The Drinks Business

For 80 years, a name carved into Champagne Gosset’s Épernay cellars belonged to no one, but this month, the GI’s children came to see it.

The charity’s 140th anniversary event brought together more than 360 guests at London’s Guildhall to raise funds for drinks industry professionals facing hardship.

Consumers are increasingly scrutinising what goes into their drinks, but the term ‘clean’ remains largely unregulated.

With two new co-CEOs in charge, and responding to the challenges facing the fine wine market, Britain’s oldest wine merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd, has launched a service-led, tiered membership community called House of 1698, db can exclusively reveal.

The UK supermarket giant, reportedly in the running to buy Majestic, said that its new partnership with Uber Eats has “not cannibalised” sales. db looks at why this matters for the retailer’s Majestic bid.

Gusbourne says it cannot make enough still Pinot Noir to meet demand without taking fruit away from its sparkling wines, presenting the Kent producer with an increasingly welcome dilemma.

Two things are true: (i) the fine wine sector is seriously struggling, and (ii) AI has triggered a seismic operational shift, panellists agreed at The Drinks Business Conference last week.

UK supermarket Tesco is reportedly among the bidders making a play for Majestic as the wine retailer is put up for sale by owner Fortress Investment Group.

Diageo has secured a significant court victory over allegations that its Don Julio and Casamigos tequilas were falsely marketed as “100% agave”. A New York federal judge dismissed the lawsuit after finding that the plaintiffs had failed to provide sufficient evidence of widespread adulteration.

The UK Government looks set to bottle Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s plan for beer in football stands. It should run the trial instead, says James Bayley.

Hide and Hedonism Wines founder Evgeny Chichvarkin has revealed that reducing the premium on fine wine failed to attract more customers. Speaking at The Drinks Business Conference, he suggested restaurant mark-ups may not be the main reason fine wine consumption is falling.

Saint-Sardos will produce no wine in 2026 after the cooperative responsible for 97% of its output lost its remaining grape supply. The south-west French appellation told db that only “a maximum potential of 12 to 15 hectares remained in spring 2026”.

Chapel Down is aiming to win the equivalent of 1% of the global Champagne market by 2035 as sales of its traditional method sparkling wines continue to grow. CEO James Pennefather told the drinks business that the company sees a “clear runway” for expansion, particularly in the US.

Brewdog’s new owner has promised to put employees at the centre of the brewer’s next chapter, months after its £33 million rescue by Tilray Brands. The pledge comes as former staff and other creditors face losses following the administration of parts of the business.

French wine production is forecast to fall to almost 34 million hectolitres in 2026, putting the harvest 17% below its recent average after drought and heatwaves hit vineyards across the country.

Guinness has gone from a working-class staple to one of the most fashionable drinks in Britain, complete with a second clothing collaboration with Percival. James Bayley asks what its transformation says about the way younger consumers think about authenticity, identity and drink brands.

In the latest retaliation against Canada, US President Donald Trump has announced an import ban on bottled and canned Canadian wines, beer and spirits from 29 September, though some bulk wines are exempt from the restriction. db reports.

Featuring a who’s who of fine wine trade figures, along with industry commentators, somms, and restaurateurs, next Wednesday’s db conference in London promises to deliver one-of-a-kind insights into the market for luxury drinks.

Ahead of his opening address at the db conference in London on Wednesday 23 September, Liv-ex’s Tom Burchfield has highlighted the dramatically more complex nature of the fine wine market – and why understanding it is increasingly important for current and future success.

Such was the extreme heat and dryness in Champagne this year that winemakers risked breaking the rules of the region – which is why they have been changed. Patrick Schmitt MW finds out what has been happening.

Donald Trump’s latest escalation of the trade war with Canada could shut some Canadian alcohol out of the US from the end of this month, potentially affecting major drinks companies on both sides of the border.

The BBC spent £13,018 with its preferred alcohol supplier in 2024/25, less than half the £26,131 spent through the same route in 2016. Previously released figures give an unusually detailed look inside the broadcaster’s drinks cabinet.

Wildly popular in the 1970s and ’80s, German wine Blue Nun graced the dinner table of many a bouffant-sporting host, with 3.5 million bottles sold per year in its heyday. Now, the brand’s owner Les Grands Chais de France is determined to restore the brand’s place in consumer affections.

As Bordeaux grapples with oversupply, vine-pull schemes and a shrinking growing area, the region’s biggest mainstream brand is betting that closer grower ties, low-intervention winemaking and a broader stylistic range can keep it – and its supply base – viable.

