WORLD WINE NEWS 2014

December 2014

• Biodynamic winemaker who refused to spray vines sees conviction quashed 
  (Decanter) Emmanuel Giboulot has had his April 2014 conviction quashed on a technicality.

• Fresh inquiry into Tesco accounts as suppliers come under spotlight 
  (Harpers) The Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation under the Accountancy scheme into Tesco accounts for 2012, 2013 and 2014. (Dan Jago, global director of beers, wines and spirits remains suspended).

• Global Vineyard Shrinks and Diversity Lessens 
  (Wine Searcher) A new study shows that the world's vineyards have shrunk by almost 6 percent in the first decade of the century with red grape plantings accounting for 56 percent of all plantings (up from 49 percent in 2000). 

• Conetech could take out wine pyrazines 
  (The Drinks Business) ConeTech alcohol removal machinery could be used to take out pyrazines – compounds responsible for capsicum characters - and also to “capture the flavours” from grape pomace.

• UK Wine market split in two 
  (The Drinks Business) Consumers splashing out on “big nights in” are driving wines sales in the UK, with 40% of UK wine drinkers are happy to spend over £8 on a bottle to drink at home for a special occasion, up from 29% a year ago.

November 2014

• KWV ditches sulphur for Rooibos 
  (The Drinks Business) "Earth’s Essence" has no added sulphur, but uses instead the wood of the Cape’s Rooibos and Honeybush plants during the winemaking process.

• UK Independent wine sector "thriving" 
  (The Drinks Business) The number of UK retailers has increased by 50% since 2007 (to 750), but only 13% of wine consumers “sometimes” buy wines from independents.

• World 'mother' grape saved from brink of extinction 
  (Decanter) Grape geneticist Dr Jose Vouillamoz has helped save a small Gouais Blanc vineyard in Switzerland from grubbing. The variety is nicknamed "Casanova" as it has been shown to be the mother grape of many varieties, including Chardonnay and Gamay.

• Wines of War 
  (Wine Spectator) Karim Saadé of Château Marsyas (in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley) and Domaine de Bargylus (in Latakia, Syria) talks of the current war and how it's disrupting wine production.

• Drought Clouds Future of California Wine Industry 
  (Wine Searcher) If water shortages continue into 2015 this could lead to a much smaller crop. Even worse, it's possible that California grapegrowers might experience a problem unheard of: grapes that fail to ripen.

• Misheard wine price costs diners $4K 
  (The Drinks Business) "Thirty-seven fifty" turns out to be $3,750 for Atlantic City diners who end up with a bottle of Screaming Eagle!

• Japan steps up domestic wine output 
  (The Drinks Business) Mercia, one of Japan’s largest wine producers, has announced plans to almost double its vineyard area (to 40ha) to meet growing domestic demand.

October 2014

• October Ends With a Flourish For Sauternes Producers 
  (Wine Searcher) A rainy spell in the first half of October was followed by fine weather that gave rise to morning fog over the river Ciron, ideal conditions to encourage the formation of the "noble rot".

• France to regain crown as world's biggest wine producer 
  (Decanter) France is set to produce 46m hectolitres of wine from the 2014 harvest - equivalent to more than 6bn bottles and around 10% more than produced in 2013.

• Philippe Sereys de Rothschild succeeds Baroness as Mouton chairman 
  (Decanter) Eldest son of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild has been named as successor to his mother as chairman of the supervisory board of Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA.

• Tesco wine chief asked to 'step aside' amid investigation, say reports 
  (Decanter) Tesco wine boss Dan Jago is one of three senior executives reportedly asked to step aside today as the retail giant continued a probe into a £250m profit overstatement.

• Global wine production set to drop by up to 4% in 2014 
  (Decanter) With the exception of France, wine grape production in 2014 appears set to decline across nearly every major production region.

• Italian woes see France regain pole position 
  (The Drinks Business) A 6% decline in world wine production is a 37 year global low. Italy fell by 15%, so France's 10% rise in production sees it regain top spot.

