Wetherspoons goes political by limiting choice to customers
Founder and Chairman Tim Martin, is dropping many European wines and beers at the company for UK and non EU wines and beers.
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Wine News Archive
Wine merchants are on the rise
Wine merchants are bucking the UK High Street closures with strong sales. Is the wine merchant back in favour?
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Amazon Prime commission new drinks show The Three Drinkers
Amazon Prime has commissioned a new drinks show called The Three Drinkers. Initially the group will look at spirits, but Colin Hampden-White claims they would love to do wine as well.
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Fine wine collector and con-artist Hardy Rodenstock dies
Fine wine collector and con-artist Hardy Rodenstock died this week. He became infamous for the sale of the fraudulent Thomas Jefferson bottles.
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The UK’s love of sparkling wine has seen a boost for Crémant de Loire
The UK’s love of sparkling wine has seen a boost for Crémant de Loire. Sales were up by 34% in 2017.
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Bordeaux hit by hailstorms
Around 7,000 hectares of vines where severely hit by a freak hail storm in Bordeaux this week.
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LWF visitor numbers were up by 17%
The London Wine Fair is the UK's largest and most important trade event and this year visitor numbers saw a 17% increase.
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Prosecco marketing could target men
Up until recently, Prosecco marketing was firmly targeted at women, but it has been shown that men are the biggest buyers.
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Napa Valley name now explicitly protected in UK
Napa Valley wines have been protected under European legislation since 2007 but will now be protected in the UK under our Certification Mark scheme.
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Unwanted alcohol-free wine found in Kent
An assortment of 20 black bin liners of non-alcoholic wine discovered on a roadside in Kent, near the Channel crossing.
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Awards, Awards, Awards - Decanter, The Drinks Business and Drinks Retailing all announce winners.
The Drinks Business Awards 2018, Drinks Retailing Most Influential 100 People and top medals at Decanter World of Wine Awards 2018 all announce winners. And the winners are...
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Three bottles of wine from 1774 are to be auctioned later in the month
Three bottles of wine by Anatoile Vercel from 1774 when Napolean Bonaparte was a boy are to be auctioned later in the month
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Helix corks now available in the UK
Helix corks are now available in the UK being used by the South African winery Anthonij Rupert to seal its Protea wine range.
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Asda discounts Champagne and Prosecco to add the Markle Sparkle to fizz sales.
Asda own label Champagne is being discounted to £12 a bottle while their Prosecco is being offered at £5.
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Australia over takes France into second place with the second highest average export bottle price
Australian wine sales, particularly to China, have been booming in the 1st Quarter of 2018. The boom has seen Australia’s average export bottle price rise to £3.70 ahead of France at £3.03.
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Prepare to enjoy more Argentine Malbec
Argentina is set to increase wine sales to the UK as its Peso drops in value, making the wines cheaper.
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Plumpton college has launched an A Level in Viticulture
Plumpton College, the UK's leading wine education institution, has launched the equivalent of an A Level, known as the “The Advanced Technical Certificate in Viticulture”.
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Scotland has implemented minimum alcohol pricing
As of 1st May 2018, Scotland has introduced minimum pricing. Minimum prices are based on 50p per unit of alcohol.
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Extended pub hours for the Royal Wedding
The government has relaxed the closing time for pubs in the UK on the 19th May to 1.00am on Sunday morning.
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London Wine Week 14th-20th May
London Wine week is on between the 14th and 20th of May with 94 bars participating in the week-long wine indulgence.
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Wines of GB trade tasting takes place
The annual trade tasting organised by trade body Wines of GB took place on Thursday, showcasing over 120 wines from 46 producers.
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WSET announce changes to wine courses and introduce a new Level 3 Spirits course
WSET announce a new qualification and a change to its popular Level 2 and Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits.
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Rathfinny release their first vintage to the trade
Rathfinny has released their first wines, both are vintage sparkling wines - a 2014 Blanc de Blancs and a 2015 Sparkling Rose.
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Top wine journalists who influence which wines you buy
Jancis Robinson MW has been voted the most influential wine critic according to research by Drinks Retailing News.
