Sparkling wine giant Henkell & Co Gruppe has taken a 75% stake in Filipopolis, a major Lithuanian distributor. This gives Henkell a major presence in the growing markets of the Baltic region. The move will give Filopoplis access to Henkell’s sparkling wine portfolio.

Sales of Champagne hit a new high in 2017, with turnover setting a new record at €4.9bn ($6bn), according to the Comité Champagne. The sales were driven by exports, which were up €2.8bn or 6.6% compared with 2016.

German sparkling powerhouse Henkell & Co has signed an agreement to acquire 50.67% of Freixenet S.A.’s shares. Henkell has also signed an international cooperation agreement with José Ferrer Sala and José Luis Bonet Ferrer, the remaining shareholders of the Spanish cava giant.

Award ceremony "Best of Show" at the world's leading wine trade fair ProWein // Boisset named "Best Producer France" // Nippozana Riserva named "Best Chianti"

VINEX, the company behind the world’s first digitized bulk wine trading exchange, is set to launch a new service at ProWein this weekend – a digitized bottle wine trading service, which will allow producers who have excess wine to trade it discreetly.

As the countdown to ProWein begins, there are event managers from all over the world currently checking the final details of their stands. But for sheer craftsmanship, it’s going to be hard to beat the stand that Wines of Moldova are about to build.

German wine and spirits giant Rotkäppchen-Mumm Sektkellereien GmbH will acquire the Eggers & Franke Group on 1 May 2018, subject to approval by Germany’s anti-trust authorities.

The results of the latest Spring Tastings of the Grand International Wine Award MUNDUS show that the world of wine is expanding in new and unexpected ways.

According to Silicon Valley Bank’s 17th Annual State of the Wine Industry Report, changes are afoot for the US wine market.

Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates has filed legal proceedings against Rush Rich wine, alleging trade mark infringements that exploit TWE’s Penfolds brand, including the unauthorized use of the BEN FU trade mark (the Chinese transliteration of ‘Penfolds’).

The government of Crimea is considering a massive privatization program of local wineries, aiming to attract additional funds for the wine sector’s development, according to the press service of the Crimean government.

The results are in from MUNDUS VINI Biofach, the organic wine award done in conjunction with BIOFACH, the world’s leading trade fair for organic foods. The best organic winery of 2018 in the international category are from Fattoria La Vialla in Tuscany.

A new association – the Viticoltori di San Donato in Poggio (The Winemakers of San Donato in Poggio) – has been founded in Chianti. The new members came together at the historic Palazzo Malaspina in San Donato in Poggio to celebrate, on 8 February 2018.

Meininger Award Excellence in wine & spirit 2018

Volker Raumland is Wine Entrepreneur of the Year