Spectators enjoying a picnic and wine while waiting for the cyclists to pass by during the Tour de France in 1953 — when French wine consumption was 133 liters per capita

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Wine Tariff Refunds on the Way.
www.wine-searcher.com/m/2026/04/wi...

Resting civilians near Chiusaforte, 1917. Chiusaforte is a small town in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy, in the Tagliamento river valley.

Alcohol Content of Selected Wines in 1894.
In contrast to many champagne and German wines, Bordeaux wines were fairly light.

Best-selling sparkling wine brands in the UK, Jan 2025 – Jan 2026. For the year ending 1/24/2026, Freixenet is a distant #1, with solid growth of 7.3% compared to the previous year. Noteworthy are the strong growth rates of the British brands Chapel Down (#7, +16.3%) and Nyetimber (#9, +18%).

William Turner (English, 1775–1851). Kreuznach on the Nahe, 1844. Watercolor.
On the left is the Pauluskirche with its distinctive onion-domed Baroque tower. On the upper right are the Kauzenburg ruins and vineyards (in yellow). "Kreuznacher Kauzenburg" is a registered Einzellage (vineyard site).

Main Export Markets for Red Burgundy Wine, 2024–2025. French red Burgundy wine exports fell by €40 million in 2025, a decline of 5.4% compared to 2024. The two largest export markets, the US and the UK, which together account for almost one third of all red Burgundy exports, declined substantially.

Here is a Yale lecture by Donald Shoup. Same Pic.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8vk...

Almost all Canadian provinces have banned the purchase and sale of U.S. wine since late February/early March 2025.

As of Ap 2026, only Alberta and Saskatchewan — the only two provinces without state liquor monopolies — are formally retailing U.S. wine, having lifted their brief bans in June 2025.

Best-selling still wine brands in the UK, 2024–2025. Yellow Tail remains the undisputed #1. La Vieille Ferme continued its exceptional momentum, adding more than £50m in sales versus last year, catapulting it into second place (up from sixth).
drinksretailingnews.co.uk/the-trends-r...

Street art by French artist Charles Leval (aka Levalet), titled "Celle de trop" ("The One Too Many"). Likely Paris, c. 2015.

Main Export Markets for Wine from Alsace, 2024-2025

Georg Siebert (German 1896-1984) Weekend, 1928. Oil on cardboard.

Wine Self-Sufficiency in Selected Countries, Avg 2018-2022; Chile's wine production accounts to 629% of its wine consumption. Wine production in the UK accounts for only 1% of domestic consumption. The world as a whole produces more wine than it consumes.

France's wine exports to the U.S. in 2025 saw a substantial avg price decline of 11.8% compared to 2024, with red wines generally more affected than whites. Red Languedoc-Roussillon (−24.3%) and red Bordeaux (−22.3%) recorded the largest drops; even Champagne declined 13.1% (€37.07 → €32.23/liter).

Erich Wegner (German, 1899-1980) Wirtshaustheke (Pub bar), c. 1927

French wine exports to the US fell 15.9% in value in 2025. Languedoc-Roussillon (-52.6%) and red Bordeaux (-32.1%) led the drop. Prices fell more than volumes (-11.8% vs -8%). Large price drops for red Bordeaux (-22.3%) and Languedoc (-24.3%); only Alsace posted a price gain.

Family photograph from Dunapentele (aka Dunaaújváros), Hungary, taken around 1910.
Source: Fortepan.

U.S. Imports of Wine, Beer, and Spirits, 1992–2025.

From their peak value of $6.217 billion in 2022, U.S. wine imports fell by 14.9% to $5.292 billion in 2025. Much more extreme: during the same period, spirits imports fell from $12.629 billion to $8.764 billion — a decline of 30.6%.

Karl Gottfried Traugott Faber (German, 1785–1863), Pavilion on Dr. Körner's Vineyard near Loschwitz (a Suburb of Dresden), 1846. Galerie Belvedere Vienna. Dr Gottfried Körner (German, 1756–1831) was the father of the German poet and soldier Theodor Körner (1791–1813), who died in the Napoleonic Wars

Main Wine Grape Varieties in Hungary (2023)

Budapest (Hungary) 1913. János Móry's store for wine, champagne, cognac, spices, and other treats.

U.S. wine imports fell by $565 million (-8.3%) year-over-year. Italy (-$220M) and France (-$119M) accounted for the largest absolute losses. Among major trading partners, the steepest percentage declines were recorded for Moldova (-63%), Switzerland (-33%), Georgia (-33%), and South Africa (-30%).

Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875). Vineyard Laborer Resting, 1869/70. 70.5 x 84 cm pastel and black chalk and gouache, on brown wove paper. Museum Mesdag, The Hague. Millet was one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France, noted for his scenes of peasant farmers.

Leading German Wine Brands in the U.S.

In% yes, but not in absolute values; at least not since 2012. Neither Black Tower nor Blue Nun have ever reached 2 million cases in a single year. Blue Nun is now at 40,000 cases. Black Tower is not listed anymore.
I will post something in that regard soon.

Main Still Wine Brands Imported into the U.S., 1990-2024.
The rise and fall of Yellow Tail

JOURNAL OF WINE ECONOMICS (2026): “Wine Stars & Bars: The combinatorics of critic consensus and the usefulness of order preference models” by Jeff Bodington. Free access: www.cambridge.org/core/service...

Fascinating: 1,214 years of data.
Cherry trees are blossoming earlier due to warmer spring temperatures.
Date of peak cherry tree (Prunus jamasakura) blossom in Kyoto, Japan, since the year 812.

Egyptian "Abarka" wine label from 1966. The wine was produced by Coptic Christians in El-Fayoum (c. 100 km south-west of Cairo) under the supervision of the Ministry of Production, as most industries had been nationalized under Nasser in Egypt.