Children's charities back minimum pricing
Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Children's charities in Scotland have joined forces to back plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol in order to protect children from harmful drinking by a parent or carer. The NSPCC's ChildLine service along with seven other charities have issued a statement to the Scottish health and sport committee, urging politicians to put children's interests at the heart of alcohol policy.

Proposals by the governing Scottish National Party to enforce minimum pricing have been strongly opposed but ChildLine say that harmful drinking can dominate family relationships and affect children's wellbeing and so the alcohol policy needs to implement measures that will protect children from harm.    Full Story >>

Pernod Ricard Accepts Responsibility
Tuesday, March 02, 2010

As part of its 'Accept Responsibility' initiative Pernod Ricard UK, has launched a campaign to tackle underage drinking by encouraging parents to play a more active role in educating their children about alcohol.

The Accept Responsibility campaign targets three issues associated with alcohol - drink driving, binge drinking and, this latest phase, underage drinking. The company says it recognises that underage drinking is an important issue to address but that adults with children need to understand that they have a key role to play. An NHS survey shows that 54% of pupils between 11-15 had tried an alcoholic drink so the campaign will feature national advertising as well as social networking sites and Schools Net.    Full Story >>

Tim Atkin MW moves with The Times
Monday, March 01, 2010

After news last week that Tim Atkin's wine column in the Observer was going to be cut back rival newspaper The Times swooped in and appointed Tim as new wine writer in the paper's new Thursday food and drink supplement. The first column appears on Thursday 4th March and Tim will write his last column for the Observer at the end of March. Jane MacQuitty's column will continue in Saturday's Times.     Full Story >>

New 'Malbrontes' wine blend
Thursday, February 25, 2010

Argentinian producer Mauricio Lorca in Mendoza has launched what it claims to be the first commercially available blend of Malbec and Torrontés. Called Malbrontes the blending of white and red grapes follows in the footsteps of the Rhone wines from the Côte Rôtie where white Viognier is often added to Syrah. Australian winemakers have also created this style with SV or Shiraz Viognier. The new Malbec/Torrontes blend contains just 5% of the white grape Torrontes adding a light perfumed note to the red wine says UK importer Las Bodegas. The wine will retail at £8.99.

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Brits drink more South African wine than French
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Latest figures show that for the first time, the British are drinking more South African wine than French. South Africa nudged ahead of France with sales growing 20% by volume to 12.27m cases in the 12-months ending 23 January 2010, according to AC Nielsen. This compared to a 12% decline in French wine sales to 12.26m cases.

The figures put South Africa in fourth place in UK volume wine sales behind Australia, California and Italy.    Full Story >>

Prosecco laws leave M&S without fizz
Monday, February 22, 2010

A new EU law that came into force in August last year has caught out Marks and Spencer with their Rosecco brand. The legislation was created to protect the name Prosecco and now Prosecco can only be used as a term to describe a wine from the DOC and DOCG regions in Italy. Although Prosecco is in fact a grape variety it can no longer be used by producers outside the region.

Producers making Prosecco from outside the DOCG and DOC region will have to use the new grape name Glera (an ancestor of the Prosecco grape) on their labels instead.

Marks and Spencer is the first UK retailer to be hit by the new regulations with 14,400 bottles of its Rosecco brand confiscated before being shipped from Italy.    Full Story >>

Fake Pint Noir producers found guilty
Friday, February 19, 2010

The French court case surrounding E & J Gallo's fake Pinot Noir has concluded with a guilty verdict for 12 producers and traders from the southwest of France.

According to reports in the Times online, the fraudsters made €7 million (£6 million) profit by passing off cheaper Syrah and Merlot grape varieties as Pinot Noir, which Gallo sold in the United States under the Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir brand.

The court passed suspended prison sentences and fines ranging from €3,000 to €180,000.    Full Story >>

Tim Atkin's wine column loses weight
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Sunday newspaper The Observer has scaled down its weekly wine column written by Tum Atkin MW for the past 17 years from 900 words to just 2 wine recommendations and tasting notes of 40 words each. Tim Atkin will still appear in the Observer Food Monthly, the paper's colour supplement.

Its a growing trend with The Times bringing their wine column in-house in 2009 and The Independent on Sunday cutting their column the previous year. A Facebook site called Save the Wine Column has been launched by wine journalist Rebecca Gibb with over 700 members and growing.

