At Lucky Cat restaurant at 22 Bishopsgate, Perrier-Jouët chef de cave, Séverine Frerson (pictured), guided Harpers through a tasting which demonstrated how Champagne viticulture could adapt to our ever-changing climate.
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At Soho’s Vinyl Factory, 17 of the Côtes du Rhône’s Cru level appellations were on hand to showcase their latest wines. Well-known regions – the likes of Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Condrieu – were in attendance, as were the three newest Cru status AOCs – Laudun, Cairanne and Rasteau.
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Global wine exchange Liv-ex has released its market report for November, which shows that momentum in the secondary market is continuing to build – encouragingly, the Bordeaux 500 saw its first increase since March 2023.
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The Comité Champagne has announced that Chardonnay Rose has become an authorised grape variety in the famed region. The grape – a natural mutation of Chardonnay Blanc – is the eighth grape variety to be recognised in the Champagne appellation specifications (cahier de charges).
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French Bloom has been announced as the official non-alcohol sparkling wine of Formula 1. The move comes as a part of the wider partnership between the famed racing series and LVMH.
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The 2025 harvest in the Rhône has commenced, starting 10 days earlier than last year’s grape gathering.
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Six new members have joined list of partners of the Foundation for Wine Culture & Civilisations, which manages the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, to further broaden the activities of the wine museum.
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The Comité Champagne has announced that the available harvest yield for 2025 will be set at 9,000 kg/ha. This decision marks the third year in a row that yields have been reduced compared to the previous, as well as being the lowest yield level since 2020 (8,000kg/ha).
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I doubt many of us have actually been called on to adjust the course of a mighty oil tanker at sea, nevertheless, we understand the notion of the time and effort required to do such a thing. This is, metaphorically, what the Rhône is attempting to do now. According to agricultural body FranceAgrimer, red wine consumption in France has halved over the past 30 years.
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French wine on-trade sales have taken a hit over the past year, though bright spots are present, with a strong showing in the off-trade for Gallic labels by contrast. Off-trade performance is partly spurred by French sparkling – according to Kantar’s Take Home Purchase Panel the category grew 24% and 4.6% in terms of volume and value respectively over the past five years – the diverging figures potentially illustrating the promise of categories such as Crémant.
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North South Wines, the Bicester-based importer, has bolstered its Provençal rosé offering with the addition of Château Sainte Roseline to its range.
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In its 2024 export report, Vins de Loire revealed that the popular region’s exports grew +5% and +5.9% in terms of volume and value, respectively. The total value of Loire exports reached €200mn, its highest level since 2000. France as a whole, by contrast, only saw a +0.7% uptick in terms of total export volume.
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France has become one of the leaders in sustainability protocols in the 21st century, with its myriad regions now producing a network of best-practice roadmaps which can be used in the wine world’s global fight against climate change.
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Analysis from fine wine consulting agency Wine Lister, shows that Bordeaux wines have seen their average market prices drop by 18% over the past 12 months.
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Domaine du Météore – which, as the name suggests, is grown in and around a meteor crater – has joined Bibendum’s portfolio of wine producers. The producer’s wines will now be distributed through Bibendum to the on-trade and independent merchants through Walker & Wodehouse in England & Wales.
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Data from Live-Ex, the fine wine trading platform, shows that over the past two years, the Burgundy 150, (which collates the performance of the top 150 Burgundian wines on the platform), was down 30.2%. This is the largest drop of any sub-index within the Live-Ex's Fine Wine 1000.
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Bibendum Wine has become the distributor of rosé specialist Château Roubine in the UK, including the Hippy, La Rose and Lion & Dragon brands from the Provence estate.
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Fine wine merchant, Jeroboams, has added two producers to its portfolio with Domaine de la Chapelle from Chinon, Loire Valley and Mouchão vineyard from the Alentejo, Portugal.
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Laurent Delaunay, the fifth-generation Burgundian winemaker, has launched a new eponymous range called Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages. The range offers classic styles from Burgundy as well as Beaujolais, at a more affordable price point.
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The Bureau de L'Occitanie, first set up to represent wines from Occitanie, including those from Languedoc, Roussillon and South-West France, will shutter on 7 March.
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