News
A new carbon offset business is working with wineries to make the industry a little bit greener. CarbonClick, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, is offering a way for wine estates and their customers to reduce their environmental impact – transparently.
Key wine and glass organisations have come together and agreed on an ambitious target for glass recycling within the EU. A new organisation, the Circular Economy Platform for Glass Collection & Recycling aims to collect and recycle 90% of all glass packaging sold in the EU.
Vinexpo Hong Kong will now take place in February 2021, replacing the show that was scheduled for July 2020. The show will be part of Vinexpo Tour, a package of global trade events scheduled from the end of 2020 to the end of 2021.
The Chianti Classico consortium has launched a digital platform on behalf of its members, creating a portal where consumers can find information about individual estates and, in many cases, buy their wines.
The results of a DNA test, released by Wine Australia last week, are making trouble for 20 or so Australian wine estates.
The South African government has agreed to let wine exports resume. The decision follows a tense time for the local industry, as the ban on wine exports had left it questioning its survival.
Brazilian wine drinkers are reporting that their home wine consumption skyrocketed in late April, in response to lockdowns and on-trade closures. Not only that, but informal sales channels, such as WhatsApp, have grown in importance.
Nakedwines.com, the largest online wine business in the US has announced it will launch a $5 million fund to support independent winemakers who have been hit by the coronavirus disruptions.
The spread of the novel coronavirus has led to the “radical disappearance of the HoReCa channel” that could result in a more than 50% loss of wine sales in Europe alone, said Pau Roca, director-general of the Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV).
Wine producers in the Cape are reeling after the South African government announced a ban on transporting alcohol that has effectively shut down wine exports. The wine industry is already suffering a steep fall in income, as alcohol sales are prohibited during the lockdown.
Coronavirus and lockdowns have brought hardship to wine growers in the South of France, as it has to those elsewhere. Income has fallen sharply from cancelled orders as restaurants around the world are shuttered.
Australia could lose up to 780 of its wineries as a result of restaurants and wine tourism shutdowns, according to ABC News, Australia’s national broadcaster.
While lockdowns and quarantine have been a disaster for the international economy, they have been a boon for online wine retailers and home cooks everywhere, as people turn to food and drink to cheer themselves up.
US alcohol retailers have seen dramatic spikes in sales since March, with bottles flying out the door at rates that are triple those of the year before. The demand is so great, that some local officials have had to backtrack on decisions to close down alcohol stores.