Ghislain de Montgolfier, president of Champagne Bollinger, has been appointed as the new president of the Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). He will take up his position on 15 March, the day of the UMC's annual general assembly.
Paul Walsh, chief executive of UK spirits company Diageo, has said demand for premium brands is shrinking'.
When: Wednesday 14 March, 10am-5.30pm
Where: The Nursery End Pavilion, Lord's Cricket Ground, London NW8
Contact: Tina Coady on 01638 614 775 or register at www.franceunderoneroof.co.uk
Venue: Royal Horticultural Halls, London
Date: Tuesday 13 March, 10.30am-5.30pm
Jorge Fernandez, a Londoner of Spanish parentage, has spent most of his career conceptualising and running coffee bars. He opened the Caf at Foyles, which his wife now runs, and for several years was the general manager at the Monmouth Coffee Company. Rick Wells was born in Zimbabwe, where he lived until he was 10. He has spent his career to date reporting on Africa for the BBC, and a few years ago, pursuing his passion for wine, he started a small business sourcing and importing wines for friends. A regular Monmouth customer, Wells got to know Fernandez and realised that both dreamed of opening up a shop. Fernandez and Wells, a deli-cum-wine shop focusing on wine, cheese and cured meat from France, Italy and Spain, opened in January, and a new venue specialising in coffee, cake and chocolate will open later this year. Some wines are specially sourced by Wells, others are supplied by John Armit and Enotria .
A new region has joined Austria's growing appellation system as the country moves further to promote its wines by area rather than variety.
Can magnets affect the flavour of wine? A MW student stands to in a prize of US$1 million if his dissertation proves that controversial magnetic wine-improving devices actually work as claimed.
The most extensive collection ever of Chteau d'Yquem has been sold for a record-breaking 775,000.
Blended Scotch accounts for around 90% of total Scotch whisky sales, which sounds great, but blends have been experiencing a gentle, sustained decline in the UK. There's a particular lack of understanding and appreciation among younger consumers, who are focused on vodka and its amazing mixability.
Only two years after it took over Southcorp, Australia's largest wine producer, Foster's could itself become a takeover target. That is the conclusion of some analysts Down Under following publication of disappointing figures from Australia's leading drinks producer.
A wine estate in Wairarapa has been hit by phylloxera, making it likely that the entire region will become infected.
French wine and spirit exports hit an all-time high in 2006. According to the Fdration des Exportateurs de Vins et de Spiriteux de France (FEVS), exports were up 12.9% in 2006, representing a total value of 8.74 billion.
United Brands is under new management, and major changes have already been made.
Michel Rolland is giving up his consulting work on 15 Mdoc and Graves properties as the left bank pushes for a more recognisable, Cabernet-focused style. Chteaux Kirwan in Margaux and de Fieuzal in Graves are among those that Rolland is leaving, but he will remain at Malescot, despite reports to the contrary. Rolland also wished to make it clear that he has never been associated with Chteau Branaire.
A new wine brand with an alcohol level of 8.5% by volume is to hit pubs in mid-April, and is likely to herald the emergence of a mid-strength wine category in the UK.
The Portman Group, the marketing watchdog of the drinks industry, has questioned whether the promotion of shooter' and slammer' shots should be curbed, as it prepares to publish its latest Code of Practice.
Constellation Brands, the world's biggest wine producer, has warned investors net sales could fall by up to 14% in the next financial year as it continues to be hit by a combination of the glut of wine in Australia and intensifying private label competition in the UK.
Diageo's shares have risen by 23% in the past year and its figures for the half-year to 31 December show why.
The Italian Trade Commission (ICE) will hold a UK trade tasting for the first time in eight years on Wednesday. With no generic body, Italian tastings in the UK have focused on single Italian regions that wanted to promote their wines, but now ICE has united more than 60 producers from the north, south and islands. Every producer will send a representative, and there will be a tasting in Dublin two days before the London event.
If there has been one undisputed champion of the UK drinks market during the past decade it has been vodka. The clear viscous liquid with no discernible colour and little in the way of aroma or flavour has won over legions of (mostly younger) consumers, and in recent years has grown to become the UK's largest spirit category, accounting for around 28% of the UK market. The previous champion, blended whisky, has been sent sprawling on to the canvas by the young upstart and now holds just 25% of the total market (AC Nielsen total market MAT to end of December 2006). Overall, the vodka market has grown by 55% since 1997 (Euromonitor), reaching 75 million litres last year, an astonishing compound growth rate of around 5% each and every year.
