Wine – Page 14 – Keep It Overproof!

Fine wine investment: Lower the boats?

We have had a number of enquiries over the last couple of weeks whose question is essentially this: if Piedmont is indeed so exclusive then why bother with regional vintage and individual wine ratings? Surely the best thing to do is get your hands on whatever you can, and sit tight? If the tide of a valid secondary market ever does come in, won’t it raise all boats? And this is actually a very incisive question. The answer really depends on how much interest you choose to take in your investment in fine wine. Amphora is happily on record as stating that fine wine is a long term activity, and...

Beer Masters 2019: results in full

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The year’s Beer Masters showed the development of styles in the sector, as well as the the growth of the low- and no-alcohol category. WHEN WE launched the Beer Masters in 2014, the craft beer industry was starting to mature. Now we’re seeing much more variety in the sector, from barrel-aged imperial stouts and low-ABV pale ales, to hop-forward IPAs and lagers made from leftover bread. We may not yet have seen see smoothie-thick New England IPAs and double-fermented cranberry Goses in supermarkets, but the list of beers entered into our Masters this year shows just how the UK’s everyday beer-drinking...

What you need to know about Prowein 2020

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

With 2019 coming to a close, the organisers of the drinks industry’s biggest trade show, Prowein, are already looking forward to next year. More than 6,800 exhibitors from 61 Nations showcase their products at ProWein each year. Around 6,900 exhibitors are expected to attend Prowein next year, which will be held in Düsseldorf on 15-17 March 2020. “With almost every kind of relevant product represented, Prowein is the world’s largest order platform for this field. Just as importantly, it offers an indispensable range of networking opportunities for the entire spectrum of players...

Pernod Ricard chief executives to step down

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The chief executives of Pernod Ricard Winemakers and Pernod Ricard’s North American business will step down from their roles next month. Alexandre Ricard, Pernod Ricard’s chairman and CEO, thanked Rain and Duffy for their decades of service with the spirits group. Paul Duffy, chairman & chief executive officer of Pernod Ricard in North America, will resign from his post next month. Duffy, who joined Pernod Ricard in 1994 as assistant finance director of the treasury/planning Team at Irish Distillers Limited, is leaving his role to “return to Ireland”, according...

California’s wildfire crisis set to worsen, says leading climate change scientist

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The Californian wine industry should prepare for wildfires to become a regular feature in the vineyard cycle, Richard B. Alley, Evan Pugh Professor at Pennsylvania State University, has said. The Kincade fire has scorched over 50,000 acres of land in Sonoma County, California His research suggests that devastating forest fires like the Kincade Fire, which began on October 23 and tore across Sonoma County, could become a yearly occurrence. As of November 6, the fire is over 86 percent contained, but has devastated over 31,000 hectares of vegetation and caused massive property destruction, including...

Provence wine brand Mirabeau buys estate in Saint Tropez

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Provence wine brand Mirabeau has bought a 20-hectare estate near La Garde-Freinet, in the commune of the Golfe de Saint-Tropez, for an undisclosed sum. The estate, which will become Mirabeau’s “brand home,” boasts a 200-year-old traditional Bastide which will be used for client and partner entertainment, “lifestyle content generation”, and a classic Provençal farmhouse that will be used for holiday rentals. The estate falls in the footprint of Notre-Dame des Anges, a part of Provence that gained certification as the AOC’s fifth official sub-region earlier...

Trump tariffs could push EU wine prices up 15%

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

The new tariffs introduced on EU goods by the US could push up prices for French and Spanish wine by 15%, according to the latest Rabobank report. It follows the introduction last month of a 25% ad valorem tariff on still wine under 14.1% ABV that had been made in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, transported in containers of 2 litres or less, as part of the continuing dispute over unfair funding for EU civil aviation company Airbus at the expense of its US rival, Boeing. Sparkling wine, higher alcohol, fortified wines, and wines sent in bulk, as well as wines from Italy were not included...

Adam Handling to open zero-waste restaurant serving chicken feet and Champagne

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Scottish chef Adam Handling is to add another site to his London restaurant empire, unveiling plans for a restaurant and Champagne bar on the King’s Road that aims to make zero-waste “luxurious”. Deboned chicken feet with caviar The new restaurant, called Ugly Butterfly, is set to open on 13 November. It is collaborative project between Handling, Cadogan, the Quintessentially Foundation and The Felix Project. Open from Wednesday to Sunday from lunchtime until late evening, the new site intends to be both a restaurant and a hub for local businesses and sustainability initiatives. The...

Crowdfunding campaign lets drinkers name their own organic Champagne

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

A PhD researcher has launched a Kickstarter campaign that will give fizz-lovers the right to name their own organic Champagne brand. (Photo: Pedro Bentancour Garin/Kickstarter) Pedro Bentancour Garin, an archeology researcher at the University of Stockholm in Sweden, has started a crowdfunding campaign on platform Kickstarter to fund the start of a new “organic and eco-sustainable Champagne-brand”. The campaign will go live at a “random” date and time between now and 17 December 2019. The opening will be published for one hour, and the first person to pledge will name...

The week in pictures: Hong Kong

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Cloudy Bay has released its 2019 Sauvignon Blanc in Hong Kong. Yang Shen, estate director of Cloudy Bay, hosted a tasting session to celebrate the launch. Shen said: “This vintage is likely to be remembered as one of the great Marlborough vintages, and we have created a Sauvignon Blanc that perfectly balances ripeness and freshness. The quality is a testament to our great vineyards, our hardworking teams and a season where everything just came together.” The 2019 season started with an early budburst after a mild winter and warm early spring. Cool and unsettled weather came through the region...

Tag: Wine