But its not all doom and gloom for wine writers with weekly wine columns still continuing in the UK's 4 major daily broadsheets The Financial Times, Telegraph, Independent and Times.    Full Story >>

Wineskills initiative launched for UK winegrowers
Thursday, February 11, 2010

A training project for the UK wine industry called Wineskills has been launched Plumpton College thanks to funding by DEFRA and the European Union. The course will offer grapegrowers and winemakers practical workshops, monthly masterclasses and a mentoring scheme designed to ensure the sustainable growth of the industry.

The mentors, announced by Chris Foss, Head of Wine at Plumpton, are viticulturist Peter Hayes, flying winemaker David Cowderoy, Jean-Manuel Jacquinot from Champagne Jacquinot and Michael Paul, former MD of Western Wines.    Full Story >>

Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir in latest wine scandal
Monday, February 08, 2010

A French court case is underway after a year of investigations surrounding E&J Gallo's 2007 Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir and claims that the wine was made by lower quality, less expensive grapes that weren't in fact Pinot Noir. The wine supplied amounted to a massive €4m (£3.5m) worth sold to Gallo between 2006 and 2008.

Investigators became suspicious after realising that the amount of Pinot Noir being exported from the Languedoc-Roussillon area far exceeded historic levels.

Thirteen people including executives from two wineries, five co-operatives, négociant Ducasse and conglomerate Sieur d'Arques have been charged.    Full Story >>

Champagne sales get their fizz back
Monday, February 08, 2010

Champagne sales made a bit of a come back in the last 2 months of 2009 helped by a strong performance in the French domestic markets and sales growth in the UK. According to ACNielsen, sales in France were up 8.6% in volume and 6.3% in value and in the UK take home trade sales were up 3% in both volume and value. But overall shipments for the year were 10% down on 2008 so whether the short-term recovery, helped by Christmas discounting, will last into 2010 still remains to be seen.    Full Story >>

First Scottish wine to be made in 2010
Monday, February 08, 2010

Vines planted as a trial 4 years ago in Perthshire, Scotland will be harvested for the first time this year to produce the first ever Scottish wine. Top chef and hotel owner Pete Gottgens, is planning to produce a crisp white wine to put on the wine list at his hotel restaurant but he needs a warm summer to produce a decent wine. If the grapes aren't good enough he will turn his crop into vinegar but if he succeeds he wants to expand the 48 Bacchus and Madeleine Angevine vines to 800 once he knows which of the varieties grows best on the banks of Loch Tay.    Full Story >>

Scottish wine merchant fails as the recession ends
Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Scotland's oldest wine merchant Cockburn's of Leith has fallen victim to the recession having traded for over 200 years through 2 world wars and the great depression of the 1930s. The wine merchant was established in 1796 by Robert Cockburn who came from the same family as the founder of Cockburn's Port. Cockburns is said to have been hit by a substantial drop in orders from the major banks but has also been squeezed by competition from the supermarkets. Adminstrators Ernst & Young extended the deadline for bids to buy the merchant saying they had plenty of interest from potential suitors.
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US drowns in cheap Bordeaux as Diageo pull out
Monday, February 01, 2010

UK drinks giant Diageo has dealt a blow to the US market for Bordeaux wine by pulling out its subsidiary Chateau & Estate Wines (DC&E), the biggest US buyer of Bordeaux fine wine. The move ends a 35-year relationship and has left a huge inventory of stock which is now being sold off at 40 to 60 per cent discounts. Some vintners have taken the unprecedented step of buying back their own wine rather than let it be discounted.

Two Bordeaux merchants, La Compagnie Medocaine and Joanne Bordeaux, will start trading in the US to fill the distribution gap DC&E will leave behind, purchasing large quantities of DC&E stock to launch their businesses.    Full Story >>

Aussie's make less but we're drinking more
Monday, February 01, 2010

Australia's grape crush was down 5.4% in 2008-09 weighing in at 1.7 million tonnes, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The area of grape vines fell by 157,000 hectares and the yield dropped to 10.7 tonnes per hectare.

The 13 largest winemakers accounted for 73% of the total and a third was processed in South Australia, accounting for 43% of the national grape crush.

