Most-read wine news stories of 2014

Scancopter drone

Scancopter drone

18. World 'mother' grape saved from brink of extinction

A rare wine grape dubbed 'Casanova' because of its role in parenting so many of the world's leading varieties is one step further from extinction thanks to Swiss volunteers and a leading scientist.

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Didier Dupond Champagne Salon 2002

17. Champagne Salon labels 2002 release 'one of best ever'

Champagne Salon's president has labelled the newly-released 2002 vintage as one of the best in memory, and said he is entirely relaxed about the house not making a vintage since 2008.

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Ferguson Auction

16. Sir Alex Ferguson to auction wine cellar via Christie's

Ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will sell hundreds of cases of wine, including a large cache of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Petrus, in a series of auctions with Christie's expected to raise GBP3m.

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English vineyard

15. Suspected Roman vineyard discovered in UK

Archaeologists have found what they believe could be evidence of a near-2,000-year-old Roman vineyard in southern England.

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Clos des Lambrays vineyard Burgundy

14. LVMH buys Burgundy grand cru vineyard

French luxury goods group LVMH has acquired the vast majority of one of Burgundy's oldest grand cru vineyards, Clos des Lambrays, for an undisclosed fee.

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Brunello di Montalcino

13. Italian police seize fake Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti wines

Brunello di Montalcino producers will join police in prosecuting suspected fraudsters after authorities seized thousands of bottles of alleged counterfeit Italian wine fine.

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china

12. Fake Bordeaux in China being made on offshore boats, says official

At least half the Chateau Lafite sold in China is fake and, like other high end Bordeaux counterfeits, probably made on boats moored in international waters off the mainland coast, a senior Chinese government official has said.

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Rudy Kurniawan trial day four

11. Kurniawan to 'tell all' in $3m settlement with billionaire Koch, as sentencing is delayed

Convicted wine fraudster Rudy Kurniawan has agreed to pay $3m and 'tell everything he knows' to settle a lawsuit with billionaire collector Bill Koch, after his sentencing was again delayed.

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10. US officials set to destroy $200,000 wine cellar

Thousands of bottles of fine wine, many from boutique producers in California, are set to be destroyed in the US after being seized in a police raid, unless their owner can stop the process.

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Decanter retailer logos – 2013 winners

9. Tesco offloads Lafite, Mouton 2009 in cut-price sale

Tesco is seeking to clear space in its warehouse by discounting hundreds of fine wines, including cases of Bordeaux first growths from the critically acclaimed 2009 vintage.

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Clarissa Dixon Wright

8. Obituary: Chef and food writer Clarissa Dixon Wright dies

Clarissa Dixon Wright, a former food columnist for Decanter and one half of popular television chef duo Two Fat Ladies, has died aged 66.

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Tokaji

7. Hungary abolishes three and four Puttonyos Tokaji grades

Hungary's Tokaji trade council has abolished the two lower grades of the country's most famous wine, leaving some merchants concerned about the effect on consumers.

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Vega Sicilia Pintia

Bottles of Vega Sicilia's Pintia wine

5. Italian police uncover Brunello di Montalcino scam

Italian police have seized enough fake Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino wines to fill more than 200,000 bottles as part of a probe into an elaborate fraud operation, according to officials.

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rock.

4. Runaway boulder crashes through Italian vineyard

A one-thousand-tonne boulder that tore through a vineyard in northern Italy has caused hundreds of thousands of euros-worth of damage, the estate manager has said.

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lidl

lidl

Laurence Faller

2. Wine trade moved by death of Laurence Faller

Wine producers and critics have paid tribute to Alsace winemaker Laurence Faller, who has died of a suspected heart attack aged 47.

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Miraval Rose

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are now making Provence rose wine at Miraval.