• English winemakers hail 'exquisite' 2014 vintage 
  (Decanter) A warm and dry September looks to have produced one of the best English vintages of the last decade, with  many wineries finishing the harvest 2 weeks earlier than normal.

• Fatal Wood Diseases Affect 12 Percent of French Vineyards 
  (Wine-Searcher) Wood-borne fungal diseases now cause the death of 5 to 7 percent of vines annually in France. An estimated 100,000 hectares of vineyard are non-productive due to fungal infections.

• Mixed Fortunes for Italy's Harvest 
  (Wine-Searcher) 2014 will be a "bizarre vintage" with the South of Italy expecting a 30% decrease in production. Only Piedmont, especially for Barbaresco, looks confident.

• Languedoc hit by worst floods in 60 years 
  (Decanter) 2 months worth of rainfall in a few hours have decimated areas of the Hérault near Montpellier, with vineyards submerged or washed away, although it is believed most of the harvest was completed.

September 2014

• Young Winemaker Suffocates in Accident 
  (The Drinks Business) Niece of Bierzo winemaker Raul Pérez was found dead at the family winery in the North West of Spain after inspecting a wine vat during fermentation and falling in.

• Bordeaux Vineyards Threatened By New Pest 
  (Wine-Searcher) The Asian Fruit Fly Drosophila suzukii is causing concern in Bordeaux and suspected of causing sour rot in a small percentage of grapes. Growers in Alsace, the Côtes du Rhone and Burgundy have all reported damage and the fly has already attacked vineyards in Canada, West Coast U.S., Spain and Switzerland.

• Burgundy 2014: September heatwave set to save vintage 
  (Decanter) Despite challenging conditions throughout the year a dry and sunny September looks to produce "a classic Burgundy vintage".

• Wine should follow Top Gear's example and look to entertain not educate  
  (Harpers) The wine industry should look at the massive success of BBC’s Top Gear in how to make a potentially complex subject entertaining to the public, according to advertising guru, Sir John Hegarty.

• Financial Impact of Napa Quake Rising 
  (Wines and Vines) Bank estimates damage to Napa wineries and vineyards at $80 million. 60% of Napa County wineries sustained some degree of damage, and up to 25% of wineries suffered moderate to severe damage exceeding $50,000 per winery, ranging up toward $8 million in the most devastating circumstance. 

• Italy Faces Smallest Wine Harvest in 50 Years 
  (Wine-Searcher) Summer rains across Italy could see a 15% reduction on 2013 production levels.

• Legendary wine consultant Jacques Boissenot dies 
  (Decanter) The man behind 4 of the 5 Bordeaux First Growths dies a week before his 76th birthday.

• Arise, lowly Vin de France 
  (Jancis Robinson) More quality producers are limiting themselves to the Vin de France category, useful information to know if you're not blinkered to the AOC system.

• English winery predicts bumper harvest 
  (The Drinks Business) Chapel Down winery is expecting a 10% larger harvest than 2013, which itself was a record harvest, and "are expecting it to be one of the great years in terms of quality".

• Tuscan wine-makers up in arms as authorities attempt to make viniculture more sustainable 
  (The Independent) Outraged producers in Tuscany are “on a war-footing” with local government after being warned that vineyards could be damaging the environment.

August 2014

• Drought Worsens Despite Rare August Rain 
  (Wine and Vines) Most of California's wine regions are in "Exceptional drought" conditions but, so far, the drought has had little significant effect on the 2014 crop. The real worrying will begin if the drought persists past 2014.

• Madame de Rothschild Takes Her Final Bow 
  (Wine-Searcher) Baronne Philippine de Rothschild dies aged 80 following surgery. Also see story on The Drinks Business.

• Napa Valley wine industry rocked by 6.1 earthquake 
  (Harpers) A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Napa Valley early Saturday morning, leaving core restaurant and wine industries in both Napa and Sonoma counties reeling as they assess damages. Also see stories on Wine-Searcher and Wine Spectator.

• Home Cellaring Ages Wine Faster 
  (Wine-Searcher) House-stored wine ages four times faster based on research by Italian scientists (using Sangiovese wines).

