2005 and all that

Published: 23 July, 2008

2005 will probably be best remembered for the arrival of 24-hour drinking in the UK. But along with the consolidation express continuing to whistle through the trade, wine terrorists making their presence felt in France and the rise and fall of SIPPs, there's been plenty of other headlines.
David Williams reviews the year as it appeared in Harpers
Licensing
As well as being historic, the decision to introduce 24-hour drinking was also, depending on who you spoke to, the beginning of the end of civilisation, the dawn of a continental-style drinking culture or an unnecessarily complicated botch job. Time will tell which of the first two analyses is more correct, although Harpers inclines to the view that the smaller the window of drinking opportunity, the bigger the binge - and, as far as we're aware, all hell did not break loose on 24 November when the act came into force.

The Year That Was

January

Diageo snaps up California's Chalone Wine Group - Bollinger gets Champagne Ayala - Marne & Champagne becomes Lanson International - Majestic sales rise 10.4% - Foster's bids for Southcorp

February

Majestic's Apthorp earns 24M from share sell-off - Unwins seeks funds in sale and leaseback of property portfolio - Focus PR gets Wines of Argentina gig - France asks for EU permission to distil 200 million litres of AOC wine - voiceover artist Olly Smith is Hardys first Wine Idol

March

J&B's clear whisky -6C launched - Which? slams wine brands - Rappoport makes way as WSA reforms - Wine Rack to return - Wine Relief earns 625,000 - Midi protests turn violent

April

Wine Trade Action Group pledges support for reformed WSA - on-trade wine sales dip by 6% - Mark Williamson takes top job at Waitrose BWS - Allied share price rises after Pernod bid rumours - Port 2003 vintage declarations begin - Graham Hines leaves Wines from Spain; Maria-Jos Sevilla takes the helm - Southcorp board says yes' to Foster's

May

Wine Australia launches new global export push - Back and Ellis called in to oversee KWV cellar practices - WSA becomes WSTA - Harpers relaunches website - Adamson takes over at NZ generic - Threshers three-for-two' policy vindicated by research

June

Foster's Southcorp takeover completed - Thorpe quits Waitrose for Western - Kilchoman becomes first new Islay distillery in 100 years - CIVB votes through Bordeaux vin de pays proposal - 2004 Bordeaux en primeur prices 30% down - Constellation and Brown Forman drop Allied bid

July/August

Taittinger put up for sale - wine-trade men dominate WSTA executive board - Mot sues Vinexpo - Jean-Manuel Spriet becomes Pernod Ricard UK CEO - French agriculture minister accused over lack of action - Howard-Sneyd swaps Sainsbury's for Waitrose - Croser gives up on Petaluma

September

Duboeuf faces fraud investigation - PLB snaps up Lane & Tatham - Bailey's becomes biggest-selling spirit brand - Constellation's Carson announces retirement plans - Wine Society triumphs at IWC - Philippa Carr takes over from Sara Brook at Asda - Wine International, Wine & Spirit and Drinks International sold to William Reed - Lockspeiser becomes WTAG chairman

October

SIPPs plans trigger Bordeaux price rise - Constellation targets Vincor - Cognac in XO must be at least 10 years old - Beadles is new WSTA director - ex-Southcorp CEO Keith Lambert joins Philip Shaw at Cumulus Wines - five target Lanson - new XO for Martell - Diageo rejects Montana

November

London's consumer Wine Show gets 12,000 pays - licensing confusion reigns as deadline looms - Ryanair teams up with Majestic to launch wine club - Paul Henry gets top Australian Wine Bureau job - Boyar denies sale rumours - Christmas sparkling-wine price war begins - Hospices prices a disappointment' - violence hits Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations

December

Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation warns of Aussie wine oversupply until 2010 - Bordeaux syndicat withholds approval for cheap wines - Montana to join Orlando stable - SIPPs u-turn - South Africa winery owner murdered - SA and Chile voted top tastings of the year; Lord's top tasting venue

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