Banrock Station launches EcoSpirit format
Wine brand Banrock Station launches low waste reusable EcoSpirit format for restaurants and bars in Sydney, Australia
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Wine News Archive
Château Thenac Oligarch Eugene Shvidler sanctioned
Farr Vintners finally stops selling Château Thenac after Oligarch Eugene Shvidler was sanctioned by the UK government
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Judgement of Paris sale makes history
Judgement of Paris wine Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ historic 'SLV' Cabernet Sauvignon from 1973 sells for $12,300
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VAT rises to 20% in the UK for the hospitality trade this week
Reductions to the VAT rate have been used by the government to help the hospitality sector.
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Russian Oligarch wines still on sale in the UK
Dmitry Pumpyansky, owner of the Jura wine estate Domain Ganevat, has been sanctioned by the EU.
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London Wine Fair tickets go on sale
London Wine Fair takes place on the 7-9th June at Olympia in London with tickets going on sale this week. An early bird rate is available of £35 down from the normal £45.
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Tempranillo becomes Spain's most planted grape variety
Plantings of Airén have fallen 40% since 2000 while Tempranillo has grown by 70% in the same time period.
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Russian-owned wines continue to be sold in the UK
Farr Vintners and Majestic continue to sell Russian owned French wines in the UK
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Brits charged in New York over $100 million wine fraud
Two British men charged with defrauding people into investing nearly £100 million in loans that were claimed to be backed by wine.
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Russian wine industry snubbed by wine trade
Russian buyers have been blocked from Spanish wine fair, while Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships bans Russian entries
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New South Wales flooding as harvest season gets underway
Some of the worst flooding has hit Australia’s New South Wales region in 60 years, just as harvest gets underway.
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Naked Wines to improve carbon footprint
Naked Wines plan to reduce the weight of 3.5 million wine bottles, and ensure another 2.5 million do not get any heavier under its current contracts.
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New Zealand sign deep trade deal with the UK
The new UK/New Zealand trade deal will help remove technical barriers to trade, and minimise burdens from certification and labelling requirements.
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Bordeaux Negociants expand into selling Barolo
A group of Bordeaux negociants are expanding into selling Barolo. Eight negociants will be offering Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio 2018 from March onwards.
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New Zealand harvest returns to normal volumes but who will pick it?
New Zealand harvest returns to normal volumes after a low production, but there are concerns about pickers during current Covid outbreak
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Brad Pitt sues Angelina Jolie over sale of Château Miraval to Russian
He claims to have had a first right of refusal if Angelina Jolie wanted to sell her share in the winery, however she sold the winery to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.
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EU backs off cancer warning on wine labels
The EU has backed away from increased cancer risk warning labels on wine in a vote this week.
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Freixenet Copestick expands portfolio to NZ
Freixenet Copestick portfolio continues to expand with the purchase of New Zealand icon Wither hills.
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The Queen launches sparkling wine for Platinum Jubilee
The Queen has launched a sparkling wine in celebration of her platinum Jubilee, the sparkling wine is made from grapes sourced from Kent and West Sussex.
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Franciacorta sales rise around the world
Franciacorta, the premium traditional method Italian sparkling wine from Lombardy, has seen sales soar in Italy, the US, Switzerland and Germany.
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Hospitality industry braced for soaring inflation
A survey of by UK Hospitality expects inflation prices across the sector to increase by 11%.
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Australia’s wine sales down by AUS$1 billion in China after tariffs imposed
A year after China implemented swinging tariffs on Australian wine the effect resulted in 93% decline in sales to AUS$29 million, a drop amounting to almost AUS$1 billion.
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London Wine Fair moves date to June after Prowein muscles in on its week
London Wine Fair moves date to June after Prowein muscles in on its week.
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WSET starts trading again in China, just in time for new CEO Michelle Brampton
WSET starts trading again in China, just in time for new CEO Michelle Brampton. In January 2021 WSET had to suspend all courses and exams in mainland China after falling foul of Chinese laws.
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Freixenet Copestick purchases UK winery Bolney Wine Estate
Freixenet Copestick purchases UK winery Bolney Wine Estate
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UK hospitality hit by Omicron as Covid passports come into force
Hospitality trade is hit by Omicron Covid variant as Covid passports come into force and parties are cancelled.
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Malbec the top red grape in the UK for Christmas
In a recent survey by Virgin Wines, Malbec was identified as the top red wine this Christmas, followed by Merlot and Rioja.
