Muscadet was hit hard by the British switch to New World wines during the 1990s but, as David Williams reports, quality initiatives and a region-wide shake-up of vineyards and wineries is starting to reverse the trend
Read more...It's almost 100 years since the Johnnie Walker logo first strode into our lives, in his top hat and breeches, and he remains an unmistakable symbol of Scotch whisky worldwide. Tom Bruce-Gardyne charts his journey
Read more...On October the 29th, some of the industries top Cabernet producers came together to debate"The Great Cabernet Conundrum". Watch video from the event.
Read more...After leaving the US for the Cte d'Or in the Sixties, Becky Wasserman set up shop first as a cooper and then as a broker, earning a dazzling reputation. Here, she talks to Margaret Rand about the peculiar problems of doing business in Burgundy and her run-in with the Mob.
Read more...Natural hazards and a low export profile are relatively moderate concerns for grape growers and winemakers on Santorini. For with young workers deserting viticulture for tourism, the island's vineyards are in danger of dying out with the older generation. Joanne Simon visits an historic wine island fighting for survival
Read more...The chill economic wind has been blowing through the portals of wine auction houses on both sides of the Atlantic. Nevertheless, many auctioneers report that revenues have been better than expected. John Stimpfig makes sense of the profit trends in the salerooms and tests the chill factor for 2003
Read more...Like its polar opposite, FABs, organic wine has been one of the drinks industry's biggest growth markets over the past decade. But can the boom survive a recession? David Williams assesses the current and future health of the UK's green wine scene
Read more...As 2003 gets underway, Jack Hibberd looks ahead to the year's key trade and consumer food and drink extravaganzas, from Birmingham to So Paulo
Read more...Is new product development the way forward for standard blended Scotch, or should the category be looking for clues in its most successful market - Spain? David Williams reports
Read more...Eric Appleby of Alcohol Concern believes that the British should cut their alcohol consumption by 50%. The WSA's Quentin Rappoport is adamant that sensible drinkers are being stigmatised and that alcohol can be life-enhancing. Here, they go head-to-head on alcohol misuse in the UK and the trade's responsibilities.
Read more...The Holy Grail for wine producers is to convince the elusive generations X and Y to cast aside their PPSs and PPLs and pick up a bottle of wine. But new research suggests that the majority of this age group feel they will be drinking more wine in the future anyway. So are wine marketeers wasting their time? Jack Hibberd investigates
Read more...The standard of airline wines has improved dramatically since the Seventies, when Hock and Claret topped the in-flight menus. But how are today's airline wines selected and packaged, and what do carriers and suppliers predict for an immediate future overshadowed by war and economic uncertainty? Jack Hibberd takes to the skies
Read more...Set against a backdrop of socio-economic problems - urban drift, antiquated production values - and the controversial application for EU admission, Cyprus' wine industry is battling gamely to convert its export profile from bulk to alternative wines. Joanne Simon reports on the positive mood at the island's four big producers
Read more...It has been a tough year for America, and with the news that grape prices in California have slumped along with demand, it isn't getting any easier. Yet the mainstream UK wine drinker is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the US. Brand California is on a roll, as Christian Davis reports
Read more...Uruguay is the forgotten "other" of South America, languishing behind the sheer bulk potential of Argentina and the frisky success of Chile. But as Jim Budd reports, Uruguay's best hopes for a breakthrough lie in a role model far from the Andes
Read more...Far from being geared merely towards the large-scale production of mediocre wines, Joanne Simon discovers that two Italian co-operatives are driving quality production in two very diverse regions, Trentino and the Marches
Read more...On 2 July, the IWSC turned its attention to the future of the industry in a seminar called Reaching the Young Adult Market'. Watch video of the speakers here.
Read more...Michel Chapoutier talks to Neil Beckett about AOC, Hermitage, biodynamics, terroir and quantum physics, while tricking him into eating huge quantities of pig fat
Read more...Cigars, it seems, never go out of style. But like any consumer item, they are vulnerable to trends, peaks and sales troughs. Joanne Simon speaks to the UK's premium cigar purveyors to find out what's currently setting the stogy market alight
Read more...Harpers' letters bag has been bulging with responses to Andrew Jefford's recent survey on Britain's wine PR and press. Key signals from his initial findings and the backlash make scary reading for British wine writers, but there's more good news for brands. Here, Andrew presents an update
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