The Wine News in 5

This week Sam discusses huge storms in France, a French study on the level of microplastics in various packaged beverages, protests in France over rock-bottom supermarket pricing, human trafficking in Champagne, Vietnam raising taxes on alcohol, and 67 Pall Mall’s latest location. You can read the transcript of this newscast at https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/french-protests-and-storms-microplastics-beverages-human-trafficking-champagne.

This week Sam discusses Meininger’s International shutting down, Oregon vineyard-management companies merging, ICE raids, a potential win for US alcohol guidance, and the Barca-Velha Golden Vines Scholarships. You can read the transcript of this newscast at https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/meiningers-international-shuts-down-oregon-vineyard-management-juggernaut-ice-raids.

This week Sam discusses Trump’s tariff lawsuits, bans on US alcohol in Canada, the Old Vine Registry introducing maps, Tablas Creek bottling 14 Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties as single-varietal wines, Treasury Estates launching a NoLo facility, France’s deposit-based recycling scheme and, finally, recent ICE raids. You can read the transcript of this newscast at https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/treasury-estates-bets-nolos-varietal-muscardin-mapping-old-vineyards-french-glass.

This week Sam discusses Mt Etna’s recent eruption, the US’s second-largest wine-and-spirits distributor exiting California, a slight reform in Sweden’s alcohol monopoly, and Vinarchy – the company that married the wine assets of Accolade and Pernod Ricard – announcing closures and investments. You can read the transcript of this newscast at https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/mt-etna-eruption-rndc-abandons-california-vinarchy-investments.

This week Sam discusses lawsuits against the Trump administration’s tariffs, new maps for Marlborough, Chile’s 2025 harvest, the Albeisa Consorzio lightweighting wine bottles, and new research on the power of soil microorganisms to control downy mildew. You can read the transcript of this newscast at https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/tariff-lawsuits-chiles-2025-harvest-lightweighting-bottles-harnessing-soil-microbes.