Suntory explores space-aged whisky

Leading Japanese distillery Suntory is to send a batch of its whiskies to the International Space Station. The drinks giant wants to study the effect of zero gravity on the drink's maturing process.

WSET welcomes Crown Cellars as latest corporate patron

Crown Cellars, the specialist wine and spirits division of Carlsberg UK, has become the latest business to become a patron of The Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

Cube wins Vinho Verde account

Portuguese wine region Vinho Verde has appointed drinks-sector communications specialists, Cube to handle both consumer- and trade-facing PR.

Copestick Murray announces key promotions and appointments

Copestick Murray has appointed two new members to its sales team after an extensive recruitment campaign earlier in the year.

Oxford Wine Festival confirms 2015 line-up for eagerly awaited event

The final line-up for the Oxford Wine Festival has now been confirmed. The full exhibitor list now includes over 40 of the UK's leading wine merchants and covers 26 wine-producing countries.

Chinese distillers caught lacing drinks with Viagra in police raids

Police in China have seized over 5,000 bottles of popular spirit baiju as part of an investigation into whether distillers are lacing their products with the drug Viagra, which is designed to treat erectile dysfunction.

Gosset and Frapin leave McKinley Vintners for Louis Latour Agencies

Louis Latour Agencies has poached both Champagne Gosset and Cognac Frapin from McKinley Vintners. The two prestigious brands - both owned by family group Renaud Cointreau - joined the Latour portfolio on 1 August 2015.

English winery Giffords Hall aims to crowdfund major expansion drive

East-Anglian vineyard, Giffords Hall, has turned to crowdfunding website crowd2fund.com to raise capital. It is seeking £58,000 in return for a 5% equity share.

Quaglino's partners with Tanqueray to launch pop-up indoor garden

R&B crowd-sources location for new Borders distillery

Scottish whisky producer R&B Distillers is asking its customers to choose a location for a new distillery in the Borders. If completed, it will be the first distillery in the region since 1837.

Breaking News: Enotria acquires Coe Vintners

One of the UK's leading premium wine distributors announced it has acquired competitor Coe Vintners.

Uruguay's Bodega Garzón débuts new wine range for UK market

Uruguayan winery Bodega Garzón plans to launch its new Colinas de Uruguay brand at this year's Emerging Regions Tasting.

Moody's warns grocery sector of threat from rising minimum wage

UK retailers will struggle with the government's recently announced hike in the living wage, according to credit rating agency Moody's.

Wines of Portugal reveals winners of annual sommelier competition

Wines of Portugal has announced the winners of its Wine Quest sommelier competition. First place went to Christophe Richelet of Taberna do Mercado with Maggie Mak of Maze by Gordon Ramsay named as runner up.

Will Greenwood teams with Wolf Blass to find world's greatest ever rugby players

Australian wine brand Wolf Blass has teamed up with Will Greenwood, a key player in England's 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning team, to launch a rugby-themed UK promotion.

Bibendum PLB and Kings Place plan Ultimate Wine Options Dinner in aid of Action Against Hunger

Bibendum PLB has partnered with Kings Place to host a charity auction and dinner in aid of Action Against Hunger. The event will take place on 7 September.

Wines of Portugal promotion offers consumers chance to win holiday

Wines of Portugal is offering consumers the chance to win a three-day autumn trip to Portugal through a new on-bottle neck-tag promotion.

Bacardí announces new global vice president

Bacardí has appointed Fabio Di Giammarco as its new global vice president. He will oversee the brand's global marketing, with a particular emphasis on improving the brand equity.

SPI launches new luxury wine division with Arinzano acquisition

International wine and spirits producer the SPI Group has acquired the Spanish Arinzano Winery for its new luxury wine division, HEW Holding.

Herencia de Plata's award-winning tequila returns to UK shelves

Premium tequila Herencia de Plata is set to return to the UK through an exclusive partnership with Meximport. Earlier this year, it was awarded a silver medal in the Tequila Masters 2015 competition.