Exports of Australian wine up 5.2% (to 752 million litres) and domestic sales increased slightly to 430 million litres.     Full Story >>

Supermarket wine sales proposed in NY
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New Yorkers could see a change in the way wine is sold if proposals by the state's Governor permitting sales of wine in supermarkets, grocers and convenience stores are approved. The move has been proposed in order to help alleviate a $7.4 billion budget deficit in 2010-11 by developing the state's wine industry.

Under current regulations, wine can only currently be sold in licensed liquor stores. As a concession the governor is proposing to allow liquor stores to own multiple stores instead of only one, let them sell wine to restaurants and bars, and to band them together to increase volume-purchasing power and seek lower prices from suppliers.

Currently 35 of the 50 states, including California and Washington State, allow supermarket wine sales. Similar bills to permit wine sales outside of liquor stores were defeated in 2009 and 1984.     Full Story >>

New tools to tackle Australia's wine glut
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A new initiative has been launched in Australia to help producers evaluate the viability of their vineyards and encourage some of them to grub up vines. Australia is facing its worst ever grape glut with at least 20% of vineyards surplus to requirements.

The tools include a Vinebiz program to determine vineyard profitability and an upgraded Deloitte's Ready Reckoner to access winery profitability by market, channel and price point. They will be available from January 30 via the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation.    Full Story >>

Asia's wine consumption set to grow by 25%
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

New research released by Vinexpo suggests that Asia's wine consumption will grow by 25% in the next five years. That's 5 times faster than in the rest of the world and equates to around an extra 1.3 billion litres of wine. The figures were compiled by the International Wine & Spirit Record for Vinexpo which will be staging its next wine exhibition, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, in Hong Kong in May. In contrast wine consumption in Europe is expected to fall slightly over 5 years although the United States is forecast to grow by 7 to 8%. Globally the growth is predicted to be 3.6%.    Full Story >>

Hillebrand buys drinks logistics rival
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Specialist drinks shipper ABV Logistics has been acquired by JF Hillebrand in order strengthen Hillebrand's global wine and beverage logistics services particularly in Italy and Iberia where ABV are already strong.

The two businesses will continue to operate as normal but eventually the ABV team will relocate to Hillebrand UK's West Thurrock offices. ABV directors Gary Gordon and Daniel Morris will join the Board of JF Hillebrand UK.    Full Story >>

New low alcohol wines show off their units
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A new low alcohol wine called Vetro will be one of the first to clearly display the units of alcohol on its front label in response to the government's Know Your Limits campaign. UK wine importer Bottle Green is launching the low alcohol wine in collaboration with Italian producer Medici Ermete. The wine is a 4% abv Lambrusco containing 3 units of alcohol per 75cl. The news coincides with the Conservative party unveiling plans to scrap the current units system for measuring alcohol consumption if they are elected.

Vetro will be launched at the London Wine Fair in May with a red, a white and a rosé.     Full Story >>

First Quench franchisees go independent
Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Its been confirmed that most of the 88 franchised stores licensed by First Quench Retailing will continue to trade as independent off-licences. A law firm is finalising a deal with administrators, KPMG, to reach a settlement over money owed to First Quench by the franchisees and agree the leases of the shops with property agent, Christies. It is likely that KPMG will give franchisees credits for the unused proportion of their franchise fees which were paid upfront to First Quench.    Full Story >>

French wine banned in Australia for masquerading as Kiwi wine
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A French Sauvignon Blanc, called Kiwi Cuvee, has been prevented from being sold in Australia because of its name. The producer Lacheteau tried to register the name in Australia but the New Zealand Winegrowers Association complained claiming it could cause confusion with Australian consumers who would assume the wine was from New Zealand. In Australia the term Kiwi has a strong association with New Zealand the association argued that it should be reserved for New Zealand wines. Kiwi Cuvee is produced in the Loire Valley and already sells in the UK and Europe.    Full Story >>

Asia's high society celebrate New Year with fine wine
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Demand for fine wine, ahead of Chinese New Year, is soaring, especially for Bordeaux first growths. That's according to Gary Boom, managing director of Bordeaux Index, who said the company was receiving orders from Asia worth up to £500,000 a day as clients gear up to celebrate the Year of the Tiger on the 14th February.