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Majestic shuts Calais store
Majestic announces the closure of its Calais wine store with the loss of 20 staff.
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Brewer and wine retailer Adnams launches re-fillable wine, beer and gin
Southwold-based wine merchant Adnams has announced that it will offer new refillable wine, beer and gin bottles.
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UK Government increases Covid restrictions in the UK, as hospitality sector underperforms
From Monday 9th December working from home will be encouraged as the government tries to limit the spread of Covid-19 variant Omicron.
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Champagne approves new hybrid variety Voltis
Hybrid grape variety Voltis has been approved for use in Champagne vineyards.
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Robert Mondavi and Languedoc producer Aubert & Mathieu launch NFTs
NFTs come with wines and either the rights to attend events in the future or a copy of the picture of a wine bottle.
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Bonterra launches zero carbon wine by buying carbon credits
Californian organic winery launches Bonterra, claiming to be the first organic winery to go carbon neutral.
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Kylie Minogue Wines one of the fastest-growing and most successful wine brands the UK has ever seen
Kylie dominates the newly created Prosecco rosé wine sector to become the number one Prosecco rosé brand in the UK after just 10 months on the shelves.
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And the most popular wines in the UK are...
A survey of the UK's most popular wines gives some pause for thought as Pinot Grigio and Merlot are the most popular white and red
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Master Sommeliers expelled from Court of Master Sommeliers for sexual harassment
6 Master Sommeliers are expelled from the Court of Master Sommeliers for sexual harassment.
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Natural wine more likely to give drinkers a hangover
The myth that natural wines can prevent hangovers has been shown not only to be wrong, but natural wine are MORE likely to leave drinkers with a hangover.
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Waitrose announces it is ending its wine on tap refill initiative
The trial to fill your own bottle of wine from wines on tap in store achieved, according to Waitrose “phenomenal results”, but sadly those results were not enough for the trial to continue.
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BBR removes capsules to be environmentally friendly
UK-based wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd plans to remove the capsule at the top of a wine bottle from its own range of wines to improve the environmental credentials of its wines.
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British consumers still think heavy bottles of wine are premium & not bad for the environment
Research carried out has shown 40% of drinkers would pay more for a wine with a heavy bottle than a lightweight bottle, despite the known environmental effects of heavy glass bottles.
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Gordon Ramsey launches his own range of 3 Italian wines
Benchmark Drinks, a leading supplier of celebrity labelled wines, has added Gordon Ramsey's name to its portfolio of celebrity wines.
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Romanian Pinot Noir, is it the future of entry level Pinot Noir in the UK?
Romanian wine has seen sales growth in the UK and recent listing of their Pinot Noir in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, the Co-op and Majestic has helped drive growth.
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Trains to power Britain’s Christmas wine supply as HGV shortage continues
The lack of drivers may be a serious problem for moving wine around the UK in the build up to Christmas, but trains are coming to the rescue.
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Low Carbon wines, how to spot greenwashing and protect the environment
As Cop26 wrestles with saving the planet from global warming, here are some top tips to minimise your wine's carbon footprint.
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Superstrength cider the big winner in Rishi Sunak new duty system
Last week UK Chancelor Rishi Sunak proposed a new duty system for the UK. The big winner is super strength cider which will receive a duty cut.
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Matthew Cooper head wine buyer at Ellis of Richmond has died after a cycling accident
Matthew Cooper was a key figure in the Ellis team and here at ThirtyFifty we have worked with him over 20 years and interviewed him for the UK Wine Show back in 2006.
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Scottish nightclubs see turnover halve after the introduction of Covid passports
The first week of enforcement of Scotland’s Covid passports to enter nightclubs has seen revenue drop by 46%.
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Trade deal with New Zealand opens the path of slightly cheaper Sauvignon Blanc, if you can find any
The recent trade deal announced by Britain with New Zealand will see wine and primary produce such as lamb meat exported to the UK while New Zealand has dropped barriers to UK goods, primarily manufactured goods such as cars and farm equipment.
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UK alcohol duty steady before a revolution in 2023
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces a revolution in alcohol duty that simplifies duty and makes low alcohol wines cheaper, while hitting higher alcohol wines.
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Scholarships in honour of Gerard Basset awarded
Two different scholarships were awarded this week. Both in the name of Gerard Basset, the well known and much loved late Sommelier.
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