Before we get to global news, I’ve been bugging you to vote in the Old Vine Hero Awards for the last two weeks. The votes are now in, and awards are being presented on Monday! You can watch them live online from 5–6 pm BST – aka the time in London.
Yesterday on the JancisRobinson.com YouTube channel, we continued our re-release of Vintners’ Tales with an episode recorded in 1992. Jancis interviews Dr Arabella Woodrow MW, who, at the time, oversaw buying wine for one of the UK’s largest food retailers – The Co-op. They discuss the quantity of wine that Woodrow buys, the immense popularity of Lambrusco and Liebfraumilch, and the need for immediate drinkability when buying for The Co-op. I find this interview particularly interesting because it gives quite a bit of insight into how much has changed between the early 90s and today.
On to the news!
We will take a break from Trump’s tariff war this week as there are no new developments pertinent to the wine world. I expect we’ll know more on 2 April. Instead, I’ll update you on the European Commission’s support for the EU wine industry, Thailand’s move to end restrictions on alcohol sales, Catena exiting the Irish market, a decline in Germany’s wine production and growth in their export volumes, and China’s white-wine boom.
EC aid for EU wine industry
On 27 March the European Commission announced proposals to revise policy framework to help aid the EU wine industry. The proposals include empowering member states to instigate plans for grubbing-up vineyards and green-harvesting unripe fruit to bring supply levels down as well as to limit the number of planting authorisations in certain regions, to allow member states to utilise EU funding for climate change mitigation, to amend current labelling laws so that wine products and aromatised wine products with lower alcohol are allowed to reference geographical indication, and to streamline labelling of de-alcoholised wines and wine products across the EU. Julia was interviewed on the BBC today about the challenges facing the wine industry and why this was necessary. I’ll include a link to this interview which starts at about the nineteen minute mark.
Thailand’s move to end restrictions on alcohol sales
In Thailand in 1972 a military government order restricted alcohol sales before 11 am and from 2 to 5 pm. Then, in 2008, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act went into effect, restricting advertising on alcohol and prohibiting the display of brand names, trademarks or images of alcoholic beverages. This didn’t apply only to paid advertisement; social media users who accidentally had alcohol labels in photos have faced legal action. But on Wednesday 19 March 365 members of Parliament – with only three members choosing not to vote and none opposed – voted to pass a new Alcoholic Beverage Control Bill. Under the new bill alcohol could be sold at all times of day and producers would be allowed to advertise alcoholic products. This bill is now with the senate. New laws will not go into effect until the senate issues them.
I think this is significant. At a time when most countries are tightening their restrictions on alcohol, Thailand is relaxing them. Last year Thailand eliminated their steep 54% import tariffs and slashed excise taxes on alcohol. Thailand is the largest wine market in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), composed of Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam – and the wine market has grown in recent years.
Catena exits Ireland
Speaking of countries who have tightened regulations on alcohol – as of 22 May 2026 Ireland will require labels on all alcoholic beverages to state that alcohol causes liver disease and that there is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers. In response, Laura Catena, managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata, will stop shipping Catena’s wines to Ireland in June of this year. Catena, an ex-emergency room doctor, cites a lack of scientific support for Ireland’s claims, telling Meininger’s, ‘…actually alcohol in moderation does not cause liver disease. And there may be an association with breast cancer for even moderate consumption. But I think that to say that any amount of alcohol causes cancer is a false statement.’
In fact, a study conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that was published 17 December 2024 showed lower all-cause mortality rates for those who consume alcohol in moderation versus those who do not drink. I can only assume that the current trend towards government mandated labelling laws that treat alcohol like tobacco and advise consumers not to drink at all is because governments don’t trust consumers to moderate their intake and/or they have some sort of moral opposition. And I understand Catena’s position: why would you continue to pay taxes and duties to a government set on destroying your business?
Germany 2024 – small harvest, growing export volumes
On 20 March Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, Destatis, issued a press release stating that 2024 was the third-smallest vintage for German wine production in the last 15 years and was 9.8% smaller than in 2023. The share of Prädikat wine, wines that achieve a certain minimum sugar level and are allowed to label with a designation of origin, was 16.1% of total production compared with 23.7% in 2023. The decline in production was particularly notable in Baden, Württemberg, Franken and the Mosel – some of the areas most affected by 2024 spring frosts.
Despite the small vintage, Germany did have some good news in 2024. On 24 March The Drinks Business reported that German wine exports had increased by 3% in volume and held steady in terms of value. While that might not sound outstanding, given the current market, Germany is doing well. Monika Reule, managing director of the German Wine Institute DWI, attributed this to a global shift towards white wine. Which brings me to my next bit of news.
China’s white-wine boom
China is often said to be a red-wine market, consuming around nine bottles of red wine for every one bottle of white. However, according to a recent article published on Vino Joy News, an online publication focused on China’s wine market, that may be changing.
On 23 March, at the China Food & Drinks Fair in Chengdu, during a session called ‘Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc: How Germany and New Zealand are leading China’s white wine market’, Wines of Germany and New Zealand Winegrowers presented statistics on a changing market. Data from China Chain-Store & Franchise Association (CCFA) showed that red wine accounted for only 60% of supermarket sales in 2023, while white wine accounted for 25% and grew at a rate of 8.5% – the fastest of all wine categories. Riesling led the way with growth of 11.42%. Sauvignon Blanc saw 6.62% growth.
It is not news that, globally, consumer preferences are shifting towards white wines. However, China has been so focused on red wine for so long that several regions producing fuller-bodied reds – namely Bordeaux and Australia – rely very heavily on this market. If producers don’t adapt, they may find themselves unable to accommodate shifting consumer preferences.
That’s all for this episode of the wine news. If you enjoy this newscast and would like to see it continue, please subscribe to JancisRobinson.com. And if you have breaking news in your area, please email news@jancisrobinson.com.
This is a transcript of our weekly five-minute news broadcast, which you can watch below. You can also listen to it on The Wine News in 5 Podcast. If you enjoy this content and would like to see more like it, please subscribe to our site and our weekly newsletter.
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