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2 weeks ago | 
thedrinksbusiness.com | Patrick Schmitt
A new research centre is being planned for Provence that will see €5.5 million invested in a place dedicated to rosé, featuring an experimental winery and vineyard. Called Centre du Rosé, it will replace an existing building and research centre by the same name, that was built in 1999 to focus on ways to improve pink wine production.
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4 weeks ago | 
thedrinksbusiness.com | Patrick Schmitt
Although more than 80% of Rioja’s wine production is red, with global demand favouring whites, should this Spanish region shift its focus? We consider the pros and cons. It’s a hot topic among wine producers right now, particularly those anchored in red wine producing regions. I’m referring to a preference for white wines*, especially among younger consumers, who, we are told, find red wine’s combination of dry tannins and relatively high alcohol unappealing.
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1 month ago | 
news.wine.co.za | Patrick Schmitt
That place is Rioja, Spain’s flagship wine region, which last year sold 328.5 million bottles annually (equivalent to 240m litres), with 83.5% of it being red wine. And last year, despite falling global wine consumption worldwide according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), Rioja saw a small rise in sales, even if it was only 0.6% in volume.
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1 month ago | 
thedrinksbusiness.com | Patrick Schmitt
From prize-winning Pinotage to pricy orange wine, we have picked out the top performers from The Global Wine Masters 2024
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1 month ago | 
news.wine.co.za | Patrick Schmitt
That was one among many questions I put to the Champenois during a week-long stay in the region at the start of the year, and the responses were mixed, with some blaming falling sales on price rises, while others claimed it only had a small part to play.
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2 months ago | 
thedrinksbusiness.com | Patrick Schmitt
Stephen Henschke has been named as the 2025 recipient of the Winemakers’ Winemaker award at a ceremony during ProWein today. Given annually by the Institute of Masters of Wine and the drinks business since 2011, the award recognises outstanding achievement in the field of winemaking and is chosen by a panel of winemaking peers that comprise all Masters of Wine who are winemakers, and the award’s past winners.
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2 months ago | 
thedrinksbusiness.com | Patrick Schmitt
News When considering the reasons for the declining demand for Champagne over the past two years, some blame price increases. So has this high-end fizz become too expensive? That was one among many questions I put to the Champenois during a week-long stay in the region at the start of the year, and the responses were mixed, with some blaming falling sales on price rises, while others claimed it only had a small part to play.
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2 months ago | 
thedrinksbusiness.com | Patrick Schmitt
Following a series of db blind tastings, Patrick Schmitt MW concludes that, despite popular opinion from the movie Sideways, Merlot’s problem is perception, not reality.
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2 months ago | 
news.wine.co.za | Patrick Schmitt
Wednesday, 12 March, 2025 The Drinks Business, Patrick Schmitt That’s a possible outcome according to chairman of the UK’s Champagne Shippers’ Association – and managing director of Pol Roger Portfolio – James Simpson MW.
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2 months ago | 
news.wine.co.za | Patrick Schmitt
Champagne shipments in 2024 were 271.4 million bottles, which was down 9.2% from 2023 – a drop of 27.6m bottles on the previous year, when 299m bottles were shipped. With the 2023 figure down just over 8% – or 26.5m bottles – on the total of 325.5m in 2022, the region has shed more than 50m bottles in two years (54.1m to be exact), and is now shipping volumes worldwide, including the domestic market, that are similar to the quantities of 2001, which were 262.7m.
