The Drinks Business is argues that, while overall still wine sales are falling, the strongest growth is coming from flavour-led, easy-to-understand, occasion-based products, especially among younger drinkers, so wine producers may sell more by talking first about taste, style, strength and when to drink a wine rather than leading with terroir, grape variety or region. It highlights growth in ready-to-drink (RTD) wine cocktails, no- and low-alcohol wines, and high-ABV products, and gives examples of brands succeeding by putting flavour cues and drinking occasions at the centre of their labelling and marketing, while still positioning those products as an entry point into more traditional wine rather than a rejection of it.
Simon Judge
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Barolo 2022: the Surprise Package
Wine-Searcher reports that the 2022 Barolo vintage is shaping up better than many expected, even though it is not being framed as a classic year after the run of highly regarded 2019 to 2021 vintages. The core takeaway is that producers and critics see the wines as unusually approachable and immediately enjoyable, with impressive ripeness and balanced tannins, even if lower acidity means they may not reward the same long ageing as cooler, more structured years.
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Vinarchy UK Hit with £8 Million Packaging Tax
The Drinks Business reports that Vinarchy UK has been charged at least £8 million under the Extended Producer Responsibility packaging regime in 2025, a levy that applies across materials including glass and to UK businesses with turnover of at least £1 million that handle more than 25 tonnes of packaging a year. The report adds that revenue fell to £422 million from £461 million, while pre-tax losses narrowed to £6.4 million from £103 million, with chief executive Danny Celoni saying the combined business is still performing in line with profit expectations.
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Low & No Survey Launched to Let Industry Inform Policy
Harpers reports that Club Soda has launched what it calls the first benchmarking survey for the low, no and mid-strength sector, with the aim of gathering data that can shape UK policymaking. The article places the move in the context of planned government action on alcohol labelling and support for the no and low market, and says key debates this year include what should count as alcohol-free and whether such drinks should be regulated more like alcohol, including on age ID.
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Probing the Future of No-Alcohol Wine
Harpers reports that one of the central questions for no-alcohol wine remains whether it can truly match the taste and complexity of conventional wine. The article argues that chemistry makes that difficult because ethanol plays an important sensory role, especially by helping aromatic compounds lift into the nose, and it frames the current debate around whether improving technology is now translating into better commercial appeal, drawing on views from a retailer, an importer and a producer
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Are Fresher Reds the Future of Spanish Wine?
The Drinks Business reports that Spanish producers are leaning into lighter, fresher reds with less oak and a stronger focus on terroir and sustainable vineyard practice, reflecting wider shifts in taste. The article links this move to younger consumers and export demand, with producers such as Raventós Codorníu and Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta arguing that drinkers increasingly want subtler, more balanced wines that are easier to enjoy across a wider range of occasions.
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IWCA Roundtable: Climate Change Poses ‘Existential’ Threats to Wine
Harpers reports, in a subscriber-only roundtable preview, that climate change is transforming the way wine is made and may sweep away long-established agricultural rhythms in some regions altogether. Even from the limited public text, the message is stark, adaptation and sustainability remain front-and-centre in wine-sector thinking, and climate risk is being discussed not as a future issue but as an immediate structural threat.
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Moldova Bets on Indigenous Grapes to Carve Out a Global Identity
The Drinks Business reports that Moldova is putting indigenous grapes, including Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală, Fetească Neagră and Rara Neagră, at the centre of its export story as it tries to move from being known for volume to being recognised for provenance and authenticity. The article frames this as a strategic reset, with Moldova using native varieties to create a clearer sense of place and a more distinctive position in an increasingly crowded international wine market.
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Rosé Sales Defy the Wider UK Wine Slump
Harpers, citing the WSTA’s latest market report, says rosé is still outperforming in the UK, with 2025 volumes up 3%, value up 5%, and total sales reaching £882 million. The data suggests pink wine is no longer just a summer category, because it also posted gains in the winter trading period, while red and white still wine volumes fell 6% and 4% respectively. The wider takeaway is that rosé remains one of the few clear pockets of resilience in a difficult still wine market.
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UK Champagne Market Returns to Growth
The Drinks Business reports that the UK Champagne market grew again in 2025, with shipments rising 1.9% to 22.7 million bottles, the first annual increase since 2021. The article says the recovery looks stronger in volume than in value, with importers pointing to steadier pricing and better sales of Brut NV, while some premium cuvées are still under pressure. It also notes that the UK now accounts for about 15% of total Champagne exports, helped in part by softer US demand.
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Global Alcohol Sales Slip Again, With Wine Still Under Pressure
Harpers reports, in a 2 April trade update, that preliminary IWSR data for 2025 show total beverage alcohol volume fell 2 per cent across 22 markets, while wine volume dropped 4 per cent and wine value fell 2 per cent. One notable exception was Prosecco, which grew in both volume and value, suggesting that familiar, more accessibly priced sparkling wine is still proving more resilient than much of the wider category.
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French Vineyards Divert Unsold Wine Into Ethanol
The Irish Times reports that the European Commission has approved a €40 million emergency scheme to help French producers remove surplus red wine and rosé from the market by distilling it into ethanol and industrial alcohol. The move comes after weaker drinking demand and softer exports pushed average bulk prices down 19 per cent, with Brussels warning that oversupply could deepen the crisis if stocks are not cut back.
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Fears Rise Over a Possible UK Bottle Supply Crunch
The Drinks Business reports that fresh strike action at Encirc Elton, a major glass supplier for supermarket own label wine and other drinks brands, has raised new concerns about disruption to the UK bottle supply chain. The union argues that walkouts in April and May could hit bottle availability, while Encirc is pushing back hard, saying there will be no shortages and that contingency plans are in place, so the immediate issue is less about confirmed disruption and more about a tense standoff over how exposed the drinks trade really is to packaging risk.
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Trump Tariffs Keep Pushing Up EU Wine Prices
Bloomberg says EU wine is still feeling the after effects of US tariffs, with duties having moved from 10% to 15% last year and price rises now feeding through at different speeds depending on region, grape and label. The broader significance is that this is no longer just a trade policy story, it is now a pricing and availability story for importers, merchants and drinkers, with retailers also experimenting with ways to source European bottles already inside the US in order to soften the blow.
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New York Retailer Turns to Wine Auctions to Avoid US Tariffs
Reuters reports that Brooklyn merchant Chris Leon is trying to soften the impact of US tariffs on European wine by buying bottles that are already sitting in American cellars, then reselling them through online auctions. The idea is to avoid new import costs on wines from France, Italy and Spain, while also giving consumers access to older and sometimes discontinued bottles. The report says Leon & Son makes about 90% of its revenue from imported wine, which shows how sharply tariff policy is reshaping the trade and encouraging more creative retail models.