The season’s deep discounting and the accelerated fall in wine volumes in the last weeks of the year will have a lingering hangover effect on the trade in 2012. That’s the opinion of sector leaders and analysts, who foresee volumes falling by up to 5% and up to one million wine drinkers leaving the category by the end of the year, reports Harpers Wine & Spirits Trade Review.

The 2012 winegrape crop should amount to 1,351 714 tons, according to industry (producer cellars and viticultural consultants) estimates on 29 November 2011. South African wine news site, wine.co.za, reports the early vintage figures represent an increase of 3.9% compared to the 2011 crop, but is nevertheless 5.2% smaller than the record crop of 2008. The 2012 wine crop – including juice and concentrate for non-alcoholic purposes, wine for brandy and distilling wine – is expected to amount to 1 043.4 million litres.

Over the past couple of months I’ve hosted — as always — a number of private “wine-tertainment” events. Phillip Silverstone, writes in Montgomery News, that my decision to use the same wines at all the events made sense, since the likelihood of the same people attending multiple events was slim (don’t misunderstand me — I’m not suggesting they wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to see me multiple times — it’s simply that the locations were quite a distance apart.)

Just in time for winter, Washington State University researchers have launched a Web-based Grapevine Cold Hardiness tool. Western Farm Press reports, based on mathematical simulations of how grapevines respond to cold temperatures throughout the winter, the tool provides estimated low temperature thresholds for bud damage of more than 20 wine and juice grape cultivars.

Scientists have identified more than 20 chemicals that make smoke-tainted wine taste like leather, disinfectant and other unpalatable flavours in a new research project that aims to limit the damage to the wine industry caused by smoke. The Canberra Times reports researchers hope the findings, part of a $4million smoke taint study, will lead to better timing of controlled burns and the creation of an online interactive tool that will help winegrowers assess the likelihood of their grapes having been damaged by smoke.

Up in the mountains north of Cape Town, the revolutionaries are massing. This is Swartland – ”the black land’’ – a place of big skies, where wheat fields blaze, grey-barked renosterbos (”rhinoceros bush’’) grows in abundance and the landscape is chequered with vineyards, writes Victoria Moore for The Telegraph. The revolutionaries are gathering in the small town of Riebeek Kasteel. They are wearing identical striped scarves emblazoned with a red star but, instead of Kalashnikovs, each one is armed with a wine glass.

Winemakers and food producers involved with the twenty-first annual Grampians Grape Escape next May are going all out with an impressive line-up of mini foodie events leading up to the stalwart food and wine spectacular. The Stawell Times reports first up will be ‘Christmas in the Vines’ at Grampians Estate this weekend, followed by a Delightful Dinner in Dunkeld on January 21 and Tastings @ Troopers, Beaufort on February 18.

It’s an emblematic wine-world row. Wine made on “natural” principles – both with organically or biodynamically grown grapes and with minimal intervention in the winery – makes up little more than a thimbleful of the total on sale, writes Andrew Neather in The Evening Standard. Yet its proponents are passionate – and they articulate a wider unease among winemakers and critics about the steady homogenisation of wine.

English sparkling wine is set to become a mainstream drink of choice, according to new report that shows over half of sparkling wine drinkers in the UK have tried sparkling wine from English vineyards at least once, reports Harpers. Wine Intelligence’s new research points to a better supply of English sparkling wine and a growing reputation for quality.

Stellenbosch, a region rich in culture and heritage and famous for its wines, is home to the oldest and largest organised wine route in the country. Cape Times writer Biance Coleman reports established in 1971, when South Africans were still more spirit and beer fans than wine – despite vineyard being planted in the Cape for 300 years – the route now encompasses around 150 wineries, farms and estates and even has sub-routes. It can be mind-boggling and it takes many, many dedicated visits to become an expert. But hey, it’s a lot of fun along the way.