The Wine Society has launched Ex-Château, a new programme giving members access to rare, mature and sought-after wines. The Society said that the programme builds on its long-standing relationships with producers and estates, bringing together celebrated producers and outstanding vintages. It said that the programme will work on a rotating basis, with a new selection of producers set to feature each…

The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) says new research shows there is a widening price premium between wines sealed with cork and screwcaps. It said the average price for wines with corks in the top 250 in the UK off-trade now stands at £8.19, compared to £6.93 for screwcap wines. The gap between the two has increased from 12.6% in 2021 to 18.2%…

Herefordshire’s Two Beacons Vineyard, based at the foot of the Malvern Hills, has reported its largest-ever harvest by volume. The producer said that pickers are still harvesting the crop by hand this week, but that it was already clear volumes were the highest since the vineyard was established in 2018. Part of UK-wide optimism among English growers, Two Beacons joins a…

B Corp-certified port producer Symington Family Estates has introduced a new look for its Graham’s brand, with packaging changes designed to reduce its environmental impact. The refresh includes 19.6% lighter bottles that reduce Symington’s overall carbon footprint by 2% and fully recyclable presentation tubes. Labels and cartons are in four distinctive colours inspired by each port’s flavour profile: “powder blue” for The Tawny,…

The new owner of Brewdog has embarked on a campaign to rid itself of the controversies of the Scottish brewer’s former regime. The Under New Ownership campaign includes 48-sheet London Underground ads that state: “Our promise isn’t to tame Brewdog, it’s to let it be Brewdog again – brewed by happy people, run properly, and still fighting the good fight for better beer”.

If you’ve been in the wine trade long enough, you’ll probably have heard it described as a “people” business. Mixing with crowds of professionals, surrounded by lineups of large stemmed glasses, it’s likely that someone has said to you: “What I love about wine is the human stories,” “It’s less about the liquid and more about the connections,” “There would be no trade without the people behind it.” …

Waitrose has added 380 new festive products to its range for Christmas 2026, as it looks to capitalise on the trend for “restaurant-quality home entertaining”. Festive Aperitivo Spritz, Spicy Marg Olives and Negroni Inspired Olives are designed to encourage ‘aperitivo hour’, the supermarket said, while the drinks line-up also includes No.1 Dark Chocolate & Orange Flavour Irish Cream Liqueur. According to…

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has agreed to sell the Seppelt brand along with its Great Western winery in Victoria, Australia. The company said the assets will be sold to Aaron Drummond, CEO and co-owner of Mornington Peninsula winery Stonier, and partners. As well as the brand and Great Western winery, the sale includes the cellar door and vineyards, and the Drumborg vineyard…

Unite union has announced strike action will take place later this month over job disputes at Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery in Scotland. The union said around 100 members will take strike action, starting on September 28, at the Fife facility. Successive days of action will be carried out by distillation and process controllers, distillery and machine operators, technicians, quality control analysts,…

Maison Ferrand UK is bringing Calvados Christian Drouin, one of Normandy’s most celebrated family-owned Calvados houses, into its portfolio. The move adds a further category to the UK subsidiary’s collection, sitting alongside flagship brands Planteray Rum, Citadelle Gin, Ferrand Cognac, Canerock and Dry Curaçao, and partner brands including Koch Mezcal, Adriatico Amaretto, Boann Irish Whiskey and Orendain Tequila. The partnership launches exclusively in…