Award-winning Surrey independent The Wine Reserve has been bought out by its store management team. Tim Walker and Carol Edwards have bought out founder Marco Attard, who retains ownership of his other venture in France, Calais Wine Superstore. Walker has been with the business for five years and Edwards for two. The pair will retain the name but plan tweaks to the look and improvements…

Czech brewer Budvar has hit back at a report claiming drinkers cannot taste the difference between Stella Artois, Heineken and its eponymous beer, writing it off as a prank from a notorious troublemaker. The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Independent and other national titles carried a story yesterday based on the report, which claimed the three lagers were indistinguishable. “They cannot distinguish between three major…

Energy drinks giant Red Bull has decided to end a dispute it started with Norfolk microbrewer Redwell. Red Bull said the brewer, which employs eight staff and is named after a street in Norwich, had a name that was too similar and would confuse customers and “tarnish” the Red Bull name. It ordered Redwell to change withdraw a trademark application for the name or face…

The Duchess of Cornwall believes the English sparkling wine category needs to be rebranded with a new name to help it compete with the likes of Champagne. Her Royal Highness was in Hampshire to open the new £2.5 million winery at Hambledon and she told guests the word sparkling was not doing justice to an category that now regularly scoops major awards and has emerged…

Bargain Booze has ruled out rebranding its off-licences under a new name as part of an in-depth review of its strategy. Acting managing director Keith Webb said it had no intention of dropping the Bargain Booze moniker although “all elements” of its operation were being analysed following a “massive” piece of consumer research. He said: “We won’t be losing the name Bargain Booze. Some people…