The Week in Wine Episode 41

The State of Wine in the USA Special

Star Wars, Soundgarden and My Chemical Romance? Wine-Searcher's US Editor W. Blake Gray talks to Don and Olly about the current state of wine in the United States. Blake looks at the state of the Californian wine industry (with a particular focus on Silicon Valley Bank's Direct to Consumer Wine Report which just came out); the state of Ohio's appeal to the US Supreme Court (which could see a ruling on interstate shipping in the not to distant future); and the struggle to get facts through in the wine and health debate.

Bordeaux En Primeur 2025 Weather Special

"Two Englishmen talking about the weather..." Wine-Searcher's editor Don Kavanaugh bravely entertains David Allen MW and Olly Styles as the pair battle it out over the effects of the weather in the 2025 Bordeaux growing season. In the blue corner, David Allen MW defends Bordeaux estates from accusations that the weather patterns over the 2025 growing season (noteworthy as they are) actually have no bearing on the properties of the final wines produced in the region – a charge leveled by Olly Styles, in the red corner, in a recent opinion piece on the website. Will it go the full 12 rounds?

The Week in Wine Episode 41

Don lauds a pair of 'workhorse' wines (a Côtes de Rhône and a Californian Zinfandel) while Olly enjoys a steely Riesling from the Saar. Two pieces this week tickle Don's fancy: wine's reluctance to engage in a class-based discussion (all while other aspects of DEI are frequently touched-on in wine marketing); and news that Ohio will send the interstate shipping debate to the US Supreme Court. We take a look at the Irish connections in wine as well as reviewing a recent piece about the Bordeaux wine industry looking to find new ways to bring people back to the region. Don also goes into a recent piece looking at tumbling Bordeaux (and waning Napa) prices in the US. Meanwhile, a Moldovan winery commissions a one-off Porsche; one grower in Bordeaux's St-Julien appellation is grafting Chardonnay onto his red vines; a highly localized hailstorm hits Champagne; the bosses of the notorious wine website 1855.com are back in the courts on fraud charges; and there's a nasty case of poisoning from a refilled bottle of wine in Argentina. We also look forward to more discussions and stories in the week ahead.

The Week in Wine Episode 40

Our list of best-value Bourbon has readers arriving in droves, all while the main wine news continues to swirl around just how well (or not) the wine industry is doing, globally. Other stories in the last 7 days include a group of wine investors assiduously avoiding 100-point wines, while there is still interest in Bordeaux 2025, not least from the value end of the offerings as well as a piece on how the weather in Bordeaux last year, although endlessly talked-about, isn't really being reflected in the wines. The weekend's last news also covers: González Byass in debt restructure talks; an indication that Argentina's newly deregulated wine industry might not be enjoying its new-found freedom; a massive Spanish wine fraud case involving nearly 2 million bottles of adulterated wine goes to court; French harvest this year may begin in early August; an investigation into the violent French direct-action winegrower group CRAV is thrown out of court; and an indication that non-alcoholic wine is best-suited to rosé and white offerings.

The Week in Wine Episode 39

End of Month special! Too many wineries in California is the story that continues to dominate the headlines, alongside En Primeur coverage from Bordeaux. The best value Sauvignon Blancs of 2026 gets eyeballs while Mexico's push to shout down prohibitionists also makes one of the top stories of the week. The month of May was dominated by the stories coming out of the USA, with the Too Many Wineries, Not Enough Consumers dominating readers' attention this month. Other showings included most-wanted wines and, more importantly, it turns out, most-wanted whiskeys, as well as ups-and-downs in Champagne and the rumors that Beyoncé and Jay-Z might be in the market for a château in Bordeaux. This week's wine news roundup covers top tennis player Amélie Mauresmo revealing she bought a 1945 Château Mouton-Rothschild on eBay several years ago.  Also, Vintae, the Spanish winery best known for its recognizable Matsu range of wines from Toro, has acquired a 90-percent holding in Bodegas Riojanas; Israel formally establishes the Negev wine region as a GI (Geographical Indicator); officials in Peru formally announce that June 11 will be Peru's National Wine Day; and a shadowy group in France contests last year's Cognac yield levels.