A drop in export growth and the strength of this year's crop has
meant that the addition of the 2005 vintage will cause a surplus of
red wine in Australia, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
Panic reports of the demise of beer in the US and Germany are a
part of the trend for convergence that will see beer sales decline
in traditional beer drinking countries but continue to grow
globally, writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
A study published in the International Journal of Cancer this month
has provided evidence that red wine could reduce the risk of
prostate cancer, and that general alcohol consumtion has no
negative effect.
Predictions of an excellent vintage will help Swiss winemakers
regain their domestic market, while focusing on the country's
traditional white wine varieties could help build up exports,
writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
A hi-tech way of preserving open bottles of wine from oxygen
contact could prevent consumers and restaurants from being afraid
to open better bottles of wine.
EU Advocate General Francis Jacobs has said that the ban on the use
of the name 'Tocai' for Italian wine should be upheld. The
announcement reignites arguments surrounding Geographical
Indications (GIs) and the right to...
A dot.ru company has opened an online wine store in Russia in
anticipation of the coming electronic shopping craze, despite what
sceptics might say, writes Angela Drujinina.
A hi-tech way of preserving open bottles of wine from oxygen
contact could prevent consumers and restaurants from being afraid
to open better bottles of wine, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
Dutch Brewer Heineken is expecting beer sales in China to far
exceed its own forecast market growth expectations in the next few
years. Indeed, sales of its flagship brand are expected to increase
by 25 per cent next year.
Small vineyards claim that US wholesalers are fighting against
direct shipping in order to preserve the "monopoly" they hold. If
not this, then what exactly does the wholesaler fear? asks Kim
Hunter Gordon.
Following conflicting rulings in lower courts, the US Supreme court
in Washington will rule on the legality over state restrictions for
shipping wines, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
A key compound in red wine could have a direct beneficial effect on
heart cells, report researchers from the US, building on a raft of
science that suggests this popular beverage could play a role in
preventing heart disease.
After seven years of development, Swiss company Cybox unveiled its
square oak barrel, which triples barrel storage capacity, at the
Vinitech exhibition in Bordeaux last week, reports Kim Hunter
Gordon.
Cape Town wine business KWV has revealed that two of its winemakers
added illegal flavourants to their 2004 vintages. The company will
stand to lose an estimated €130,000 from the lost wine but the
damage to its reputation could cost...
The Irish government's 2005 budget, which halves the alcohol
products tax for microbreweries, comes at a time when Europeans are
drinking more beer from small breweries than ever before, writes
Kim Hunter Gordon.
Archeologists believe that wine was first fermented in the now
Republic of Georgia 9,000 years ago. But, the opening of a new
hi-tech wine testing laboratory has given Georgian winemakers a
reason to look to the future, writes Kim...
Australian beer giant Foster's has teamed up with Russia's leading
brewer to become the latest contender for riches in the Russian
beer market gold mine, but the competition is strong, writes
Chris Mercer.
The Russian Union of Grapes and Wine Producers is launching an
annual exhibition and conference to address the challenges of
inadequate raw material supplies that have decimated the Russian
wine industry in recent years, writes Angela...
US-based Scholle has acquired all of the shares of Flextainer,
aFrench packaging company. The move is expected to increase
Scholle's presence in the European boxed-wine packaging category.
A US wine maker is packaging its Vendange product in 500ml Tetra
Prisma containers, in a bid to break out of the confines of
traditional wine packaging.
A new PET beer bottle for the German market may suggest increasing
acceptance of the material as a viable beer-packaging format, but
some still have environmental concerns, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
A Californian wine producer is to package its products with labels
designed by a contemporary artist as part of its strategy to change
how the US wine industry operates.
For decades, Moldova has been the biggest exporter of wine to the
Russian market, dominating the market with a share as high as 70
per cent. But the arrival of more sophisticated wines from
countries such as Australia, Argentina or...
Slovenia's wine makers, buoyed by the news of EU funding for their
vineyards, face a long struggle if they are to conquer foreign
markets and compete effectively against the titans of the world
wine business - but one man is...
Wine players are getting bigger and exposing their businesses to
greater risk as consolidation in the industry continues and to
ensure quality remains constant, Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen
claims to offer the solution through...
Six of the new EU member states are set to receive more than €20
million in EU funding so that they can improve and expand their
vineyards, helping them to make better quality wine and compete
more effectively in both their home markets...
Investors monitoring the huge growth potential and high profit
margins of China's burgeoning wine market are beginning to dip
their toe in, writes Anthony Fletcher.
The European Commission has fined French dairy Groupe Danone and
Dutch beer giant Heineken €2.5 million for colluding to control the
wholesale beer market in France.
Australian alcoholic beverages group Foster's has been denied what
could have been a magnificent turnaround by a poor showing from its
wine trading division during the 12 months to June 2004. A glut of
wine in the US - and the...
The Russian government has introduced new laws restricting the
advertisement of beer in the country. The rules for the previously
unregulated market are said to go even further than EU regulations,
but despite being seemingly heavy-handed...
As growth in the premium bottled beer sector gallops ahead overall
beer consumption in Europe brewers are driving innovation in the
ingredients sector, encouraging firms to come up with novel
solutions to tackle the market. Starch...
Over the course of the last few months the China beer market has
witnessed frenzied activity as international brewery companies race
to increase their footprint in what is now the world's second
largest market by volume. But...
Overproduction by New World wine producers has pushed down prices
over the last few years, taking a major toll on producers' margins.
But a growing trend towards premium wines could save the day, in
both established and emerging...
Germans have a reputation as Europe's beer-drinking heavyweights,
but an increasing lack of interest in beer among young consumers
there means that German brewers may have to look to other western
European nations such as Italy...
Two of the best-known names in the North American beer market are
considering joining forces in a bid to bolster flagging
performances and generate growth in an increasingly tough market.
But will the "merger of equals"...
Brewers targeting the Russian beer market are increasingly shifting
their focus to premium lager, despite the fact that large numbers
of Russian consumers still cannot afford to buy it - an indication,
above all, of the strength of...
A shift towards lower priced table wines helped lift Spanish wine
exports in the first quarter of the year, but the lower revenues
mean that double-digit volume gains were rather more modest when
converted into value figures.
Old World wine producers – who just 15 years ago had the British
wine market almost to themselves – still need to do more to counter
the ongoing threat from New World producers, a new report suggests.
But solving the problem is likely...
The San Miguel Corporation has signed an approval of a license to
produce beer in Thailand, a deal that will allow the entry of the
Philippines-based brewer's beer brands into the fast-growing Thai
beer market.
On the back of this week's dramatic acquisition of China's Harbin
Brewery by the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, ahead of its
nearest rival, SABMiller, Scottish & Newcastle has announced
that it has signed...
Scientists have discovered a possible mechanism for the anti-cancer
activity of resveratrol, the compound found in red wine and thought
to be responsible for the drink's widely reported health benefits,
writes Wai Lang Chu.
Corbett Canyon, the largest US wine brand, is converting all its
750ml bottles to Stelvin screw top closures in order to protect
them from cork taint. But with many consumers still attached to the
cork, are manufacturers too eager...
