Independent wine merchants excited by strong pre-Christmas sales

Independent wine merchants are reporting a solid lead-up in sales in the build up to Christmas as the Ipsos Retail Performance has revealed overall shopper numbers are on track to exceed last year.

COPY: Education is key to success in China say local distributors

Education is key to success in China say local distributors

Amorim enjoys record year as it produces over 4 billion corks in 2013

Amorim, the largest cork producer in the world, has broken its own production record after manufacturing more than four billion mark cork stoppers this calendar year.  The news represents a major boost for cork, which continues its comeback after strong challenges from alternative closures.

COPY: Damien Wilson: five key lessons to be learnt from Wine Vision

Last month's Wine Vision event in London was a blur of wine sector celebrities, real-time market data, and strategic seeding of experts from other successful fields of business.

Damien Wilson: five key lessons to be learnt from Wine Vision

Hard hitting business facts and data to be at the heart of WSTA's Be Fair George campaign

The Wine & Spirits Trade Association is to use exclusive research and data to help spearhead its new "Be Fair George" campaign to persuade the government to scrap the duty escalator on wine and spirits in next year's budget.

Bulleit bucks the trend and increases ABV of its UK whiskey

News this week that Diageo's Bulleit Bourbon would be changing its UK recipe and introducing a higher ABV is counter to what US bourbon and whiskey brands tend to do in the UK market.

UK wine and spirits industry hopes Christmas will make up for a hard 2013

The UK wine and spirit industry has had a tough 2013 with sales down in both the on and off-trades, according to the latest market report from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association.

French Independent Winegrowers fair comes to London

The French Independent Winegrowers fair will be returning to the Royal Horticultural Halls in London for a fifth year on February 6^th, 2014.

?WSTA to get consumers behind its 'Be Fair George' campaign

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association  is to next week launch a high level national media and consumer campaign to persuade the government to scrap the final year of the duty escalator on wines and spirits in the next Budget.

Northern Restaurant & Bar to expand by 20% in 2014

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Pernod Ricard teams up with the AA for annual Christmas anti-drinking driving campaign

Pernod Ricard UK has once again teamed up with the AA, the national breakdown service, to launch an anti-drink driving campaign for the festive period with a particular focus on raising awareness about the dangers of driving the morning after drinking.

Scotch Whisky Association sets up £500,000 to help alcohol-related harm

The Scotch Whisky Association has launched a £500,000 action fund to tackle alcohol-related harm.

Alcohol consumption in Scotland falls by nearly 10%

Alcohol consumption in Scotland has fallen by 8% since 2009 with 18 to 24 year-olds young people increasingly looking to drink less, according to a new report.

Accolade Wines takes on John Ratcliffe as its new chief executive

Accolade Wines has appointed former Seagrams and Oddbins chief, John Ratcliffe, as its new chief executive.

Moreno Wines look to widen its range and offer more merchant exclusives

Moreno Wines, that has built its reputation on its Spanish wine portfolio, is looking to widen its appeal to the independent on and off-trades by sourcing more wines from other countries, particularly Italy.

Croatian wines start to make serious inroads in to the UK

High-end and with bags of niche appeal, Croatia is turning heads among sommeliers and independents. Andrew Catchpole reports on the opportunities for Croatian wine in the UK.

Jonathan Simms to be brand ambassador for Pernod Ricard UK Champagnes

Pernod Ricard UK has appointed Jonathan Simms as its new ambassador for its Champagnes brands.

The Symingtons purchase highly coveted Quinta da Sarbordela

Symington Family Estates has bought the much coveted 30 hectare Quinta da Sabordela vineyard in the Douro valley which will now be incorporated in to the neighbouring Quinta do