Wine Industry
A Napa estate changes hands, Champagne’s all-Chardonnay style keeps getting better, and Europe’s growers count a short crop. Here is the week in wine, read from Grenfell Street.
Wine news Adelaide drinkers should know this week
This is our weekly read of the global wine news that matters in Adelaide. Three stories stood out between 20 and 27 September 2026. Each one changes what lands in a glass here, sooner or later.
Boisset buys Artesa in Carneros
On 24 September, Decanter reported that Jean-Charles Boisset has bought the Artesa estate in Carneros from Spain’s Raventós Codorníu. The property covers 350 acres, with 155 planted across Los Carneros and Mt. Veeder. The price was not disclosed.
The timing is the story. Codorníu built the winery in 1991, when the market was soft and cellars were full. Decanter notes those conditions have returned, with US wine sales down 2% in 2025. Boisset plans to grow sparkling production there.
Why it matters here
Carneros is cool, fog-affected country, suited to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for sparkling. Adelaide Hills growers work the same grapes for the same reason. A buyer backing sparkling in a flat market is a vote of confidence in the style.
Blanc de blancs Champagne keeps improving
The Drinks Business published its best blanc de blancs from The Champagne Masters 2026 on 24 September. Blanc de blancs is Champagne made only from white grapes, almost always Chardonnay. Patrick Schmitt’s view is that the category is getting better, with wines more precise and less prone to oxidation.
Houses named include Laurent-Perrier, Palmer, Deutz, Perrier-Jouët and Champagne Barons de Rothschild. Featured wines ran from £28 to £200.
Try it at the bar
Blanc de blancs is the easiest Champagne to pair with cheese. Its acidity cuts through a washed rind and it loves a young goat’s cheese. Ask the team what is open on the night, and see the menu for the current cheese list.
A short 2026 wine harvest in Europe and California
The Drinks Business reported on 25 September that spring hail and frost took up to 90% of grapes in parts of France and the US. France expects its lowest output in 70 years, and some California growers expect yields to halve. Château Tour des Termes’ Julien Brustis says climate change is pushing growers towards closer matching of grape variety and site.
Short crops tend to mean higher prices and tighter allocations once the wines are released. That is a reason to drink well now, and to lean on Australian wines where the value sits.
Taste it for yourself
Our next SA Wine Options League night is Monday 5 October, 6:30pm, $40. The Hoffmann Family Vineyards masterclass follows on Thursday 15 October, $55. For more on how French wine is judged, read our piece on the Michelin wine rating.
Sources
Come and taste it
Bar Septimus pours French and Australian wine by the glass alongside artisan cheese and charcuterie at 220 Grenfell Street, Adelaide East End.