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Climate change continues and the results are not great for top quality wines
Its not just getting warmer it is also getting more extreme, meaning total vintage losses may become more common.
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A poor vintage in the Northern Hemisphere is starting to influence the wines we drink
A recent survey by Accolade Wines suggests trends to Prosecco, Eastern European and New Zealand wines continue.
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2016 looks like a vintage year for Port producers
2016 has been declared a vintage year for many of the top Port producers and is widely thought to be a vintage that most, if not all, will declare.
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An injectable bio chip has been created that can monitor alcohol levels in blood.
A new injectable bio chip has been created that can monitor blood alcohol levels in real time.
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Wine Rack and Bargain Booze sold to Bestway after Conviviality collapse
The second major business owned by failed drinks company Conviviality has been sold to Bestway in a £7 million deal.
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Conviviality Direct bought by Magners Cider owners
Conviviality Direct, the wholesale arm including Matthew Clark and Bibendum Wine, has been bought by Magners owners C&C Group.
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Brown Brothers pull out of the unforgiving UK market
Australian producer Brown Brothers has pulled out of the UK market after struggling to make in-roads.
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Cornish wine producer Camel Valley gets Royal Warrant
Camel Valley, the Cornish Wine producer, has been given the Royal Warrant in recognition as a supplier to the Royal household.
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Genetically engineered yeast can produce hop like flavours in wine
Yeast has been engineered to produce hop like flavours, it is a small step to producing similar flavoured wines.
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France has been rocked by two massive wine frauds
Two wine frauds involving millions of bottles of wine are currently being prosecuted in Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley.
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Conviviality plans share launch to fill debt holes
Conviviality, the company behind Bargain Booze and Wine Rack, has announced plans to raise £125m in capital from the sale of new shares.
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Wine Rack and Bargain Booze owner has shares suspended after not accounting for a £30m tax bill
Conviviality shares are suspended on the AIM market after it found a tax bill amounting to £30m, piling pressure on the company after a profits warning.
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The EU trade body is pushing for more calorie information on labels
The European CEEV has announced plans to include the calorie content of wine on labels.
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Aldi joins the pack by launching a range of half bottles from Eastern European wines
Aldi has joined the Co-op and Waitrose to launch a range of 37.5cl half bottles from Eastern European producers
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Wine Intelligence report on world's most powerful wine brands
Wine Intelligence's Global Wine Brand Power Index for 2018 has been released, giving the top brands in wine.
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London plays host to the first Chinese wine tasting
London held its first Chinese focused wine tasting on Wednesday, with the IWSC showing of the medal winners from its Asian competition.
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Masters of Wine Institute has only 4 new Masters of Wine for 2018
The latest crop of MWs has been announced by the Institute of Masters of Wine. Two from the UK and two from the US.
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This week in the press: it's all about different formats for packaging wine
Bag in box, Imperial Pints and Screw caps for English producers. This week in the press, it's all about different formats for packaging wine.
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New Zealand wines thriving in the USA
New Zealand wines take on the US, with the Kiwi minnow now the 3rd biggest exporter by value.
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Cellars in the Sky wine awards results
The Airlines wine competition Cellars in the Sky results have been announced.
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UK's casual dining restaurants feel the pinch
UK casual dining feels the pinch after a series of restaurant closures from Jamie's Italian, Strada and Byron's.
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Red wine polyphenols may help protect teeth and gums
A recent study suggests that two polyphenols found in red wine may help protect teeth by stopping harmful bacteria.
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Oxford wine tasting team beats Cambridge in annual taste off
The 65th Varsity blind tasting was taken by Oxford over a less experienced Cambridge team.
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Wines of GB unveil new brand identity
Wines of GB launched their new brand identity this week, receiving a mixed response from wine critics and the trade.
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Chile could become the UK's 2nd biggest exporter of wine by 2020
Vinexpo research predicts Chile will become the number 2 supplier of wine in the UK by 2020.
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China prefers wines with corks over screw caps
98.6% of Urban Chinese prefer wines with corks over screw caps.
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