#246 Weekly Update ProWein Shrinks, Trump Strikes Again & A Cider Boom?

ProWein 2025: Fewer exhibitors, fewer visitors… but does that
mean fewer opportunities? 


Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff threats send consumers into full
panic-buy mode, and European producers are left hoping it’s all
just blah blah blah.


But hey, not everyone’s losing: English sparkling wine and
Californian bubbles are eyeing the upside, Heineken is all-in on
AI and alcohol-free cider, and UK cider just hit a £2 billion
milestone.


Big moves, big shifts – let’s unpack what’s next.





Alexander Gottschalk
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-gottschalk-641838223/)





Shownotes:


(00:00:00) ProWein with 20% fewer exhibitors and 7% fewer
visitors


https://www.prowein.de/cgi-bin/md_prowein/lib/pub/tt.cgi


(00:02:14) Consumers loading up on booze as Trump threatens
massive tariff on alcohol from EU


https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/consumers-loading-up-on-booze-as-trump-threatens-massive-tariff-on-alcohol-from-eu


(00:03:06) Europeans Hoping the Trump Tariffs Are Just Blah Blah


(00:04:47) Trump’s tariff threat: an opportunity for English
Sparkling?


https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/03/trumps-tariff-threat-an-opportunity-for-english-sparkling/


(00:06:27) Californian sparkling wine benefits from declining
champagne


https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2025/03/champagnes-loss-is-californias-gain


(00:07:47) Concha y Toro grows against the market


https://www.meiningers-international.com/wine/news/wine-market-problems-not-concha-y-toro-which-had-sizzling-2024


(00:09:27) German wines hardly in demand in UK


https://www.meininger.de/wein/handel/deutsche-weine-uk-kaum-noch-gefragt


(00:11:50) Coca Cola supports tax reduction for German gastronomy


https://www.meininger.de/alkoholfreie-getraenke/hersteller/ccep-fordert-einheitliche-gastro-mehrwertsteuersenkung


(00:13:07) First DOC Consortium about to revolutionize Italian
Wine Law


https://www.meininger.de/wein/politik-und-verbaende/revolution-im-doc-system


(00:16:14) UK introduces new frost forecasting tool


https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/03/new-frost-forecasting-to-help-uk-vineyards-keep-their-cool/


(00:17:52) Heineken launches global AI Lab in Singapore


https://www.theheinekencompany.com/newsroom/heineken-launches-global-genai-lab-in-singapore/


(00:18:47) Heineken launches alcohol-free cloudy cider


https://www.just-drinks.com/news/heineken-adds-to-uk-inchs-range-with-alcohol-free-cloudy-ciders/


(00:19:08) Cider has reached historic £2 billion valuation in UK
on-trade


https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/03/cider-worth-2-billion-to-uks-pubs-bars-and-restaurants/


(00:19:50) Yellow Tail changes its bottles to adapt to changing
consumer demand


https://www.fastcompany.com/91298025/yellow-tail-branding-kangaroo-update


(00:20:52) Pepsi to acquire poppi for $1.65bn


https://www.pepsico.com/our-stories/press-release/pepsico-to-acquire-poppi03172025