Wined Up Weekly

Australian wine sales fall in China - Global sparkling wine producer Henkell Freixenet sales fall - Vinexpo announces new wine and spirits shows in new York - Taylor's launches first port and tonic can - And, as ever, our Wine of the Week: Not Sancerre but Quincy!

News from the UK after lockdown is eased: Sparkling Wine sales surge; Pubs recover, but fear running out of beer - Wine consumption continues to decrease globally - French nuns selling 9,000 bottles of their rosé by Monday midnight - And, as ever, our Wine of the Week: Domaine Cheveau "Le Clos" Mâcon-Chaîntré 2018

More news on the frost that hit France and Italy: French industry could lose €2bn euros but government aid a possibility - Small New Zealand harvest causing supply issues - Pink Prosecco: A rising new category - Latest news on tariffs, with a proposed six month suspension between the US and the EU - And, as ever, our Wine of the Week: Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet 2013!

Covid news: UK partly reopens; French scandal in illegal dining; Sam Adams to give a free pint to vaccinated drinkers - Constellation Brands turns a profit despite Covid - Bollinger buys Ponzi Vineyards in Oregon - Severe weather in Europe as vineyards hit by spring frost - Wine of the Week: Darling North Coast Syrah 2019

Vinexpo Paris cancelled; next event will be in February 2022 - Delhi government lowers legal drinking age to 21 - US importers struggling due to tariffs, Covid, and demand - Wine of the Week: Château Moulin-à-Vent "Couvent des Thorins" Moulin-à-Vent 2018   And here's the link to the recording of the webinar, "Crafting World-Class Cabernet" we discuss on the pod during our review of our week in wine:  https://vimeo.com/531927170. Featuring Jaime Araujo (Accendo Cellars), Jeff Andrews and Ray McKee (Trothe), Virginia Willcok (Vasse Felix), moderated by Erik Segelbaum. Worth checking out!

Latest sales figures: Sparkling wine sales down in 2020; but Barefoot sees 32% sales rise in the UK; Concho y Toro also see sales increase - Update on Brexit bureaucracy - Exciting news on wine labels from Jumilla in Spain and Champagne Palmer! - Wine of the Week - Trothe Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from Horse Heaven Hills in Washington State And here’s the link to the “Crafting World-Class Cabernet” webinar we mentioned on the pod: https://bit.ly/register-crafting-world-class-cabernet — Wednesday 31 March at 4pm Pacific Time!

Vinitaly cancelled again... - Update on EU-US tariffs: postponement for four months, but drinks industries still hurting - UK pubs close but craft breweries growing - AB InBEV and Patagonia settle lawsuit over branding - Wine of the Week: Altos Las Hormigas Clásico Malbec 2018 from Mendoza

Wine legend Steven Spurrier dies - US tariffs on Scotch temporarily suspended - British buying more spirits than wine for the first time - Wine of the Week: Juvé y Camps Millesimé Cava 2017

Counterfeit Yellow Tail found in the UK - Wine merchants increase sales in 2020 - Napa Valley Library Auction raises nearly $1m - Wine of the Week: 2011 Malvasia from Colares in Portugal

Sonoma restaurant refuses to allow server to wear Black Lives Matter - Port & Sherry sales on the rise in the UK - Jameson sales up by 3% in 2020 - Wine of the Week: Blaufränkisch from Austria

Spirits sales see massive increases in 2020, especially in the USA, but hospitality industry struggles - Export news: fall in exports to Japan; Australian exports to China fall by 98% - Wine ban in South Africa challenged and then lifted - Über buys Drizly for $1.1bn - WSET suspends teaching in China - No monks at Achel: one fewer Trappist brewery in Belgium -  Do tannins protect us from Covid?! - Wine of the Week: Mondeuse from Savoie

Bars & restaurants reopen in California - News from the spirits industry, as Rémy-Cointreau sees sales increase by 25% - London Wine Fair to be held digitally in 2021 - Amorim reveals breakthrough technologies to eradicate detectable TCA - Wine of the Week: English sparkling wine

News from lockdown UK: alcohol sales soar, Champagne sales up, as are South African wines - wine.com sales over $300m in 2020 - Snow destroys roof and three vintages of Priorat winery - Williams-Selyem owners sell stake to Domaine Faiveley - Wine of the Week: German Blaufränkisch!