• Wine Dealer Sentenced to 10 Years for Defrauding Clients 
  (New York Times) Rudy Kurniawan sentenced to 10 years, ordered to pay millions of dollars in restitution and forfeit millions more. Stories also on Decanter, Wine-Searcher and Wine Spectator.

• Russia considers restricting EU wine imports in response to sanctions 
  (Decanter) Crimean winemakers petition Moscow to restrict EU wine imports in retaliation for their product being banned following the region's annexation in March.

• UK Independent sector "Far too cluttered" 
  (The Drinks Business) Simon Taylor of Stone, Vine & Sun says that new independents are opening in a crowded market and are "just cannibalising off other businesses" rather than taking share off the supermarkets.

July 2014

• Oddbins to start franchise with 26 independent wine merchants 
  (Harpers) High street chain Oddbins is planning to kick off its franchised model by converting around 26 independent wine merchants to the company fascia.

• Kurniawan sentencing delayed once more 
  (The Drinks Business) Rudy Kurniawan has agreed an out of court settlement with billionaire Bill Koch while lawyers argue over details that will affect his sentence.

• Languedoc's Terrasses du Larzac gets appellation status 
  (Decanter) Formerly referred to as 'Coteaux du Languedoc Terrasses du Larzac' the new AOC is only for red wines with at least 3 of Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, Syrah and Cinsault making up at least 75% of the blend.

• Crémant de Savoie becomes newest AOC 
  (The Drinks Business) After 5 years France's INO has approved Savoy sparkling wine as a new AOC, with 60% of the blend to consist of the local grapes Jacquère and Altesse.

• Hail ravages vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon 
  (Decanter) After Bordeaux and Burgundy it's now the turn of the South, as up to 15,000ha of vines in the Aude, west of Narbonne, may have been damaged by summer hail. As a background Andrew Jefford also looks at "Hail: Everything you wanted to know" and see Jancis Robinson's "Haisma on hail". It's not just France either - Barolo has also been affected as hail crosses Piedmont, although losses are light.

June 2014

• Hail Crushes Hopes for Bumper Burgundy Vintage 
  (Wine-Searcher) After Bordeaux vineyards were hit earlier in the month hail damages vines in the Côte de Beaune, especially around Santenay, Meursault, Volnay and Pommard.

• Barossa's Doug Lehmann dies 
  (Decanter) A year after his father Peter passed away the Barossa's Doug Lehmann dies from a suspected heart attack at 62.

• Winemakers must prepare for temperature extremes 
  (The Drinks Business) Oregon research climatologist Professor Gregory Jones tells MWs that winemakers must prepare themselves for increased warming and greater extremes.

• Chemical Proof That Terroir Exists 
  (Wine-Searcher) Using technology including ultra high-resolution mass spectrometry, researchers found that Burgundy grapes and wines had “distinct chemical signatures of environmental conditions... all contributing to the identification of the so-called terroir". 

• Wines over £5 account for almost half of supermarket sales 
  (Harpers) The fastest-growing wines in UK supermarkets are those priced over £5 a bottle, which now account for 46% of the market, says the latest WSTA market report.

May 2014

• Italy Rocked By Wine Counterfeiters 
  (Wine-Searcher) 30,000 bottles of fake Tuscan wine confiscated from wineries, bottling plants, supermarkets and wine stores.

• California winemaker sued over failed 'cult' wine 
  (Decanter) Jean-Noel Fourmeaux, owner of St Helena-based VGS Chateau Potelle, is seeking compensation from consultant winemaker Denis Malbec, who he blames for allowing a potential $200 wine to turn to 'vinegar'.

• Bordeaux school children sick from vineyard pesticides, say officials 
  (Decanter) 23 students and a teacher affected by suspected pesticide residue in Villeneuve, Blaye-sur-Gironde.

• English wine – here for the long run or a flash in the pan? 
  (The Drinks Business) For those that didn't know it, England is home to World Class sparkling wines. English Wine week starts on Saturday 24th May.

