Critics May May 29-31

Australians say goodbye sherry, hello apera

Burgundy, champagne, sherry, port, tokay, vermouth and marsala have all started to disappear from Australian wine labels following an agreement over protected names with the European Union.

Tesco targets stay at home wine drinkers

Supermarket giant Tesco is planning to bolster its wine sales in a £150 million revamp of its customer Clubcard.

Berrys secures Dubai duty-free listings

Berry Bros & Rudd has secured listings for 10 of its Own Selection wines in the Arrivals Hall Duty-Free Shop in Dubai's new terminal building.

Wines in the Press: From Californian Chardonnay to century-old nectars

Jancis Robinson MW acquaints herself with wines from a bygone era and Jane MacQuitty lets us in on which tipples will be getting her through the winter months. Meanwhile Tim Atkin MW explains why his political persuasion is re-igniting his passion for American wines.

Wines in the Press: Sweet sherry and brilliant Bordeaux

Wines in the Press: Of sherry, spittoons and sparkling wines...

Jane MacQuitty sings the praises of fino and manzanilla, Joanna Simon discusses her spittoon technique, Anthony Rose visits Cahors and Tim Atkins gets busy with his wand.

Sherry under the stars at Somerset House

Beam Global UK is sampling its refreshing summer cocktail, Harveys & Lemonade, at the Somerset House Cinema Under the Stars Film Festival from 31 July to 9 August, as part of this year's £500,000 investment in Harveys, the UK's number one sherry.

Superior categories for Sherry announced

Two new Sherry categories have been created, which will introduced to the UK within the next two years.

All change for supermarket buying teams

Sainsbury's has appointed a new buyer to cover North America and Germany, while Somerfield has restructured its beer, wine and spirits team.

Split decision

It is inconceivable that the Cte d'Or would ever be regarded as a single entity, with no recognition of the differences between a Puligny-Montrachet and a Meursault. Yet, for the Clare Valley in South Australia, this is how it is. Though similar in length to the Cte d'Or, the Clare Valley is lumped into one catch-all appellation. But if you have ever tasted a selection of Rieslings from Polish Hill River, Watervale and Sevenhill this is clearly not one homogeneous zone.

Harveys urges Sherry drinkers to chill

Beam UK, owners of Sherry brand Harveys, is spending around 1 million this year in an attempt to persuade consumers to chill the product before they drink it.

Scotland wins the World Cup of Sherry

The chef and sommelier at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh have won the International Copa Jerez 2007. Sous chef Kevin Sutherland and sommelier James O'Donnell created a food and Sherry menu, beating teams from the US and Spain in the process. Their winning menu included a dish of sauted Keltic scallops, chestnut puree, apples and smoked bacon lardons with Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla. The judging panel included award-winning chef Heston Blumenthal, who praised the duo's original and inspiring' dishes.

New year, new show

Sainsbury's McEvoy moves to Thresher

Sainsbury's wine buyer Helen McEvoy is leaving on
17 November to join Threshers as senior wine buyer.

Beam set to blaze a trail

By Christian Davis
Beam Global Spirits & Wine is aiming to become a top-three global spirits and super-premium wine company, which will mean growth rates of 20% over the next 10 years.

A new era for Cyprus by Caroline Gilby MW

The Cyprus wine industry has reached a turning point. On the
one hand, EU membership has seen the loss of substantial subsidies for wine exports. This brought to an end the shipments of vast quantities of low-quality bulk wine that had been destined for Sherry-type fortified wines, gluhwein' and other mass markets in the EU. On the other hand, in 2005, Italian archaeologists found evidence that winemaking on the island dates back to 3,500 bc, possibly the longest winemaking history in Europe. Cyprus also claims one of the oldest images of wine drinkers in the 3rd century ad mosaics at Paphos. And Cypriots are proud of their sweet, fortified wine Commandaria, which is the oldest named' wine in the world, dating back to the 12th century and still made in the traditional manner from sun-dried grapes.

The best-selling take home drinks, according to AC Nielsen

The leading alcoholic drinks brands may have retained their positions in the market but this AC Nielsen results show that the UK take-home drinks trade is currently going through some subtle, but surprising changes.

Sainsbury's triumphs at Quality Drinks Awards

Sainsbury's was the big winner at last week's Quality Drinks Awards 2006, scooping five trophies in all.

New Sainsbury's BWS boss joins from Tesco

Sainsbury's beer, wines and spirits department has a new boss, Xavier Vidal, who has been poached from Tesco.
Frenchman Vidal comes in as business unit director, replacing Lawrence Clube, and will be responsible for the 6 billion impulse sector, which includes confectionery, soft drinks, snacks, tobacco and petrol, as well as BWS.