Fladgate latest to announce back-to-back vintage declaration

Things are heating up in the Douro, with yet another port house following up 2016 with another vintage year.

Rioja 2018 given the thumbs up from the DOCa despite weather woes

The Rioja vintage for 2018 has been classified as ‘Good’ despite the uncertainty around the impact of unpredictable weather conditions on the region.

Soave hails vintage as a success despite ‘tricky year’

Consorzio of Soave has hailed the 2018 vintage as a success predominantly thanks to the ‘Sentinels of Soave’.

‘Ready to drink’ 2017 Burgundies could ease sky-high prices ahead of Brexit

The wines now emerging from Burgundy’s 2017 vintage could help to ease the pockets of restaurants and fine wine merchants, it has been suggested.

Douro harvest delivers quality on back of “absurdly low” yields

Following a year of challenging weather extremes, the Douro’s 2018 harvest has given up some “excellent Ports and Douro wines” according to Symington Family Estate’s annual harvest report.

Computer vision: an eye on the future

Computer vision has been used for years for facial recognition software and this this type of technology will become instrumental in decoding drinking trends, says Jo Gilbert.  

Kiwi winegrowers predict ‘modest’ export growth in spite of good harvest

New Zealand winegrowers are predicting only modest export growth for the coming year in spite of a 6% surge in grape production.

Symington reports soaring 2016 Vintage Port sales

The Symington Family has reported ‘exceptionally strong’ demand for its 2016 Vintage Ports.

Churchill’s joins port peers in declaring 2016 a vintage year

Churchill’s has become the latest port house to declare 2016 a vintage year following unusual but ultimately beneficial growing conditions in Portugal.

Laarman grows portfolio with new premium collection

Laarman Wines has unveiled the maiden vintage of its premium Focal Point collection.

2016 Ports debut at London preview

Purity, precision and terroir were very much the buzz words at the 2016 Vintage Port Preview Tasting in London on May 17, where Symington Family Estates, The Fladgate Partnership and Quinta do Noval collaborated to show wines from the recently and unanimously declared 2016 vintage.

Premium agenda at Sicilia en Primeur as bottled exports hit new high

Bottlings of Sicilian wine rose 123% in the first quarter of 2018 (vs Q1 2017), reflected in both an ongoing trend to more premium exports and a reduction in bulk sales following the short 2017 harvest.

Wakefield predicts best Shiraz vintage in decades

Wakefield Wines has predicted the 2018 Shiraz vintage will be the best in decades.

Rioja 2017 vintage scarce but ‘very good’

The Rioja 2017 vintage has been awarded an official ‘very good’ rating by the Rioja Control Board.

Croft, Fonseca and Taylor’s Port declare 2016 vintage

Bordeaux pulls away from entry level as exports rise

2017 saw an increase in exports for Bordeaux to key markets such as UK, Germany and Belgium, with the US and China also on an upward trajectory, delivering significant growth in higher priced wines.

Armit Wines releases 2009 vintage of La Rioja Alta’s Gran Reserva 904

Armit Wines has today released the 2009 vintage of La Rioja Alta's Gran Reserva 904.

Flint Wines to balance 2016 shortages with older Burgundy vintage

Burgundy specialists in the UK are having to re-think their en primeur formats this year after 2016’s weather woes meant that allocation in certain appellations are ‘tiny’.

Höpler introduces first limited Kirchberg release in nine years

Family-owned Austrian winery Höpler has introduced the latest vintage of its Kirchberg single vineyard range.

The week that was

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have put together a review of the top online news, Q&As, and opinion stories.