There has been a trend over the last two years for giving fine wines as a gift and this has become the trader's busiest time of year outside en primeur. The surge in interest in Bordeaux suggests that China might become a serious player in the en primeur market during 2010, Boom thinks.    Full Story >>

Twin billionaires to plant vines in the Channel Islands
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Billionaire twin brothers David and Frederick Barclay, owners of the Daily Telegraph and the Ritz hotel in London, are planting their first vineyard on the island of Sark in the Channel Islands. They own the neighbouring island of Brecqhou and already own land on Sark which has a population of around 600 and offers residents tax-free status. The brothers have recruited Pomerol winemaker Alain Raynaud to plant up 5 hectares of vines on several plots around the island comprising Chardonnay, Chenin and Pinot Gris. Sark is on the same latitude as the Loire valley and the intention is to make top quality still and sparkling white wines to sell to tourists. Planting should begin in April 2010, with the first vintage in 2013.     Full Story >>

Constellation terminates 300 contracts
Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Australia's biggest buyer of wine grapes, Constellation Wines, has advised 300 growers in the Murray Valley that their contracts will be terminated after the 2012 vintage. Previously Constellation had given three years' notice to more than 200 growers in December 2008.

Growers in the region in South Australia have been facing plummeting wine grape prices, in some cases 50 per cent less for their grapes than in 2008. Constellation had warned growers at a forum in June to expect the company to cut grape-intake by at least one-third to combat the recession.    Full Story >>

Majestic sales surge
Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Majestic Wine saw a surge in sales over the Christmas period after the collapse of First Quench in November. They have reported an 11.7% increase in like-for-like sales in the nine weeks to 4 January, fuelled by Champagne and Prosecco.

Chief executive Steve Lewis said he was delighted with the sales increase and encouraged by their customers' response to the reduction in the minimum purchase to six bottles. The volume of transactions was up and the number of customers trying Majestic for the first time increased substantially. City analysts said the new six-bottle minimum purchase had helped to entice former Thresher customers to Majestic for the first time.    Full Story >>

2009 hailed as vintage of the decade
Wednesday, January 06, 2010

As 2010 begins, the 2009 vintage in England is being hailed as one of the best ever by a number of winemakers and possibly the best of the decade. Volumes are looking to be considerably higher than the last two years and could even exceed the record figures for 2006 of 3 million bottles.

The year began with very little frost in the vineyards followed by a near perfect period of warm late spring and early summer weather during flowering. A wet July, bringing much needed moisture to the vines gave way to a warm autumn prolonging the growing season. Across the country the fruit quality was exceptional, with high sugar levels and good acids.

We'll have to wait a few months before we can taste the 2009s and longer yet for the sparkling wines in 2011/2012. As Mike Roberts of Ridgeview summed it up, 2009 was all in all and fantastic year and a pretty wonderful build up for the London Olympics!    Full Story >>

New Tuscan wine scandal
Friday, December 18, 2009

Another Italian wine scandal is erupting this time involving around 10 million litres of Tuscan wine that the Italian authorities suspect may have been blended illegally.

Italy's treasury department and the Italian agriculture ministry are investigating quantities of current-release wine that may have been made using blending wines of inferior quality not allowed by appellation regulations. These include wines from Chianti DOCG, Toscana IGT Brunello di Montalcino, and Rosso di Montalcino. 17 people and 42 companies are involved.    Full Story >>

Hong Kong world's 2nd biggest wine auction centre
Friday, December 18, 2009

Hong Kong has overtaken London as the second-biggest wine-auction market after New York. Sales in 2009 totalled HK$543m (US$70m) accounting for about 25% of wine sales in Hong Kong. In London wine auction sales totalled US$34m but New York is by far the biggest market at US$135m, according to estimates by Gil Lempert Schwarz, executive consultant to auction house Acker Merrall & Condit.

In Hong Kong the lifting all wine taxes in February 2008 spurred demand for wine and created an auction market from nothing. In 2007, no wine auctions had been held in Hong Kong and the only auction houses present were Christie's and Sotheby's, dealing in fine art.

