We have picked out six fine Pinot Noirs following an extensive tasting of Chilean wine last month – a selection that proves the country is starting to perfect its handling of this pernickety Burgundian grape.

France has revoked approval for 20 copper fungicides, leaving organic growers facing strict new limits and fears of losing key tools against downy mildew.

Charlotte Nichols MP has warned that “pubs cannot survive on beer alone” as spirits now make up 38% of on-trade profits. db spoke to industry voices about changing consumer habits, tighter margins and early evening trading in the sector.

As we move into the important last four months of the year, when a disproportionately large proportion of all Champagne sales are still made, the outlook continues to be fairly gloomy for luxury fizz. db‘s Champagne correspondent Giles Fallowfield crunches the numbers.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has called on the government to freeze Spirit Duty as the previous hikes have already resulted in greater borrowing costs, inflation, and a drop in government revenue.

Ahead of the db Conference, panellist and Preferabli AI co-founder and CEO Pam Dillon tells Eloise Feilden why artificial intelligence is the key to unlocking better storytelling and higher-quality service in the F&B industry.

Worldwide Brewing Alliance (WBA) president and CEO Justin Kissinger speaks to Jessica Mason about why the industry needs to work together to face challenges head on.

In an unprecedented move, the Académie Internationale du Vin (AIV) is speaking out publicly against the threat of what it calls the “denormalisation” of wine initiated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in an open letter to the heads of government of all United Nations member states.

In his first interview since joining Berry Bros. & Rudd to mastermind its foray into the US market, Sotheby’s veteran Jamie Ritchie talks auctions, tariffs and the need for authentic storytelling. Richard Woodard reports.

Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers CEO, has announced plans to retire in June 2026, having first joined the industry in 1983.

A billionaire-owned wine business in Malibu, California, has gone on the market for half the sum it was listed for when the estate was last up for sale in 2012. What could bidders get for their money? db reports.

Ahead of db’s conference on profitability in a challenging market, we spoke to Charles Waud, MD of Waud Wines, who gives his top tips for building a strong business and avoiding a “massive race to the bottom” in online retailing.

Former Bruichladdich tour guide Adam Hannett has officially been named the distillery’s new master blender, an achievement he could “never have imagined” when he joined the team in 2004.

Unknown perpetrators have stolen almost all the ripe Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc grapes from two vineyards in Gundheim, Rhineland-Palatinate. Police believe the raid, carried out between 6 and 14 September, cost the growers several thousand euros in lost fruit.

Patrick E. McGovern, a celebrated biomolecular archaeologist who revealed the deep history of wine, beer and mead, has died at the age of 80. His forensic investigations into residues on pottery reshaped our understanding of alcohol’s role in civilisation.

db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay investigates Château Lafleur’s monumental decision to leave the appellation system, the reactions to it, both public and private and the wider implications on how best to respond to accelerating climate change.

Hot on the heels of winning a major exporting award, Château Tanunda’s MD Michelle Geber tells Sarah Neish why discovering the right “export language” is vital to expanding your brand footprint and how nailing global sales is about so much more than “just showing up”.

Operators from Chinatown to Shoreditch told the drinks business how punishing rents and shifting habits are dimming a once-vivid culture. And for those determined to stay out past midnight, James Bayley rounds up the few remaining places still keeping the lights on.

Closure manufacturers are celebrating as Trump announces that cork stoppers will not be subject to the 15% tariff applied to most EU products exported to the US. Sarah Neish reports.

Marina Gayan MW transformed Argentina’s wine industry, taking it from local beginnings to international recognition. Her journey from young marketer to South America’s first Master of Wine reveals how vision, risk-taking, and persistence helped shape the global success of Argentine wine.

At a time when the wine trade is facing the dual challenges of rising costs and declining consumption, for its annual conference, db has pulled together a stellar line-up of business leaders to tackle the key issue for our industry right now: profitability.

Today sees the 10-year re-release of Château Palmer’s 2015 vintage on La Place de Bordeaux, after a decade of ageing in the property’s cellars. The 2015 vintage is just the second to have been farmed entirely biodynamically.

All Guarda Superior Cavas released from now onwards will be certified as 100% organic. The milestone has been a long-held target for the Cava DO which now has nearly 110,0000 hectares of certified organic vineyards.

Didier Chopin has been jailed for 18 months after carbonating hundreds of thousands of bottles of still wine from Spain and France and passing them off as Champagne.

Equiano Global Ltd has issued a detailed response to recent comments by co-founder and global rum ambassador Ian Burrell, who earlier this week announced he was no longer involved with the brand after what he described as a trademark dispute.

Constellation Brands has shocked investors by slashing its earnings and sales forecasts for the year ahead. The move follows weak quarterly results and echoes a similar profit warning from rival Diageo in 2023.

Global rum ambassador Ian Burrell has announced he is no longer involved with Equiano Rum following an ownership row with a fellow director. Burrell (pictured), who co-founded the brand in 2019, said the development means the rum is “no longer black-owned”.

A quarter of Britain’s late-night venues have vanished since 2020, sparking warnings of “night-time deserts” across the UK. Millennials, it seems, are increasingly exercising their quarter-life crises away from the dancefloor.

As the first wine releases start to hit La Place de Bordeaux, db‘s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay gives his verdict on the Italian and Spanish red wines rolling out in the September campaign.

A discussion between health experts and teetotallers has raised the quandary over whether non-alcoholic drinks that mimic alcoholic variants can create a yearning for returning to drinking. db looks into the debate.

The Scotch whisky industry is appealing to the UK Government to freeze spirits duty in the upcoming Autumn Budget, following more than 1,000 direct job losses since the Chancellor last increased tax on whisky. www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/09/scot...

Suntory has been plunged into uncertainty after the shock resignation of chairman Takeshi Niinami (left). His departure follows a police search linked to alleged illegal cannabis supplements, which he denies.

With fresh leadership and a sharper portfolio focus, Pernod Ricard USA is betting on RTDs and “high-potential” labels to drive its next phase of growth.

A dozen UK brewers have chosen a British pub where they would drink a pint of their own beer during Cask Ale Week, which runs from 18-25 September. For interested beer fans, here are their recommendations.

The Fox Corporation intends to make a splash in the wine business with the launch of its Fox News Wine Shop, an online venture selling all-American wines from independent producers. And it’s not the only media company eyeing up wine as a side hustle…

The Comité Champagne has withdrawn its opposition to an EU ruling that foil on bottles should be made optional. The turnaround follows research that suggests the absence of foil would not affect sales or damage Champagne’s image.

Pernod Ricard’s shares rose in Paris after the group struck an upbeat tone about its medium-term growth prospects, despite ongoing complications in the US and China. The French spirits maker reaffirmed its long-term sales and margin guidance while outlining a major cost-saving drive.

Portugal’s fifth largest wine region has amended its regulations to allow much lower ABVs. It means Tejo producers may now make wines with an alcohol content of 7.5%. Partially de-alcoholised wines have also been authorised.

On the eve of the first releases, db’s Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay gives a sense of what to expect from La Place’s hors Bordeaux autumn collection and the wider implications for the global fine wine market.

As automobile companies like Tesla increasingly look to join the restaurant space Sarah Neish speaks to Ford’s Garage about whether vintage or futurism is the secret to success, and whether roadside establishments should serve alcohol.

Fires raging in Oregon and California are threatening homes, vineyards and wineries, with Napa County declaring a state of emergency. With harvest weeks away, winemakers are watching nervously for signs of smoke taint and other damage.

Thanks to warm weather this year, wine winemakers in the southeast of England have high hopes for the 2025 vintage, drawing parallels to the stellar harvest of 2018.

Allied Blenders and Distillers, the third largest spirits company in India, has pulled its bid to acquire a majority stake in Good Barrel Distillery “despite best efforts”.

Diageo is planning a major expansion of its new €200 million brewery in Littleconnell, Co Kildare, in response to soaring global demand for Guinness and Guinness 0.0. The upgrade will more than double production capacity and strengthen Ireland’s role in global beer exports.

A requiem mass to celebrate the life of wine writer, Champagne expert and food critic Michael Edwards is to be held in London on Friday 26 September.

India’s spirits industry says the new free trade agreement with Britain will worsen existing tax discrimination against local producers. The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) warns the pact could make Indian premium brands less competitive at home.

As Napa’s 2025 harvest gets underway, Beth Pearce MW reveals why the UK represents “a huge opportunity” for the Californian region if the market can overcome price barriers and a “lack of opportunity to taste mature Napa wines”. Sarah Neish reports.

Netflix is set to dramatise the story of Ireland’s most famous brewing dynasty with House of Guinness, a new series from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. The show premieres globally on 25 September and follows the Guinness family in Dublin and New York during the 1860s.

In New York, it’s hard to run a bookstore, and it’s hard to run a bar, with both battling sky-high rents and changing consumer habits. That’s why forward-thinkers like AJ Jacono are merging the two.

He will serve as CEO until 30 September, before Majestic Wine Group CEO John Colley steps into the role on an interim basis, as the company searches for a replacement.