Lynne Whitaker, founder, Winebrands on what we can learn from power of fragrance brands

Lynne Whitaker, founder of the Winebrand consultancy, takes a look at what the wine trade could learn from branding and premium positioning in the fragrance sector

Fiona Sims on rosé

They say that rosé is the oldest known wine in the world. The vines were brought to Provence by the Romans over 2,600 years ago, and unearthed ancient amphorae revealed pale red wines made with a little maceration, proves the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), which represents 700 producers and 55 negociants.

Jeremy Beadles comment June

The burst of musical chairs at the departments of state last week added a bit of excitement to a rainy summer. As Gordon Brown shuffled for his life last Friday, the trade got three new but familiar faces at the departments that deal with alcohol policy, as former Ministers for culture and health took the top jobs for health, licensing and the home office.

Richard Siddle comment June 12

Whether you bothered to vote in their elections or not, the workings of the European Union have been very much front page news this week.

Anne Krebiehl: Final blog from New Zealand harvest

So very few days are left in the gorgeous Central Otago autumn sunshine and still a little hung over after the harvest celebrations, my picking mates James and Martin and I have a tour of the Felton Road Winery:  spotlessly clean and pervaded by the smell of the fermenting fruit.

Angela Mount comment

The stands are down, the hoards of overseas producers have flown home and the fun of the Fair is over for another year... but in our current cash and margin strapped industry, with the words "global recession" swirling around our ears, was it fun?

Anne Krebiehl: Penultimate blog from New Zealand harvest

Penultimate Instalment - End of Harvest

Richard Siddle, Editor's blog

As I ambled mindlessly along to Clapham Junction one day last week to head off for work I was struck by a long, winding queue waiting patiently outside for Marks & Spencer to open.

Anne Krebiehl: Tenth blog from New Zealand harvest

Picking continues apace. When we get to the vineyards now, we can see more and more picked rows with foliage of burnished yellow, rust and red. By now we are all comfortable with each other and already have a well-used stock of in-jokes. It all makes for pleasant days and lots of laughter, but speed remains of the essence.

Carol Emmas - LIWF Day 1 - Different Opinions

First stop at the LIWF was 'Les Terroiristes du Midi' stand (H50) which has sparked a bit of controversy with its radical theme - just what was intended.

Richard Siddle, Editor's Blog May 8

There have hardly been many Champagne cork-popping moments to put a smile on the drinks industry in recent months, but next week's London International Wine Fair is the perfect excuse to open a bit of bubbly. In more ways than one.

Dominic Walsh, The Times, May 2009

The demonisation of drink has taken a sinister new twist. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) seems hell-bent on ensuring the advertising of alcohol should be so po-faced and prudish as to render the whole medium pointless.

Richard Siddle, Editor's blog May

When things get tough everyone starts looking around for the silver bullet or the "one big thing" that is going to get them out of trouble. But life, as they say, is a little more complicated than that.

Jeremy Beadles comment on Budget 2009

No, the Budget wasn't good news for the wine and spirits trade. Another increase in excise duty after the successive and excessive increases last year was the last thing we need. Yet in a Budget notable for its lack of any good news at all it was hardly a shock either.

Anne Krebiehl: Eighth blog from New Zealand harvest

The harvest steps up. Our days just evaporate, there is no standstill: we generally turn up at a quarter to eight so that picking starts promptly at 8 o'clock. On some days we are all muffled up in woolly hats, on others a jersey will do.

Carol Emmas - Skalli in Sète

From Châteauneuf-du-Pape we travel to Sète in the Langeudoc, for a tasting of all wines under the Skalli range with winemaker Laurent Sauvage.

Anne Krebiehl: Seventh blog from New Zealand harvest

For the duration of the harvest I am staying at Jackson's Orchard just outside Cromwell. Before stubborn pioneers like Sue Edwards and Verdun Burgess of Black Ridge, Lois and Rolfe Mills of Rippon and Alan Brady of Gibbston Valley started planting vines in 'Central' in the 1980s (more of their wines in a later instalment), horticulture was and to a degree still is the mainstay of this area: Central Otago cherries and apricots are famous and there are many apple orchards, too.

Now in autumn the roadside stalls are fully stocked. I can stay at the orchard amidst rows and rows of trellised apricot trees since the season is over. Usually the huts, former motel units that were moved here, are occupied by the cherry, peach and apricot pickers and when I arrived, I saw the last fragrant batches of peaches being despatched. Since I moved in, the orchard has turned colour and I can walk ankle-deep through russet-coloured leaves to State Highway No. 6. From Jackson's own fruit stall I can buy milk, apples and tomatoes and one of these days I will have to try the Otago cherries in Kirsch. My neighbours are two Ecuadorean girls harvesting for Mount Edward and three Thai fruit pickers who keep making Tom Yum Soup in our shared kitchen shack. It is very quiet and very beautiful here and having my own little hut is luxurious.

Fiona Sims guest wine critic blog

I've lost count of the number of bad wine lists I've come across.

Richard Siddle comment April 17

If you scratch below the surface of any successful company then there is usually one common factor that ties them all together - a commitment to and an investment in their staff.

Ben Stephens, wine2laydown.com blog on the Budget

Ben Stephens, managing director of Wine2laydown.com gives his assessment of last week's Budget.