Project Paradise: Inside Sula’s Acquisition of Chandon India
Sula Vineyards has agreed to purchase the Chandon India estate from Moët Hennessy for roughly INR 200 million (about $2.4 million). The transaction includes the land, winery, and vineyards but leaves the Chandon brand with the seller. Sula, which commands about 50% of India’s domestic wine market, plans to rebrand the property and use it as a flagship wine‑tourism destination, aiming to close the deal by Q1 FY27. The acquisition dovetails with the company’s rapid growth in hospitality and tourism revenues, now surpassing INR 1 billion (~$12 million).
Vinarchy UK Hit with £8million Packaging Tax
Vinarchy UK, the merged entity of Accolade and Pernod Ricard Winemakers, recorded an £8 million (≈$10 million) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging levy in 2025 that wiped out its profit. The levy, which applies to firms handling over 25 tonnes of packaging, coincided...
Louis Roederer Enters Talks for Burgundy Estate
Louis Roederer has entered exclusive talks to acquire Domaine Pierre Damoy, an eight‑hectare Burgundy estate in Gevrey‑Chambertin known for Grand Cru wines. The deal would give the Champagne house access to premier Chambertin, Chambertin‑Clos de Bèze and Chapelle‑Chambertin vineyards. This...
Wells & Co Sees Sales Revenue Increase to £66.2 Million
Wells & Co reported a 5% rise in FY2025 sales to £66.2 million (approximately $84.7 million), driven by steady growth across its UK and French estates. Group EBITDA climbed 5% to £10.3 million ($13.2 million) and operating profit before exceptional items rose 21% to...
Richard Caring Sells Majority Stake in Ivy Empire for £1.4bn
Richard Caring has agreed to sell a controlling interest in his Ivy Collection of restaurants and private members’ clubs to Abu Dhabi‑based investor Diafa for a reported £1.4 billion (about $1.75 billion). The transaction, expected to close imminently, includes iconic venues such...
AI Fosters Paradoxical Trend for ‘Authentic Human Connection’
Heineken’s Amstel brand launched a photographic campaign that captures spontaneous moments between friends in neighborhood bars, emphasizing unfiltered human connection amid growing AI fatigue. The project, shot by Spanish photographer Javier Tles, relied on voluntary participation and explicit consent, avoiding...
Bordeaux 2025 Vintage Profile: Quality over Quantity
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage is shaping up as a record‑low crop—the smallest harvest since 1991 and the second consecutive year of reduced volume. Despite the tiny output, the growing season was hot, dry and largely free of hail, frost or...
Kenyan Court Clears Path for Diageo’s US$2.3bn EABL Sale
A Kenyan High Court has dismissed a legal challenge, removing the final obstacle to Diageo’s $2.3 billion sale of its 65% stake in East African Breweries (EABL) to Japan’s Asahi. The ruling paves the way for the transaction to close in...
European Drinks Firms Urge India to Ease Import Duties Amid Supply Fears
European drinks firms, represented by the Federation of European Business in India, have asked the Indian government to temporarily remove a 10% import duty on glass bottles and aluminium cans. The request follows a surge in packaging costs—glass prices up...
Club Soda Tools up Ahead of No and Low Policy Changes
Club Soda founder Laura Willoughby warned that upcoming UK government decisions on alcohol‑free labeling and advertising could reshape the no‑, low‑ and mid‑strength drinks sector. She welcomed a likely alignment with the EU definition, allowing products at 0.5% ABV or...
Joseph Phelps: ‘We’re Always Looking to the Future’
Three years after LVMH’s Moët Hennessy acquired Joseph Phelps, winemaker Ryan Knoth is steering the estate toward a future that respects its historic DNA while sharpening the quality of its flagship Insignia. Knoth, who arrived in 2023 after a 17‑year Napa...
Wealth Managers Forecast ‘Historic Surge’ in Fine Wine Demand Amid ‘Great Wealth Flight’
WineCap’s 2026 Wealth Report finds 97% of wealth managers expect fine‑wine demand to rise, marking the highest confidence in the study’s four‑year history. The market has recovered from a prolonged downturn, with bid‑offer spreads tightening and liquidity returning across key...
Wines of South Africa Restructures UK Office
Wines of South Africa (WoSA) announced a restructuring of its UK operation, eliminating two London‑based roles – market manager and PR & digital manager – effective end of May and April 2026. The changes will be replaced by a single...
Alcohol E-Commerce Misses US$40bn Opportunity
A new survey by DRINKS reveals a $40 bn gap between how U.S. consumers discover alcohol brands and their ability to purchase them online. Social media now drives 63% of purchases among 21‑34‑year‑olds, yet 70% say they cannot buy directly where...
Rémy Cointreau Launches Three-Year Plan to Revive Growth
French spirits group Rémy Cointreau unveiled a three‑year RC Forward plan aimed at restoring profitability, especially in its struggling Cognac division. The strategy emphasizes margin improvement, operational streamlining, and a new Prestige Division for premium brands like Louis XIII. CEO Franck Marilly said the...
Independent Pubs Could Vanish by 2041
New research by Simply Business, using ONS data, predicts that independent pubs and bars in the UK could disappear by 2041 if current decline rates continue. The study places pubs third on its Endangered High Street List, alongside shoe shops...
Benchmark Wine Group Posts Record First Quarter
Benchmark Wine Group announced its best first‑quarter performance in 24 years, with Q1 2026 sales up roughly 14% versus the same period in 2025, setting a new quarterly record. The growth was driven by heightened demand for rare Bordeaux, white...
