Insights

U.S. Consolidation Means Fewer Opportunities for Wineries

As distributors get bigger, they require brands with bigger volumes to service their markets. This will reduce opportunities for small-to-medium-sized wine producers. Liza B. Zimmerman reports.

Reading time: 4m

Seven Wine Trends to Watch

Some trends, like the ever-growing popularity of sparkling wine, are easy to spot. But there are other, deeper trends which aren’t as easy to see. Felicity Carter outlines seven of them.

Reading time: 6m

Is Fine Wine in Sustainable Packaging A Contradiction?

Wine producers are reducing water use, increasing organic matter in their soil, and doing everything they can to support the environment. Now, says Roger Morris, they are also re-thinking packaging.

Reading time: 5m

The Bordeaux Business Opening Doors to the Nigerian Wine Market

Chinedu Rita Rosa went from working in wine in Nigeria, to business in Bordeaux. Now she is using her experience to help Nigerian wine importers and European producers connect with one another. Felicity Carter reports.

Reading time: 4m

Burgundy Rises, Bordeaux Falls. A Look at Fine Wine in 2022

There has been a feeding frenzy in the secondary market, as collectors go looking for Burgundy. What does this say about the fine wine market? Felicity Carter examines the latest Live-ex Fine Wine Report.

Reading time: 4m 30s

Winc and Sherry Lehmann: Two Very Different US Retailers in Trouble

Winc, the much lauded 11-year old online business that went public last year, has collapsed, despite $54.2m from venture capital investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Shining Capital and Crosscut Ventures. Sherry-Lehmann, the 88-year-old Manhattan store faces a $3m unpaid tax bill and rumours of possible closure.

Reading time: 8m 45s

Natural Wine: Entering the French Mainstream?

Natural wine remains a niche but, as Magalie Dubois reveals, it is steadily building a following in France.

Reading time: 9m 45s

Will Climate Change Make Wine Healthier - or Less Healthy?

Becca Yeamans-Irwin takes a scientific look at the credibility of health claims that are made about wine, and the possible impact of a changing climate.

Reading time: 5m 30s

Hybrids: Finding a Place

In a world apparently tiring of experts, there is at least one in the viticultural sphere that we should be grateful for. In 2020, research led by Andrew Walker, a geneticist and professor of viticulture and enology at UC Davis, led to the release of five new grape varieties. They have some advantages in common. Sarah Philips McCartan reports.

Reading time: 5m 45s

Mixologists Compete for Big Money in Netflix's New Series, 'Drink Masters'

The format is familiar: A group of contestants face specific challenges in front of a jury until one remains at the end. In the Netflix series "Drink Masters," there are twelve bartenders mixing for a $100,000 prize. Will Sommeliers be next? Commentary by Stefan Adrian of our sister publication Mixology.

Reading time: 3m 30s

Lascombes gets a new US Owner, as a Predecessor Has Just Been Acquitted

Days before a US jury acquitted Tom Barrack, ex head of Colony Capital, former owners of Château Lascomes, of illegal foreign lobbying charges, the Margaux estate was acquired by another American, Gaylon Lawrence of  Lawrence Wine Estates. This is only the latest episode in the long, checkered history of a 2nd growth chateau that has had many memorable owners, none of whom have kept it for long.

Reading time: 7m 15s

Pricier in Pink: the Fight to Charge More for Rosé

Rosé wines are enjoying an extraordinary boom, but they are still struggling to command premium prices. But, as Roger Morris discovers, this situation is starting to change.

Reading time: 7m

Can the Nordic Monopolies Turn the Drinks World Green?

Scandinavia’s five alcohol monopolies have launched a joint program to combat climate change. Petri Pellinen considers its practicality.

Reading time: 12m

Barolo: Too Much Bulk?

Barolo has neither image nor sales problems. The only issue is that the bulk wine market is still too large and the vineyards are too expensive. Veronika Crecelius reports.

Reading time: 4m 15s

Fred Franzia, the Questionable Pillar of the US Wine Industry

Head of the fourth largest wine business in California, and its biggest landowner, Fred T Franzia, who died on September 13, aged 79, was a spectacularly divisive character. Robert Joseph considers both sides of the story.

Reading time: 10m