Montes invests in Napa

Chilean winery Via Montes is investing in a new venture in California's most famous wine region, the Napa Valley.

Brown-Forman wins race for Tequila brand Herradura

by Ron Emler
Brown-Forman, which produces Jack Daniel's and Finlandia vodka, has won the battle to purchase Herradura Tequila, its $876 million offer beating off rival bids from Bacardi and Pernod Ricard.

Chamarr hits the target

By Jack Hibberd
Chamarr - arguably the most ambitious French wine launch in history - is on track to be the biggest French brand in the UK within five years, according to its owners.

Australia - state of the art

Lindemans goes global; Rosemount relaunched

by jack hibberd
It's all happening Down Under. And it's all happening for Foster's. On the same day that the Australian drinks giant announced its full-year results (and rumours circulated that it was an acquisition target) it released its bold plans to revitalise the ailing Rosemount brand and launched a new range that takes Lindemans global.

Codornu appoints Westbury

Leading Cava producer Codornu has appointed PR consultancy Westbury Communications to handle its UK activity.
The campaign, which will comprise media activity and events, will focus on educating consumers about the brand's heritage and its innovative approach to Cava-making.

Aldo Zilli

This a big year for you with the 10th anniversary of Zilli Fish as well as the publication of a new book. Are you doing anything to celebrate?
We've given the restaurant a facelift. It used to be all blue and fishy, so to speak, but now we've gone a bit more contemporary and neutral. We let the food do the talking now, not the design - simple design but very good food and service. After 10 years, it was about time for a facelift. People do it to themselves and restaurants need it too.

Women of Wine with cheese

Women of Wine (WOW) is holding a cheese and wine evening on 26 September at La Fromagerie in Moxton Street, London. Twelve wines will be matched with British and Continental cheeses, and there will be cheese experts on hand to offer advice and information. Email womenofwine.yahoo.
com for more information.

Tesco to increase number of stores selling fine wine

Tesco is expanding the fine wine fixture it introduced in March - with both the number of lines and the number of stores that stock them being increased.

Waitrose backs New World

Waitrose is giving the New World a boost with a New World Wine Showcase to be held in all branches from 4 to 24 September.

Riedel versus Zwiesel: who will shatter first?

Zwiesel Kristallglas AG claims that rival glass company Riedel, Nachtmann and Spiegelau has misrepresented the facts of a dispute over marketing material in a recent statement to the industry.

Profile - Mark Williamson, Mr Waitrose

Suggest to Mark Williamson that Waitrose is middle-class, and he quivers. It's so remarkable that it's worth saying again - and he quivers again. The phrase middle-class' is clearly a tricky one: he prefers the description people who appreciate good food and wine, regardless of what car they're driving'.

Diageo introduces a glass for the boys

By Dawn Cran
Drinks giant, Diageo, is launching a new 16oz spirits and mixer glass into the UK on-trade to take advantage of recent figures that show footfall within the on-trade has been increasing by 12 extra visits per outlet since early 2005.

California hit by record temperatures

by Larry Walker
Grape growers throughout California are keeping an uneasy eye on the weather while getting ready for the 2006 harvest.

Wines in the Weekly Press, 26/27 August, 2006

The Interview - Kevin Howell, Thresher franchisee, Thresher shop, Hythe, Kent

Kevin Howell has been in the licensed trade just about all his 44 years. His parents ran the White Hart, one of major pubs in Hythe High Street in Kent. After studying at Portsmouth College, he went to work in a Peter Dominic off-licence in nearby Bearsted in Kent. He then moved to the Thresher shop in Hythe, 17 years ago. Kevin is the second person to switch from manager to fracnhisee under the new Thresher franchisee scheme. He is also vice-chairman of the local chamber of commerce.

Wine trade fairs

If you've survived the annual jaunt to the two major events in the wine trade calendar, the London International Wine & Spirits Fair (LIWSF) and Vinexpo, it's now time to sit back and enjoy the brief lull before the next round of exhibition hall madness. But how many of us are already planning to visit some of Europe's smaller wine fairs next year too? And are wine trade fairs an essential part of an independent wine merchant's buying strategy, or simply a waste of time and energy?

Wines of Argentina MD quits

The managing director of Wines of Argentina has quit the post less than one year after taking up the reins.

Thoughts and reflections on Len Evans

Len Evans AO, OBE, oenophile
Born 1 August 1930; died 17 August 2006, aged 75

Yeast - wild, cultured, genetically modified - by Jamie Goode

A few months ago, I visited one of Australia's leading small wineries at harvest time. A small open-top fermenter had been loaded with Shiraz the previous day: now, some 24 hours later, the must was already quite deeply coloured, but fermentation hadn't yet begun.