Andrew Maidment, the head of Wines of Argentina in the UK said 2015 was another great year with growth of 26% compared to 2014. Looking ahead though Maidment sees 2016 as year to continue to focus on the end drinker, but will be following the discount retailers next year.
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Robin Copestick of Copestick Murray looks back at Stoke City football and how healthy the UK wine trade was in 2015. Although 2015 was good- "2016 will be better still."
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Hambledon Vineyard has announced plans to to increase the estates's production facilities in response to growing demand of its award-winning English sparkling wine.
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The European Court of Justice has ruled that the Scottish Government's case for minimum unit pricing [MUP] for alcohol could be in breach of free trade laws if tax-based measures could deliver a fairer and equally effective result with regard to protecting public health.
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Last month the average British household spent £188.41 on out of home leisure, which is a decrease of £5 (2%) year-on-year and a £17 (8%) decrease compared to October according to the Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker.
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The celebrated Roger Jones of Michelin-star restaurant The Harrow at Little Bedwyn had a great 2015 with sales up 20%! He
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Ayo Akintola, the managing director of Oddbins saw 2015 as a challenging, but satisfactory year. The 'manic' response of retailers to threat of discounters moving into the UK has been a challenge in 2015. But Akintola is looking forward to 2016 as he sees the opportunity to work with interesting suppliers as a 'once in a generation' opportunity.
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Binge drinking is placing increasing stress on hospital and A&E services in the UK, according to a new report from healthcare charity The Nuffield Trust.
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Over three-quarters of us will leave something out for Father Christmas this year, according to a survey of Tesco customers.
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Hal Wilson of Cambridge Wine Merchants has had an 'awesome' and 'dynamic' 2015. He has embraced the popularity of spirits, which has helped boost his offering to over 900 SKUs. The two biggest challenges in 2016 Wilson's thinks will be to keep wine 'sexy' and combating supermarket discounting.
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Franciacorta Consorzio, the governing body of the Franciacorta premium Italian sparkling wine region, has elected Vittorio Moretti, owner of Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi, as its president.
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Jo Wehring of Wines of South Africa looks back at a successful Cape Wine in 2015, but sees Majestic as the retailer to watch heading into 2016. She is looking foward to a new tasting in 2016 that will be hosted by WOSA called Intrepid South Africa in the autumn next year- so watch this space.
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Jakob Ripshtein has been appointed as chief financial officer of Diageo's North American business.
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Pernod Ricard UK has again partnered with the AA on its Christmas anti drink-driving campaign.
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Pre-Christmas shopping on alcohol is up this year, while spend on other groceries has decreased, according to the latest figures from data analysts IRI.
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The Bushmills distillery in County Antrim will double in capacity if new expansions plans meet with local planning approval.
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Berry Bros & Rudd, wine merchants to the royal family, reported pre-tax losses of £11.4 million last year.
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David Cox, the chief executive of The Benevolent, the drinks charity in the UK, is proud that in 2015 the charity was able to assist 570 beneficiaries. For the trade, he saw 2015 as a challenging year where businesses need to work harder than ever to protect margins. In 2016 he most looking forward to continuing to grow the number of companies that are engaged with charity.
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In the first of our annual reviews of the year, we asked Julia Trustram Eve, the marketing director for English Wine Producers, what were some highlights of 2015 and what she thinks lies ahead for the industry. For Trustman Eve, 2015 was a busy year where English wines became increasingly more mainstream. Looking ahead she see the Budget as one of the industries biggest challenges in 2016, but a lot of opportunity as well with the International Cool Climate Symposium being hosted in the UK.
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William Grant & Sons chief executive Stella David is to leave the family-owned business in February, it is reported.
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