Wine – Page 6 – Keep It Overproof!

Hennessy Cognac secures first partnership with NBA

Hennessy has secured a multiyear sponsorship which makes the Cognac brand the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) official spirit partner . The deal means that Hennessy will become the official spirit of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and USA Basketball. It is the first time Hennessy, which is owned by LVMH, has partnered with a professional sports league in North America. The brand will take over from Jack Daniels, the NBA’s previous spirit partner, this month. Dan Rossomondo, NBA senior vice president of media and business development, said...

DTC wine shipping slows in US as market matures

The growth of direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping slowed in the US last year as the market reached maturation, a new report has found – but the average price per bottle rose. Sunset over a vineyard in Napa Valley, California, USA. Rows of grapevine crops grow and grapes ripen in the cultivated agricultural farm field. Mountains on the horizon glow in the misty dawn. Scenic wine country landscapes are tourist vacation travel destinations. vertical format with sky copy space. The Direct-to-consumer shipping report, a collaboration between Sovos ShipCompliant and Wines Vine Analytics...

Booze retail sales down 20% in Dry January compared to a ‘normal’ month

Sales of booze during January dipped 20% in the UK grocery market this year compared to the ‘normal’ months of February to September, data from Kantar has revealed – but despite the noise around Dry January, alcohol sales are still “considerable”, it said. Young man with a shopping cart is in a supermarket picking up wine. Speaking to the drinks business today, Kantar’s, head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt said that while this was a sizeable dip, 15 million households had still bought booze during January. “The January [alcohol] sales...

Fine wine investment: Risk-weighting

Liv-ex recently undertook its annual flagellation of esteemed members, under the banner: ‘Fine wine prices in 2019: merchants’ predictions vs reality’. It is to be hoped anyone not in need of a giggle looked no further than the headline. Why do this to themselves, you might ask? Well they do exactly the same in mainstream markets, with exactly the same results. No matter how much an investment bank pays its global strategist there always seems to be a copious amount of egg on faces. Nor are we at Amphora about to argue that we would do any better, because it is an impossible...

Top drinks marketing campaigns and news in January

Diageo launches Seedlip’s first ad campaign Drinks giant Diageo has led the fight to keep sales buoyant during January by launching its first advertising campaigns in the UK and US for non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ brand Seedlip. It is the first time that Diageo has set up an ad campaign for Seedlip, after upping its investment in the popular non-alcoholic brand to a ‘significant’ majority stake in August 2019. Developed by Seedlip’s EU marketing director, Ben Thomson, alongside creative agency And Rising, it features the strapline: ‘Drink to the Future’,...

Bacardi launches Bombay Sapphire lower ABV pink gin liqueurs

Bacardi will expand the range of its gin brand Bombay Sapphire with the launch of four liqueurs that add a “floral or fruit boost” to a standard G&T. Renaud de Bosredon, Bombay Sapphire’s brand ambassador, said the pack is designed to “complement our world-famous gin, without overpowering the much-loved profile of the gin itself. They come in four flavours – rose, hibiscus, strawberry and raspberry – and are designed to add a pink hue to a mixed drink, and carry an ABV of 20%. They will be available online from Ocado from 5 February, in-store at Sainsbury’s...

Venezie DOC posts 34% rise in sales

The Venezie DOC consortium has revealed that despite 2019 being “a real challenge”, sales were up 34%, equating to a rise of almost 53 million bottles compared to 2018. In a statement, the consortium said 2019 had proved difficult due to the economic situation and a 25% drop in production in 2018. Despite this, it revealed that sales of DOC wines were considerably up on the numbers recorded in the previous year, with a total of 223 million bottles sold. Exports to the UK experienced a 5% dip, however, which the consortium attributed to Brexit uncertainty. Established in 2017, the...

Wine & Spirits Show returns for 2020

the drinks business and The Spirits Business will once again join forces to bring you the ultimate tasting experience in London this spring. After a two sell-out shows 2019 and 2018, attended by over 1500 people, we are thrilled to announce that The Wine & Spirits Show will be back at One Whitehall Place on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th April 2020. Sample hundreds of fine wines sourced from all over the world which have picked up awards in our Global Masters blind tastings, discover new producers, and kick back with a gin and tonic made with some of the finest craft spirits on the market...

Global Malbec Masters 2019: the results in full

All the medallists and extensive analysis from the latest Malbec-only tasting from the Global Masters, featuring the best samples from Argentina and Chile, and a surprising discovery from Spain. The entries were judged on 7 November in The London Marriott Hotel, County Hall The Malbec revival may be a recent phenomenon, but this single grape has already been through several phases. In fact, during the course of this century alone, it has swung to stylistic extremes, before settling into a happy medium, meaning that the development of Malbec has many similarities to Chardonnay’s changing...

Analysis: Study shows grape swaps could help thwart global warming

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

A study has revealed that a 2°C rise in temperatures could wipe out production in 51% of current wine regions, but planting heat tolerant varieties could help mitigate the effects of global warming. We take a look at the issues involved. Vineyard sign marking Burgundy Way and Pinot Noir Way taken in October 2019 after the Kincade fire in Sonoma, California. Image: iStock The study A study, carried out by researchers at the University of British Columbia and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has stressed that swapping certain grape varieties for more heat-tolerant...

Tag: Wine