Jerry Lockspeiser: Growth is central to business strategy. Is it time to change?

Many years ago I was asked to act as a strategic consultant to a Chilean wine business. They wanted help with reformulating their strategy, first to achieve break even, then to reach sustainable profitability. The business was 100% targeted at export markets, with the UK a key priority.

Depleted yields create ‘tension’ following a stellar year for Burgundy exports

Burgundy is struggling to keep up with rising demand, as a record revenue-producing year in 2021 now puts pressure on winemakers to make the most of depleted stocks.

Bulk wine goes with the tide

Bulk wine has been on a major journey over the past two years. Thanks to accelerated favourable perceptions around sustainability, an updated mindset seems to be in evidence in global markets as the acceptability of container shipping shores up the belief that ‘bulk’ is the way to save on both environmental and commercial costs.

Demand for no and low products becoming ‘year round phenomenon’

The demand for no/low alcohol brands surged across key global markets in 2021, with consumer interest no longer confined to seasonal trends like Dry January.

VSPT Wine Group posts 11% Q2 sales increase

South American wine producer VSPT Wine Group has posted an 11% increase in sales during the second quarter of 2021 in spite of low exchange rates.

Oz wine exports to UK highest in a decade

Australian wine exports to the UK reached their highest level in a decade during the 2020–21 financial year, according to the latest Wine Australia Export Report released today.

Numbers 2020: A black swan year

Fresh insights from Euromonitor’s annual data release shows that 2020 was a year of “unprecedented collapse” for BWS globally without the counterbalancing regional effect that buoyed markets during the 2008/9 financial crash. Jo Gilbert looks at the year’s volume figures to break down how global sectors were impacted.

2020 NZ harvest "exceptional"

Despite the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, New Zealand’s 2020 vintage is “exceptional” in terms of both quality and quantity, according to the 2020 New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report.

Bourgogne thriving in tough Hong Kong market

Wines from the Bourgogne region grew last year by both volume and value in the key Hong Kong market – even as French wine exports fell overall.

Oz exports close in on pre-GFC levels, with shift to higher value

Global exports of Australian wine continued to grow in value during 2019, up 3% to A$ 2.91bn over the previous year.

Championing Chile

There have been plenty of emerging highlights, but Chile stills needs to push its premium offerings says Andrew Catchpole.

Dip in Aussie imports as Brexit stockpiling comes to an end

Sales of Australian wine in the UK have declined in the past year – partly due to brand-hesitancy surrounding Brexit.

‘Temperature crisis’ could lead to a major re-shuffle of global wine production and demand

Vinegrowing and winemaking worldwide could look very different in the next 30 years, a climate change expert has announced, as the planet accelerates towards a temperature crisis fifty years earlier than expected.

Californian wine under £20 boosts UK sales

US wine exports to the UK have seen a slip in value but a rise in volume, thanks largely to a growth in buyer interest in a previously difficult-to-source section of the market. 

China and the US drive boom in global premium wine consumption

Wine priced between $10 and $20 will be the biggest driver of value growth for still and sparkling wine over the next couple of years.

Cognac sets new export record

Cognac exports have achieved their fourth consecutive year of growth, driven by continued thirst for the historic French brandy in the US.

Record-breaking weather means Champagne harvest will begin in August

The 2018 Champagne harvest will become only the fifth vintage in the last 15 years to begin in August, according to the Comité Champagne.

Global wine market grows value sales against static volume

Italian diversity paving the way for premium Prosecco?

A greater appreciation of Italy’s regions and varietal diversity could be laying the groundwork for the longevity of Prosecco, according to experts.

Sparkling drives growth as inflation bites down on average prices

Volume sales of alcohol continued to decline in the UK off-trade in 2017, but value sales increased in both yearly and quarterly sales, particularly in sparkling wine, which remains the main driver of growth for the overall wine category.