New sizes for containers agreed in the States: Good news for canned wines? - Changed en primeur dates announced in Bordeaux; South Africa also announces revised dates for Cape Fine & Rare Auction - South Korea wine imports on the rise - Wine of the Week: "Tsoin Tsoin" a Cabernet Franc/Gamay blend from the Loire Valley

As the UK finally leaves the EU, a trade deal is agreed: what are the consequences for the wine industry? - South Africa bans sales of alcohol, again; while England bans pubs from selling take-away alcohol - Freixenet launches alcohol-free sparkling wine - Wine of the Week: Rhône Syrah by a Loire producer

Permanent tax break announced by senate for US drinks producers - Fraud alert in the global drinks business: Illegal winery found in Alabama and counterfeit whiskey in Spain - Two of Champagne's largest co-ops merge -Wine of the Week: Cinsaut from South Africa

More sexism in the wine industry: French publication En Magnum criticized for sexist cartoon - More Chinese tariffs on Australian wine while UK removes tariffs on US drinks - Wine glut in South Africa with excess 300m liters of wine - Wine of the Week: Vinho Verde

Australia reacts to Chinese tariffs - Alcohol consumption down by 8% globally, although UK supermarket see sales rise by a third and are upbeat about 2021 - German wine event ProWein 2021 cancelled - Court of Master Sommeliers appoint new board - Wine of the Week: is it wine? yes and no, it's vermouth!

China imposes tariffs of up to 212% on Australian wine - New lockdown restrictions in England - Henzell Freixenet once again on the move, completing purchase of online UK retailer Slurp - Vinitaly changes its dates to June 2021 - Wine of the Week: English bubbles!and a Wined Up Weekly update: new episodes will now be available of Wednesdays #winewednesday

International wine trade fairs: are they going to happen in 2021? - International Wine & Spirits Competition 2020 winners - James Symington, leading Port figure, dies aged 86 - English "Nouveau": trend or gimmick; Wine of the Week: Czech SauvignonWatch the IWSC 2020 online ceremony here.

After a week's hiatus on Wined Up Weekly: Devon Broglie resigns as Chairman of the Court of Master Sommeliers - EU imposes 25% tariffs on US rum and vodka - Burgundy reports "classic" 2020 vintage - Wine of the Week: Oregon Tempranillo

Allegations of sexual misconduct rock the Court of Master Sommeliers - National lockdown announced in England - Australian exports on the rise - Diageo buys UK gin and vodka producer, Chase Distillery - Wine of the Week: a Tannat from Uruguay

More news from the UK as Tier 3 status finally accepted in Greater Manchester - Berry Bros & Rudd announce new, streamlined FMV portfolio - 200,000 litres of counterfeit Tequila destroyed by Mexican authorities - Young couple served a $2,000 bottle of Bordeaux by mistake in a New York restaurant - Wine of the Week: Austrian Chardonnay

Australian winemaker Taras Ochota dies, as does renowned producer Lulu Peyraud - Confusion and controversy over UK government Covid laws - Italian police arrest two men for counterfeiting Sassicaia - French authorities increase restrictions on the use of glyphosate herbicides - Wine of the Week: an ultra-young Nebbiolo from Piemonte

As the $1bn Constellation sale to Gallo goes through, we taste some of the brands in the deal. At inexpensive price points, are they worth buying - both from the perspective of the consumer as well as Gallo's? Wines tasted:- Cook's California Champagne- Nobilo Marlborough Sauvigon Blanc (also sold, though in a separate deal)- Black Box Chardonnay- Clos du Bois Pinot Noir- Ravenswood Vintners Reserve Old-Vine Zinfandel

Trade bodies warn that tariffs continue to harm the drinks industry - Constellation and Gallo deal to finally go ahead - British supermarket Waitrose launches old-vine Chenin Blanc from South Africa - Spanish breed of terrier awarded protected status in Jerez - Wine of the Week: skin-contact Austrian wine!

