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.
Simon Judge
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Treasury Wine Estates Pushes Back Against Bankruptcy Talk
The Drinks Business reports that Treasury Wine Estates has rejected suggestions that its debt load could push it towards bankruptcy, saying it remains comfortable with its funding and has ample liquidity. The concern was raised by Plato Global Alpha Fund, which argued that debt, weaker consumer confidence and higher interest rates could leave the Australian wine giant exposed. The story matters because Treasury is Australia’s largest wine producer, so market anxiety around its finances feeds directly into wider concerns about the health of large listed wine groups.
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There Are Plenty of Bright Sides in the Wine Industry Right Now
Wine Enthusiast reports that new Wine Market Council findings point to some encouraging signs for wine despite persistent worries about falling sales and weaker engagement among older drinkers. Its summary says millennials are now the largest wine drinking cohort in the United States, Gen Z wine spend has risen 109% between 2020 and 2026, and younger consumers are showing more frequent drinking patterns, even if their total spend remains well below that of boomers.
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Sicily Moves Towards Crisis Distillation
Wein.plus reports that Sicilian cooperatives are pushing for crisis distillation and green harvesting after overproduction and high stock levels left large volumes of wine, especially reds from Trapani, unsold ahead of the next harvest. The outlet says growers want a minimum distillation price of €0.70 per litre, and that Sicily’s regional authorities are considering using unused EU wine marketing funds, although distillation could not begin before June. The story is a sharp reminder that oversupply is still forcing emergency market measures in parts of Italy.
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US Consumers Balk at Restaurant Wine Prices
Wine-Searcher reports that restaurant wine pricing in the US is losing drinkers, citing Wine Market Council research showing that more than 75 per cent of wine drinkers will not pay above $16 a glass, while only 15 per cent would go beyond $18 and only 7 per cent beyond $20. The article argues that wine-by-the-glass pricing in major cities has drifted beyond what many consumers see as reasonable, just as newer drinkers already feel uncertain about taste and style. It also suggests the trade is making matters worse when it steers beginners towards wines that are too austere rather than softer, more approachable styles.
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EU Defends Champagne and Prosecco Names in Trade Deals
The Drinks Business reports that the EU is treating wine as a red-line issue in trade negotiations, even while offering limited concessions on agricultural imports such as beef and sheep meat. According to its summary of Euronews reporting, Brussels continues to insist on strong protection for geographical indications such as Champagne and Prosecco, with partner countries often required to restrict or phase out those names in export markets. The broader takeaway is that the EU sees wine names tied to origin as strategic commercial assets, not just labelling details.
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US Tariffs Push Restaurants to Rework Wine Lists
Reuters reports that US restaurants, bars and retailers are increasingly swapping out imported Champagne, crémant and other European wines as tariffs bite harder, with one New York buyer seeing some bottles rise by about $3 to $5 and other suppliers warning of increases of up to 20 per cent this year. The agency says many firms held prices down in 2025 by shipping stock early or absorbing costs, but wholesalers now expect those tactics to run out. That is pushing more wine lists towards lower-cost and domestic alternatives, and giving some California brands a relative boost.
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Prohibitionists Still Going After Wine
Wine-Searcher has published W. Blake Gray’s deep dive into Codex Alimentarius, the UN and WHO linked standards body, and how it has become a battleground for global alcohol labelling, including potential warning labels that could affect wine trade. The piece traces prior attempts to push new alcohol labelling work, the abandoned Russian led effort, and a later WHO request that led to Tanzania volunteering to steer a worldwide research study, a twist the author treats as politically and institutionally suspicious. It also includes reactions and concerns from US industry bodies about trade disruption even if standards remain voluntary, plus discussion of how governments might adopt Codex language verbatim.
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Old Vine Registry Passes 10,000 Vineyards Ahead of Target
Vinography reports that the Old Vine Registry has now surpassed 10,000 registered vineyards worldwide, reaching a target originally set for 2027 more than a year early. The announcement says the database, launched in 2023 to document vineyards older than 35 years, now spans 42 countries, covers more than 40,900 hectares, includes 1,144 grape varieties, and reflects a broader push across the wine world to identify and preserve historic plantings.
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Asti DOCG Unveils New Rosé Sparkling Wine
Wine Industry Advisor reports that Asti Rosé has now been formally approved, while Montenapo Daily says the new wine will be made from 70 to 90 per cent Moscato grapes destined for Asti DOCG and 10 to 30 per cent Brachetto grapes destined for Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG. The new style adds a notable category to one of Italy’s best known sparkling denominations, and producers will be able to position it across styles from sweet to extra brut, with an inaugural toast planned at Vinitaly.
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Medieval Grape Seed Reveals 600-Year Lineage of Pinot Noir
The Drinks Business reports that a 600-year-old grape seed found in a 15th-century hospital latrine in Valenciennes has been identified as genetically identical to modern Pinot Noir, with the underlying Nature Communications study describing it as evidence of clonal continuity over nearly 600 years. The finding strengthens the case that Pinot Noir was already being cultivated in France in the 1400s and adds to broader evidence that sophisticated vine propagation techniques were in use much earlier than many non-specialists might assume.
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China’s Policy Shift Is Adding to Global Wine Pressure
The Wall Street Journal reports that China’s tighter official stance on alcohol, including restrictions on drinking at official events, is becoming another serious drag on the global wine trade. The paper says imported wine demand has weakened sharply, Treasury Wine Estates is sitting on about $150 million of unsold stock in Chinese warehouses, and the knock-on effects are feeding oversupply in places such as Bordeaux and Australia, which makes this less a single market story than a broader warning for producers already coping with weak demand.
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Court Warns of Lengthy Process Winding up Oenofuture’s Liquidation
The Drinks Business reports that the High Court has appointed joint liquidators for Oenofuture Limited, the wine investment arm tied to the Oeno Group, and warned that the compulsory winding up is likely to be a long and complicated process. The article says around 2,600 investors paid money into the company, that an estimated 80% of client wine was held by Oenofuture Limited, and that customers have already been cautioned they may not recover all their money.
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English and Welsh Winemakers Report Sharp Rise in Production in 2025
The Guardian reports that English and Welsh wine production rose sharply in 2025, reaching about 16.5 million bottles, up 55% on 2024 after a hot, dry summer and continued vineyard expansion. The paper says white wine output more than doubled, although some leading producers still came in below their own averages, and the figures underline how quickly the UK sector is scaling even if it remains small by global standards.
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EU Enters ‘Last Mile’ of Trade Deal Negotiations With Australia
Reuters reports that the EU is in the final phase of negotiating a trade deal with Australia, and wine and spirits are explicitly among the sectors expected to benefit if tariffs are reduced. For the wine trade, the significance is clear, Brussels says the agreement could lift EU exports to Australia by a third over 10 years and remove up to €1 billion in duties, making this one of the more consequential policy developments for European producers and exporters today.