Overall, 2005 has been a difficult vintage from north to south,' stressed Alberto Antonini, winemaker of the Matura group. The key factor to getting the best out of this vintage was good vineyard management.'
Read more...HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has signed a memorandum of understanding' (MOA) with the two leading UK spirits trade associations designed to cement cooperation in dealing with spirits fraud.
Read more...Diageo surprised both the wine trade and city analysts last week by declining its option to buy Pernod Ricard's New Zealand brand Montana for 320 million.
Read more...The sale of Groupe Lanson, formerly known as Marne
& Champagne, has moved another step closer with the 15 companies originally declaring an interest now whittled down to a short list of five.
Beyers Truter, the owner and winemaker of South Africa's Beyerskloof winery, has lent his name and support to a new initiative that aims to tackle one of the Cape's most serious issues - alcohol abuse during pregnancy.
Read more...Pencil-thin novelty act The Cheeky Girls livened up the Nicolas Feuillatte One Fo(u)r launch party at hot London club Movida last week. The Romanian twins (real names Monica & Gabriela Irimia) were more than happy to pose for photographers to mark the launch of the range, which comprises a Brut NV and a ros, both in 200ml bottles. Meanwhile, the great and the good of AOR turned out for the Q Awards at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, sponsored by Chilean brand PKNT. Bands such as Coldplay and The Charlatans were at the ceremony, and all the guests received goodie bags containing PKNT wristbands and yo-yos.
Read more...Roussillon has set its sights on the Scottish market, holding its
biggest UK trade tasting this year in Edinburgh.
Despite the success of the 2001 vintage of Sauternes legend Chteau d'Yquem - which was released earlier this month,
with the first tranche selling out in hours and prices on the secondary market already at more than 3,000 a case - eyebrows may have been raised on the Gallic side of the Channel after a UK bar included the 1999 vintage of the wine in its 22 Emperor cocktail.
Wolf Blass, the FGL-owned Australian wine brand, is claiming an unprecedented level of success after its sponsorship of the summer's Ashes Test series, part of a four-year sponsorship for the Test match grounds. A spokesperson for Wolf Blass said that, up to and including the fourth Test at Old Trafford, the equivalent advertising value to ABC1 males' was 3.75 million, with an equivalent PR value' of 3 million. This represents a return on its investment of 1:15.
Diageo and Freixenet have both announced new advertising campaigns in time for the Christmas period.
Leading Portuguese producer, Sogrape, is seeking to push Portuguese regionality with the launch of its ambitious new brand, Callabriga.
Read more...Enotria Winecellars is the UK agents for the Tokara Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The three estate wines, launched earlier this month, are a Chardonnay, barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux blend. All three will be
available from UK stock by the end of this month.
Millions of pounds' worth of wine were destroyed in a warehouse fire in California.
Read more...Castello di Ama is to rejoin the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico after a gap of over 12 years. The move represents a major coup for the Consorzio in its bid to promote Chianti Classico among world wine drinkers after a low period when it has become associated with straw-covered bottles and trattoria dining.
Read more...Leading UK agency business, HwCg, has moved into winery ownership with the acquisition of Australian wine and beverage producer, the Irymple Group.
Read more...French Wines has clarified the judging process of its annual awards after three of the six gongs went to members (or their companies) of the judging panel.
Read more...The decision by Wines of South Africa (WOSA) to organise producers by region at last week's Mega Tasting has received a mixed reaction.
Read more...John Smith, chairman of The Wine and Spirit Trades' Benevolent Society, laid a plaque last week at the charity's Vintry Home in Eastbourne, as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of pounds raised by the Wine Trade Foundation on behalf of the Benevolent.
Read more...Toby Knowles, a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma student, became the 1,000th member of the Institute of Wines & Spirits (IWS).
Former Southcorp CEO Keith Lambert has ended his three-year exile from the Australian wine industry to join his former employee, Philip Shaw, at Orange-based winery Cumulus Wines.
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