Fires continue in California, although possibility of rain next week - Greece bans sales of alcohol after midnight - Ongoing challengs for Australian wineries in China - New single-vineyard classifications announced in Soave - Wines of the Week: same vineyard, same producer, different vintages from Chambolle-Musigny

Fires return in California - New restrictions for pubs and restaurants announced in the UK to consternation of chefs and students alike - Major whisky producers condemn sexist language used in The Whiskey Bible - "Zero waste" wine range launched by London wine merchant - Wine of the Week: Beaujolais!

Trends in millenial drinking: plant-based wine launched in Australia; millenials driving restaurant and bar sales in the UK - Supermarket sales slow in the UK - News from Burgundy: the 2020 harvest is in, while 22 Premiers Crus announced in Pouilly-Fuissé - What are the most planted grape varieties in the world? - Wine of the Week: California Mondeuse

Wildfires burn across California, Oregon, and Washington - Following the bans on alcohol in South Africa, illicit sales grow - Champagne sales in the UK rise as the harvest comes to a close - Sales of alcohol halved in UK during lockdown, as the US adjusts to the "new normal" - Wine of the Week: Holus Bolus Syrah 2017 from Sta. Rita Hills

Fire and hailstorm: harvest updates in California and Valpolicella - Sales of travel drinks down 60%; Pernod Ricard profits fall 77%; UK wine drinkers trading up - UK distributor FMV likely to fold - Bordeaux harvest begins - New AVAs in the USA: Alisos Canyon in Santa Barbara and Royal Slope in Washington - Wine of the Week: a Savoie white

Wildfires sweep across California - Earliest harvest in Champagne, as harvests begin across France - Chinese open investigation on Australian imports as tensions mount - Ryan Reynolds's Aviation Gin bought by Diageo - And, as ever, our Wine of the Week: a Grenache/Syrah blend from California

Good news from South Africa, as sales of alcohol are allowed again - US 25% tariffs on European wine and spirits remain in place - Boxed wine on the rise in the UK, the USA, and Australia during lockdown - Margaret River sub-region classification rejected - And, as ever, our Wine of the Week: from California producer Littorai, but which one?

Bumper edition: Diageo profits fall by 47%, Heineken's by over 75% - News from Australia: exports steady, rise in boxed wine sales - UK sales of Tio Pepe up during lockdown - Spirit-infused ice cream made legal in New York - Japanese train station releases wine - Wine of the Week: Champagne made from Meunier

"Outstanding" results for Concha y Toro in the second quarter of 2020; in contrast, LVMH figures fall 28%, Campari 11.3% - Champagne yet to set yields for 2020 harvest - Emus banned from Australian pub - Wine of the Week: a 2012 Côte Rôtie

Coronavirus Latest: Nearly 16,000 US restaurants have closed but off-premise sales up 27%; South Africans protesting alcohol ban in the country; Volume of Prosecco 2020 vintage to be reduced; Pernod-Ricard more optimistic about 2020 sales figures  - More on Pernod-Ricard, who have also invested in a Mezcal brand (for more on Mezcal, read Katie's report on The Buyer) - Champagne Taittinger's English winery gets approval  - Wine of the Week: a German Zweigelt

Coronavirus Updates: Indoor dining stopped in California; News from the UK; Sales of alcohol banned again in South Africa - US agrees not to impose 100% tariffs on French wine - Another celebrity wine...this time from Cameron Diaz - New wines from Bollinger and Torres - Man fined in the UK for drinking carrot juice - Wine of the Week: a maverick blend from South Australia

International drinks corporations pause social media advertising in protest at racist content - Delta airlines extend alcohol service on some flights - UK packaging company launches wine bottle made of paper - Another celebrity wine ... this time from Mary J Blige - Wine of the Week: a Brachetto from Piemonte

