The VDP has made around 450 wines from 2017 to 2021 available for tasting. Of the 629 GGs that will be released from September 1, 2022, 380 are Rieslings. The 2021 Riesling vintage does not come close to the great 2019 vintage, nor to 2020. However, top wineries from Rheinhessen, Nahe and Pfalz offer numerous highlights. Sascha Speicher describes his impressions.

Reading time: 6m 10s

The GG preview in Wiesbaden was again excellently organized. The top rating of 97 points was awarded to one Pinot only. Another shone with 96 points. There were seven Pinots with this rating in the 2019 vintage. In the uppermost tier, it looks like the 2020 vintage is a notch behind the 2019, but both were unquestionably two excellent years for Pinot. Sascha Speicher reports.

Reading time: 3m 45s

In 2021, thirsty US wine drinkers popped 69% more Champagne corks than the previous year. Some of that dramatic increase can be attributed to the impact of Covid on 2020, but sales are still growing and, as Sarah Philips McCartan reveals, France’s iconic fizz is not the only beneficiary of this trend.

Reading time: 5m

Alternative packaging in the wine industry promotes climate benefits. What possibilities are there to replace the emission-intensive disposable glass? Vincent Messmer reports.

Reading time: 7m 30s

One of the most famous baseball teams in the US has formed a partnership with a leading Master Sommelier.

Reading time: 2m

Charming and bursting with juicy, red-berried fruit, Austria’s most popular and widely planted black grape variety celebrates its 100th birthday in 2022.

In the middle of 2021, US wine professionals learned of the launch of a new digital platform to stand alongside Vivino, WineSearcher and CellarTracker. A year after its launch, following the failure to raise a third round of funding, after the earlier investment of $7m, despite recurring revenue of $600,000 that apparently exceeded initial projections, the Drop has effectively closed and Mabray is looking for partners to enable his business to achieve its objectives.

In this exclusive, lengthy interview, he answers some tough questions.

Reading time: 12m 38s

Would-be wine exporters have always focused their attention on the long-established UK and excitingly dynamic US markets, but, as Felix Bodmann reveals, Germany deserves to be taken very seriously – provided you know who to talk to.

Reading time: 11m

Why is hard seltzer so successful with younger consumers? Sarah Phillips McCartan reports on a category that's no longer a novelty and considers what it means for the wine industry.

Reading time: 6m