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

Most wineries make every mistake when they sell their wine. With a new generation of consumers now quickly moving on to spirits and cocktails, the world of wine better solve the problem soon, or it will be left far behind. Paul Wagner wrote a book about it.

Reading time: 4m 50s

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

Robert Nicholson, principal of International Wine Associates, advises on merger & acquisition in the wine industry. Most recently, he was involved in the purchase of Château Lascombes by the Lawrence Family. In this exclusive interview Nicholson frankly considers the likelihood of other US buyers buying French wine businesses.

Reading time: 7m 45s

In 2001, Jacques Berthomeau who died this month, shocked the French wine establishment by recommending the creation of a new classification called Vin de France that would enable producers to compete with varietal wines from the New World. Eight years later, his idea became reality. Today, it is a huge success - both for those exports, and - perhaps surprisingly for him - for many of the natural wine producers Berthomeau later wrote about in his blog.

Reading time: 5m 30s

Head of the fourth largest wine business in California, and its biggest landowner, Fred T Franzia, who died on September 13, aged 79, was a spectacularly divisive character. Robert Joseph considers both sides of the story.

Reading time: 10m

As distributors get bigger, they require brands with bigger volumes to service their markets. This will reduce opportunities for small-to-medium-sized wine producers. Liza B. Zimmerman reports.

Reading time: 4m

Energy costs, supply chain issues and the economic crisis - these are the topics that are of the greatest concern to the wine industry in 2022 and 2023. This is the conclusion of the ProWein Business Report, for which Geisenheim University surveyed a total of 2,500 industry representatives from 47 countries in November 2022.

Reading time: 4m 45s

In a world apparently tiring of experts, there is at least one in the viticultural sphere that we should be grateful for. In 2020, research led by Andrew Walker, a geneticist and professor of viticulture and enology at UC Davis, led to the release of five new grape varieties. They have some advantages in common. Sarah Philips McCartan reports.

Reading time: 5m 45s

Natural wine is no longer seen as a fad. As the quality has improved a growing number of restaurants and retailers are now listing at least a few orange wines, Pet Nats and zero-SO2 examples. The la Dive Bouteille fair in Saumur in the Loire claims to be the biggest natural wine event in the world, and showcases wines from France and elsewhere.

Reading time: 1m

More polyphenols. Less wax. A mutation discovered in a clone of Tempranillo suggests that some old vines can adapt to higher temperatures, reports Barnaby Eales.

Reading time: 3m

Wine producers are reducing water use, increasing organic matter in their soil, and doing everything they can to support the environment. Now, says Roger Morris, they are also re-thinking packaging.

Reading time: 5m

South Africa's wine industry has long oscillated between cheap bulk wine and excellent top wines. Crises and successes seem to constantly accompany the South Africans. Clemens Gerke reports.

Reading time: 3m 30s

Barolo has neither image nor sales problems. The only issue is that the bulk wine market is still too large and the vineyards are too expensive. Veronika Crecelius reports.

Reading time: 4m 15s