Livermore Valley Winemakers Vote for Two-Grape Strategy
Winegrowers in California’s Livermore Valley have voted to focus on two signature grapes—Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc—replacing much of the existing Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay plantings. The decision follows a UC Davis study highlighting the varieties’ fit to local climate,...
Chef Q&A: Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij
Pichaya “Pam” Soontornyanakij, chef‑owner of Potong in Bangkok, became the first Thai and Asian recipient of the 2025 World’s Best Female Chef award. She frames her cuisine around five core elements—salt, acid, spice, Maillard reaction and texture—emphasising progression rather than...
Why Japanese Gin Is Thriving Amid the Global Spirits Slump
Japanese gin defied the 2025 global spirits slump, with export value more than doubling to ¥8.2 billion, a 104 % increase. Ukiyo, a premium brand owned by Drinksology Kirker Greer, posted a 40 % CAGR from FY23 to FY25 and forecasts 35 % growth in...
Modelo Especial UK Launch Set to Shake up the Sector
AB InBev has launched its Mexican lager Modelo Especial in the UK, rolling it out simultaneously in draught form for pubs and in bottles and cans for retail. The brand is being positioned as an ultra‑premium offering, highlighted by gold‑foil...
Inside Koan’s £2,000 Wine Pairing with Rare Krug by the Glass
Koan, a two‑Michelin‑starred restaurant in Copenhagen, has unveiled a £2,000 prestige wine and Champagne programme centred on rare Krug selections, including the 2009 Clos du Mesnil served by the glass. The offering pairs the 18‑course Korean‑Danish tasting menu with vintage wines...
It’s Official: UK Champagne Market Returns to Growth
The UK Champagne market posted its first growth since 2021, with shipments rising 1.9% to 22.7 million bottles in 2025. Volume increased 9% after a 6% decline the previous year, yet overall value fell nearly 6% as producers absorbed higher costs....
Sales of Rosé Buck the Falling Trend in UK Wine Sector
UK wine producers face steep duty hikes, packaging taxes and rising logistics costs, pushing overall volume growth negative. Amid this downturn, rosé wine stands out, recording a 3 % volume increase and a 5 % rise in value, generating £882 million in sales....
US Beer Industry Uncovers More ‘Meaningful’ Routes to Market
The latest Sovos ShipCompliant and Brewers Association report shows overwhelming consumer appetite for direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) beer shipping in the United States. Sixty‑three percent of adults and 81 percent of regular craft drinkers favor expanding the current 12‑state limit. The data...
American Whiskey Sales Fall 19% Year-on-Year
American whiskey exports plunged 19% in 2025, wiping out about $250 million in revenue, while domestic spirit sales slipped 2.2%, doubling the prior year’s decline. Trade friction drove the slump, with Canada’s ban cutting shipments over 70% and the EU market...
Drappier Unveils Éclose 2012: The Oak Egg Reshaping Champagne in the Côte Des Bar
Drappier unveiled Éclose 2012, a limited cuvée aged in a bespoke egg‑shaped oak barrel that has been fermenting and aging since 2010. The barrel’s curved geometry creates continuous convection, keeping lees in suspension and allowing gentle micro‑oxygenation without intervention. The...
Rosé Is ‘One of the Clearest Areas of Growth and Resilience’
Félix Solís unveiled Finca Valeria, a premium rosé line co‑created with model Valeria Mazza, at a Madrid event attended by over 250 guests. The brand targets the rosé segment, which the company cites as one of the most resilient and...
‘Langhe-Yoichi’ Wine Pact Looks to Boost Viticulture, Tourism and Trade
The Langhe region of Piedmont and Yoichi district in Hokkaido signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the “Langhe‑Yoichi Alliance,” a wine pact aimed at sharing viticultural knowledge, sustainability practices, and tourism promotion. The agreement highlights Yoichi’s ambition to reach...
Beverage Alcohol Suffers Global Downturn in 2025
The International Wine & Spirits Research (IWSR) reports that global beverage alcohol (TBA) volume slipped 2% across 22 markets in 2025, with value falling 4% in the same period. China’s baijiu, the world’s largest spirit category, saw a 2% volume...
Right Bank Château Extends with Acquisition of Its Neighbour
Right Bank estate Château des Mille Anges has purchased neighboring Château Génisson, adding 25 ha to its holdings near Cadillac‑sur‑Garonne. The owner, Heather van Ekris, announced a plan to replant roughly 20 ha of vines over the next three years, defying the current wave...
Juvé & Camps Joins Corpinnat
Juvé & Camps, the historic Penedès sparkling wine house, has joined the Corpinnat collective, signaling a strategic shift toward deeper control of origin and sustainability. The family‑run winery reported €27 million in revenue and €3.1 million EBITDA for 2025, underscoring solid financial...
US Wine Drinkers Turn to Value Bottles as Consumption Softens
A Wine Opinions survey of 1,351 U.S. wine drinkers shows that value‑priced bottles under $20 remain the core of the market, with more than half purchasing them weekly or monthly. While 39% of respondents say they are spending more per...
Could There Be a UK Bottle Crisis Looming?
Glass bottle maker Encirc Elton announced multiple strike rounds – April 3‑7, night shifts April 16‑28 and May 9‑15 – after Unite members protested planned redundancies. The union warns the action could trigger bottle shortages for high‑profile spirits and wine...
