Moderation, sober-curious, low and no. All buzzwords those in the drinks industry have become very familiar with over the past five years. At KAM’s Low & No: Drinking Differently conference, it was clear to attendees that far from being a brief fad, the parallel trends of rising moderation alongside the growth of the low & no category, are resolutely here to stay.
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Having competed in the past three years of World Class GB, 2025’s winner Emanuele Mensah has some perspective on how Diageo’s bartender competition is evolving, and how it reflects broader industry trends.
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The challenges posed by climate change to viticulture are now well documented, with the likes of experimental plantings of Touriga Nacional in Bordeaux, or the flight of mainland Oz winemakers to cooler Tasmania, bearing testimony to the pressure on established varieties in their more traditional vineyard homes. And the UK – despite its cooler-climate island reputation – is not immune to such change, with both warmer and more erratic weather patterns affecting its vineyards.
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The first iteration of the WSTA Industry Summit since 2019 could not have come at a more pertinent time for the sector. On the docket were tariffs and domestic headaches, but also themes of adaptability and resilience.
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It is not, to paraphrase P. G. Wodehouse, difficult to distinguish between the current world of hospitality and a ray of sunshine. Many businesses have never fully recovered post Covid; inflation (and short vintages) have sent prices skyrocketing, and customers are feeling the pinch. They eat out less, spend less and grumble more.
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“You don’t earn loyalty in a day. You earn loyalty day by day,” counselled US marketing guru and author Jeffrey Gitomer. Yet despite the clear advantages, customer loyalty schemes – ubiquitous across many retail sectors – remain an underused resource among UK independents. The question is, why?
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The latest webinar in our sustainability series turned the focus on to Bordeaux, a region that exemplifies sustainability, with more than 75% of the vineyard area certified by an environmental strategy, whether organic, biodynamic or HVE. The CIVB, Château Cantenac Brown and Harpers Sustainability Charter Champion and sponsor Bibendum joined the discussion.
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I doubt many of us have actually been called on to adjust the course of a mighty oil tanker at sea, nevertheless, we understand the notion of the time and effort required to do such a thing. This is, metaphorically, what the Rhône is attempting to do now. According to agricultural body FranceAgrimer, red wine consumption in France has halved over the past 30 years.
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French wine on-trade sales have taken a hit over the past year, though bright spots are present, with a strong showing in the off-trade for Gallic labels by contrast. Off-trade performance is partly spurred by French sparkling – according to Kantar’s Take Home Purchase Panel the category grew 24% and 4.6% in terms of volume and value respectively over the past five years – the diverging figures potentially illustrating the promise of categories such as Crémant.
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The Loire remains one of France’s greatest export success stories: a touchstone for fresh, vibrant and multifaceted wines that pair irresistibly and effortlessly with food. Moreover, in a zeitgeist where ‘cost-of-living crisis’ has become part of the everyday lexicon, the region stands out for offering consistently high quality at reasonable prices. For the independent sector – where delivering value has never been more crucial – that’s a combination not to be overlooked.
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Despite the British penchant for a celebratory glass of bubbly, Champagne has not escaped difficulties wrought by an array of industry headwinds. The revered style has seen total yearly shipments fall 9.4% in 2024, compared to 2023, according to CIVC, a continuation of a downward trend seen since the Covid highs of 2021.
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Global wine consumption is on a downward spiral thanks to a perfect storm of negative influences, from economic factors and health concerns to the moderate drinking trend and changing consumption patterns across occasions. According to the IWSR’s 2024 report, What’s Driving Wine’s Structural Decline, per capita consumption of wine in the UK peaked in 2009 and has been in decline since, “except for a small temporary boost during Covid. On a per-adult basis, the UK now drinks about 14% less wine than it did in 2000.”
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California doesn’t do things by halves. Having recently leapfrogged Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world, this Pacific state is indisputably at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. On a recent trip to the Central Coast vineyards, which took in rides in the autonomous Waymos that ply the street of LA and San Francisco, and witnessed the earth-rumbling launch of a SpaceX rocket Starlink satellite launch – which completely upstaged a winemaker in his vineyards in the Santa Barbara Hills – this was pressed home time and again.
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Callum Woodcock (pictured, left) has just come out of what he describes as fundraising mode, when he, colleague Ollie Thorpe (pictured, right) and I meet to talk about their year-old start-up.
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Storage is the shock absorber of the wine trade: necessary but hidden, the unglamorous element that you don’t think about until it starts to go wrong.
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African distilling is by no means a new phenomenon, but spirits from the continent are continuing to gain traction in the UK market. At the Signature Serve theatre at this year’s London Wine Fair, a panel hosted by Carly Foxwell of Fox in the Well consultancy, alongside three founders of African spirits brands, demonstrated the heady potential of spirits from the continent. Damola Timeyin of Spearhead Spirits, Eileen Twum of Asoro and Rohan Shah of Imizi rum highlighted the exciting proposition of their brands for the British market.
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The global temperance movement, buoyed by an influential public health lobby, is gaining momentum. Under growing scrutiny from governments, medical institutions and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the drinks trade is entering uncharted territory. It is required to justify its continued existence – and to defend a historic beverage that, while culturally rich and economically vital, is increasingly viewed as malign.
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Many in the drinks world, due to its global nature, collect ‘air miles’ through various schemes, occasionally upgrading their cabin or saving up to kick-start a welcome vacation. But few, perhaps, give much thought to the link between flying and wine, beyond having the odd glass with dinner at 39,000ft. For a growing number of ‘ordinary’ frequent fliers, however, BA has emphatically strengthened that link with its The Wine Flyer programme, most recently taking the form of an inaugural The Wine Flyer Avios Experience trip to San Sebastian and La Rioja.
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After 25 years in the wine and hospitality trade across the UK and Australia, I’ve come to learn this: the wine list should never be an afterthought. A wine list isn’t just about what’s in the glass – it’s a reflection of how well your whole business is thinking.
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Creativity among independent retailers is not only a natural product of many proprietors’ entrepreneurial spirit, but increasingly a necessity to help them negotiate the laundry list of financial headwinds they face. Many indie merchants have shown great adaptability, both in terms of in-store and online retail settings, exploring new revenue streams and reinvigorating existing ones to help weather the storm.
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