Cheers To 2025? Sparkling Wine Production And Exports In The EU Decline By 8%

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 17, 2025

As the New Year has already passed, many had eagerly anticipated a glass of bubbly to ring in the celebrations. However, this year, fewer bottles were available for toast, as production and exports of sparkling wine from the EU saw a sharp decline in 2023 due to the impact of extreme weather on vineyards.

According to the latest Eurostat data, the EU produced 1.496 billion litres of sparkling wine in 2023, a decrease of 8% compared to the previous year. Italy remained the leader in production, contributing 638 million litres, followed by France with 312 million litres and Germany with 263 million litres.

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In terms of exports, the EU shipped 600 million litres of sparkling wine to non-EU countries in 2023, marking another 8% drop. Italy’s Prosecco claimed the top spot in exports, representing nearly half of the total, while French Champagne followed at 15%, Spanish Cava at 10%, and sparkling wines from fresh grapes at 17%.

Climate Change’s Role In Production Decline

One of the key factors behind the production slump is the changing climate. Heavy rains, droughts, and storms, all exacerbated by climate change, are having a direct impact on vineyards, altering the taste of wine and, in some cases, threatening the very existence of certain varieties.

In Italy, extreme weather events and soil degradation have led to reduced grape yields, endangering Prosecco production, which is expected to decline by up to 20%. Similarly, Spain’s Cava is facing challenges from severe droughts, particularly in Catalonia, where many villages depend on water-intensive viticulture. Despite hopes that 2025 will bring more rainfall, major producers are urging the Spanish government to adopt irrigation solutions and other measures to address the growing threat of water shortages.

In response to the region’s chronic water shortages, Catalonia’s regional government has unveiled a €2.3 billion investment plan, set to span until 2040. The plan includes a €200 million seawater desalination plant on the Costa Brava, but financial backing from the Spanish government will be crucial for its success.

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Copyright Law Struggles To Keep Up With AI Training

by News Editor

August 24, 2026

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

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Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.

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