Americans call it putting lipstick on a pig. I was listening to one of Corney & Barrow’s Bordeaux Unpicked podcasts the other day. Yes, that’s right, podcasts plural. There are six of them to date, delving into the minutiae of the 2024 vintage. One of the participants joked that there are two types of harvest in Bordeaux – vintages of the century and “better than expected” – but that’s where the humour ended.
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The results are in for this year’s Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA) competition with 2025’s crop of entries throwing up a healthy tally of medals, pointing to both the quality and diversity of wines available to the UK on-trade. And once again, in terms of overall wines entered and medals won, the major European producing countries lead the pack. Notable standouts too, though, are Australia, noted for its strong medal haul, and sparkling wines, including the English contingent, which also did very well.
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Maison Ruinart’s cellar master Frédéric Panaïotis passed away on 15 June, aged just 60.
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With the current buzz in the wine world shifting towards Europe’s less well-known territories, it was perhaps no surprise that The Ultimate CEE Wine Fair 2.0 in London this week (9 June) was a packed affair. Attendance was 30% up for this, it’s second outing, with 350 trade professionals descending on St John’s Church in Waterloo for a taste of Central and Eastern Europe’s myriad styles of wine.
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Data from IWSR predicts that the global drinks industry will grow by USD $16bn over the next five years. The positive outlook contrasts to the relative stagnation the global trade saw in 2024.
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Harpers and North South Wines invited a panel to consider the differing ways drinks trade companies can have a lasting impact on diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and sustainable development.
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Few could miss the Georgia stand at this year’s London Wine Fair, with this on-trend country planting 16 of its producers on a sizable stand at the centre of the hall. And this enlarged presence sets the tone for the rest of this year, following an uplift in UK volume sales of Georgian wines of 72% in 2024, backed by an increase of investment in the British market by 50% for 2025.
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Harpers Top 50 Sommeliers listing is now open for nominations from the trade.
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Rosie Davenport, founder of specialist sustainability and communications agency Impact Focus, stresses that wine brands should find a competitive advantage in sustainability – if it’s well communicated.
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Majestic has confirmed the completion of its acquisition of wine and spirit distributor Enotria&Coe as part of its drive to become the pre-eminent supplier of wines and spirits across the UK.
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Aldi’s latest move to segue alternative formats into the mainstream is here – this time via the launch of an aluminium bottle.
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Total volumes for alcohol declined by 1% in 2024 according to data from the IWSR data, as markets including the US, China, India and Europe failed to live up to forecast expectations. However, pockets of growth persist, including agave, Indian whisky and Prosecco.
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The global economic situation is proving a challenge for Austrian wine exports as the sector experiences a decline for the first time after eight years of growth.
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Picking a wine can be difficult; it can depend on everything from mood to the weather. But what if there was a way around this internal battle?
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Following portfolio additions and a team restructure, there’s an upbeat mood at Fells, as Andrew Catchpole discovers.
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Be Inclusive Hospitality has announced a year-long partnership with Bibendum Wine with the aim of fostering a ‘fairer and more inclusive hospitality industry’ via a series of initiatives focused on education, impactful networking and recognition.
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Rosé expert Elizabeth Gabay MW makes the case for serious styles to sit alongside reds and whites at the top table.
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Champagne Laurent-Perrier has teamed up with the Gérard Basset Foundation to create the Laurent-Perrier Champagne Scholarships – an initiative developed to nurture future talent and support further inclusion within the UK wine trade.
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Communicators and other voices from the wine industry have come together to tackle harassment as this year’s theme for International Women’s Day 2025 (IWD2025) on 8 March.
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Spanish wine producers increased their overall value of exports by €41 million in 2024, though the total volume of exported wines fell by 1,010,000hls. The UK remains the largest export market for Spanish wine.
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