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The Washington Wine Commission (WWC) has teamed up with key independent retailers to drive Washington wines into the UK market.
Independent specialists Noel Young Wines and Philglas & Swiggot have both taken on a portfolio of Washington wines, having worked closely with WWC over the past 12 months to identify wines suitable for the UK independent sector.
The resultant listings will be supported by a series of promotional activities aimed at increasing consumer awareness. The activities will include mixed-case offers, educational consumer mail-outs and winemaker tastings.
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The system of units of alcohol is confusing and misleading, and young people should drink fewer units of alcohol than older people, according to leading experts in the field of nutrition, preventative medicine and hepatology (liver disease).
The seminar was organised by AIM (Alcohol In Moderation), the independent organisation for communicating the responsible drinking message' and encouraging informed debate on alcohol issues. Hosted by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and sponsored by Waitrose, it was held on 8 March at the International Wine and Spirit Centre in London.
Keynote speaker Curtis Ellison, chief of the Evans Section of Preventative Medicine and Epidemiology and Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, told the seminar that any alcohol in moderation was beneficial when it came to chronic heart disease. Research also showed that there could be a 40% reduction in heart attacks and strokes and a 30% reduction in diabetes.
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Was it a bit of a shock swapping life as an accountant in Edinburgh for that of an hotelier in Aberdeenshire?
Oddly enough it was, which surprised me because I had watched my parents doing it for 27 years and arrogantly thought that it wouldn't be that difficult. It's surprising how difficult, and how tiring, it is.
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Waitrose has said in a statement that the letter it sent out to suppliers ahead of the Chancellor's budget (see Harpers 10 March, page 3) does not ask suppliers to bear the cost of the duty. It simply asks them to think in advance about how they would like us to treat their ranges and to initiate discussions with buyers'.
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Du Toitskloof to Mellish
The Du Toitskloof winery of Rawsonville has appointed Nick Mellish (who used to be agent for Moselland) as its UK agent.
Du Toitskloof is looking to make significant inroads into the UK, concentrating on multiple operators, in the 4.99-5.99 range.
The Du Toitskloof winery is a co-operative of 20 growers who have 675 hectares in total, producing in the region of 12,000 tons of grapes, across all the usual grape varieties.
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Chali Richards has launched its first new brand after being reborn as the wine division of Halewood International.
One World, due for launch next month, will encompass wines from around the world, and will launch initially with Orange Street from South Africa, and Ocean Point from Australia. Orchid Boulevard from Argentina is due to be added later in the year.
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Chilean specialist WineXcel has revamped its portfolio.
New wineries include Casa de Maule and Korta. It also boasts Matetic EQ Syrah, recently voted Best Wine in Chile at this year's Wines of Chile Awards, and Altosur Malbec from Finca Sophenia, Argentina.
And, after six years spent working in Chile, Susie Walker has returned to the UK to handle sales and marketing for the company.
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The Symington family has acquired Quinta do Bom Retiro Pequeno - a 46-hectare estate in the premium Rio Torto valley area - and will be adding it to its Warre's Port stable of properties.
The estate was bought by the Serodio family in 1935 and has contributed a significant amount of wine to every declared Warre's vintage since. It also contributes to the Warre's Bottle matured LBV.
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HwCg has gained full control of distribution for the Evans & Tate Wine Group in the UK.
The deal also includes the acquisition of a winery in Mildura, owned by Evans & Tate, by Neqtar, which in turn owns HwCg.
At this year's LIWSF, HwCg will host a major relaunch of the Barramundi brand, and will reposition Evans & Tate as a Western Australia specialist.
HwCg MD Guy Young said: We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with Evans & Tate. At HwCg we are now in a position where we can access good-quality Australian wines across regions, varietals and price points.'
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Champagne house Veuve Cliquot has released the first NV Ros in its history. The company says that the new product epitomises the famous Cliquot style - exhibiting a softness, roundness and freshness combined with depth, intensity and strength. A Pinot Noir-dominated blend, the Ros comprises 12% of red wines, as well as around one-third of reserve wines of up to nine years old. A spokeswoman for the brand said that the popularity of the ros market was one reason for its introduction, adding that no additional advertisement campaigns were likely.
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by stuart peskett
The 2006 vintage in Argentina has been described as the best on record.
Jos Gil-Fournier, MD of the O Fournier group, said that the latest vintage for the Uco Valley in Mendoza will be the best vintage we've ever seen, even better than 2002'.
