Tampa, Florida, isn’t exactly known for its rollicking wine scene. While a unique culinary mix takes inspiration from early European invaders and African immigrants in the 16th century, wines are often simple to go with local saltwater fare or take a back seat to tequila-based drinks.
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Despite inflation galloping away and the cost-of-living crisis biting – not to mention shipping issues and related costs – recent pandemic-boosted trends suggest that consumers have become more adventurous and premium in their wine-buying habits.
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As with any industry, wine is no stranger to buzzwords – particularly when producers and importers are struggling to boost sales in an increasingly competitive marketplace. It’s nigh on impossible to escape the word “minerality” and pretty hard to avoid the phrase “new wave” to describe a movement/group of producers making qualitative changes in regions renowned for being quite predictable.
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The past five years have been busy for the soft drinks sector in the UK. Producers have had to navigate the introduction of the sugar tax, changes in drinking habits triggered by the pandemic, and now hefty price hikes across multiple food and drink categories. The adult soft drinks sector sits at the premium end of the total soft drinks category, and this is where you can find beverages made from unique ingredients and botanicals, with bold logos and artistic artwork. It’s a fun and luxurious part of the sector, but can it survive the current cost-of-living crisis?
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Who hasn’t had a love affair with Italian wines? It’s a rite of passage for any true wine lover. Before heading off to the extremes of Chile or the slopes of the Mosel or Douro, wine buffs tend to fall into the arms of Piedmont, Tuscany and Etna. With so much varietal and stylistic diversity, it’s easy to be carried away by the sheer breadth – and to be very promiscuous with – Italy’s array of choice.
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Digitalisation has been a long time coming within the wine industry. Often derided for its last-to-the-party pace of adoption, things finally seemed to be catching up at the beginning of the new decade, with acceleration a key part of the trade’s Covid journey.
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Football is a global sport with a greater following than any political movement or religion (probably). According to Statista, more than a billion people tuned in to watch the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. The official beer partner of that tournament, held in Russia, was Budweiser, and its bold American iconography could be seen the world over.
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More and more people are taking the environment into consideration when it comes to choosing alcoholic drinks products. A Wines Direct survey reveals their main areas of worry.
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Vineyard owners shared their success stories of using the regenerative model to improve vineyard health at a recent symposium on the subject, organised by Familia Torres.
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James Lawrence identifies the branding trends stealing a march for wines and spirits.
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When chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his proposed changes to alcohol duty in the October Budget, he described them as the “most radical simplification of alcohol duties for over 140 years”. Under the present system, there are three duty rates on wine – one for still wine, a slightly higher one for sparkling wine and an even higher one for fortified wine.
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Uber’s buyout of US-based third-party alcohol delivery platform Drizly was finalised in October 2021. Following her recent appearance at Vinexpo America, Drizly COO Cathy Lewenberg spoke to Jo Gilbert about what the future of drinks delivery looks like and whether the model could translate to the UK.
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New research from KAM sheds new light on the changing habits of wine drinkers, with younger demographics a catalyst for growth.
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The popularity of lighter and longer serves is unlikely to be a passing fad. For one thing, who doesn’t want their drink to last longer? But more importantly, these drinks also tap into the ongoing trend of moderating alcohol consumption. Oliver Winters, global communications director at Fever-Tree, says consumers have “opened their eyes” to the world of premium spirits and during the lockdown months they learnt how easy it is to make different long mixed drinks at home.
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Stephen Dell, senior client lead at market analyst Kantar, argues that brand strength – not price cutting – is the best weapon against inflation.
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It is a wine category often overlooked by keen officiants as being too delicate and perfume-y, lacking the panache and complexity of its rivals. However, multiples prefer profit margins over pretentiousness and have helped make rosé the fastest-growing wine category for over a decade.
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The UK’s spirits industry is flourishing. The UK Spirits Alliance claims the number of British distilleries has tripled in the past five years alone, sitting today at about 710. While the wide array of homemade spirits available to British consumers makes for a dynamic, vibrant and diverse market, it also means that standing out from the crowd is for brands an increasingly challenging endeavour.
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For 20 years, graphic warnings have been emblazoned on cigarette packets in the UK, warning consumers of the health risks associated with tobacco. A couple of decades later and alcohol might be subjected to similar labelling, potentially dissuading young people from buying beer, wine and spirits in the future.
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Is glass creating a bottleneck in the drive to greater sustainability and can we change consumer perception of it as a strong indicator of quality? Andrew Catchpole reports back from Harpers’ recent Sustainability of Glass webinar.
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One of the biggest challenges facing wine producers worldwide is the shortage of glass bottles – but that’s not the only problem that will dog 2022, as James Bayley reports.
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