BWS online sales flatline in the run up to Christmas

The BWS category suffered one of its poorest performances on record in November, plummeting -21.4% versus the same month in 2020, as consumers rushed out of their houses to socialise and shop ahead of the fear of potential new December 2021 lockdowns. 

Tim Atkin MW: Time for honesty about alcohol

“People like to masturbate.” As first sentences go, this one certainly snares your attention. It’s not the only remarkable thing about Edward Slingerland’s new book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced and Stumbled our Way to Civilization (£25, Little Brown, Spark). Nor is the author some ill-informed polemicist looking to generate a few headlines. Slingerland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia.

Kingsland’s Thirsty Earth aims for a “better drinks industry”

In a bid to create a “better society and drinks industry”, Kingsland Drinks has announced its Thirsty Earth sustainability initiative – a new, in-depth programme which includes a long-term project linked to the UN’s sustainable development goals.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Is it time to kill wine’s sacred cows?

It really is hard to know what to believe these days. The digital world enables instant sharing of information across the globe, which seems good and democratic. Just about anyone can participate. But with it comes lower reliability and veracity of what is being communicated, making it easier to seed fake gospels claiming that two plus two equals five, or seven, or even nine. Perhaps what really matters is the extent to which people make decisions and take actions as a result.

Climate change and wine: An incurable situation?

There is no vaccine for the climate crisis, the OIV said last week as it put “extremely low” global production estimates for 2021 squarely at the door of climate change, as Jo Gilbert reports.

English sparkling triumphs at Vivino Community Awards

Vivino’s 2021 Community Awards has revealed some fascinating insights into the preferences of consumers worldwide, including the enormous popularity of English fizz in the UK.

The Drinks Trust launches industry survey in the wake of the pandemic

The Drinks Trust has launched a new survey for 2021, which is seeking to establish how members of the hospitality and drinks industry are feeling in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Can we trade our way out of this mess?

Sitting in reception at one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets waiting for the wine buyer to appear for our appointment, I flicked through my newspaper. When he arrived, I hurriedly stuffed the paper into my briefcase, but not before the buyer had caught sight of it. “Ah, you are one of those are you?” he said, having identified my copy of The Guardian.

Redefining Malbec

Argentina’s flagship grape continues to evolve, with renewed emphasis on vineyard sites and terroir. Amanda Barnes, author of The South America Wine Guide, reports.

Soapbox: Why 2021’s skills shortage could be the best thing to happen to the hospitality industry

For many workers in hospitality, it’s not only low pay, but aggression and isolation that are the norm. It’s time to change things, says Simon King, former operations director for Gordon Ramsay Group and co-owner of new Surrey gastropub The Victoria Oxshott.

NTIA calls Welsh Covid passport vote a ‘shambles’

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has called the vote on the introduction of Welsh Covid passports a ‘shambles’ and has called for an urgent revote.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Do you mind being lied to?

I have never been to The Sportsman pub in Seasalter near Whitstable on the Kent coast. The loss is all mine. Described as “a grotty rundown pub by the sea” it has held a Michelin star since 2008 thanks to the efforts of chef-patron Stephen Harris. I haven’t met Stephen either, but like others who have eaten at Noble Rot’s restaurant in London’s Bloomsbury, I have benefited from his skills in the kitchen. He became executive chef of NR at the outset, overseeing menus that have satisfied customers since day one.

UK’s 50 Best Indies 2021: 31-50

Welcome to the release of our second tranche of our 50 Best Indies list, from 31-40, also featuring all of those that have made it into the 31-50 ranking so far.

Five minutes with Adolfo Hurtado, Mont Gras

The charismatic winemaker at Chile’s Mont Gras talks to Lisa Riley about how growing up around vineyards influenced his three new wine ranges – Day One, Organic, and Devine Reserva – distributed by North South Wines.

Cocktails: Cans win for on-the-move

Ready-to-drink cocktails continue to grow in popularity despite the reopening of the on-trade. Lisa Riley reports.

No-shows cost sector £17.6bn

Customers not turning up for their bookings are costing the hospitality sector £17.6bn each year, according to a new CGA and Zonal report.

Profile: Caroline Thompson-Hill, Accolade Wines Europe

Caroline Thompson-Hill, MD for Europe at Accolade Wines, is determined to lead from the front in terms of creating a sustainable and diverse business which keeps a keen eye on consumer-driven trends. By Jo Gilbert

Long Read: Accolade shakes up its global fine wine strategy

Five minutes with Kit Ellen, Exton Park

Kit Ellen, MD at Hampshire’s Exton Park, distributed in the UK by Bancroft Wines, talks to Jo Gilbert about the winery’s intriguing shift in focus to ‘reserve blends’, a new standard-bearer for the wines based on its 10-year library of reserves.

LWF: Beale describes path forward post UK 2020 ‘trade nadir’

The UK market remains an “attractive and diverse market place, but it is a very different one to the market it was 12 months ago”, according to Miles Beale, CEO of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).