January, 16, 2017 Champagne makers blame Brexit for lower 2016 sales

(Decanter) - Champagne has seen its global growth trajectory dented after fewer people popped corks in the UK following the country's EU referendum, show preliminary figures. According to tradition, Vincent Perrin, general director of the Comité Champagne, took the stage at the weeke...

January, 16, 2017 Wine Industry Rides Consumer Confidence Into 2017

(Wines&Vines) - Strong wine sales of $40 billion buoyed industry hiring in 2016, according to data from Wines Vines Analytics, putting wineries on a solid footing as 2017 begins. Total sales of U.S. wines rose 5% for the year, as did off-premise sales, while direct-to-consumer (DtC) shi...

January, 16, 2017 Red, white, but not blue: Spain bans wine because it’s the wrong colour

(TheLocal) - When five young Spaniards came up with the idea of marketing a blue wine, it was dismissed by Spain’s traditional vintners as a gimmick that would never take off. But since launching on the market last summer, Gik has shaken up the industry and sold close to 100,000 bott...

January, 15, 2017 Inside the Wine Bar That Feels Like Your Friend’s Kitchen

(Munchies.Vice) - Occupying a former cash-and-carry in Clapton, East London,  P. Franco  isn’t your typical wine bar. There’s no set wine menu and no sommelier. Instead, you drink what’s on the shelves and the man in charge is Phil Bracey.  “‘Sommelie...

January, 15, 2017 How Fine Is Wine?

(Bloomberg) - What is wine? Is it a luxury product, or a staple good? A bottle of  1946 Petrus can cost more money, gram for gram, than gold. At the other end of the spectrum, you can get a  bottle of Spanish red  for less than the  price of the same volume of water . To...

January, 15, 2017 Market Already Tight for 2017 Coastal Grapes

(Wines&Vines) - The 2016 harvest in the North Coast was good—and in some cases may even have been remarkable—but demand has remained so strong since the short harvest of 2015 that the grape market remains tight.  Speaking to a large crowd of mostly grapegrowers attending Son...

January, 15, 2017 How New American Ownership Could Impact One Of France's Most Historic Wines

(Forbes) - A majority stake in legendary Burgundy producer Domaine Bonneau du Martray was recently sold to Enos Stanley Kroenke, owner of California’s Screaming Eagle and Jonata, and a number of professional sports teams, for an undisclosed amount. His move into the world of Burgundian w...

January, 10, 2017 Cameron Hughes Winery Saved from Oblivion

(Wine-Searcher) - The owner of Clos Pegase buys up a name more familiar to Costco customers.   One of the best-known names in current American wine, Cameron Hughes, was sold this week by a bankruptcy court receiver to the highest bidder. The buyer is Vintage Wine Estates, which, li...