The demise of the wine critic has been over-reported, in the UK at least, where wine communicators are still influential. James Lawrence names the important names.

Sweden was partially de-monopolised more than 20 years ago and now has more than 1,000 importing companies. Vincent Arrhenius looks at the biggest.

In a decentralised country like Germany, it can be difficult to work out who the most important people are. Jürgen Mathäß has created a guide.

At the annual food & drinks shows Horecava and Wine Professional, Cees van Casteren MW asked a representation of the trade and press about who they thought mattered the most in the Dutch market. These are his findings.

Washington, DC, seat of the federal government for the US, is an autonomous district, and as such it is unencumbered from certain state regulations, notably those which influence the import and distribution of alcohol — a twist that has helped create one of the nation’s most diverse and creative beverage scenes. The mix of universities and government representatives (and lobbyists in tow) keeps the District’s demographics skewed young, intelligent, affluent and out on the town, factors that no doubt have contributed to DC leading the nation in wine consumption per capita, and by a good margin. Scott Saunders speaks to wine scene representatives.

Holland is a country so full of independent merchants, it can be hard to make sense of the market. Fortunately, Cees van Casteren MW is on hand to show the way.

Norwegians have been Mjød beer drinkers since Viking days, only taking to wine in recent years. Yet today, Norway is an important monopoly market. Mai Tjemsland MW looks at who dominates the wine trade.

Although Switzerland is known for chocolate, watches and skiing, it also boasts a thriving wine culture. Yves Beck reports on who the most significant people in the industry are.