Decanter raises over £25k for charity

Decanter presented a £25,500 cheque to the charity WaterAid this week after raising the sum through the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Pernod Ricard in takeover talks for Allied

French drinks giant Pernod Ricard has confirmed it is looking to buy UK-based counterpart Allied Domecq.

Masters of Wine to host Biodynamic Question Time

The Institute of Masters of Wine will host an inaugural seminar on Biodynamic wines next week in an effort to unveil some of the ‘mysticism’ surrounding the practice.

Terroir plays no role, 'Parker effect' adds 15% to Bordeaux, study finds

Terroir plays no part in the production of great wines, a report to be presented to the Royal Economic Society in Nottingham will say today.

Budget ‘nothing to celebrate’ for wine trade

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown has again targeted the wine trade with a 4p tax hike on a bottle of wine prompting many in the trade to rail against his 2005 budget.

Decanter’s Night at the Opera raises £100k

Decanter raised £100,000 for charity last night at a dinner at the Royal Opera House, attracting a host of stars of wine and opera.

Premiere Napa Valley auction raises $1.46m

US$1.46m (€1.1m) was raised for charity at the ninth Premiere Napa Valley auction on Saturday, with one 5-case lot going for a staggering US$50,000.

Sideways scores Oscar, sweeps independent awards

Sideways – which is rapidly becoming the world’s most talked-about wine movie - scooped the Oscar for best adapted screenplay in Los Angeles last night.

Sideways effect grips America

Oscar-tipped wine film Sideways is dramatically affecting wine sales in the US, according to leading market analyst ACNielsen.

UK’s oldest wine title bought by American firm

Harpers, the UK’s oldest wine magazine, has been bought by an American ex-pharmaceutical company as part of a wider deal involving Harpers’ parent company, Highbury House.

Hungary shocked by sudden death of Gál

It is with sadness that decanter.com reports the deaths of two great winemakers.

Eastenders owner to open new club in Mayfair

Dave West, playboy owner of the cut-price Calais wine warehouse Eastenders, is to open a new members-only club in London’s exclusive Mayfair district.

Magrez 'targets First Growths'

Former William Pitters boss Bernard Magrez is actively stalking the world’s finest properties with his coffers bulging after the sale of his spirits business.

Pitters sold to Marie Brizard

William Pitters, the spirits group founded by Bordeaux entrepreneur Bernard Magrez, has been sold to French drinks group Marie Brizard it emerged today.

Competition seeks to underline benefits of high-altitude ageing

A group of top wine journalists will be assembling at some of Europe's best, and highest, ski resorts this weekend - strictly for oenological purposes.

Sideways wines in auction

The wine world has already started cashing in on the success of wine-geek film Sideways with winebid.com putting wines from the film up for auction.

Fine wine for ‘the masses’ from Thresher

UK wine retailer Thresher is aiming to ‘demystify’ fine wine with a prestige collection including some of the best names in New and Old World wines.

Guilty verdicts in Chanson case

The long-running Chanson fraud case was concluded today with the two ex-directors of the Burgundy négociant being found guilty of deceit and falsification.

Demonstrations across France

Seven town centres across France will be invaded today by winemakers protesting the handling of the French wine crisis - this morning thousands of people have already taken over the centre of Avignon, and around 3000 protesters have arrived in Mâcon.

Royal Opera House hosts inaugural fund-raiser

In a first for the wine world, London’s Royal Opera House and Decanter will host a dinner combining great wine, opera and a charity auction.

Brother Timothy, Napa legend, dies

Brother Timothy Diener, one of the pioneers of California winemaking, has died aged 94.

Wine vs health war rages in France

The French government is ‘demonising’ wine with a ‘quasi-scientific’ and alarmist advertising campaign, France’s top wine professionals claim.

World's biggest bottle auctioned

The world’s largest bottle of wine was sold for US$55,812 (£30,138) at Sotheby’s in New York at the weekend.

Figaro publishes 20 ideas to save French wine

French newspaper Le Figaro has published a 20-step guide to getting France out of its current wine crisis.

Cru Bourgeois classification to be reviewed

Seventy-six Bordeaux châteaux excluded from the 2003 cru bourgeois classification have had their declassification declared void.

Decanter raises £15,000 for charity

In one afternoon Decanter has raised nearly £15,000 at Christie’s for the charity WaterAid.

French winemakers plan day of action

French winemakers are planning a national ‘day of action’ which will see them stage demonstrations across France on 8 December.

Obituary: Jim Barry

Jim Barry, the pioneering Clare Valley winemaker and producer of the legendary Armagh Shiraz, has died aged 79.

Cru bourgeois listing ‘not impartial’

The procedure of classifying the Médoc cru bourgeois was ‘not impartial’ and ‘tainted with illegality’ according to a French government representative at a Bordeaux tribunal this week.

Evin law set to change

French deputies have voted to amend the controversial Evin law by a massive majority.