Category: Trending Topics

Wine Business Monthly’s Wine Industry Leaders of 2024

Wine Business Monthly’s 2024 Wine Industry Leaders list was just announced! It serves as a valuable guide to the visionaries shaping the current and future landscape of the wine industry. Recognizing those who drive innovation, sustainability, and economic resilience, this annual compilation includes leaders who stand out in their commitment to advancing the wine sector through strategic foresight and adaptability in the face of evolving market demands. The 2024 selection reflects a cross-section of influential figures, from pioneering winemakers and business executives to sustainability advocates and digital strategists, each making significant contributions to both the trade and broader cultural appreciation of wine.

By highlighting these individuals, Wine Business Monthly not only celebrates success but also inspires continuous growth and evolution across the industry.

Here is the full list: https://www.winebusiness.com/wbm/article/293943

Source: Wine Business Monthly

Five New Masters of Wine Announced

Five members of the wine trade from the US, the UK, Norway, Singapore and Mainland China have become Masters of Wine last week, taking the total number of MWs to 421.

The new MW’s will now join the Institute of Masters of Wine having passed all stages are: Neil Bernardi, Tone Veseth Furuholmen, Benjamin Hasko, Victoria Mason and Wei Xing.

They complete the 2024 vintage of Masters of Wine, joining Emily Brighton MW, Christopher Martin MW, Robert Mathias MW, Dror Nativ MW and Pietro Russo MW, who passed in February of this year.

There are now 421 active Masters of Wine based in 30 countries, spanning a wide range of areas in the wine industry.

The MW exam consists of three parts: the theory and practical exams taken at the end of stage two and the research paper (RP) submitted at the end of stage three. The RP is an in-depth study on a wine related topic from any area of the sciences, arts, humanities or social sciences. Completion of the exam seeks to represent an all-encompassing knowledge of the industry, and only when an individual passes the RP do they become a Master of Wine.

All members must sign the IMW’s code of conduct before they have the right to use the title Master of Wine or the initials MW. By signing the code of conduct, MWs agree to act with honesty and integrity and to use every opportunity to share their understanding of wine with others, echoing the IMW’s mission to promote excellence, interaction and learning.

IMW Chair, Cathy van Zyl MW, shared her thoughts on the announcement: “The announcement of new Masters of Wine is always a happy day for the Institute, but more importantly marks a momentous achievement to those receiving the MW title. The journey to becoming a Master of Wine is no small feat and I share my heartfelt congratulations to Neil, Tone, Benjamin, Victoria and Wei. Your dedication, sacrifices, and pursuit of knowledge have led you here. Welcome to the IMW.”

She went on to say, “I’d also like to thank all the MWs who have contributed to our five new MWs’ journeys, those involved in the education programme and examination, as well as those who may simply have answered the odd question here and there, or shared words of encouragement.”

Source: The Institute of Masters of Wine

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – Guanajuato, Mexico – Key Highlights

I was trilled to participate in the prestigious Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Guanajuato, Mexico, just two months ago!

Some key points:
The wines were blind-tasted by wine trade, including buyers, journalists, wine merchants, and oenologists, who were selected by the CMB, representing 45 nationalities.
We tasted over 7,500 red and white wines from 42 countries.

🥇🥈 Full results can be found here: concoursmondial.com

Scientists prove that drinking good wine will make you happier

Scientists prove that drinking good wine will make you happier, with the effect being further enhanced if you listened to jazz.

The National Research Council of Italy study reported March 5th, 2024 (in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture) can good wine impact the “pleasantness” of an experience.

A trial was undertaken at the 2022 edition of the Internet Festival in Pisa, Italy, where a social experiment with a reliable methodology, through wearable sensors, measured the emotions aroused in a live context on consumers by different kinds of wines.

Five wines were trialed, two of which the scientists described as “faulty” and three which were high-quality samples, on 50 consumers in an “arousing context” with live jazz music in the background.

Both explicit results through questionnaires and implicit results through electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded by the wearable sensors were recorded.

According to the research findings, study author Dr Lucia Billeci, of the National Research Council of Italy said wine “undoubtedly generates a significant emotional response on consumers” and that an answer is “multifaceted and attributable to the quality level of the wine tasted”.
The findings also state: “In fact, all things being equal, while drinking wine even untrained consumers can perfectly recognise good wines compared to products of lower quality.” and “High-quality wines are able to induce a spectrum of positive emotions, as observed by the analysis of ECG signals, especially when they are coupled with background music.”

In conclusion, the scientists reported that the framework, “certainly played to the advantage of good-quality wines” and produced “positive emotional characteristics on the palate even of some less experienced consumers”.

In addition it said there was a “dragging effect” towards a positive mood, which was generated by the surrounding conditions, i.e. good music in a beautiful location.

Link to Research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38441204/

Sources: The National Research Council

Global wine consumption could see a ‘shift’ by 2027

Wine consumption trends could “shift” according to a new report analyzing the global wine market changes between 2022 and 2027. This new report was led by analysts at Research and Markets of which findings were brought together by multiple data sources, which collates data from over 107 countries.

The data showed that the global wine sector was valued at US$346.8 billion in 2022 and is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8% during 2022-27 to reach US$528.2 billion. Additionally, in volume, the findings show that the global wine market will reach 26.7 billion litres in 2027, up from 24 billion litres in 2022 with leading territories being Western Europe with a 49.5% market share, followed by the US with 21.6%.

The report also provides an overview of changes in the consumption of wine over 2017-27, at global and regional levels and has hinted that it pinpoints “high potential countries” for wine consumption as well as provides analysis based on market assessment, economic development, governance indicators, socio-demographic factors, and technological infrastructure. Offering a more-detailed analysis of each of the countries, analysts have revealed that the data covers the key challenges, competitive landscape and demographic analysis that can help companies gain insight into the country-specific nuances. The report also noted that the analysts have outlined how the findings will contain significant emphasis on the key trends that drive consumer choice and the future opportunities that can be explored to help the sector and wineries boost revenue.

The wine world has long been expanding as more regions come into the international limelight and new markets continue to develop.

Link to Report: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/report/wine

Source: Research and Markets