It’s been a trying time for wine in Russia, says Eleonora Scholes, thanks to a stagnant market and restrictions on what can be written or said about wine. Yet there are bright spots, including a new willingness to experiment and the spread of interest in wine to regional cities.

UK wine supplier Enotria has not only bypassed the financial problems plaguing former competitors, says Adam Lechmere, but they’re actively looking to grow through acquisition. It’s a wine company that’s found a balance between the corporate and the artisanal approach.

China’s wine consumers are frequently portrayed as red wine obsessives preoccupied with status. But as wine becomes more expensive, particularly from France savvy wine drinkers are looking elsewhere for value. Edward Ragg, charts the rise of China’s new consumers.

Wine exporters are turning their attention to Poland, as the market there grows. Panos kakaviatos went to the first ever official tasting of Bordeaux “grand cru” wines in Warsaw, to see how things might develop. Because where Bordeaux goes, others follow.

The biggest wine companies in the US are so powerful that their decisions can tilt the international marketplace. Larry Walker looks at the top five.