Brexit will allow UK consumers to have a greater range of cheaper wines following planned relaxation of EU regulations on costs and bureaucracy for the wine sector. The changes will enable Protected Designation of Origin wines to use a wider range of vines, and will allow imported wine to be blended, carbonated, sweetened and de-alcoholised. Labelling will also be simplified. The reforms will generate a £180m ($234m) boost to the industry, according to the government. A consultation on the proposed changes will take place shortly.
Climate change and the desire to return to individualised winemaking highlight changes to France’s white wines from the Sancerre region as well as Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Coteaux du Giennois, Reuilly and Menetou-Salon. White wine in the region previously was made from gamay and pinot noir but recovered from the devastation of phylloxera using sauvignon blanc grapes. A surge of interest in organic and sustainable farming recently has been visible, with a renewed focus on individualised wines, which has seen Sancerre receive its first wine shop, Vignerons la Cave. Climate change, however, has disrupted production for some wines.
Portuguese wine sales have soared by up to 70% over the past five years as US tourism to Portugal explodes, according to reports by several US and UK importers. Raymond Reynolds, who brought Portuguese wine to the UK in the 1990s, said the opening up of Portuguese wineries and the cultivation of emerging indigenous grape varieties has been welcomed by consumers in the US and the UK. Maxwell Working of New York importer Skurnik said that although Greece had become a key wine producer off the radar for now, Portuguese wines were becoming more established with Filipa Pato’s Bairrada reds selling well in New York. While the market has become congested, Reynolds sees continued growth due to the country's spectrum of winemakers and dedicated terroirs: "The good thing is we are just at the beginning of this journey”. Hague and Kastner director John Kapon said Portugal was now catching up with Italy in quality.
