Lay & Wheeler sets up agency arm

Fine wine merchant Lay & Wheeler has moved its agency portfolio into a new company, Select Vineyards Agency Company.

From the heights of Mont Blanc to the depth of Inferno

Italy's smallest wine-producing region, Valle d'Aosta, an autonomous Alpine province where French-style architectural features predominate, is not only the site of Europe's highest vineyards, but also home to a broad spectrum of indigenous varieties that are usually blended to produce distinctive DOC cuves.

Booting up

Italy was the only European country that enjoyed an increase in sales of wine to the UK in 2004 (AC Nielsen), so the mood should be upbeat as 44 leading Italian importers gather at Lord's Cricket Ground for the seventh Definitive Italian Tasting, instigated by the Italian Wines Committee of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association and organised by Hunt & Coady.

Mega WOSA tasting

The Cape's generic promotional body, Wines of South Africa (WOSA), has released details of plans to shake up its annual generic tasting.

Sassicaia goes mini

Top Italian wine producer Sassicaia has launched a limited-edition Mini Cooper S sportscar. Twelve have been produced.

Benevolent launches buddy scheme and outlines funding fears

The Wine and Spirits Trades' Benevolent Society is likely to be badly hit by the takeover of Southcorp by the Foster's Group and the possible takeover and carving-up of Allied Domecq by Pernod Ricard, the Fortune Group and Diageo.

Bronco launches budget Napa Valley wine

Bronco Wine Company - famous for producing Two Buck Chuck' - is launching a $3.99 Napa Valley range.

Va-va-Vouvray

Never has a classic wine style been dumped on by so many with such regrettable thoroughness. At the outset of my research for this feature it was hard to find a friend for these charming wines, as the following responses show: I don't personally think they have anything unique to offer' (supermarket buyer); you can always find a sparkling Vouvray with a good amount of bottle age on a restaurant wine list because the turnover is so slow' (agent); or, most damning of all, Loire crmants are like Skoda cars. You wouldn't be seen dead drinking them, though inside the bottle they are quite decent' (wine merchant).

Campaign trailing

As recently as three years ago, Bordeaux remained resolutely upbeat about its most valuable foreign market. Though shipments to the UK fell 4% in 2002, they were up 5% in value. Total exports had maintained a steady upward trajectory over the previous decade, even if they had slipped back from their all-time high of just over 2.5 million hl in 1997. The curve speaks for itself,' declared Tanguy Chatillon, the then marketing director at the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), as he laid the sales graph in front of me. Here are the figures. The rest is bullshit!'

The Interview - Robyn and Robert Wilson, Owners, Bleeding Heart Restaurants, London

Diageo gets Montana

Diageo has struck a deal to back Pernod Ricard in its acquisition of Allied Domecq. In return it gets to purchase Bushmill's Irish whiskey and is highly likely to get Allied's New Zealand wine brand Montana, in a combined deal worth more than 500 million.

IWSC Showcase Tasting

The International Wine & Spirit Competition will be holding its Showcase Tasting Day on Wednesday, 20 July 2005 at the Watermen's Hall in the City of London. The tasting will take place from 11am to 6pm.

New Islay distillery opens

Kilchoman is the first distillery to open on Islay for more than 100 years. The distillery brings the total number on the island to eight (not counting Port Ellen, which stopped production in 1983).

NASA technology plays part in Vilafont launch

Vilafont, the first-ever South African/Californian joint wine venture, has used NASA technology first employed during the Cold War.

Bordeaux 2004: Firsts down a third but market remains slow

The majority of Bordeaux's First Growths have released their en primeur prices for the 2004 vintage one third lower than in 2003 - around €88 per bottle, ex-ngociant. According to the UK trade, however, demand for this large and classic' vintage remains well down on the much hyped 2003.

Australia Supplement 2005

Australia's rapid rise through the ranks to become the top supplier of still wine to the UK has been the most dramatic story of the past decade. Precocious, confident and dismissive of tradition, Australia seemed to gain market share without even trying. Now, with maturing markets at home and abroad, falling grape prices, profit warnings from Perth to Sydney and numerous boutique wineries operating on the edge of bankruptcy, are the good times for Australian wine over?

Portugal Supplement 2004

Portugal has tough challenges to face in the UK market. A generic brand needs to be built, price points need to be pushed higher and the treasure trove of indigenous varieties needs to be exploited without confusing the consumer. But with the recent formation of the Association of Portuguese Wine Importers and a firm commitment from The Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office (ICEP) and its partner ViniPortugal to concentrate more resources on the UK market, there is every chance the wine industry can meet those challenges head on - particularly if they exhibit the same verve and enthusiasm that inspired us during Euro 2004.

Goode takes over wine column at Sunday Express

Harpers contributor Jamie Goode is replacing Jonathan Bracey-Gibbon as wine columnist for the Sunday Express. His first column will appear on 10 July.

Port Supplement 2004

Port continues to buck the trend for fortified wine in the UK, posting good growth, particularly at the premium end. But can this most traditional of products remain relevant in today's tough wine market?

Bronco launches budget Napa Valley wine

Bronco Wine Company - famous for producing Two Buck Chuck' - is launching a $3.99 Napa Valley range.