Since then wine auctions have been held by both these houses and new companies entering the market have included Zachys, Acker Merrall & Condit, and Bonhams.    Full Story >>

Chardonnay's mother is poor relation
Thursday, December 17, 2009

A study has identified the maternal parent of leading grape varieties is a grape once banned in parts of Europe because of its poor quality. The grape is Gouais Blanc which was widely planted in France in the middle ages and is mother to Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligoté, Auxerrois, Bachet, Franc Noir, Melon, Romorantin and Sacy.

Scientists already knew that a number of modern-day grapes resulted from spontaneous crosses between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc but this study using DNA analysis by the Universities of Cambridge and Stanford pinpointed the latter as the 'maternal parent' of nine out of 12 varieties.

The Oxford Companion to Wine describes Gouais as a light-skinned variety, producing 'very ordinary, acid wine'.
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NZ sweet wines now legal
Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Until now New Zealand dessert wines have been banned from Europe but after 15 years of lobbying they can legally be imported. The new legislation sees a relaxation of the rules on EU countries importing wine with a natural potential alcohol level of more than 15%, which applies to most sweet New Zealand wines.

David Cox of New Zealand Wine Growers said he believed the wines would be a success, being exceptionally good quality, and that the trade have been waiting impatiently to be able to sell them.    Full Story >>

Fine wine trading is up
Wednesday, December 09, 2009

The fine wine market is showing strong signs of recovery with trading up 27% vs November 2008 and up 6% vs the previous month. Prices remained relatively stable with the Liv-ex 100 Fine Wine Index at 235. November saw Bordeaux accounting for 88% of trade, down on 2008, followed by Burgundy at 6%. Liv-ex report the rapid emergence of China as a major trend for 2009 fuelling growth in Lafite and other Bordeaux growths. And with the 2009 Bordeaux vintage heralded as an outstanding vintage the future for fine wine in 2010 looks rosy.    Full Story >>

Wickham Vineyard buys 14 First Quench stores
Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Hampshire based Wickham Vineyard has stepped in to save 14 off-licences from closure following the collapse of the First Quench group. They have purchased 13 stores in Hampshire and 1 in Dorset saving 64 jobs and bringing their own workforce to 94. The move is the vineyard's first expansion into retail beyond their vineyard shop and will provide distribution for their own wines.

Vineyard manager Wilhelm Mead said key decisions such as whether to rebrand and what to call the shops had yet to be made and will be looked at after Christmas.    Full Story >>

Dragons Den star sets up shop
Wednesday, December 02, 2009

A new wine website is being set up by Dragons Den entrepreneur, Peter Jones and his business partner Phil Lucas. The site is www.gondola.co.uk and will offer mainstream wine brands such as Lindemans and Wolf Blass and promise next day delivery. The site is being run by Rowan McGregor, formerly of Direct Wines, with consultancy help from former Somerfield head wine buyer Angela Mount to select the right range.

Jones is making use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter where offers will be posted along with tips and wine recommendations from Mount.    Full Story >>

Only 21 First Quench stores saved
Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Only 21 stores from the First Quench group have been purchased after adminstrators KPMG failed to find buyers for the remaining 391 stores, which means a further 2140 jobs lost. The Wine Rack brand has been purchased along with 13 of the 21 stores, by Venus Wne & Spirits Merchants plc.

The unsold stores will close their doors on December 20th.

    Full Story >>

Sub £10 Champagne
Tuesday, December 01, 2009

We could be in for a pre-Christmas supermarket price war in the wine aisles with discounter Lidl the first to offer Champagne at below £10. They are selling Comte de Brismand Brut Champagne at just £9.99 a bottle. The main supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and the Co-op have also cut the price of some Champagnes to around £14 a bottle. Morrison's have led the discounting, advertising Bollinger at £17.95 and reducing the price of other Grand Marques. A spokeswoman said most Morrisons shelves have been cleared of the special offer fizz by midday every day, and admitted the Bollinger, Moet, Lanson and Nicolas Feuillatte had already sold out.    Full Story >>

Vinopolis is 10
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

London's Vinopolis is celebrating its 10th birthday this month proving itself as one of the world's more successful wine centres. While others have fallen by the wayside, Vinopolis remains standing. Vinopolis, City of Wine is located on the south bank of the Thames on a one-hectare site and attracts 600,000 visitors a year. It's had its ups an downs, failing to attract sufficient numbers in the early days but has diversified to offer whisky tastings, absinthe, Bombay Sapphire gin, rum and a microbrewery. Last year it launched the Laughter Lounge a regular comedy night. The venue brings in profits of £1.3m on an an annual turnover of £8m.    Full Story >>

Wine containing antibiotic banned in Europe
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Wine containing an antibiotic, natamycin, has been withdrawn from sale in Germany because, while it doesn't pose a threat to humans, it is a banned substance in wine in Europe. The 5 contaminated wines were sourced from Argentina. The state analytical laboratories in Rheinland-Pfalz have been analysing wines from non-EU countries since the beginning of November and the 5 contaminated wines out of 146 analysed were sourced from Argentina.

