several weeks early at some vineyards, and dry weather kept disease pressure low.
  • Growers say no typical season can be planned for now, so soil health, water management and monitoring matter more.
Reported byVineyard Magazine: UK vineyards face early, warm, dry 2026 harvest after frost-hit start
04Sustainable Wine Roundtable·

Domaine Bousquet details its organic and water-saving practices in Mendoza

  • SWR Membership Manager Ilva Fridenberga visited Domaine Bousquet's winery at the foot of the Andes in February.
  • The winery is trialing biodiversity corridors, closed to disturb vegetation, and garden corridors growing vegetables between vine rows.
  • It switched to high-pressure hoses to cut water use and upgraded tanks, cooling and sorting machinery to save energy.
Reported bySustainable Wine Roundtable: Domaine Bousquet details its organic and water-saving practices in Mendoza
05IVES Open Science·

Portuguese trial cuts vine yields with ethephon and manual thinning in Loureiro and Borraçal

  • A 2007 experiment in two Vinhos Verdes vineyards tested yield control on Loureiro and Borraçal grape varieties.
  • Ethephon and manual bunch thinning significantly reduced crop, with Borraçal's yield falling about 41% against control.
  • Ethephon at berry buckshot size lifted sugar and lowered acidity in Loureiro, but gave Borraçal no quality gains.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Portuguese trial cuts vine yields with ethephon and manual thinning in Loureiro and Borraçal
06IVES Open Science·

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

  • A three-year NE Spain study compared Grenache on three rootstocks, irrigated and non-irrigated, measuring water use efficiency and sap flow.
  • Non-irrigated vines had higher water use efficiency, and 110-R and 41-B outperformed 161-49 on that measure.
  • Stomatal control in irrigated vines appeared driven more by hormonal than hydraulic signals, the researchers suggest.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Grenache rootstocks and irrigation shape water use and stomatal control in Spain
07IVES Open Science·

Italian researchers outline viticulture strategies for climate change and biodiversity

  • Pisa University researchers say climate change may extend viticulture to higher latitudes and altitudes, requiring more resilient vine genotypes.
  • Italian regions have launched projects to recover abandoned local grape varieties and preserve genetic biodiversity under current legislation.
  • The authors studied Malvasia of Lazio, Cesanese d'Affile and Cabernet Sauvignon under the Cordon Spur of Conegliano system to cut water use.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Italian researchers outline viticulture strategies for climate change and biodiversity
08IVES Open Science·

Conegliano pruning trials on Lazio grape varieties assess yield, quality and marketing gains

  • Researchers at the CRA Viticulture centre in Conegliano tested the Cordon Spur of Conegliano system on Lazio grapes and Cabernet Sauvignon.
  • They compared Vertical Tridimensional Minimal Pruning of Conegliano with and without DMRC double reasoned maturation to raise gross saleable product.
  • The work targets quality, typicity and originality, with research teams drawn from several Italian universities and agencies.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Conegliano pruning trials on Lazio grape varieties assess yield, quality and marketing gains
09IVES Open Science·

Vine balance explained: growth versus crop load across the season

  • Vine balance means a vine's vegetative growth and reproductive growth are proportionate, enough to ripen fruit and set next year's buds.
  • Common indirect measures such as yield-to-pruning-weight ratio do not capture how growth balance shifts through the season.
  • A dynamic carbohydrate simulation model can map seasonal vegetative and reproductive demands against canopy carbon supply.
Reported byIVES Open Science: Vine balance explained: growth versus crop load across the season
01wineanorak·Jamie Goode·

Video: with Filipa Pato in her old vineyards in Bairrada, Portugal, which she farms with the help of pigs

  • Filipa Pato began making her own wines in 2001 from three rented plots in Bairrada, Portugal.
  • She and husband William Wouter now farm 20 hectares across 37 plots, mostly planted with the red grape Baga.
  • Pato uses pigs to regenerate her biodynamically farmed vineyards, some more than 100 years old.
Read the full story: Video: with Filipa Pato in her old vineyards in Bairrada, Portugal, which she farms with the help of pigs
02Tim Atkin·Tim Atkin MW·

