News Update – Page 3 – Keep It Overproof!

Wines from Spain annual trade tasting postponed

Wines from Spain has announced it will postpone its annual trade tasting in London. The event, which was meant to take place at London’s Sky Garden on 31 March, will be moved to a later date. More than 60 leading importers and exporters were due to present their Spanish wine portfolios to the British trade including a selection of the latest vintages and releases available to the UK market. Fernando Muñoz, director at Wines from Spain, said the industry body had been monitoring the evolution of the Coronavirus outbreak in the UK and in Spain in the run-up to the end of the month. “Whilst...

A-B and Michigan Distributors in Stand Off

Posted in Beer, Industry.

Dear Client: Late last November, Michigan passed a law basically limiting brewers’ abilities to mandate certain things of their wholesaler. Dubbed the Distributor Independence Act, it basically prohibits a brewer from meddling with a distributors’ business beyond the scope of the suppliers own product. Some specific provisions bar a supplier from: Forcing a distributor to … Continue reading “A-B and Michigan Distributors in Stand Off” You are unauthorized to view this page. Read the full article

Coors Light Halting “Official Beer of ‘Working’ Remotely” Spots

Posted in Beer, Industry.

Dear Client: The coronavirus/COVID-19 is affecting marketing, too, apparently. At Molson Coors Beverage Co’s Houston distributor convention last month, we teased a key, new spring Coors Light ad. The spot was a play on the notorious loss of work productivity during March Madness. It landed well with distributors. Those ads are now being pulled — … Continue reading “Coors Light Halting “Official Beer of ‘Working’ Remotely” Spots” You are unauthorized to view this page. Read the full article

Aldi to boost core wine range by 50%

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

UK retailer Aldi is looking to boost its core wine range by 50% with the trials of around 35 new core lines, as it considers retiring its Lot Series range of one-offs wine parcels. Aldi buying director Josh Heley said the discounter is trialling the wines this month, with a view to adding them to the 70-strong core range, and would be watching how they performed. “There is an opportunity of things we think could come into the core line, such as the Estevez Chilean Viognier (£5.49), the Maison Rouge French Boujolais or different varietals,” Heley explained “It’s...

Austrian wine exports surpass €180m

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Austrian wine exports surpassed €180 million for the first time in 2019, while volumes also rose and the number of markets increased too. In total, Austrian wine exports rose 9% in value in 2019 to €185.4m, while volumes rose 20.5% to 63.6m litres (driven by a large 2018 vintage) and the number of total markets is now 102 – in 2009 it was just 64. The 2018 vintage was very large in Austria, 15% higher than the 15 year average at 2.7m hectolitres, which had the slightly unfortunate effect of lowering the average price per litre on entry level wines in “price sensitive”...

Budget live: Chancellor freezes alcohol duties and abolishes business rates for small retailers

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer has frozen alcohol duties for spirit, wine and beer, and abolished business rates for the year for hundreds of thousands of small retailers and businesses in the hospitality sector. Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who only took on the role last month, has cut a planned increase in duty across spirits, wine and beer, noting it was only the second time in 20 years that all alcohol duties had been frozen and reiterated the upcoming review of UK alcohol taxation that was unveiled during the Queen’s speech. He also singled out the value of Scotch to the...

Vinexpo NY overcomes travel concerns with high levels of engagement

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The third annual edition of Vinexpo New York closed last week with somewhat reduced numbers, as a result of Covid-19 travel precautions, but with a show of enthusiasm on the part of exhibitors and attendees. “It’s been a great conference for our winery and for Georgian wines in general,” said Vladimer Kublashvili, chief winemaker for Winery Khareba, on the final day of the show. At a time when most trade fairs typically begin to lose steam, booth traffic remained heavy at the Georgian pavilion and throughout the conference exhibit hall. “It’s our first year...

Reyes Grows in NorCal Through Saccani Acquisition

Posted in Beer, Industry.

Dear Client: Reyes’ new subsidiary in Northern California, Golden Brands, is out making moves. News came in today that Golden Brands has entered into a deal to “acquire certain distribution rights” of Saccani Distributing Company in Sacramento, California. The acquisition, which is set to close on May 15, 2020, is expected to add around 1.5 … Continue reading “Reyes Grows in NorCal Through Saccani Acquisition” You are unauthorized to view this page. Read the full article

COVID-19’s Effect on U.S. Beer Industry: An Early Read

Posted in Beer, Industry.

Dear Client: The short answer: Not much……. yet. I had breakfast at a taco joint yesterday with my chief of security, Blue, and the guy making my taco slightly coughed into his elbow, and glanced up at me apologetically. I mustered a smile: Hey not a problem man. It cannot be denied that people are … Continue reading “COVID-19’s Effect on U.S. Beer Industry: An Early Read” You are unauthorized to view this page. Read the full article

Designer of Jancis glassware crowdfunding to grow business

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Richard Brendon, the designer behind the Jancis Robinson wine glass collection, is crowdfunding to raise investment for his business, which aims to support heritage craft industries. Richard Brendon with Jancis Robinson OBE MW The designer, who started his own business in 2013, and collaborated with Jancis Robinson OBE MW on a glassware collection in 2018, is crowdfunding through the Crowdcube platform, which you can view here. Brendon is looking to raise £250,000 for his business to fund new product development and ramp up marketing efforts. Aside from the glassware, he works with...