Importers and distributors are now having wines in their portfolios tested by private laboratories and apparently similar investigations have been initiated in Argentina to establish how the natamycin came to be in the wines.    Full Story >>

381 First Quench stores close
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Administrators at First Quench Retailing, owner of Threshers and Wine Rack, have announced the closure of another 381 stores and more than 1900 job losses, after failing to find buyers. This brings total job losses to around 3600 and store closures to 754.

The sale of about 500 shops as going concerns is still a possibility with KPMG in advanced talks with several interested parties.    Full Story >>

Matt Skinner criticised for recommending wines he hasn't tasted
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Wine writer and sommellier Matt Skinner has admitted to not tasting several wines that he recommends in his latest book The Juice 2010 after being criticised by New Zealand wine writer Michael Cooper. Cooper claimed that Skinner could not have recommended a New Zealand wine months ahead of publication before Cooper himself could have tasted it. In The Juice 2010 Skinner lists New World wines from the 2009 vintage that were not bottled until months after the last deadline for the book.

In a statement Skinner said 'there are some releases that are consistent from year to year, and as popular, good value and accessible wines I want to include them because I know that my readers will appreciate them. In order to do so I include non-specific tasting notes based on the current and previous year's vintage, focusing more on basic flavours and compatibility with food.'

Matt is based in Melbourne and is group wine manager for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurants.    Full Story >>

Majestic sued by wine writer
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Wine writer Martin Isark has issued a writ against Majestic Wine, claiming damages believed to be in the region of £50,000.

The writ alleges that without permission Majestic used a tasting note Isark had written on the 2000 vintage of Cuvée de Richard Vin de Pays de l'Aude, on the 2008 vintage which he had never tasted. According to reports the tasting note amounted to no more than the two words 'incredible value'. The writer is suing Majestic for 'false endorsements' and 'infringement of copyright'.     Full Story >>

Majestic sales are up
Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Majestic's half-year trading figures to September 28 show its change in strategy to reduce minimum purchases to 6 bottles instead of 12 seems to be paying off. Like-for-like sales increased by 5.4% and pre-tax profits were up 9% to £6.1 million over the period. Sales to private customers continue to show strong growth, up 8.9% while corporate customers had declined. The chain also reported a 25% growth in online sales.

Majestic Chairman Simon Burke said the decision to allow six-bottle purchases, which took effect from September 1, had produced encouraging results and a small reduction in average spend had been more than offset by an increase in sales volumes.    Full Story >>

Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

There are great expectations for the 2009 vintage Beaujolais ahead of Beaujolais Nouveau day which arrives this year on Thursday 19 November 2009 (every year its on the third Thursday of November). Beaujolais's biggest wine producer Georges Duboeuf is more than enthusiastic about this year's Beaujolais harvest, predicting it one of the best Beaujolais vintages in 50 years. In New York and Miami his wines will be promoted in a week long celebration with Peace, Love and Beaujolais Nouveau vintage VW 'Love Buses' escorted by Beaujolais Biker Chefs and wine-loving hippies, to deliver the first cases of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais to the official sip-in uncorking ceremonies.
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What a waste of wine!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

According to figures collated for WRAP, the Waste & Resource Action Programme, British households are pouring £470 million worth of wine down the plughole every year. The figures are based on data from diaries kept by 319 households to record wasted food and drink items. The most wasted drink is milk followed by fizzy soft drinks and fruit juices. Rather than pouring away unfinished wine, WRAP, which is funded by the Government, is urging people to freeze it and use it in cooking sauces and casseroles as part of the campaign to reduce the nation's carbon footprint. Currently 1.8 million tonnes of food and drink in UK homes is wasted.

