Wine has been made in Uruguay for over 250 years but it was not until the 1870’s that Uruguay’s flagship grape, Tannat, was first introduced. It has since adapted extremely well to the chalky-clay soils and Mediterranean climate of Southern Uruguay as have many other predominantly French varieties.

The wineries are family owned and have been handed down from generation to generation. 100% of the harvesting is done by hand and Uruguay is very much focused on producing quality and unique wines which attract the wine-lover. (Vinexpo Hall 1 AB 12) (Source: Vinexpo)

People have been talking about it for 15 years in Bordeaux; the wine cultural centre could finally come off the drawing board by 2013.

The centre with its modern architecture will serve three purposes: culture, tourism and business. It would aim to appeal to the widest possible range of visitors with attractions designed to offer learning with a gamey approach. Everything remains to be invented in this venue, which will also be a winegrowing hub, acting as an interface connecting visitors with the various estates.  In terms of business, it has been suggested that the centre could accommodate a wine bar, a restaurant or even a hotel. (Source: Sud Ouest)

The consumption of wine (both still and sparkling) increased by 10.57% between 2003 and 2007 in the Netherlands. At the end of this period, volumes consumed reached 41,684 million 9-litre cases, equivalent to 500,208 million bottles. Consumption should grow by a further 4.47% between 2008 and 2012 to reach 43,836 million cases, or 526 million bottles by the end of the period. (Source: Vinexpo / The IWSR)

Secrets began to emerge after George W. Bush left the White House and Barack Obama arrived, and we have just learnt that the Presidential wine cellar was a simple room next door to the kitchen, where only 5 to 600 bottles of exclusively American wines were kept. (Source: VSB)

Wine bars in France are a cosmopolitan urban phenomenon that have exploded in popularity over the last three years. They are frequented by young people with money to spend, who seek to develop a new wine culture. Wine bar patrons are encouraged to be adventurous, because they can vary the wines they drink to match the different dishes on offer. Tasting wines brings like-minded people together, who discuss what they are drinking, look for food-wine matches and play with the aromas and tastes. It’s not just a question of tasting enjoyment; it becomes an intellectual pastime. Wine plays a socialising role. (Source: Bordeaux Aujourd’hui)

New Zealand is bucking the trend of declining wine sales in the UK according to the latest figures from AC Nielsen.

Having grown 11.5% over the last year, Nielsen statistics show sales of New Zealand wines have rocketed in the UK by 42% in the last 12 weeks. (Source: Decanter.com)

In the 10-year period between 2003 and 2012, the consumption of still and sparkling wines in Russia should have increased by 70.55 million cases, an average increase of 12,6%.

This increase corresponds to growth in consumption of 84.667 million bottles per year over the period. (Source: Vinexpo)