The seats were packed, the stage was lit, and the lights were dimmed. The 17th Meininger Awards Excellence in Wine & Spirit began, in front of 500 of the most significant people in the wine and spirits sectors.

Reading time: 2m 45s

For many visitors, the day spent manning stands or visiting them and taking part in the actual events at the fair is only half the attraction of ProWein. There is plenty on offer in Düsseldorf in the evenings - from French fries with cool wines to Korean-inspired dishes with Champagne and Altbier. Wolfgang Fassbender has put together exciting evening events. 

Reading time: 7m 30s

Three of Brazil’s biggest wineries, have been suspended by ApexBrasil, the government Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, following an operation to rescue over 200 workers from what were described as “conditions analogous to slavery”. The story could affect Brazil's ambition to boost wine exports. Alexandra Corvo and Robert Joseph report.

Reading time: 7m

Russia’s invasion has touched every part of Ukraine’s wine economy. Looted wineries, sommeliers turned soldiers, and destroyed warehouses are only part of it, as Sergey Panov reports.

Reading time: 6m 45s

First woman to win the prize, the first from China, or the first from the former Soviet bloc? In Raimond Tomsons' case, it was the latter. Robert Joseph reports on a fiercely contested competition where the price of a Chinese baijiu can be crucial.

Reading time: 4m

With an annual production of 16-18m bottles and a turnover of around €100m, this family company is one of the heavyweights of the Italian wine industry. Clemens Gerke takes a look behind the label.

Reading time: 1m 30s

Energy costs, supply chain issues and the economic crisis - these are the topics that are of the greatest concern to the wine industry in 2022 and 2023. This is the conclusion of the ProWein Business Report, for which Geisenheim University surveyed a total of 2,500 industry representatives from 47 countries in November 2022.

Reading time: 4m 45s

ARENI Global, a London-based research organisation, this week launched a wine paper that looks philosophically at the question of fine wine. Robert Joseph does a deep dive into it.

Reading time: 4m 45s

There was sobering news at the annual presentation of the Silicon Valley Bank report—young consumers are showing no signs of embracing wine as they mature.

Reading time: 3m 50s

The sparkling wine category is booming, with Champagne in hot demand. This has led to the embrace of top-quality sparkling wines from elsewhere, including England which now produces around 10m bottles per year. Nyetimber is the UK's longest-established, largest and most highly respected producer, as Simon Werner reveals.

Reading time: 2m 30s

South Africa's wine industry has long oscillated between cheap bulk wine and excellent top wines. Crises and successes seem to constantly accompany the South Africans. Clemens Gerke reports.

Reading time: 3m 30s

Despite all the fashion and greenwashing accusations, the basic idea of sustainability implies that companies cannot afford not to be there in the long run. In its approach to sustainability, South Africa is very different from Europe. 

Reading time: 3m

More polyphenols. Less wax. A mutation discovered in a clone of Tempranillo suggests that some old vines can adapt to higher temperatures, reports Barnaby Eales.

Reading time: 3m

In 2001, Jacques Berthomeau who died this month, shocked the French wine establishment by recommending the creation of a new classification called Vin de France that would enable producers to compete with varietal wines from the New World. Eight years later, his idea became reality. Today, it is a huge success - both for those exports, and - perhaps surprisingly for him - for many of the natural wine producers Berthomeau later wrote about in his blog.

Reading time: 5m 30s

A winery in Romania, home to Dracula, was pleased to receive an order from the US owner of a brand called Vampire. When they subsequently tried to sell other brands of their own such as Bloody Merlot, referencing the same myth, they came up against a litigious US system that proved very costly. W. Blake Gray offers valuable advice for would-be exporter to this enticing market.

Reading time: 6m 45s