The results are in for this year’s Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA) competition with the major European producing countries leading the pack, but with a strong medal haul from Australia, and also high recognition for sparkling wines, including the English contingent.
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The Wine & Spirit Education Trust has launched an updated version of its most advanced Level 3 Award in Spirits qualification, coinciding with more than 100,000 students worldwide having now taken a WSET Spirits course since it began in 2003.
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Climate action grants are already benefiting seven vineyards in and around the South Downs and, as English Wine Week approaches (21-29 June), extra funding is being made available to help others get involved in climate action.
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Dublin-based family-owned Pearse Lyons Distillery has announced a major expansion into the UK through a strategic partnership with JBE Imports, officially debuting at this year’s Bar Convent London (BCB London), taking place 30 June-1 July.
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Birmingham’s nightlife scene is set to see several high profile venues close their doors in the space of one month in an ominous trend for the UK’s second city.
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Maison Ruinart’s cellar master Frédéric Panaïotis passed away on 15 June, aged just 60.
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Italy’s Castellare di Castellina and its sister property Feudi del Pisciotto, of Sicily, have joined the Bancroft Wines portfolio.
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The 40th anniversary of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino saw three new members added to the historic group in honour of their promotion of wines from Spain in the UK trade.
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González Byass UK is the latest signatory to the Harpers Sustainability Charter, which is building a network of sustainably minded businesses and is a reference for companies looking to work with sustainable partners.
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The 2025 Pedalling to Pubs bike ride has raised a record-breaking total of over £100,000 for hospitality charities the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) and Only A Pavement Away.
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According to analysis from accountancy firm Price Bailey, April saw a rise in pub insolvencies with 67 establishments going bust. This follows the early April changes to both NICs and Minimum Wage.
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North South Wines, the Bicester-based importer, has bolstered its Provençal rosé offering with the addition of Château Sainte Roseline to its range.
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There was a kind of symmetry to meeting the cellar master of Krug in a cellar. Not the caves of Champagne but deep beneath London’s The Connaught Hotel. I felt less journalist, more cave diver, guided by the quick of step head sommelier Lucas Reynaud-Paligot to the wine cellars below. Much like divers unclipping their tanks to squeeze through wafer thin gaps, I shed my backpack to edge past a treasure trove of the hotel’s finest wine reserves. With a sigh of relief that no bottle was harmed in the process, I turned a corner to meet Julie Cavil, Krug’s chef de cave.
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Global Wine Solutions (GWS), the superyacht and luxury sector wine provider, has further strengthened its senior sales team with two new appointments.
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Greater Manchester importer-producer Boutinot has gained exclusive GB distribution of Peter Lehmann Wines and Morris of Rutherglen.
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The first iteration of the WSTA Industry Summit since 2019 saw themes of resilience and adaptability underscore the global and domestic challenges explored. Key takeaways from the event included tariff predictions and the need to unwind the ever-frustrating policy burden of “three-word acronyms” from EPR to RAM.
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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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Sommelier Zoé Donadio of Apricity (pictured, left) and chef Will Stoyle of Silo (pictured, right) were both awarded prizes at the 11th International Final of the Copa Jerez for their team UK entry. The overall win went to team Denmark, marking the Scandi nation’s fourth triumph at the event.
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New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) can reveal that the number of payrolled employees decreased by 109,000 in May compared to the previous month. The employment drop comes after April’s National Insurance Contributions (NICs) policy changes.
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In its 2024 export report, Vins de Loire revealed that the popular region’s exports grew +5% and +5.9% in terms of volume and value, respectively. The total value of Loire exports reached €200mn, its highest level since 2000. France as a whole, by contrast, only saw a +0.7% uptick in terms of total export volume.
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