Wine news
The wine day in brief: news, events and all the latest articles from our sections – newest first.
Thursday, 5. November
- WINERIES · PROFILE
Garage Caveau: the business decisions behind a new name
Garage Caveau combines extensive leased vineyards with a small own-label range. What can be substantiated about this business model – and what remains unclear.
- GRAPE VARIETIES · BACKGROUND
PIWI breeding: how long should resistance last?
Resistance is not an expiry date but a race against adaptable pathogens. How breeders and winegrowers can monitor it.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
After the early harvest: How producers explain their decisions on acidity
The harvest was exceptionally early. How measurements, intended style and wine law interact in decisions on acidity.
- WINE BUSINESS · BACKGROUND
A new Basel wine award needs transparent rules
255 entries, 204 medals: the new Basel award raises profiles. Yet there is little public documentation of exactly how the jury reaches its decisions.
- REGIONS · PREVIEW
La Gomera as a test case for sustainable island winegrowing
On La Gomera, steep vineyards and limited resources raise a major question: how can sustainable island winegrowing be measured?
- WINE & FOOD · REPORT
Viennese wine in the city's everyday life
From vineyard to market hall: what sets Viennese wine apart and why its place need not be confined to the Heuriger wine tavern.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · PREVIEW
Can grape pomace add aroma to alcohol-free wine?
Researchers at Geisenheim are investigating fermented grape pomace as a potential aroma ingredient for dealcoholised wine. The results remain open.
- REGIONS · REPORT
Radebeuler Anglühen: The real test comes after the festival
Radebeul brings wineries, hospitality businesses and cultural venues together for a November weekend. Whether this will generate additional overnight stays remains an open question.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
Who bids for whom? The intermediaries at a wine auction
Anyone not bidding in the room can appoint a commission agent. What they arrange – and the limits set by a maximum bid.
- WINE BUSINESS · BACKGROUND
Champagne 2026: What the alcohol exemption actually means in the cellar
The 13 per cent limit is not being lifted for all Champagne. A special provision applies to certain blends and requires precise entries in cellar records.
- REGIONS · REPORT
London: questions for an international wine audience
At London's Fine Wine Encounter, wines from many regions meet an international audience. The programme provides an opportunity to discuss origin, maturity and price.
- GRAPE VARIETIES · BACKGROUND
Uruguay beyond Tannat tunnel vision
Albariño, Marselan and Cabernet Franc grow alongside Uruguay’s famous Tannat. How broad is this diversity really?
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · PREVIEW
Natural wine needs verifiable rules
No additives, no filtration, organic grapes: the Swiss natural wine charter draws clear lines. How is compliance checked?
- WINE BUSINESS · BACKGROUND
Crisis distillation: What happens to the wine after an application
An application is followed by a tightly scheduled process. The volumes requested show that the potential relief for the market remains limited.
- REGIONS · BACKGROUND
Austria’s early vintage: how harvest logistics must change
When grapes ripen earlier, workers, picking teams and cellar equipment need to be ready earlier too — and work together more flexibly.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
Food safety in the cellar: who checks the handovers?
From tank to bottle: how hygiene, documentation and checks work together in a winery – and who is responsible for what.
- WINE BUSINESS · BACKGROUND
When auction wine comes with the right to visit
A bottle, an estate visit or a future allocation: the Bonhams auction in Paris brings different entitlements together in a single lot.
- WINE & FOOD · PREVIEW
Carinthia opens its cellars: how does a wine region explain itself?
Carinthia’s winegrowers are opening their cellars on 7 November. A visit may reveal what connects its scattered winegrowing locations and diverse grape varieties.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · REPORT
Protecting water really begins after spraying
Leftover spray solution and wash water do not belong in drains or ditches. The crucial work of protecting water begins after the final spraying run.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
Trees beside vines: who has access to soil water?
A Geisenheim study finds evidence of competition for water and root space. What the findings show – and where their limits lie.
