What will the drinks packs of the future look like? Lucy Britner reports from the recent Act for Change symposium in Bordeaux Glass. That’s the answer to the question: What will be the main type of packaging for wine and spirits in 2030? In June, Lulie Halstead, co-founder of Wine Intelligence IWSR; Rob Malin, founder of When in Rome; Damien Barton, co-manager of Bordeaux’s…

Here’s a sobering thought: According to ad agency McCann, most consumers believe that brands and businesses have a greater ability to create positive change than governments.  No matter what sector you operate in, the bar is set high and will only get higher. And those businesses that do not live up to expectations – or indeed reflect the changing values of consumers – will…

Human resilience as well as lessons from the past will help the wine industry face into climate change, according to a group of experts speaking at the Act for Change Symposium in Bordeaux this week. Gilles Brianceau, director of Inno’vin; Jérémy Cukierman MW, director, Kedge Wine School; Marta Mendonça, manager, Porto Protocol; and Nathalie Ollat, research director, Ecophysiology & Functional Genomics of the Vine joint…

Last week, M&S held its spring/summer press tasting. Drinks Retailing caught up with Andrew Shaw, head of trading for drinks, to talk about the customer experience, new product development and the department’s approach to sustainability How does M&S differ from other retailers when it comes to drinks? Andrew Shaw: Other retailers sell more promotable lines because a lot of brand owners have the investment…

Wine and spirits events organiser Vinexposium has announced a series of debates around sustainability, as part of Bordeaux Wine Week next month. The symposium, called Act for Change, takes place on June 20-21 at the Cité du Vin. The series will also examine the role and uptake by the wine and spirits industry of the agenda set by the United Nations and COP 26. Events…

A new study commissioned by Ian Macleod’s Glengoyne distillery has outlined several threats to Scotch whisky as the climate continues to change. The study, by professor Mark Maslin and researcher Carole Roberts from University College London, found that projected temperature increases and changes in rainfall patterns pose a threat to distillery production over the next fifty years. According to the report, impending heat and…

Six new grape varieties have been approved in the Bordeaux region. The announcement, by the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualite (INAO), a division of France’s Ministry of Agriculture, represents the culmination of a decade of research by wine scientists and growers of Bordeaux to address the impact of climate change. The four red and two white approved varieties are well-adapted to alleviate…