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Nick Gillett: Aiming high with no & low

Published:  18 November, 2024

The “no & low” category, as it’s become lovingly known, is one that many spirits boffins struggled to get their heads around at first. When you look at the statistics, the success of no & low is startling. For the last two years in the UK, growth in the category has massively outperformed the overall total beverage alcohol volumes and in 2023 sales of low alcohol products doubled (IWSR data). And there are other markets around the world where it’s even bigger, where moderation and sobriety are more common and embedded in the culture. But let’s be straight – it’s still a small category when compared to rum, vodka, or even tequila – but the overall trajectory is on the up and expected to continue well into the next five years and beyond.

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Journey’s End teams up with Ingham to launch sustainable ‘punk’ wine brand

Published:  01 August, 2022

Wine trade veteran buyer Andrew Ingham is to launch an innovative new range in collaboration with Cape winery Journey’s End this autumn.

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Low and no moves to the mainstream as moderate drinkers drive boom

Published:  11 July, 2022

New research has shown how the booming low and no category has established a new middle ground, where moderate drinkers are increasingly the ones pushing the category to new levels of growth.

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Garda DOC Consortium seeks higher profile in UK market

Published:  09 May, 2022

The president of the Garda DOC Consortium, Paolo Fiorini, has announced plans to raise awareness of the region’s wines in the UK, following a study undertaken by Wine Intelligence.

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Koshu: A distinctly Japanese elixir with a growing stable of styles

Published:  07 February, 2022

It’s difficult to gauge how much is known in the UK about the white wine grape Koshu. Hailing almost exclusively from Yamanashi prefecture’s Katsunuma region – the ‘birthplace’ of Japanese viticulture – the wine remains largely shrouded in mystery to the UK trade, despite Koshu of Japan’s faithful annual tastings.

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Broadcaster Helena Nicklin slams alcohol duty hikes as sexist

Published:  27 January, 2022

A member of the Amazon Prime series Three Drinkers has condemned Rishi Sunak’s proposed changes to the duty system as “punishing female consumers”, highlighting that wine is the most popular alcoholic drink among women in the UK.

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Multiplying out

Published:  26 January, 2022

In the first of a regular look at the multiples, Andrew Catchpole sizes up the general health of the sector.

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Trade urged to act ahead of duty review consultation deadline

Published:  26 January, 2022

With just four days to go before the 30 January consultation deadline on the UK Government’s proposed changes to the way excise duty on alcohol is calculated, the last chance to be heard is fast closing in.

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Consumer interest in no and low products surging

Published:  05 January, 2022

One in three UK drinkers now regularly choose low or no alcohol brands, according to a new survey commissioned by the Portman Group.

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New online retailer seeks to redefine the term 'plonk'

Published:  22 November, 2021

The founders of online wine retailer, Plonk, have unveiled their mission statement: rebrand and revitalise the use of this derisory epithet and repurpose it for a new generation of wine drinkers. 

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The Three Drinkers unveil plans for second series

Published:  15 November, 2021

Popular Amazon Prime show 'The Three Drinkers' will return to our screens in February 2022, with a new six-part series called ‘The Three Drinkers in Ireland'.

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Wine Drinkers UK call for wine duty freeze

Published:  07 October, 2021

A combination of climate change, labour shortages and increased shipping costs are threatening Britain’s wine supplies, with price rises likely to follow, Wine Drinkers UK (WDUK) has claimed.

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First CBD-infused wines out of South America land in UK

Published:  06 May, 2021

New CBD-infused wines from South America are to make their debut in the UK this month, adding the first Latin American flavour to this nascent category.

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Buying into South America

Published:  09 March, 2021

Buyers are finding wine drinkers more than willing to take a chance on non-Malbec reds from Chile
and Argentina, as Lisa Riley reports

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Wine: a discombobulating ride?

Published:  04 March, 2021

Will we ever understand wine drinkers?

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Wales comes out top as “most sophisticated” UK wine nation

Published:  04 February, 2021

When it comes to buying wine, the Welsh are the most sophisticated while the English hunt for a bargain, according to data which aims to map the buying behaviours of UK drinkers.

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Wine Drinkers UK calls for first tax cut in 40 years

Published:  20 January, 2021

Wine Drinkers UK (WDUK) have renewed their calls for the government to recognise wine as the UK’s favourite drink by cutting increasingly burdensome taxes.

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Long Read: Does sustainability sell? The new factors driving purchaser decision-making

Published:  28 September, 2020

Drawing on data from a recent survey of over 500 wine and spirits drinkers, Callum Saunders, head of planning at brand activation marketing agency Zeal Creative, shows how that focus on sustainability is increasing, not decreasing, as a result of the pressures of Covid.

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Covid-19 takes the fizz out of the UK sparkling market

Published:  12 August, 2020

The loss of celebratory drinking occasions has put the breaks on an already slowing thirst for sparkling wine in the UK, new research has revealed.

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Friday Read: Chasing millennials – a moribund or redefined art?

Published:  15 May, 2020

For as long as I can remember, the wine industry has been coveting youth. Generic bodies have been at the forefront of this rush to connect with Gen Y. The CIVB, Inter Rhône and InterLoire have all invested significant resources into campaigns targeted at millennials.

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