What started with Beaujolais Nouveau has developed into a marketing must-have for almost every grape, country and region: your own day, week or month.  With the rise of social media as a marketing tool, having a national, international or “world variety” day has become a quick and low-maintenance hashtag on which to hang an Instagram post or write a blog around.  At worst, these…

Austria’s Neusiedlersee DAC has announced plans to champion the region and its red grape variety, Zweigelt, in the UK market. Torsten Aumüller, managing director of the Neusiedlersee DAC union said in-person activities would resume, including a series of lunches at Trivet, visits and presentations to “highlight the diversity of our region and increase attention, knowledge and profile of one of Austria’s most significant red grape…

The Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon (CIVR) has announced a three-year campaign to raise the profile of the region, as it looks to highlight its commitment to the UK market. The move comes after Roussillon wine exports to the UK increased by 41% in volume and 48% in value in the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period a year prior.

Bad weather has hit this year’s Champagne harvest, with yields set to drop around 45%, the trade organisation for the region has said. The Comité Champagne pointed to challenging weather conditions throughout 2021, with a 12-day period of frost at the beginning of the year, hail on several occasions, then persistent rain in spring which encouraged mildew in the vines. “These various hazards have caused big differences…

Cartuxa, one of the oldest wineries in Portugal, has joined the Mentzendorff portfolio. Cartuxa is based in the Alentejo region and its vineyards have been on the same Quinta de Valbom site in Évora since 1517, when the Jesuits came to the region to establish the second oldest university in Portugal. The name Cartuxa comes from the Cartuxa monastery that the Carthusians started to build…

Rioja Wine UK has launched its new marketing campaign for 2021, with a clear focus on the “exceptional quality” of the top end wines of the region. With the value of Rioja in the UK up 17.9% in 2020, according to latest Nielsen statistics (MAT 26.12.20), the new campaign will bolster the region’s fine wine credentials and consolidate its position as Spain’s premier wine producing…

Wachau has become Austria’s newest and 15th DAC winegrowing region. Wachau submitted the draft of a DAC regulation to the Ministry of agriculture, regions and tourism, and this has now been signed by law by federal minister Elisabeth Kostinger. The protected designation of origin Wachau DAC is now the fifteenth of its kind in Austria. Chris Yorke, managing director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board…