Roberto de la Mota, chief winemaker at Terrazas de los Andes, told Harpers that December and January were warmer than normal, February a little fresher, and
March is perfect' so far.
He said: For Terrazas, 2006 will be
much better than 2005. For the reds,
we will probably have the same
concentration as 2005, with excellent balance and acidity.'
Expectations are also high in New Zealand, where the crop is expected to increase from 142,000 tonnes in 2005, to between 165,000 and 185,000 tonnes.
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A new world record price for a single case of wine was set in New York last week.
At an auction at Christie's on 2 March a six-magnum case of 1985 Romane-Conti fetched $170,375 (97,365) or just
over $14,000 a bottle. In a mammoth $2.5 million sale, an unprecedented five other lots broke the $100,000 barrier, and 88% of all lots exceeded their pre-sale high estimate.
The most expensive bottle of wine ever sold, however, remains a 1787 Chteau Lafite, which reached $160,000, at Christie's London in 1985. A bottle of 1787 Chteau d'Yquem sold for $100,000 in February.
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The Wine Institute of California has once again selected the
14 wines that represent the best of California in the 5 to 10 price category.
UK director John McLaren commented: This is our third year of Benchmark Wines and some trends begin to emerge, particularly in the impressive consistency of some wineries' entries. There is a pleasing spread of wines from large and small wineries and we look forward to unveiling the range at our annual tasting in London on 23 March.'
This year's list includes wines from Beringer, Fetzer, Gallo, Ravenswood and Hahn.
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Waitrose - widely regarded as the most benign of the multiple retailers - has asked its wine suppliers to prepare to absorb any duty increase in the Chancellor's budget or see their on-shelf price points rise.
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Despite falling sales for its flagship ready-to-drink (RTD) brand Smirnoff Ice, Diageo Great Britain is hoping to inject new life into the sector with an alcoholic fruit-drink aimed at the older consumer.
Much in the same way that wine is made from grapes and cider from apples, Quinn's is made using only fruit. We believe the fruit ferment concept will revolutionise the 5pm to 8pm drinks occasion,' said Steven White, innovation marketing manager.
Quinn's has an ABV of 4% and will be available in three flavours: mango and passion fruit, raspberry and blueberry, and orange and tropical fruits. The brand will be launched in
250ml bottles with a 700ml format expected to be available from September.
Quinn's has an off-trade RSP of 1.50 and an on-trade RSP of 2.75. It is expected to sit in the RTD fixture in off-trade accounts.
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It's official. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus when it comes to choosing wine. In my role as research director at Wine Intelligence, I presented new research insights at a Women of Wine event on 2 March in London entitled Women as wine consumers'.
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Beelgara Estate, Fine Wines of Australia has signed up to a new distribution partnership with Fuller's Wine Agencies, following its split with Hallgarten late last year.
Beelgara and Fuller's have joined forces to continue to build on the already strong foundation created during the last three years, particularly in the on-trade and specialist retailer sectors,' said Beelgara CEO Michael Hill.
We believe working with the Fuller's Wine Agencies will prove to be an exciting partnership. We recognise the power of their distribution and the capability to grow further together throughout the UK.'
Beelgara's wine brands include: Beelgara Vineyards, The Gun Shearer and the Estate Range.
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A lorry-load of Champagne du Mont Hauban was stolen last week from a lorry in a secure' park off the M11 motorway near Stansted.
Retailers and wholesalers are being asked to watch out for suspicious offers' by the sole importer of the brand, Champers Limited.
As well as the Champagne, a quantity of 2004 Chablis and 2004 Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu' from Domaine Billaud-Simon was also stolen.
PC Martin Pawley at Dunmow Police (01376551312) is dealing with the case.
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Famed motormouth Jeremy Clarkson can add South Africa wine producers to the long list of groups - such as environmentalists and Vauxhall Motors - who won't be sending him a Christmas card.
In his last motoring column in The Sunday Times (which was supposed to be about the new Jaguar) Clarkson wrote that you certainly don't go to South Africa for the viniculture'.
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Mark Reynier, owner of Islay's Bruichladdich distillery, has reacted angrily to the Scotch Whisky Association's (SWA) criticism of his attempt to resurrect a 300-year-old
Gaelic whisky recipe named usquebaugh-bual' (which means perilous whisky).
The recipe calls for a quadruple distillation (as opposed to the usual two for Scotch), leading to an alcoholic strength of 90% ABV, straight from the still.
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