A WRAP spokeswoman said that the organisation was not suggesting that consumers should drink wine that had been defrosted, but said that leftovers could easily be used for cooking. Many cooks pour dregs from bottles into ice cube trays so they can easily freeze them for use in sauces.    Full Story >>

First Quench to close 373 stores
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Administrators of First Quench Retailing have announced a further 35 job losses at head office and the closure of 373 loss-making stores which will result in 1,738 redundancies across the group which includes Threshers, Wine Rack, Victoria Wine and Bottoms Up. Stock is being sold off at a discount in these stores which will close between 25 November and 2 December or sooner if stock runs out.

The remaining stores are said to be trading well and it is hoped a buyer will be secured over the coming weeks.

Details of the stores to be closed are available on the company's website at www.threshergroup.com.    Full Story >>

Sainsbury's and Waitrose go head-to-head on wine promo
Thursday, November 05, 2009

This week Sainsbury's is cutting the price of all its wines and champagnes by 25% provided you purchase a minimum of 6 bottles. Waitrose responded the day after the Sainsbury's promotion went live with a similar deal which included fortified wines. The Sainsbury's offer ends 10th November and Waitrose on the 11th.     Full Story >>

Threshers and Wine Rack group goes into administration
Wednesday, November 04, 2009

First Quench Retailing, owners of Thresher and Wine Rack, has confimed it is going into administration. 81 staff at the head office have been made redundant but store closures have yet to be announced. The off-licence chain has more than 1,000 stores and employs around 6,000 people.

The news follows months of speculation about the future of the business, which had been incurring huge losses. Adminstrators KPMG are hoping so sell the business as a going concern and preserve as many jobs as possible. With the off licence sector facing aggressive competition from the supermarkets and the recession putting more strain on business the future of the off licence model is far from certain.    Full Story >>

Mineral wines are not the salt of the earth
Friday, October 30, 2009

For years some people have believed that the mineral taste in wine came from the soils the vines where grown in. But now, according to geologist Alex Maltman, this has been found to be untrue. 'If wine lovers are going to talk about a mineral taste in wine, they should acknowledge that we don't at present know its cause' Alex explained at the Geological Society of America's 2009 Annual conference.

The notion that a vineyard set in slate bedrock yields wine with a 'slaty' taste has persisted in some circles. Mineral wines, he said, used to be described as 'lean' or 'austere.'

Others, such as biologist Jamie Goode, believe that any mineral notes in the wine are most likely the result of reductive wine making where the juice is protected from oxygen.
    Full Story >>

UK wine critic bans heavyweight bottles from his column
Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Leading wine critic Tim Atkin MW is boycotting heavyweight wine bottles from recommendations in his Sunday newspaper column and encouraging readers to buy wine in lightweight glass, bag-in-box, plastic or Tetra Paks in order to reduce the carbon footprint of their wine drinking. He said he is prepared to name and shame producers and claimed the problem of overweight bottles is most likely to be found in wines from Spain, Italy and Argentina.

Tim also suggested that consumers buy wines that are shipped to the UK in bulk and bottled here - a key initiative of WRAP's Glassrite project - and cited Waitrose for its bulk-importing model for its Chilean Virtue wines.

Champagne and other sparkling wines won't be boycotted because heavier bottles are needed to withstand the pressure of the bubbles inside.    Full Story >>

Ridgeview fears new national park will stop expansion
Monday, October 26, 2009

A new national park is to be created around the South Downs next spring which could jeopardise expansion of a thriving wine industry says Mike Roberts of Ridgeview. Chalky, south facing slopes and a cool climate make the area well suited to growing grapes and producing world class sparkling wine to rival Champagne. But Mike will see his wine estate enveloped by the park and fears there will be resistance to new buildings which would limit any future plans for extending his winery. Fortunately he already has planning permission to increase the size of the winery with work expected to start in the new year.

Mike says there is capacity for around 1 million bottles of wine to be produced within the boundaries of the park. Ridgeview is expected to produce 300,000 bottles in 2010, but Mike's vision is for a South Downs appellation d'origine contrôlée to put the area on the world wine map.

Planners say there will be little change to planning policy as the South Downs is already protected as an area of outstanding beauty. The park would be the ninth national park in England.    Full Story >>

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