The Week in Wine

wine-searcher.com
  • 5.0 (1)
  • News

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. 3d ago

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Aug 17

    The Week in Wine Episode 51

    Send us Fan Mail Olly has a wonderful Bitter liqueur from Japan to end a Friday evening meal which moves on to a potentially national stereotype discussion about the Japanese being good at certain crafts. Unfair stereotype, or is there a grain of truth? Let us know. This week, our US editor W. Blake Grey tops the readership with his story on wine and its beneficial effects on heart health. Burgundy has its earliest harvest since records began; the flagship white grape of the Marche – Verdicchio – gets its spotlight; NBA star Jimmy Butler's visit to Bordeaux is still being devoured; as is a report on how the Okanagan is dealing with its latest threat: fire. Olly's wine news roundup this week covers Burgundy's earliest harvest in 500 years; a sobering review of harvests in Burgundy in the context of climate change; the white wine harvest is also under way in Bordeaux (here too, it is unusually early); stock levels of wine are prompting harvest concerns in Italy where some wineries may be struggling for space due to unsold stock; there are drought and smoke taint fears in Piedmont (but a silver lining in the effects of heat on the larvae of the recently-arrived vineyard pest that is the Japanese beetle); and Argentina continues its ever-more extreme push to deregulate the wine industry in the country. 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 10

    The Week in Wine Episode 50

    Send us Fan Mail Nat celebrates become a homeowner with a classic while Olly confirms that Don has seemingly sampled every Guinness available in Ireland. The story of Burgundy négoce houses Louis Jadot and Albert Bichot getting fined for "deceptive" labelling continues to be the top story, all while the wine world mourns the sudden passing of the much-loved UK-based wine writer and Australian wine expert, Matthew Jukes. Chilean Chardonnay, Italian volcanoes, Bordeaux and Spokane wildfires are the big stories this week, as is a great little piece by US editor W. Blake Grey on Sonoma wine pioneer David Hirsch. Our top 10 most expensive Spanish wines unearths some doozies while the hot growing season in Europe is also top-billing. This weekend, Olly looks at NBA superstar Jimmy Butler shooting hoops and visiting top wine estates in Bordeaux; Portugal establishes a national wine day; Rioja begins its earliest harvest on record; Bordeaux and Champagne are already harvesting while the French authorities, unable to pin down yields with any accuracy, say they will delay the annual nationwide yield estimate by a month; Italy braces for record early, smaller harvest; Corsican restaurants are hit by a wine scam; and Spanish vineyard workers push for better pay. 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 3

    The Week in Wine Episode 49

    Send us Fan Mail Deputy Editor of Wine-Searcher Nat Sellers joins Olly to talk about the wines they had at the weekend (both were from Central Otago, it turns out) while the big news of last week was predominantly the wild fires in both Bordeaux and central Spain. Nonetheless, Abruzzo superstar winemaker Emidio Pepe's passing was also covered, as was news that Cabernet Sauvignon might be a prime contender as a climate-resilient variety. The big news, though, was that two major Burgundy wine merchants, Albert Bichot and Louis Jadot, had been fined by the French authorities for "deceptive commercial practices". Olly and Nat pick through the ins and outs of it while also wondering why it is that wine commentators invariably pick the side of the wine producers against any other consideration (Château Lafleur's decision to irrigate outside of the permitted norms crops up in this conversation too). Eva Longoria is papped in Vouvray; Spanish World Cup soccer stars open DRC on their yacht of the Ibiza coast (and post it to Instagram); Bordeaux winemakers are given leave to sweeten their red wines; Spain continues to count the cost of wildfires; and a Bordeaux man is accused of stealing wine from homes evacuated during the wild fires. 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. Jul 26

    The Week in Wine Episode 48

    Send us Fan Mail Don opens a bottle of Champagne from Palmer as he prepares to head on holiday while Olly works through some highs and lows with Central Otago's Ayrburn wines. Falling Bordeaux vineyard prices dominate the headlines this week, as does Napa being told bulldoze their vineyards and Champagne yields being slashed for the 2026 harvest. There are some gems too, including an interview with former Pétrus winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet (and whether or not, like Dame Judi Dench, he will ever stop working in his chosen field). There are some great wines in our recent Best-Value Bordeaux lineup and Olly has a contender for sparkling rosé in Sicily. The latest news, however, spans the continued soap-opera that is the very public boardroom spat at drinks giant Castel; it appears Roederer has finally acquired Domaine Damoy in Gevrey-Chambertin [this has since been confirmed]; World Cup-winning Spanish footballers crack open the Salon, Krug, Cristal, Coche-Dury and Château Rayas; controversial Argentinian soccer star Leandro Parades has his wine range back in the headlines; there's more on the devastation in European vineyards (wild fire, hail, etc.); a dinner in Montevideo combining gastronomy, fine wine and sex talk; Allegrini heir Francesco opens up about his relationship with his father, wider family and the changing direction of the estate; and there's an interesting new case going to the Supreme Court in the US... 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

See All (46)

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
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Week in Wine
  • Show Website
    The Week in Wine

You Might Also Like