Master Sommeliers resign from the Court over inaction on racial equality - English hospitality industry to reopen on 4 July - £100 Turkish wine sells out -  Chinese Bordeaux counterfeiter sentenced to 18 months - Wine of the Week: a 1995 Cabernet Franc from the Loire

Bâtonnage://Connect women in wine forum launches - Airlines resume flights but mostly without alcohol - Threat of tariffs looms again - Wine of the Week: a rare indigenous variety from Greece

Batonnage goes live this week - virtually - Tasting rooms in California open while indoor drinking and dining is allowed - More news on the release of the Bordeaux 2019 vintage - Wine of the Week: Matthiasson Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Bordeaux Châteaux release their 2019s with prices falling dramatically - French government support wineries as wine is to be distilled into hand gel and sanitisers - Top Australian wines join La Place de Bordeaux - Torres hit carbon emissions targets a year early - Two new AVAs in Willamette Valley - Wineries of the Week: Theopolis, McBride Sisters, Brown Estate

Caymus owner Chuck Wagner suing California governor - South Africans allowed to buy alcohol again - Southern France launches €34m recovery plan - Henkell Freixenet passes €1bn in turnover - Kylie Minogue launches rosé brand - And, as ever, our wine of the week

Coronavirus news: California bars reopen, new trends in UK and US drinking habits - The challenges of the 2020 vintage in the southern hemisphere - Frost hits UK vineyards - On the horizon: Pink Prosecco - Rosé in Fashion: Sarah Jessica Parker and Dolce & Gabbana launch new rosés - Wine of the Week: Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot "Les Meuniers de Clémence"

Spotlight on Beer & Coronavirus - France to launch €140m scheme to distill wine - new greenhouse restaurant in Amsterdam - update from Burgundy - PG&E penalised $1.9bn for California wildfires - Champagne winemaker scammed out of €135,000 and 50,000 bottles - Wachau becomes Austria's newest DAC - New glass recycling targets in EU - Ribeira Sacra anger at Wine Advocate - Wine of the Week: a great wine with a really bad label...

Napa restaurant controversially reopens then closes, as California partially moves out of lockdown - Hong Kong eases restrictions - Tequila sales and ready to drink beverages soar in the US - Treasury Wine Estates sued by their shareholders - Constellation Brands increase their stake in cannabis company - In California, man arrested for drinking wine direct from a tanker - Wine of the week: La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza 2010

Coronavirus news: South African wine export ban lifted; rise in online sales in the US and UK; one-table restaurant pops up in a Swedish field - News on the 2020 vintage - The potential impact of social distancing for port - Lawsuit won in China on fake Bordeaux - Wine of the week: "Mephisto" 2014 by Domaine de l'Ecu

Sales of alcohol in the UK up by 31% in March - MEP warns that 1bn litres of wine could go to waste - US loses 80% of its restaurant workforce - 2019 sales of Rias Baixas up by 42% in the UK - hail in Bordeaux - Penfolds register trademark in China - Campari set to buy 80% stake in Champagne Lallier - Cocktail of the Week: The Bamboo

Coronavirus news: South Africa wine exports closed down; craft beer sales in the UK tumble; Naked Wines hires 80 people in the US - In other news: Celebrities and Wine, as Snoop Dogg launches his own label as does Phillip Schofield in the UK - Wines of the Week, including Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

More on the wine industry's response to coronavirus: The Wine Society resumes deliveries in the UK; sales figures in the UK "like Christmas"; South African wineries allowed to export - Champagne sales hit record high of over €5bn in 2019 - Champagne warns Tasmanian farmer over his "rhubarb champagne" - Wines of the Week

Coronavirus updates: Hong Kong bars to close for 14 days; Rémy-Cointreau predicts profits to fall by 30% this year; port sales on the rise; off-premise sales in the US increasing by 55% and online sales by 243% - interview with Prashant Patel of Back Room Wines in Napa, CA - Beaujolais sales on the rise in the UK - A Dose of Day with Wined Up Weekly