Drinks Retailing has teamed up with the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) to call on the government to retain the temporary tax bracket for wine An arrangement that sees all wines between 11.5% and 14.5% abv taxed at an assumed strength of 12.5% abv, is due to expire at the end of January 2025. The temporary measure came into force alongside wider duty changes…

Pernod Ricard has rolled out an anti-spiking campaign under its Malibu brand. The campaign, which is aimed at convenience stores as well as festivals and the on-trade, was launched in partnership with charity Stamp Out Spiking. As part of the activation, Pernod hopes to train 2,000 staff from UK convenience stores as well as bars and clubs. Training includes a free online spiking awareness course,…

The final issue of 2023 is here, and Drinks Retailing is launching our new ‘Crush the Red Tape’ campaign in collaboration with the Wine & Spirit Trade Association to call on the government to retain the temporary tax bracket for wine (pages 12 – 15).  ALSO IN THIS ISSUE With just over a month to go until Christmas, Rachel Badham rounds up the latest industry…

Sales of beer, wine and spirits have risen slightly as inflation slows and shoppers gear up for Christmas, according to the latest figures from NIQ. The NIQ Total Till sales report for the past four weeks ending November 4 2023 noted a modest 2.3% growth in BWS compared to the same time period last year. Overall sales across all categories in UK supermarkets…

The Welsh Wine Awards 2023 saw 50 wines enter from across 12 vineyards, marking a record year for the annual event. Organised by the Welsh Vineyard Association, the Welsh Wine Awards was held earlier this month after all 50 wines were sampled by a panel of judges.  This year’s events saw 3 golds, 26 silvers and 20 bronzes awarded across the board,…

Late last week, Freixenet Copestick announced a distribution partnership with South Australia’s Wakefield Wines (pictured). The move sees Clare Valley-based Wakefield switch from Louis Latour – and deepens Freixenet Copestick’s commitment to a new agency strategy. Speaking to Drinks Retailing, Freixenet Copestick managing director Robin Copestick said the deal follows others including New Zealand’s Wither Hills and South Africa’s Spier Wine Farm in 2022. “One…

Wine production in 2023 is at a six-decade low, following extreme weather conditions, according to the latest figures from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).  Speaking at a web conference on November 7, the OIV’s head of statistics, Giorgio Delgrosso, shared that production is down 7% compared to 2022, marking it the smallest year for wine production since 1961.  Combined…