Global wine production is showing signs of increasing homogeneity as international varieties expand their share of the world’s vineyards.

Bibendum Wine Limited has merged with drinks importer the PLB Group to create The Bibendum PLB Group.

Officially approved by the European Commission in February 2014 after a three year process, the Gran Selezione label can be applied to estate grown, Sangiovese-dominated wines from the 2010 vintage onwards which meet upgraded criteria concerning minimum alcohol, extraction and at least 30 months maturation.

Prosecco’s explosive UK growth has not come at the expense of Champagne, which held its volume and saw value sales increase by 2.2%, according to the Lanson Champagne Category Report 2014.