The French authorities have come up with a €70 million rescue
package for ailing wine producers, but as Kim Hunter Gordon and
Chris Jones report, they have once again failed to tackle the
principal problem - massive overproduction...
Wine grape production is projected to increase by over 5 per cent
to 1.93 million tonnes over the two years to 2006-07, according to
a new report that goes against industry opinion that slowing
exports could lead to a red wine glut.
Fruit juice sales are soaring in the UK, driven by consumers'
perception of the beverage as a healthier alternative to coffee and
fizzy drinks, shows a new Mintel report.
In the last two years Spain, France and Italy's wine production has
increased by over 8 million hectolitres each. In the face of a
global glut, the French wine confederation is calling on the EU to
fund a crisis distillation,...
A recent ban on televised beer adverts in Russia may be reformed by
the country's parliament later this year after complaints from the
industry, but a new ban on outdoor drinking still looms in 2005,
reports Chris Mercer.
PepsiCo is rolling out its Smart Spot symbol in Canada to help
consumers identify brands that can contribute to healthier
lifestyles. It will appear on an estimated 5 billion servings of
foods and beverages this year.
Growing consumer spending levels in China have helped boost sales
at two of the world's leading drinks groups. South Africa's
SABMiller and France's Rémy Cointreau both benefited from the
increasing interest in premium...
As a weak dollar encourages the ever growing number of American
wine drinkers to stick to home-grown varieties, a survey has
reassured the rest of the viticultural world that they would still
be willing to try other things, writes...
Wheat prices are still open to risk as low global stocks provide
little buffer to surprise supply shocks but soybean prices should
remain low on record high global inventories, writes Lindsey
Partos.
Crown Bevcan Europe & Middle East has started construction of
its new beverage can plant in North Africa, further underlining the
division's commitment to the emerging markets of North Africa and
the Middle East.
A campaign launched this month by the Center for Global Food Issues
(CGFI) warning consumers against claims made on milk cartons has
received short shrift from the organic industry, reports
Philippa Nuttall.
Tsingtao, China's leading domestic brewer, and one of the few home
beer brands to make it on to the international market, has
announced that it is about to start marketing a low-end beer in
Beijing. The move is significant as...
A drop in export growth and the strength of this year's crop has
meant that the addition of the 2005 vintage will cause a surplus of
red wine in Australia, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
As China slowly starts to wake up to the smell of coffee, we
consider whether or not it will ever prove to be a rival for the
nations favourite soft drink, tea. Simon Pitman reports.
Panic reports of the demise of beer in the US and Germany are a
part of the trend for convergence that will see beer sales decline
in traditional beer drinking countries but continue to grow
globally, writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
Russian alcoholic beverage giant Regatta is concentrating on
marketing a number of key vodka brands in a bid to exploit what it
sees as sector of the beverage market that remains underdeveloped,
writes Angela Drujinina.
The licence to the trademarks 'Supplier' and Official Supplier to
the Moscow Kremlin', which are owned by the KGB, can be bought
easily and simply by food manufacturers wishing to use the
trademark in their logos. But...
Predictions of an excellent vintage will help Swiss winemakers
regain their domestic market, while focusing on the country's
traditional white wine varieties could help build up exports,
writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
Further evidence to support evidence of the harmful impact of heavy
drinking on health as researchers find three or more alcoholic
drinks a day considerably ramps up stroke risk in men.
EU Advocate General Francis Jacobs has said that the ban on the use
of the name 'Tocai' for Italian wine should be upheld. The
announcement reignites arguments surrounding Geographical
Indications (GIs) and the right to...
A dot.ru company has opened an online wine store in Russia in
anticipation of the coming electronic shopping craze, despite what
sceptics might say, writes Angela Drujinina.
Crown Holdings is set to substantially increase beverage can
production capacity in the Middle East, following fast in the steps
of Alcoa Closure Systems.
Dutch Brewer Heineken is expecting beer sales in China to far
exceed its own forecast market growth expectations in the next few
years. