The Week in Wine

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Get all the latest wine news stories in time for your Monday morning commute. A weekly run-down on the latest news in wine and spirits, covering top stories and breaking news from the team at Wine-Searcher.com. Hosted by editor Don Kavanaugh and wine writer and winemaker Oliver Styles

  1. 2d ago

    The Week in Wine Episode 58

    Send us Fan Mail Don enjoys an attractively priced and very drinkable Vin de France Gamay while Olly enthuses about a similarly-priced Frusinate IGT (Lazio) biodynamic red called Volumnia. As it's the start of the month, we look over September's stories and find a big showing from Napa and wider California, from wine industry fears, grumbles, good news and bad – it's all been covered by our US editor W. Blake Grey, with Olly pointing out that Blake is one of the few very regular wine writers covering the California (even US) beat with any great regularity. We also take a moment to look at the way wine writing is going, from influencers and Instagram to wine journalism. Can we get mad at so-called "influencers" when much of wine writing is pay-for-play by another name? Last week's big stories included the world's best Bourbons (which hit a number of classic names) as well as a deep-dive on the pricing effects seen by Pomerol's Château Lafleur after it left the appellation to become a Vin de France. There was also a scientific deep-dive into the latest research combatting smoke taint in wines and research from Australia hinting that one of the smoke compounds could be ingested by a particular bacteria.  This week, though, it was the news that the red wines of Burgundy had finally been pulled into the wake of the global red wine downturn with additional suggestions that the Premier and Grand Cru wines are also feeling the pain. Still in France and bigwigs in Bordeaux have re-ignited the irrigation debate while news from Sauternes indicates the 2026 harvest is not looking good. In Spain, there was news that global superstar Shakira drank a 200 year-old wine by pipette at a flamenco restaurant and bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey opened a 2015 Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5 with his folks, all in Spanish capital Madrid. In central Spain, bitter winery rivals García-Carrión and Félix Sólis were in court with the former emerging victorious in a spat over who produced the most-loved Valdepeñas Reserva... Finally, we looked at a €3 million AI advertising campaign unveiled by a major Champagne producers' group.   ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  2. Sep 28

    The Week in Wine Episode 57

    Send us Fan Mail Don is nonplussed by a "smug" New Zealand Pinot Noir [name withheld] while Olly enjoys a Saumur blanc (L'Insolite) from Loire guru Thierry Germain. This week saw a lot of people reading the latest on grumblings against the Napa Valley Vintners organization – to which we asked how different this was from any gripes and grumbles against over-arching wine bodies globally. Other popular headlines included the news that the historic Gundlach Bundschu winery had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. But we asked if it really was all bad news here (not least with the acquisition of Artesa winery by the irrepressible Jean-Charles Boisset) and also took a moment to admire just how sanguine Rob McMillan, from Silicon Valley Bank, is when talking about the wine industry. The Most Expensive Italian wines was also headliner that impressed, not least due to the fact that it appears top Italian wines keep going up in price. But the unsung news this week was that acclaimed Technical Death Metal band Gojira was launching its own range of wines and there was a 3000-bottle heist in the heart of Barolo that had Don and Olly wondering just how much Barolo you might drink at an organized crime Christmas gathering. Segonzac's Cognac subsidiary has been ordered to honor its grape contracts; Rémy Cointreau is hosting a year-long Robert Doisneau exhibition of unseen photographs of Cognac in the 1960s; the Valle del Guadalupe wine region brings in a billion dollars for the Mexican economy while Mexican wine struggles against European imports; and finally, there's a to-do in the Canary Islands about a Rioja wine labeled "guachinche" causing a stir. We round off with a look at forthcoming stories on smoke taint, Château Lafleur's pricing issues outside of the Pomerol appellation, the future of Australia and the most expensive wines of the year. Lastly, Olly and Don wonder if we're not going to see a flurry of special cuvées from top estates coming out of Bordeaux in the 2026 vintage... ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  3. Sep 21

    The Week in Wine Episode 56

    Send us Fan Mail Don has a bottle of 19 Crimes and talks about the appeal of fruity, red blends while Olly enjoys a bag-in-box 2024 Bourgogne Chardonnay from The Wine Society (as recommended by Julia Harding MW at the recent Aotearoa Chardonnay Symposium). This week, we kick-off by talking about two stories that haven't featured on the website: the recent AI wine writing storm kicked off by the 67 Pall Mall wine communicator awards (Olly thinks most wine writers are looking in the wrong direction); and the latest news from Australia that popular wine company Mac Forbes is going into administration (and the quite public social media posts made by some of the vineyards the company owed money to that were put online prior to the announcement). There's also talk of Gallo's old, small pet project Monte Rosso; Donelan's resurrection of the Obsidian Vineyard in Sonoma County's Knights Valley; more on the Champagne alcohol levels and the harvest; and Wine-Searcher's Retailer Awards is also hitting a note with readers. This week, Olly looks at Bordeaux's early summer being compared to Jerez and Puglia, climate-wise, and there's also a spat brewing between the Graves and Pessac-Léognan appellations over the latter's attempt to lower its vine density (sounds relatively uninteresting, but it is bringing up old grudges). There's also further proof that the vine was introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians - not the Romans - and the Balzac museum in Paris is set to run wine-themed exhibition of the great writer and his link to wine. Lastly, we look at Puglia's regional bigwigs declaring the region's wine production is in crisis. ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  4. Sep 14

    The Week in Wine Episode 55

    Send us Fan Mail Don drinks a Taylors South Australian Merlot and Olly has a saline Aard Chardonnay. Michelin's Bordeaux ratings fail to cause a major stir while Napa's visitor tasting woes continue to dominate the stats. Our Most Expensive Champagne Top 10 is also a good performer but, we ask, is it the cost of living crisis that means our 'Best Value' series nowadays performs considerably better than our 'Most Expensive' when it comes to grabbing readers' attention? New Zealand's top Chardonnay producer Kumeu River also makes headlines with a look at what they're up to (including a slight shift in production to Hawke's Bay). Talking of Hawke's Bay, there are more winery woes there as another winery bites the dust; and Italian Chardonnay proves a hit with the readers, as does the "US Booze War". This week we also look at: changes to Champagne alcohol levels; a winemaker on an Israeli settlement in the West Bank says the UK, French and Canadian ban on settlement products has only increased his resolve to stay on; Lanson sees H1 income drop 80%; Vin et Hip-Hop unveils its Burgundy roster; French harvest smallest in 30 years; Prosecco likely to drop in volume too this year; Rioja cancels wine festival at the last minute; and another Argentinian winery is in financial trouble. We also round off with a look at what's new on the wine-searcher website. ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  5. Sep 7

    The Week in Wine Episode 54

    Send us Fan Mail Don gets a case of birthday wines, covering a range of top New Zealand Chardonnays while Olly enjoys a Saumur-Champigny from Thierry Germain. This week's top stories feature two (well, three if you count or Most Expensive Zinfandel Top 10!) Californians: the struggling category of sit-down Napa wine tastings and Gavin Newsom's Plumpjack winery being the only winery to get compensation for the Pickett fire in 2025. We also go back to the 80s: shoulderpads, double-breasted jackets with rolled sleeves, the threat of nuclear war, and Chenin Blanc. A number of eyes are also on the latest Jane Anson interview (by Suzanne Mustacich) with Florence Cathiard of Château Smith Haut-Lafitte. This week, we look at the news that many younger drinkers prefer to use AI tools like ChatGPT to get wine recommendations rather than consult a sommelier; a new study finds early-harvest Chardonnay is "more susceptible" to oxidation; a cocaine haul is found in sparkling wine truck passing through Burgundy; a 17-year-old boy has died and a number of harvesters have been injured across two major accidents involving harvesters in Beaujolais and Alsace; a 400-page novel, partly inspired by the Rudi Kurniawan fake wine scandal, but primarily focused on the world of wine, has been published in France; French, Italian and Spanish wine exports to the USA fell by a quarter in value in the first half of 2026; and the Gastronomic Village operation of Dijon's Cité de la Gastronomie et du Vin wine and food cultural center has gone into administration. ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  6. Aug 31

    The Week in Wine Episode 53

    Send us Fan Mail Don sips a triple-aged Jameson while Olly muses on hops and beer. This week we look over a number of early wine harvest stories from the month and Don asks whether or not life might be like toilet paper. There is also a musing on the apparently mediocre reception of Mosel Riesling. This week: Cava growers struggle to find good prices for their grapes; Sazerac faces a lawsuit in France after growers find their contracts abruptly cancelled; Alsace looks to reduce its vineyard coverage; Argentina's bulk wine exports surge, but prices and trends appear much less positive; and northern Italy experiences an early, hot harvest, with some growers having similar issues to those in Cava. Meanwhile, police in the Rheingau issue a remarkably understated press release regarding the recent Rheingau Wine Fair, and a restaurant near Mendoza becomes the latest to host a wine and sexuality dinner. We also look forward to an interesting story on the payouts (or should that be 'payout') in the 2025 Pickett Fires in California and a Chenin revival. There's also a tale of Napoleon bringing Chardonnay to Italy... ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  7. Aug 25

    The Week in Wine Episode 52

    Send us Fan Mail Don returns from the UK and Ireland where he wonders if pub-goers might not be better off going to a wine bar and sharing a bottle of wine, given the price of a beer in the capital. Notable mentions on Don's travels include The Winemakers' Club in London and Green Acres in Wexford, among others. A bottle of Nosiola, some great pints of Guinness and a Beaune Premier Cru white are the stars of the last seven and a bit days. Onto wine news and, a sudden spike in US interest in Baijiu aside, the last week has almost entirely been about early harvests across Europe, from Burgundy to Bordeaux, Alsace to Champagne and beyond. There's more on the early Bordeaux harvest (where some estates have started picking red wines); a farewell to Rioja's Benjamin Romeo; a Bordeaux wildfire victim is given hope by a Facebook appeal; a wine cooperative in Rias Baixas aims to go fully digital; and a young winery in Ribeiro produces a solar eclipse wine. There's also more to look forward to this week, with the latest on the US/Canada trade spat just coming out and we rub our hands with gleeful expectation of the Top 10 Most Expensive Bourbons... ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

  8. Aug 19

    The Week in Wine - US Special #2

    Send us Fan Mail A quart in a pint pot. Wine-Seacher's US Editor, W. Blake Grey joins Olly talk about everything happening in the North American wine scene right now. Blake talks about the two-tier US economy and how the stock market performance is helping a number of Americans feel bullish about wine. Will the AI boom help fuel this and, conversely, should the AI bubble burst, what will that mean for the US wine industry? Also, there are indications from Gallo that the wine sector is still not all rosy. Blake discusses the prospects for the 2026 California harvest (early and light); the forest fire pressures in eastern Oregon and in Washington State and Canada's Okanagan Valley. There's much to blame Bambi, and Walt Disney, for, apparently. Back to California (and Texas) and the ravages and dangers of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter scares in the state. Blake also covers what could be the best news for wine in the USA this year, namely that the New York Times' editorial stance on the subject may have taken something of a shift in recent weeks. There's also a glimpse under the bonnet of the bulk wine market, the growth of private labels, the cruise ship industry, and the power of the buyers in this sphere. Finally, Blake pays tribute to Sonoma Coast's Pinot pioneer, the late David Hirsch. ABOUT THE WEEK IN WINE The Week in Wine goes out every Monday morning so that you can turn up to work with great talking points from the latest news across the world of wine. Hosted by wine-searcher editor Don Kavanagh with wine writer Olly Styles – who also produces the podcast – nearly all of the stories we discuss can be found on https://www.wine-searcher.com/magazine You can get in touch with us at editor@wine-searcher.com

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About

Get all the latest wine news stories in time for your Monday morning commute. A weekly run-down on the latest news in wine and spirits, covering top stories and breaking news from the team at Wine-Searcher.com. Hosted by editor Don Kavanaugh and wine writer and winemaker Oliver Styles

Information

  • Creator
    wine-searcher.com
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Week in Wine
  • Show Website
    The Week in Wine

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