A Russian attack has destroyed the new central warehouse used by Ukrainian wine retailer OKWINE and drinks distributor Wine Hunters, just two months after their previous facility was hit. The companies say losses from the two attacks now exceed UAH600 million.

Champagne is still a mainstay of the restaurant scene, but producers are having to work harder and smarter to keep their place on the list, reports Douglas Blyde.

Vinarchy will no longer represent Dolly Parton’s wine range, db can exclusively reveal, but the decision was made “mutually” before the country singer died, the company said.

As the world tips its hat to Dolly Parton following the country music star’s death in Nashville yesterday, db remembers her indomitable spirit and her contribution to drinks.

Champagne shipments continued to fall in 2025, but the rate of decline slowed considerably as several leading houses returned to growth. Kathleen Willcox explores why distinctive brands, grower Champagnes and by-the-glass programmes are finding success in a challenging market.

US drinks giant AB InBev is making a US$13 million investment into its Baldwinsville, New York facility in an effort to boost production of its Michelob Ultra and Cutwater spirits brands. db finds out more.

Don St. Pierre Jr., the CEO of ASC Fine Wines, reveals the rationale behind portfolio changes and how his family ecosystem philosophy can be integrated into storytelling for a stagnant Chinese market. Rebecca Lo reports.

Seven new Masters of Wine have been announced by the Institute of Masters of Wine, bringing the 2026 intake to 11, the largest annual cohort since 2021. The latest group also includes the first Masters of Wine based in Portugal and Hungary.

Diageo chief executive Sir Dave Lewis could receive as much as £20.02 million for the year to June 2027 if maximum performance conditions are met alongside a 50% rise in the company’s share price.

For drinks brands operating in the global travel retail sphere, this might be the most important piece of info you absorb all year. Seoul Incheon has overtaken London Heathrow and Dubai to become the world’s busiest international airport, and here’s why.

According to a Market Intelo report, stainless steel now accounts for 42.5% of the global tank marketplace and is expected to grow at 5.1% CAGR as “freshness” and “purity” continue to be the hallmarks of favourite wine styles.

Former Accolade Wines CEO and Treasury Wine Estates COO Robert Foye says TWE has made “real progress” on the value-creation agenda he put to the board earlier this year, but argues that the company must now prove its restructuring can translate into stronger earnings and commercial performance.

Serving wine at the right temperature can make a significant difference to how it tastes, whether you are opening a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, a mature red or a bottle of Sherry.

Treasury Wine Estates will take a US$394 million post-tax charge as it accelerates the overhaul of its troubled American operations.

The main consumer choices and behaviours influencing alcohol consumption among legal-drinking-age adults have been uncovered in a new white paper. But what are they? db finds out.

Following the news that south London train station Denmark Hill is producing its first vintage of Bacchus, Sarah Neish speaks to the project’s winemakers about staying on track and not going loco in the British heatwave.

Court documents filed following Republic National Distributing Company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy have revealed more than US$400 million in unsecured debts and mounting financial pressures stretching back several years.

While regional trade organisations “do excellent work”, the US wine trade “does not do a fantastic job” of collective marketing, says the agency founder behind an anti-Prohibitionist campaign.

As wildfires continue to blaze near Bordeaux, in what President Emmanuel Macron has described as the toughest situation France has faced since World War II, the country’s celebrated wine region confronts a growing environmental crisis.

Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) has confirmed to db that prospective buyers have already expressed interest in acquiring parts of its remaining business as the US drinks distributor enters Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The US drinks distributor has entered Chapter 11 after months of selling operations across the country, with the court-supervised process intended to facilitate further sales and an orderly wind-down of its remaining business.

Having been given a wine list from Scotland’s Gleneagles Hotel printed in the mid-1960s, Patrick Schmitt MW looks at the cost of drinking Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Provençal rosé back then, versus today.

More than 50,000 hectares have burned in Ávila as producers wait to discover the extent of the damage to Sierra de Gredos’ old-vine Garnacha and Albillo Real vineyards. Several historic parcels have already been lost as firefighters continue to battle one of Spain’s most destructive recent wildfires

The US has officially returned to tariff-free trading for Scotch whisky in a move that has been met with much goodwill among the sector.

US President Donald Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on selected Canadian imports, accusing the country’s provinces of discriminating against American alcoholic beverages. www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/07/trum...

Trade unionists are urging US President Donald Trump to make some of America’s biggest beer brands “a lot more American”. But what is provoking the rift with Mexico over imported beer? db looks at the argument.