Several retailers have signed an accord to reduce the average weight of 75cl still wine bottles in their ranges. Retailers including Lidl, Naked Wines, Waitrose and The Wine Society have signed up to global industry body the Sustainable Wine Roundtable’s (SWR) Bottle Weight Accord to stock lighter bottles. The average 75cl still wine bottle weight today is approximately 550 grams, the SWR said. The pledge…

Pernod Ricard-owned coffee liqueur brand Kahlúa has revealed a new look bottle in a move to appeal to home mixologists.  Featuring a bold colour scheme, the packaging redesign looks to pay tribute to the brand’s Mexican heritage while catching the attention of home cocktail drinkers.  Craig van Niekerk, global VP of marketing for Kahlúa, said the home cocktail space is “flourishing”, with…

The owners of The Bottle Shop in Brixham have announced the closure of the business, amid rising costs. A post on the shop’s social media accounts said: “We’ve been struggling with rising costs, decreased spending and a host of other financial issues since January. We kept going as long as we could and tried everything we could think of but unfortunately we can’t keep going…

Kill The Cat is a beer-led hybrid retailer described as a “craft beer bar, kitchen and bottle shop for the curious”.  After opening the new Spitalfields location in late July, Kill The Cat co-owner Phil Curl discusses plans for the latest venture It’s a much larger site. Compared to our Brick Lane location, which is about 300 square ft, Kill The Cat Spitalfields is about…

The government’s reformed alcohol duty system has now come into force. The new regime brings the biggest increases in alcohol tax for five decades, with spirits, still wine and fortified wine among the hardest hit. The revamp sees the established system of taxing alcoholic drinks by type replaced by one based on abv. It means that higher-strength products have seen big increases, while lower strength…

Recycled plastic wine bottles cut costs and carbon emissions – but are they ‘greenwashing’ and perpetuating plastic pollution, asks Christine Boggis Glass bottles and transport are the biggest producers of CO2 emissions in the wine industry. Plastic bottles are lightweight, easy to transport and cut cash and carbon costs throughout the production and distribution process. But environmental advocates have accused plastic producers of greenwashing,…

The government’s reformed alcohol duty regime cranks up on August 1, bringing the biggest increases in alcohol tax for five decades, with spirits, still wine and fortified wine among the hardest hit. Drinks industry hopes of a reprieve from the changes evaporated in the summer heat. The revamp will see the established system of taxing alcoholic drinks by type replaced by one…