Matthew Hill has been seconded from the Department of Culture, Media & Sport to act as interim chief executive
of The Drinkaware Trust - the joint body set up by the drinks industry and government to campaign on sensible drinking.
Austria, with less than 1% of global wine production, is a hot-house of innovation and aspiration for its red wine producers.
Read more...It's hard not to feel desperately sorry for Moldova, a country being brought to its knees by Russia's strong-arm tactics. This small, landlocked country is Europe's poorest, with the average wage hovering around US$70 a month.
Read more...Via Santa Rita is about to embark on one of the largest planting projects in the recent history of the Chilean wine history, with an estimated 1,700 hectares (ha) of premium vineyard to be planted by the end of the decade.
By Stuart Peskett
Lion Nathan has approved a new A$10 million winery for Adelaide Hills producer Petaluma, to replace the one established by Brian Croser 30 years ago.
South African producer Distell has signed a deal with distribution giant WaverleyTBS to represent it in the UK on-trade and selected off-trade accounts.
Mike Paul is out of a job and looking for something to do. Now that the Constellation leviathan has swallowed Western Wines, its former boss is chilling out while he weighs up his options.
Thierry's Wine Services - one of the UK's largest independent wine companies - has bought Edward Cavendish & Sons (ECS), the wholly-owned subsidiary of South African wine giant KWV. In return, KWV has taken a stake in Thierry's, with all details undisclosed.
Read more...Brown-Forman has confirmed that it has sold the production facility for its popular Italian brand Bolla to Gruppo Italiano Vino (GIV) for an undisclosed sum.
Read more...The third edition of the bible' - otherwise known as The Oxford Companion to Wine - was published this week.
By Christian Davis
The Rioja Regulatory Council (Consejo Regulador DOCa) is set to allow new white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo to be grown in Rioja and used in the region's DO white wines.
by Sarah Ahmed
The Syndicat International des Vignerons en Culture Bio-Dynamique (SIVCBD), a group of 40 biodynamic wine producers from across France, has launched a charter of vinification requirements to augment those governing viticulture. The charter, which is to be published on the SIVCBD's website (www.biodyvin.com), was agreed at the SIVCBD's AGM in January 2006, following two years of discussion.
by Christian Davis
The former marketing director of the off-licence chain Unwins, and then the Spanish wine producer United Wineries, had a call to arms last month in an attempt to find one of the holy grails of the wine trade - a wine that goes with spicy food.
Maison Coquard - the innovative Beaujolais producer run by Christophe Coquard - is set to embark on a new UK push in partnership with Eddie Mosdell.
When Randall Grahm, sometimes known as the wizard of Bonny Doon, sold off his Big House and Cardinal Zin brands in late July, he cut the annual production of Bonny Doon winery from over 400,000 cases to barely 40,000 cases. An unusual step in the wine business, when every day seems to bring news of the global conglomerates getting bigger as they gobble up the little guys.
Read more...Peter Cowan, the South African managing director of the Lion Nathan Wine Group, has resigned and will leave the business at the end of the year.
Read more...A new wine dating service launched by Nicolla Greaves at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has been inundated with interest from lonely women but can't find enough men to meet them.
Read more...South African wine producer Spier has appointed Cube Communications to handle its trade and consumer PR in the UK. The company has given itself the target of becoming one of the top three South African brands in the UK by 2008. It recently secured new listings in Tesco and Waitrose.
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has added Laura Jewell MW of HwCg and Alex Anson of Thresher Group to
its Awards Supervisory Board (ASB).
The white eaux-de-vie traditionally produced in the Armagnac region has been awarded its own AOC, known as La Blanche.
Read more...
