The chief executive of Vinexposium has said many players in the wine industry “need to change from being farmers to marketers” in order to attract the next generation of drinkers. Speaking ahead of next February’s Wine Paris/Vinexpo Paris, Rodolphe Lameyse said spirits companies are still attracting younger legal age drinkers, with “high prices, high margins, fancy marketing and advertising”. “In the wine industry, we all…

Alcohol duty will be frozen until August 1 2024 as announced by chancellor Jeremy Hunt in today’s Autumn Statement.  Speaking from the House of Commons, Hunt announced that, in line with the trade’s request, an alcohol duty freeze has been put in place until next summer. “I’ve listened closely to the persuasive arguments on alcohol duty,” Hunt said, before confirming the duty freeze.  “I have…

The last quarter is undoubtedly the most important three months of the year for drinks retailers, and taking a look at the story in the market so far in 2023 will give a good idea of what to expect as Christmas nears. Total FMCG sales grew by 8% to £144 billion in the first nine months of 2023, though most of this extra value…

As we head into a festive period, we are all ready for a tipple, and a Q4 uplift. Ready to cheers the future, make some New Year’s resolutions, wipe off the blackboard, start afresh and chalk up exciting strategies for 2024. Now, this will all happen, and we will continue as an industry to create, innovate and curate. But – and this is a big…

Estrella Galicia brand owners have launched a new campaign with the aim of educating UK consumers about the beer’s Spanish origins. Running from November 20 across social media, radio and OOH advertising, the ‘real Spanish beer’ campaign highlights that Estrella Galicia has been brewed in Spain since 1906, with the tagline ‘Spanish, not Span-ish’. The messaging was inspired by 2022 data from market research company…

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is launching a new series of educational talk sessions exploring key issues in the drinks industry. Launching on Monday November 27 at 3pm, the first discussion in the series will focus on how climate change is impacting viticulture practices, and how producers are adapting to extreme weather conditions.   The ‘Sipping sustainably: navigating climate change in the drinks industry’…

Wine importer Mentzendorff has named Justin Liddle managing director, effective immediately. Liddle, who has served as interim managing director for the past seven months, replaces Andrew Hawes. Hawes will leave his position as Mentzendorff MD to become group Bollinger advisor for the UK market. Mentzendorff’s  leading shareholder brands are Champagne Bollinger and Taylor’s Port. “We would like to congratulate Justin on his…