- GRAPE VARIETIES · BACKGROUND
Which red varieties hold their own beyond Pinot Noir?
From Württemberg Lemberger to Franconian Tauberschwarz: Germany’s red wine scene is more diverse than a focus on Pinot Noir might suggest.
- WINE BUSINESS · BACKGROUND
Nordic routes to market rather than a single export hope
Sweden and Finland are coming into focus as export markets. But gaining access through trade channels and tenders takes more than strong export figures.
- WINE & FOOD · PREVIEW
How much of the wine world fits into a merchant’s range?
MondoVino brings more than 170 producers to Vienna. An opportunity to reflect on selection, guidance and the limits of the wine shelf.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
Alcohol-free at winter stalls: what belongs on the drinks menu?
Glühwein, a spiced drink or juice: at a winter stall, the name does not always reveal what is in the cup.
- REGIONS · REPORT
KaiserHerbst: a wine weekend without an events marathon
As KaiserHerbst draws to a close, the number of events is not what counts. A look at the landscape and programme shows what a leisurely day can offer.
- WINERIES · REPORT
Those who run an estate should also speak for it
DiVINes! puts women winegrowers in the spotlight. But the crucial questions behind the stand also concern ownership, power and succession.
- REGIONS · PREVIEW
Piacenza: a meeting place for lesser-known stories of provenance
Three days, more than 300 wineries: Piacenza puts the focus on provenance, direct dialogue and wines beyond the familiar names.
- REGIONS · REPORT
Denmark’s wine harvest cannot be reduced to a single figure
From northern Jutland to Røsnæs, estates report very different harvest experiences. These do not yet provide a basis for a national assessment.
- REGIONS · REPORT
KaiserHerbst: why a good day need not have a packed itinerary
KaiserHerbst runs until 8 November. An unhurried itinerary can reveal more of the region than a long list of events.
- EDITORIAL
Not every innovation is progress.
Not every innovation is progress. But standing still does not protect origin. On the decisions wine needs now.
- EDITORIAL
Attention does not pay for vineyard work
Between auctions and grubbing-up payments lies the crucial question: what makes a winegrowing business viable in the long term?
- GRAPE VARIETIES · BACKGROUND
Merlot in Germany: the calculations behind choosing a grape variety
Germany has around 1,000 hectares of Merlot. For producers, there is more to consider than the prospect of warmer summers: site, workload and sales all need to align.
- WINE & FOOD · REPORT
Beneath Würzburg: what cellars can tell us about wine
Historic vaults, wooden barrels and tanks: Würzburg’s open cellars reveal where wine matures – and how much history lies underground.
- REGIONS · PREVIEW
Explaining Styrian Rieden without drawing up a ranking
The Vienna presentation offers an opportunity to compare Styrian single vineyards — best approached with questions rather than lists of winners.
- REGIONS · BACKGROUND
Climate adaptation needs a whole-estate plan
Saving water, protecting soils, factoring in labour and costs: climate adaptation does not begin with a single measure.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
Which vineyard technology actually saves labour
Machines can take over individual tasks. Whether this genuinely eases the workload depends on the terrain, the task and the size of the operation.
- REGIONS · PREVIEW
Vaud seeks dialogue across the language divide
Six wine regions, plenty of questions: wineries from Vaud bring their wines and mature vintages to the Kursaal Bern.
- WINERIES · PROFILE
Emrich-Schönleber: the story behind the award
From farming to a Riesling estate: how the Schönleber family built the business – and the tradition they preserve despite a shifting market.
- WINE BUSINESS · BACKGROUND
When reducing vineyard area becomes a business strategy
A payment of €5,000 per hectare is intended to help businesses in Rheinland-Pfalz give up vineyard land permanently. But the decision reaches far beyond grubbing-up.
- WINE KNOWLEDGE · BACKGROUND
How reliable is a tasting impression?
What we perceive in wine is not arbitrary – but nor is it an objective judgement. Sensory tests show how reliable our impressions are.