• Southern Hemisphere Harvest Reports - Australia & New Zealand 
  (Wine Spectator) Details from the main regions for the 2014 vintage, with later reports on Chile & Argentina and South Africa.

• U.S. Overtakes France as World's Biggest Wine Consumer 
  (Wine-Searcher) With French consumption falling by 7% the U.S. got through 29mhl of wine in 2013 (with domestic production accounting for 80%). However, France remains top per capita drinking an average 6 times more than Americans per person.

• Wine trade moved by death of Laurence Faller 
  (Decanter) Shock in Alsace as the 47 year old Domaine Weinbach winemaker and mother of 2 dies from a suspected heart attack.

• Rudy Kurniawan has served his sentence, argue lawyers 
  (Decanter) Defence lawyers for the convicted fraudster call for "proportionality", saying he's too poor to pay any large fine and shouldn't be sentenced to more than 27 months.

• En Primeur: Anger and frustration to resignation 
  (The Drinks Business) Another "missed opportunity" lamented by U.K. Bordeaux retailers who are seeing little interest in 2013 wines.

• Michel Rolland defends his ability to manage wines on up to 200 wineries around the world 
  (Harpers) Michel Rolland has defended his role as an international wine consultant capable of managing the quality of wine on up to 200 wine estates around the world.

• Men fear ridicule over ordering wine 
  (The Drinks Business) 75% of men won't order wine when out with male friends for fear of being made fun of, based on a study by Côtes du Rhône wines

April 2014

• Rioja 2013 vintage declared 'good' 
  (Decanter) The Consejo Regulador de Rioja DOCa had declared 2013 "Good", which basically means it's "average", since that's the lowest rating since the "good" 2003 vintage. Apparently it was 'a difficult year for grapegrowers'.

• Wine company sued over "fake" Yquem 
  (The Drinks Business) American collector Julian LeCraw is suing London-based the Antique Wine Company over alleged fake Bordeaux. Caveat emptor, America litigation mentality or another Wine Company dealing in counterfeits? Only time will tell, but AWC have vigorously defended themselves on several media sources (including Jancis Robinson).

• Wine given heritage status in France 
  (The Drinks Business) The French Senate approve a bill recognising that"wine and winemaking areas form a part of the cultural and gastronomic landscape".

• Critics Hail 2013 a Year For Bordeaux Whites 
  (Wine-Searcher) The reds may be poor, but 2013 white and sweet Bordeaux look to be stunning.

• Biodynamic winemaker convicted for refusing to spray vines 
  (Decanter) Emmanuel Giboulot has been fined €1,000 (half suspended) for refusing to spray his Beaune vineyards against flavescence doree.

• Senior wine critics call for en primeur "sham" to be overhauled 
  (Harpers) Two of wine’s most-respected wine critics have called for urgent reform of Bordeaux’s en primeur system, describing it, in turn, as a “con” a “sham” and a system that the trade and investors have “lost faith in”.

• Vega Sicilia recalls 100,000 bottles 
  (Decanter) The Spanish producer recalls 100,000 bottles of 2009 Pintia, its Toro wine, due to excessive levels of sediment.

March 2014

• Spain leapfrogs France and Italy 
  (Jancis Robinson) 2013 gave Spain perfect sunshine and rain to allow production of 51 million hectolitres of wine, even though vineyard area shrank 20%.

• Majestic Wine downturn is temporary, predict analysts 
  (Decanter) Sales for the year expected to be flat as the Wine Warehouse issues a profits warning, with poor demand so far for 2014 and a still-harsh tax system biting into margins.

• French Wine Militia Renews Attacks 
  (Wine-Searcher.com) Militant winemaker group CRAV seems to be back after the destruction of 2 telephone exchanges near Toulouse.

• Author of ‘cruel’ St Emilion book sued 
  (The Drinks Business) Hubert de Boüard of Château Angélus takes legal action for defamation against French journalist Isabelle Saporta and her new book (Vino Business) criticising Saint Emilion.

