The Winery Margherita Otto of Barolo of Piémont

Ministers have said plans to link duty tax more closely to alcohol levels (abv) from February 2023 will create a simpler and fairer system, but UK wine trade leaders have called for a government rethink. The issue is coming to a head as a government-led consultation period nears its 30 January deadline. While plans to abolish the premium tax rate on sparkling wine have been widely welcomed, the new system would see duty increase on some still and fortified wines. This could lead to price rises, ...

Many wine styles can seem perplexing at first: imagine the first bottle of Barolo if you only know Barossa Shiraz, or the first bottle of Jura Savagnin if you were brought up on California Chardonnay. With time, thought and repeated tasting, though, comes understanding. You learn each wine’s syntax and lexicon, its hints and inferences. You grasp the ways in which each style communicates. Its beauty dawns, then grows. Rosé wine sales grew 23% worldwide between 2002 and 2019. Its fuel has come fr ...

Severe drought in northern Italy has led to the country’s government declaring a state of emergency in several regions, including Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto. Funds of €36.5m (£31m) would be made available to these regions for drought relief, the government said. Agriculture body Coldiretti said last week that the Po river, which flows across northern Italy to the Adriatic Sea, was almost unrecognisable. Drought in the Po Valley threatened around 30% of n ...