Following our coverage of the plight of Bordeaux producers looking to uproot vines, we have news of a Médoc chateau owner using recent and untried French legislation to sue two negociants for over €1m in what he claims are excessive profits on the wine he sold them. If he wins, what might this mean for others in the sector?
As European legislators have moved to require ingredient and nutritional information on wine labels (or via a QR code), US consumer groups have fought to achieve the same objective. After nearly 20 years, it looks as though they have one their fight.
There are moves to bring dealcoholised wine into the same legislation as conventional wine, and big brand owners are introducing zero-alc versions of their existing ones. Robert Joseph wonders if this is wise for the wine sector in general.
There is a new twist in the recently exposed fraud scandal in Bordeaux: previously The Times reported that (several) managers of Celliers Vinicoles du Blayais had been involved in the fraud. The company has now denied this to our sister publication WEINWIRTSCHAFT.
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.
Following a decision by the the Environmental Protection Agency – EPA - US grape growers can continue to use Roundup to help to keep their vineyards free of weeds.
The United Kingdom has one of the highest tax regimes on alcohol in the world. It was feared that a new regime to be applied next February would have made matters even worse, while introducing unworkable impracticality into the UK trade. Those threats have been lifted. For the moment.
Next year, labels of wines sold in Europe will have to reveal the number of calories they contain, and either nutritional and ingredient listing - or a link to this information online. How ready is the industry for this move?
The Irish Department of Health has informed the European Commission on June 21, 2022, of a draft law involving alcohol warning labels that are likely to prove controversial.
Tradition demands the participation of individuals who are dedicated to preserving it. For the Trentino winegrowers’ cooperative Mezzacorona, this involves safeguarding the indigenous grape varieties Teroldego and Marzemino, showcasing their qualities both as monovarietal wines and in blends.
