By Jim Boyce in China

An Australian scientist visiting a vineyard in Ningxia recently is said to have grabbed a vine and counted 43 grape bunches. After his initial shock, he said the vines back home would have far less fruit. But then, Chinese vignerons do focus on quality rather than quantity. Ningxia is an autonomous region in northwest China, virtually unknown to the outside world. Even in China, few people associate it with wine. But it is an up-and-coming region and what happens there reflects the Chinese industry at large.

by our authors

Most sparkling wine was originally produced to slake only local thirst. In two enormous markets, Germany and Russia, it still is, but in the wake of Champagne’s global success, producers the world over now eye exports as a way to improve their bottom lines. We look at what’s happening in Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

by Michèle Shah

Tuscany exploded on the world stage when the Super Tuscans appeared in the late 1980s. Wine lovers couldn’t get enough of them and the style’s future seemed secure. Yet now, writes Michèle Shah, there is a swing back to traditional winemaking.

by Eduardo Brethauer and Jürgen Mathäß

Slowdowns in exports and rising costs have forced the Chilean industry to decide whether to stay struggling at the entry level or raise the average price of its product mix and go head-to-head with more prestigious wines.

by James Lawther MW

While there is dynamism in certain sectors and a steady supply of new investors, the Languedoc and Roussillon are in a state of mutation. Varietal wines continue to gain market share, but the appellations are losing lustre.

by Jane Anson

Although the noble estates in Bordeaux are awash in success, their fortune has done little to relieve the misery of their neighbours. Jane Anson asks if it would be possible to turn things around with a mass market Bordeaux brand.