A New White Zin

  • Tim Atkin argues the US wine industry needs a 'new' White Zinfandel, a cheap, accessible category to revive demand.
  • He cites US drinkers consuming 49.2 million bottles of White Zinfandel in 2024 despite wine sales being at an all-time low.
  • He proposes 'Relevé', a field blend of red and white grapes from an entire estate or region, modeled on The Feudal Project's Mrs. Crabtree's blend.
Read the full story: A New White Zin
04Be Wine Curious·Miquel Hudin·

A deeper look at underwater wine aging

  • Attis, a winery owned by the Fariña family near Pontevedra, Galicia, ages its Albariño magnums underwater in the O Grove estuary.
  • Its 2025 Attis Albariño 'Mar' is aged five months underwater at 13-16C, while the 'Standard' bottling of about 120,000 bottles is not.
  • Laura Vázquez, wife of Robustiano Fariña, said the winery learned early not to use cork and seals its underwater wines with glass caps.
Read the full story: A deeper look at underwater wine aging
05The Burgundy Outlook·Jonathan Finch·

What to Know Before This Year’s Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction

  • The 166th Hospices de Beaune wine sale takes place Sunday 15 November 2026, with the first lot due around 2.30pm under the Halles de Beaune.
  • The 2026 Hospices crop is small at 432 barrels, 348 red and 84 white, after an early heatwave reduced yields.
  • Last year's sale raised €18.8 million, with a Grand Cru average of €86,290 per cask and a Premier Cru average of €23,180.
Read the full story: What to Know Before This Year’s Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction
06Maker's Table·Meg Maker·

Owendee

  • Wine-related search queries slump in July but rise sharply through October, peaking on December 31, according to the author.
  • The author says the October-December wine-buying season coincides with the Northern Hemisphere harvest.
  • Resolutionaries swear off wine after New Year's, and wine searches fall sharply afterward.
Read the full story: Owendee
07The Morning Claret·Simon J. Woolf·

Visiting the Vineyard in the Sky

  • Marion Granges-Faiss and late husband Jacky farm Domaine de Beudon at 890 metres in Valais, Switzerland, reachable by cable car or a 90-minute hike.
  • Jacky bought the estate in 1971; it became Valais's first Demeter-certified estate in 1992 after organic conversion in the 1980s.
  • Since 2003 the only additive is sulphites, with wines bottled unfiltered, though ferments are at Beudon and ageing and bottling happen at Pierre-Antoine Crettenand's Saillon winery.
Read the full story: Visiting the Vineyard in the Sky
08Cab Franc Chronicles·Cab Franc Chronicles·

Inside Chinon’s Lieux-Dits Project

  • Chinon's lieux-dits project, begun by the Chinon Syndicat in 2014, promotes named vineyard sites without a formal classification or hierarchy.
  • Seven lieux-dits are officially recognized, starting with La Croix Boissée in Cravant-les-Côteaux in 2018 and most recently Vindoux and Les Battereaux in 2025.
  • Each recognized site gets an in-depth monograph developed with historians, toponymists, geologists and pedologists, plus an engraved stone marking the vineyard.
Read the full story: Inside Chinon’s Lieux-Dits Project
10shades of grape·Eveline Chartier·

400 Montepulciano Bottles for Thomas Jefferson circa 1805

  • A trade contract dated October 17, 1350, between the Del Pecora family and merchant Jacopo di Vanni is the oldest known document for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
  • In 2024 the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano unveiled a document showing the term 'Vino Nobile' was first used in 1766 by the Jesuits.
  • Thomas Jefferson received 473 bottles of Montepulciano in November 1805 and requested 400 more annually, reportedly from the Jesuit vineyards.
Read the full story: 400 Montepulciano Bottles for Thomas Jefferson circa 1805