• Hungary abolishes three and four Puttonyos Tokaji grades 
  (Decanter) Hungarian winemakers abolish the 2 lower grades of Tokaji Aszú. Starting from 2014 the 5 Puttonyos will be the entry point for Tokaji sweet wines with 130g residual sugar, but not everyone is happy with the plan.

• Extreme freeze damages Ontario vineyards 
  (Decanter) While California, Wahington & Oregon worry about the lack of rain the North & East have another weather problem to contend with, as the so-called "Polar Vortex" wreaks havoc with developing vines.

• Milk thistle – the drinker’s dietary supplement 
  (Jancis Robinson) Long known as a herbal remedy for over-indulgence, Silybum marianum is used by various wine critics and tasters (including at least one NEWT) to mitigate the after-effects of alcohol. 

February 2014

• Winemaker Likens Pesticide Use to Cancer Treatment 
  (Wine-Searcher.com) Biodynamic Burgundy producer Emmanuel Giboulot remains defiant after appearing in court charged with not spraying his vines as ordered by a local Beaune directive. The treatment is intended to prevent the spread of flavescence dorée in the region.

• Moving Forward After Tragedy in Bordeaux 
  (Wine Spectator) Nearly 2 months after the tragic helicopter crash in Bordeaux which killed 4, the body of Chinese Billionaire, Lam Kok, has finally been recovered and identified.

• Southern hemisphere harvests get underway 
  (Harpers) Australia’s 2014 harvest is well underway, while New Zealand wine growers kicked off this year’s picking over the weekend.  

• The call of the wild (Novelty vs Classic Wines) 
  (Jancis Robinson.com) With M&S due to stock a Japanese Koshu wine (from May) Jancis Robinson looks at the contrasts between the UK and the US for "obscure ferments".

• Vines flooded after heavy rain hits Bordeaux 
  (Decanter) Vineyards around Langoiran, south of Bordeaux, flooded after heavy rain, but most of the region unaffected.

• Gunfire and grapes in taxis: How civil war threatened Syria's only harvest 
  (Decanter) Bargylus winery in Syria almost lost its 2013 harvest due to the civil war, but in the end was completed - coordinated from much safer Lebanon!

January 2014

• Giant boulder rips through vineyard 
  (The Drinks Business) Part of a cliff-face in Tramin-an-der-Weinstrasse, Alto Adige, breaks off sending 3 house-sized boulders rolling down the hillside through vineyards and part of a building.

• UK remains sixth biggest wine drinking country in world despite falling sales says Vinexpo 
  (Harpers) The UK remains the sixth biggest wine consuming country in the world despite another year of falling wine sales. White wine now more popular than red with UK consumers.

• Groundwater Helps Napa Vintners Weather Drought 
  (Wine-Searcher.com) While the rest of California dreads the continuing lack of rain, grape growers in Napa are a little more relaxed about the worst drought in 120 years.

• The remarkable Richard Tanner 
  (Jancis Robinson.com) Obituary for merchant Richard Tanner, who died on New Year's Day aged 75.

• MW seminar considers causes of sudden vine death in Burgundy 
  (The Drinks Business) Jasper Morris MW discusses Grapevine Trunk Disease esca at a Masters of Wine seminar. For more background on these diseases read "The Rise of Grapevine Trunk Disease" on the blog.

• California Wine Threatened by Drought Crisis 
  (Wine-Searcher.com) "Region is driest in 120 years". Although February and March are traditionally wet months Governor Jerry Brown declares drought emergency while farmers start to worry about 2014 crops.

• Cabernet Franc’s popularity set to ‘explode’ 
  (The Drinks Business) Placing 17th in the most planeted varieties list (see below) Australian consultant Brian Croser believes Cabernet Franc may be on the verge of a Douth American led breakout.

• The World's Most-Planted Varieties: Winners & Losers 
  (Wine-Searcher.com) Airen is officially no-longer the world's most planted variety - which is just as well as most people hadn't heard of it anyway. Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot now top the lists, but diversity is decreasing.

 For 2013's wine news click here