It has been confirmed. Wine, as we know it, is finished. By we', I mean those of us who believe wine should be an elegant, complex liquid composed of subtle flavours, balanced on a knife's edge of nuance and style. Oh, and it should, at least in its higher forms, say something about the vineyard and express some regional typicity.
Read more...Allied Domecq's shareholders will soon have to make up their minds. At the moment, however, they do not know whether it will be a simple choice between acceptance or rejection of Pernod Ricard's 7.4-billion takeover bid in concert with Fortune Brands.
Read more...We toured the Chianti Classico zone a couple of weeks ago and were treated to some pretty vehement opinions on the subject of the recently announced merger of the two Chianti Classico consortia (see Chianti Classico Consortia back together again', Harpers, 20 May), as well as on the incompetence, or worse, of the existing tasting commissions.
Read more...The fact that Allied Domecq has been a relatively big player in the UK Scotch whisky market with Teacher's Highland Cream and Laphroaig single malt was clearly not its main attraction for Pernod Ricard. Quite the contrary, one imagines.
Read more...So it's official. It's not just we isolationist, island-mentality British who doubt the wisdom of increasing the influence, power and sheer size of the European Union. There can't be many who haven't smiled a wry smile at the news that the French, of all Europeans, have rejected the proposed EU constitution. And now the Dutch have followed suit.
Consumer spending is slowing down, but you would not know that from the recent results from some pub companies. For instance, Wolverhampton & Dudley and Mitchells & Butlers have both produced buoyant profits based on solid sales returns. Enterprise Inns, Britain's biggest pub group, announced interim profits ahead by 56% on turnover 89% up following the purchase of the Unique Pub Co for 2.2 billion last year. The average profit per pub rose by 9%.
Read more...Vinexpo, now in its 13th edition, has been busy putting out positive noises. That's despite the disappearance of New Zealand, the reduced California presence (no Gallo, no Beringer) and the absence of official South African sponsorship.
Read more...With its airlocked security doors and its minimalist approach to wine ranging and customer service, my local Threshers has never been the most welcoming place to buy wine.
Read more...You have been warned. The supermarket chains are intent upon squeezing suppliers' margins even further.
Read more...The new Wine Australia export promotion campaign launched at the London International Wine & Spirit Fair (LIWSF) this week is, at its core, timely, well-intentioned and refreshing in its approach.
Read more...Open letter to James Purnell, minister for broadcasting, tourism, licensing and the creative industries, at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, about the Licensing Act 2003
Read more...The welcome appointment of Warren Adamson as head of New Zealand's generic body neatly spotlights the importance of generic representation in the wine trade sector.
Read more...My last article needled several women in the world of wine, forcing me to reconsider a lifetime's belief that it was the male of the species who takes himself the more seriously whereas women, closer to life because they bear it, are able to distance themselves from their own egos. But no. No way.
Read more...The election is over and the Government says it has heeded the electorate.
Read more...There has been much speculation about the impact of the forthcoming smoking ban in UK pubs.
Read more...At my annual stint at the International Wine Challenge (IWC) I found myself partnered by three young Australian winemakers.
Read more...It's that time again. The London International Wine & Spirits Fair.
Read more...So, the influence of the famous RP (Robert Parker to you) is no longer a matter of folklore and hearsay.
Read more...I think we all should thank Graham Hines for his tireless work in protecting and advancing the name of Sherry, and I wish him well.
Read more...In Ralph Ellison's great American novel The Invisible Man, published in 1952, the central premise is that black men are so unimportant in the US, so inconsequential, that they are, in fact, invisible'.
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