How can scotch thrive post-pandemic?

Douglas Blyde looks at some of the more innovative strides made by Scotch producers over the course of the pandemic in order to remain resilient in the fallout from Brexit, lockdowns and the USA’s draconian import taxes.

Chile's old vine renaissance

Shifting sales

With ‘shop local’ boosting convenience stores and premium on the rise, Angela Mount rounds up the changes wrought on and by the multiple retail sector.

Retail's great reboot: The future to 2030 and beyond

Euromonitor’s Commerce 2040: The Future of the Store in a Digital World report envisions a seamlessly blended on and offline shopping experience, with major inventory shifts making way for value added experiences in store that keep consumers coming back for more. Jo Gilbert reports

Premium wine sales on the rise

Michelle Perrett dives into Liberty Wines’ latest on-trade focused report, rounding up the top takeaways. 

Embracing change: What the experts think

The recent Bellavita London event hosted a panel – Sustainability in Wine, From Vineyard to Table – chaired by wine consultant Angela Mount, against the backdrop of COP26. The discussion was wide-ranging, featuring leader in sustainability in wine Muriel Chatel, MD of Borough Wines, plus key distributors including Kim Wilson, MD of North South Wines; Beverly Tabbron MW, head of training and education at Hallgarten & Novum Wines; Jon Carson, MD at C&C Wines; and Judith Candy, business development manager at Garçon wines. The debate covered many areas, with speakers asked to summarise their key message to the audience. From shedding a “silo mentality” to the need for a focus on the younger generation – “the future of wine” – by way of a strong call to action for the trade as a whole, these were their takeaway messages.

Climate change and wine: An incurable situation?

There is no vaccine for the climate crisis, the OIV said last week as it put “extremely low” global production estimates for 2021 squarely at the door of climate change, as Jo Gilbert reports.

Nowhere to hide

Wine and spirits are, at their heart, agricultural products, albeit given the somewhat magical twist of fermentation or distillation. Which means that any adverse affect from climate change can and will filter through to the final product, literally under the consumer’s nose, rather than just remaining a more peripheral concern in the wider world. Producers of wine especially are increasingly aware of what was described as an “existential threat” to their livelihoods, as outlined at a recent International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) seminar in London.

Unpicking the duty system

Now the dust has settled and the Chancellor has published proposals to change the UK alcohol taxation system, Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association, picks apart the pros and cons of the suggested model.

Esoteric but firmly grounded

How new wave Spain is building a repertoire of modern, terroir-driven classics. By Ines Salpico.

Sustaining Spain

As world leaders in sustainable and organic practices, Spanish winemakers are also discovering the benefits in the bottle, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Headline hero: Heroic Jerez

In Association With Gonzalez Byass

Supercharging Verdejo

Spain’s leading white region has its eyes firmly set on the top table, with a new quality tier underpinning its ambition, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Time of change for Rioja

Ambitious producers are relying on forgotten grape varieties and modern techniques to add new dimensions to Spain’s best-known wine region, as Justin Keay reports.

Headline hero: Exploring Navarra

In assocation with Wines of Navarra 

This proud region is also one of the most innovative in Spain, taking native and international varieties in its winemaking stride. Andrew Catchpole offers a taster of its highlights. 

Spain inches up

Spanish wines appear to be holding ground against the broader UK wine market, with signs of uplift at the mid-to-high end. Andrew Catchpole sizes up the stats.

Spain's driving forces

Spain’s leading brands are showing that ‘big’ can be an innovative force for moving the category forward. Jo Gilbert catches up with the country’s top names.

Redefining Malbec

Argentina’s flagship grape continues to evolve, with renewed emphasis on vineyard sites and terroir. Amanda Barnes, author of The South America Wine Guide, reports.

Christmas 2021: An optimistic appraisal

The British tabloids have spoken: Christmas 2021 is unlikely to yield much festive cheer. Unfortunately, this isn’t simply press hyperbole – the UK’s food industry is under enormous pressure, while retail supply chains continue to be stymied by a lack of HGV drivers.

Meanwhile, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released a set of data in September which confirmed that the on-trade staffing crisis has not abated. “Sourcing staff has been one of our biggest challenges since we reopened,” says Avinash Shashidhara, head chef at Pali Hill restaurant in London.

The fast supper: The new pace of casual dining

Jo Gilbert reports from last month’s Casual Dining Show, where the FutureFoodservice report, The Rebuilding of Hospitality, predicted the shift of the sector towards faster, ‘social re-fuelling’ occasions