The chill economic wind has been blowing through the portals of wine auction houses on both sides of the Atlantic. Nevertheless, many auctioneers report that revenues have been better than expected. John Stimpfig makes sense of the profit trends in the salerooms and tests the chill factor for 2003
Read more...Like its polar opposite, FABs, organic wine has been one of the drinks industry's biggest growth markets over the past decade. But can the boom survive a recession? David Williams assesses the current and future health of the UK's green wine scene
Read more...As 2003 gets underway, Jack Hibberd looks ahead to the year's key trade and consumer food and drink extravaganzas, from Birmingham to So Paulo
Read more...Is new product development the way forward for standard blended Scotch, or should the category be looking for clues in its most successful market - Spain? David Williams reports
Read more...Eric Appleby of Alcohol Concern believes that the British should cut their alcohol consumption by 50%. The WSA's Quentin Rappoport is adamant that sensible drinkers are being stigmatised and that alcohol can be life-enhancing. Here, they go head-to-head on alcohol misuse in the UK and the trade's responsibilities.
Read more...The Holy Grail for wine producers is to convince the elusive generations X and Y to cast aside their PPSs and PPLs and pick up a bottle of wine. But new research suggests that the majority of this age group feel they will be drinking more wine in the future anyway. So are wine marketeers wasting their time? Jack Hibberd investigates
Read more...The standard of airline wines has improved dramatically since the Seventies, when Hock and Claret topped the in-flight menus. But how are today's airline wines selected and packaged, and what do carriers and suppliers predict for an immediate future overshadowed by war and economic uncertainty? Jack Hibberd takes to the skies
Read more...Set against a backdrop of socio-economic problems - urban drift, antiquated production values - and the controversial application for EU admission, Cyprus' wine industry is battling gamely to convert its export profile from bulk to alternative wines. Joanne Simon reports on the positive mood at the island's four big producers
Read more...It has been a tough year for America, and with the news that grape prices in California have slumped along with demand, it isn't getting any easier. Yet the mainstream UK wine drinker is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the US. Brand California is on a roll, as Christian Davis reports
Read more...Uruguay is the forgotten "other" of South America, languishing behind the sheer bulk potential of Argentina and the frisky success of Chile. But as Jim Budd reports, Uruguay's best hopes for a breakthrough lie in a role model far from the Andes
Read more...Far from being geared merely towards the large-scale production of mediocre wines, Joanne Simon discovers that two Italian co-operatives are driving quality production in two very diverse regions, Trentino and the Marches
Read more...On 2 July, the IWSC turned its attention to the future of the industry in a seminar called Reaching the Young Adult Market'. Watch video of the speakers here.
Read more...Michel Chapoutier talks to Neil Beckett about AOC, Hermitage, biodynamics, terroir and quantum physics, while tricking him into eating huge quantities of pig fat
Read more...Cigars, it seems, never go out of style. But like any consumer item, they are vulnerable to trends, peaks and sales troughs. Joanne Simon speaks to the UK's premium cigar purveyors to find out what's currently setting the stogy market alight
Read more...Harpers' letters bag has been bulging with responses to Andrew Jefford's recent survey on Britain's wine PR and press. Key signals from his initial findings and the backlash make scary reading for British wine writers, but there's more good news for brands. Here, Andrew presents an update
Read more...Provence may be best known in wine terms for ros, but not everyone in the ancient Var dpartement is keen on building a profile around the infamous pink stuff. Joanne Simon reports on a growing split among local producers
Read more...The race for Beaujolais Nouveau may be over, but more serious wines have joined the fight for market share. James Aufenast reportsThe race for Beaujolais Nouveau may be over, but more serious wines have joined the fight for market share. James Aufenast reportsThe race for Beaujolais Nouveau may be over, but more serious wines have joined the fight for market share. James Aufenast reports
Read more...Renowned for its Port, the Douro Valley has been slow to make the grade as far as table wines are concerned. But, as Jamie Goode reports, a new generation of like-minded winemakers is helping to establish it as Portugal's most dynamic wine region
Read more...Wine writers spend much of the time lobbing verbal hand grenades and garlands from the safety of their PCs. Are they making and breaking the reputations of wines, or is their scribbling merely a self-indulgent irrelevance? Andrew Jefford invites the opinions of key trade figures and journalists
Read more...Europeans often fall into the trap of thinking that Southern Hemisphere summers are as consistent as ours are fickle. But the 2002 vintage confounded that notion, with Australia experiencing its coldest-ever summer in some areas, and the south of Chile one of its wettest. Harpers reviews the mixed harvest in key New World countries
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