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Christmas is coming. Festive aisles have sprung up in shops and supermarkets nationwide, while the drinks industry
is rubbing its hands together in glee at the thought of all the bottles flying off the shelves to play their part in the celebrations. This is a vital time of year for every member of the alcohol family but none more so than the oft-neglected liqueur. Beer, wine and spirits stoically remain the drinks of common choice, but Christmas has traditionally given
the liqueurs and specialities category a chance to show off in style.
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Picture something quintessentially Canadian. For many people, that prompt either draws a complete blank or it connotes polar bears, the Inuit (formerly known as Eskimos) and perhaps ice hockey. But vineyards and barrel-lined cellars don't fit among those frosty symbols. Wine is not really a Canadian emblem. At least not in the public mind. Informed oenophiles and members of the drinks trade, however, recognise Canada as the world's largest source of, appropriately enough, Icewine.
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What got you into wine?
The usual clich I say is that I did a history degree, so the only things I was qualified to do were eating and drinking; three hours of tutorials a week left a lot of time for other stuff. Me and a mate did the restaurant reviews for a newspaper, which was a bit of a farce really. We'd go along and ask for free food beforehand, so they knew we were coming. But my parents had always had an interest in wine, and my mum was PA to Ronald Avery for a couple of years when she started out, so she always says there's a link.
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Malvern hotel The Cottage in the Wood was chosen as this year's overall winner of the Cond Nast Johansens Champagne Taittinger Wine List Award 2006.
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Having made its name, and the front cover of Harpers, with the Full Monty wine trade striptease, the Women of Wine (WoW) organisation got down to more serious business last week, by debating sexism in the wine trade.
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MMD has taken on the UK agency for Pio Cesare, a family-run producer of Piedmont wines.
Pio Cesare is managed by fourth generation, Pio Boffa, who commented: With our 52 hectares of vineyards in Barolo and Barbaresco, we embrace both traditional and more modern winemaking and also produce a range of single-vineyard wines from Barolo and Barbaresco.' A full range of Pio Cesare wines is now available from MMD, including Gavi, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo d'Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco.
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Richard Burrows, the current joint director general of Pernod Ricard and fomer head of Irish Distillers, intends to retire in early 2006.
He will remain a member of the board as well as non-executive chairman of Irish Distillers. He will also be available to the group to carry out various projects.
After his retirement, the management of the group will be carried out by chairman and CEO Patrick Ricard, and director general Pierre Pringuet.
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Leading Bulgarian producer Boyar Estates has denied rumours that it is planning to sell its Blueridge and Shumen wineries.
The company, which has 60% of Bulgaria's UK sales, has closed its London office and has transferred distribution to Ehrmanns. But Boyar CEO Margarit Todorov denied the rumours, and told Harpers that production was continuing at the two sites.
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The managing director of the UK office of wine industry head-hunting firm Mondo Search is claiming that the unprecedented level of consolidation over the past 12 months' is leading to growing unrest among employees'.
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Whyte & Mackay has appointed Richard Hayes to the position
of global marketing director as the company announces it is investing 100 million in relaunching its key brands worldwide. He will lead marketing for key brands Whyte & Mackay, Jura, Vladivar, The Dalmore, and Glayva.
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Former Harpers deputy editor Paul Henry has landed the top job at promotional body Wine Australia following the retirement of current general manager Jonathan Scott. Henry, who currently heads up the UK office of Wine Australia, will be relocating to Australia with his family in the New Year.
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The Languedoc's quality revolution of the past 20 years is one of the true good news' stories of the French wine industry. From the commercial success of its numerous vins de pays (VdP) varietal wines to the critical success of some of its AOC (and VdP) super-cuves, one of Europe's oldest wine regions this side of the Alps has finally come of age. However, it has also generated its fair share of bad news this year, with stories of the actions perpetrated by disgruntled vignerons - which include numerous public demonstrations, an attack on a tanker of Spanish wine and the destruction of public property - suggesting that not everyone has benefited from the revolution' and that some are increasingly struggling in a world that simply doesn't want their wines.
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Under the stewardship of Tim Etchells - managing director of consumer exhibitions and, for 15 years, the man behind the BBC Good Food Show - The Wine Show London landed on the streets of Islington and seemingly conjured 12,000 visitors with a profile that could have been plucked straight from a marketing director's head: relatively young, relatively affluent and relatively interested. Although most exhibitors were disappointed about the level of sales, they welcomed the chance to sample to the type of person that is very hard to reach', as a spokesperson for Brown Brothers put it.
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Is the new bar going well?
I'm really pleased; the first couple of Mondays were quiet, but otherwise it's been filling up. Brett and I will take a few days off as we get settled, but not too many. Most places step back, thinking they've got it sussed after some initial success, and that's where they go wrong.
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The next decade could well mark a turning point for the Cognac industry. The big players and the generic body have realised that they need to update the image of their beloved spirit. More importantly, the three key markets are in growth again and bartenders are getting switched on to the product. And Cognac is a versatile product - one with great heritage and integrity. We hope that this shines through in the 2005 Harpers Cognac supplement.
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PLB will represent Burgundian producer Antonin Rodet in the UK from 1 January 2006.
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King Tutankhamun's tipple of choice was red wine, a team of Spanish scientists has revealed, but not just any old Egyptian plonk: it had to be the best Western River red from Year Five' made by chief vintner Khaa.
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Foster's Wine Estates is to sell its Sonoma estate Geyserville to the wine company owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola.
Niebaum-Coppola is expected to take full control of the winery from February 2006.
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Fresh from its summer of cricket sponsorship, Australian wine brand Wolf Blass is about to embark upon its first national UK TV advertising campaign.
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First Drinks is targeting the Christmas period with a total marketing investment of 18 million', supporting both its brands and the retailers.
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