Food & Wine reports that grapevine clones, the numbered selections sometimes shown on labels, are becoming more central to quality, style, and climate resilience decisions, with producers using different clones to fine tune ripening windows, disease tolerance, and flavour profiles, and treating clonal diversity as a practical tool for coping with more volatile growing seasons.
Simon Judge
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Joseph Berkmann, Founder of Berkmann Wine Cellars, Dies Aged 94
Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News reports that Joseph Berkmann, the Austrian born founder of Berkmann Wine Cellars, has died aged 94 at his home in St Tropez, with the article tracing his path from London restaurant owner, including popularising Beaujolais Nouveau, to building Berkmann Wine Cellars into what it describes as the UK’s largest family owned wine importer, now led by his son Rupert Berkmann.
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UK Alcohol Tax Revenue Falls £285m Despite Higher Duty Rates
The Drinks Business reports that provisional HM Revenue & Customs figures show UK Alcohol Duty receipts are down 4% year on year in the 2025 to 2026 financial year to date, totalling £7,010 million, £285 million less than the same period last year, despite repeated duty upratings and ahead of a further RPI linked increase from February 2026. Most categories are lower, wine and other fermented products are down £100 million to £2.58 billion, spirits show the sharpest drop, down £156 million to £2.15 billion, and beer is down £59 million to £2.09 billion, while cider rises £30 million to £175 million but remains a small share of annual receipts.
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Barolo and Barbaresco Producers Face Rising Stocks and Falling Grape Prices
Wein.plus reports that Piedmont’s consortia are warning of a structural strain that now reaches headline denominations like Barolo and Barbaresco, despite a production dip versus 2024. The article says stocks have continued climbing, and it highlights sharp grape price declines across multiple varieties, including Nebbiolo and Barbera, alongside calls for both short-term market relief measures and longer-term demand-building. Export headwinds and more extreme weather are also cited as factors compounding the pressure.
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UK Exporters Face Fresh Uncertainty After Proposed US Tariff Change
Harpers reports that, after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s earlier tariff regime, the president announced plans for a 15% global tariff rate, a move that could raise duties on some UK drinks exports to the US. The article highlights analysis suggesting UK exports could see an average tariff rise of 2.1%, and includes comments from WineGB’s chief executive warning that higher costs would ultimately be borne by consumers, potentially slowing strong recent export growth for English and Welsh wine.
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Georgia Tightens Grape Quality Rules for the 2026 Harvest
Georgia Today reports that Georgia will raise its minimum grape sugar requirement to 17% for the 2026 harvest, with grapes below that threshold classified as low quality and bought by the state at a much lower price, according to National Wine Agency chair Levan Mekhuzla. The outlet says the previous acceptable range was around 14 to 15%, and it details a differentiated state pricing structure by sugar level, aimed at pushing growers toward higher quality and stronger international competitiveness.
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Star Wine List Reveals UK 2026 Awards Finalists
Star Wine List has published its 19 February 2026 finalists list for Star Wine List of the Year UK 2026, naming 66 venues across 13 categories ahead of the awards ceremony on 23 March 2026 at 1 Hotel Mayfair in London. The organisation says the judging panel includes Richard Hemming MW, Kathrine Larsen-Robert MS, Stephen Wong MW and Mikk Parre, and it flags returning local categories, plus a new award for Best Riesling Wine List.
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Retailers Push Supreme Court Review of Arizona Wine Shipping Restrictions
Wine Industry Advisor reports that the US Supreme Court is set to consider a petition in Day v Henry, a challenge to Arizona’s restrictions affecting shipments from out of state wine retailers, and that the National Association of Wine Retailers has filed an amicus brief urging the Court to take the case. The release argues the federal appeals courts are split on how to assess these laws under the Twenty First Amendment, and says the outcome could clarify whether states can justify discriminatory retailer shipping limits by calling them part of the three tier system without evidence.
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Gallo To Close Napa Facility, Cutting 93 Jobs Across Wine Country Sites
CBS San Francisco reports that Gallo plans to permanently close its Ranch Winery in St Helena and reduce staff at four other winery and tasting room locations in Napa and Sonoma counties, totalling 93 job losses. The report says the planned changes were disclosed in a WARN notice filed with California, with layoffs expected to take effect in mid April, and it attributes the decision to shifting market dynamics, evolving consumer demand, and available capacity across Gallo’s wineries.
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Georgian Wine Sales Surge as Ancient Traditions Go Global
The Guardian reports that Georgia’s 8,000 year winemaking heritage, including qvevri fermentation in buried clay vessels, is helping drive renewed international interest in its distinctive wines. The article links the boom to the country’s 525 plus indigenous grape varieties and to the wider rise of natural wine, noting that UK volume sales of Georgian wine increased by 72% in 2024, and it name checks producers and regions such as Kakheti and Imereti.
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New Masters of Wine Announced for 2026
JancisRobinson.com says the Institute of Masters of Wine has announced the first four new Masters of Wine for 2026, Karen Hong Liu (Hong Kong), Cristina Mercuri (Italy), Kim Oshiro (US) and Bryce Wiatrak (US), with Mercuri noted as the first woman based in Italy to become an MW. The update also says there are now 422 active MWs across 30 countries, and it highlights each new MW’s professional background and research paper topics.
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Mercian Recalls 620,000 Bottles of Chilean Rosé in Japan
Nippon.com, citing Jiji Press, reports that Mercian has recalled about 620,000 bottles of three Chilean rosé wines after finding they contain copper citrate, an additive not approved in Japan, with the company saying no health problems have been reported so far and that it will reimburse customers with Quo Card gift certificates, the notice also names the 280ml Frontera sparkling rosé among the affected products.
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Treasury Wine Estates Suspends Interim Dividend After US Writedown
Reuters reports that Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates has suspended its interim dividend after a A$770.5 million impairment on its US assets helped drive a statutory loss of A$649.4 million for the half year ended December 2025, with revenue down 17 per cent and operating income down 40 per cent as demand softened in China and the US. The company said it is pushing ahead with a plan to cut around A$100 million of annual costs over the next two to three years, tightening shipments into China to curb parallel imports, and prioritising debt reduction before any return to dividends.
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Welsh Deposit Return Scheme Gets Go-ahead to Include Glass
Drinks Retailing News reports that Wales has been cleared to include glass in its Deposit Return Scheme launching alongside the wider UK system in October 2027, even though England, Scotland and Northern Ireland plan schemes without glass. The article says the Welsh Government expects interoperability across the UK, and notes a transition period to 2031 during which glass would be exempt from labelling requirements and carry a 0p deposit, giving industry more lead-in time. A Welsh Government written statement also frames the move as part of a pathway towards reuse, supported by pilots and further regulation.
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Australian Wine Pricing Row Flares at Wine Paris
Winetitles reports that Australian exhibitors in Paris are furious after Australian red wine was allegedly offered at about 60 cents per litre and Chardonnay at about 80 cents per litre, with claims some prices were even tied to the 2026 vintage, which has not been made yet. The article highlights concerns from growers and industry figures that ultra low pricing damages Australia’s premium ambitions, drags down grape prices, and sets a race to the bottom in international negotiations.