It has been a widely held view in the wine trade that most French collectors would rather keep their fine wines close at hand than pay for professional storage – unlike many of their counterparts in the UK. One of the most extreme examples is Michel-Jack Chasseuil, whose 40,000 bottle cellar built within his own home contains a treasure trove of French wine. But, a new generation of private cellar operators say higher fine wine prices and the physical confines of urban living mean more French people are considering professional wine storage.

We might be drinking a little less, but we’re drinking better quality, according to the latest export figures. French, Italian and Spanish wines continued to perform well on the export market, as the global thirst for wine remains seemingly unquenched. Figures released this week by Dutch agri-bank Rabobank showed that while volumes for French and Italian wines dipped slightly in the first quarter of the year, value was most definitely up.

The Wine Institute and three Napa County wineries have filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Revenue and Attorney General’s Office over a dispute on whether they should have charged tax on shipping fees for online purchases into the state. The trade group for California wineries and Chimney Rock Winery, the Miner Family Winery and Staglin Family Vineyard filed suit in Illinois state court in response to hundreds of Illinois False Claims Act complaints that have been brought by attorney Stephen Diamond. Diamond has been acting on behalf of the state.

NATIONAL Farmers’ Federation (NFF) president Brent Finlay wants Australian negotiators to aim high and enhance outcomes for agricultural exports, when talks recommence on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement this week in Maui, Hawaii. The Australian government is aiming to deliver commercially meaningful outcomes for Australian agricultural exports such asa beef, dairy, grains, sugar, horticulture, seafood and wine, while securing gains for local resources and energy exports, manufactured and other goods, according to Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb.

ONE of the Coonawarra’s ­pioneering vigneron families — the Redmans — have never become too big for their boots. Wine gluts, booms and busts have come and gone in the century that the Redmans have been growing grapes and making wine in the South Australian region. The family, who now have a fourth generation involved in the business, have resisted the temptation to expand during the booms. This the Redmans credit for helping them ride out what they say is increasingly a “tough” industry, especially in recent years when it comes to marketing.

Sydney based hospitality group, Keystone has appointed Chris Morrison to the position of group wine director. With over two decades experience working as a sommelier across both the UK and Australia, Morrison will bring a wealth of experience to the role. Throughout his career, Morrison has worked for international restaurateurs such as London’s Sir Terrance Conran together with some of Australia’s finest restaurants including Guillaume at Bennelong, Quay, est, MG Garage and Becasse. Morrison was also named the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide ‘Sommelier of the Year’ in 2006.

A MCLAREN Vale winemaker has been named Australia’s best by one of the nation’s top wine critics at an event held at iconic Melbourne Museum last night.. Yangarra Winery’s Peter Fraser was honoured with the title of winemaker of the year at James Halliday’s 2015 Halliday Wine Companion Awards. Selected from more than 1,300 Australian wineries, Yangarra was the only South Australian winery to receive a major award.

OPINION: Alcohol Action New Zealand and the Cancer Society ran a joint one-day conference recently at Te Papa to discuss alcohol and cancer. I was surprised by the lack of response from the alcohol industries in the media. Their formula of intervening to spread doubt about the credentials of the researchers, and therefore the evidence, can usually be relied upon when we talk openly about the health effects of alcohol. On reflection, I see that an immediate response would have initiated an unwinnable debate over the evidence.

The traditional model of wine retail involving uninspiring walls of wine is dying out and being replaced by a more engaging, interactive experience according to one top indie merchant. Speaking to the drinks business, Stephen Finch, owner of Vagbond Wines said: “The traditional” model of wine retail involving bottles on shelves is dying. “A creative crop of innovative wine merchants like Loki, Bottle Apostle and Hanging Ditch are offering a much more engaging and adventurous option.

Chile’s Concha y Toro has become the biggest vineyard owner in the world following Treasury Wine Estate’s sale of its Asti Winery assets. According to Treasury’s annual financial report for 2014, the group owned 10,781 hectares of vineyards, just over 30ha more than Concha y Toro’s total vineyard holding of 10,750ha – which includes the company’s 9,133ha in Chile, 1,154ha in Argentina and 463ha in the US, where it owns Fetzer and Bonterra.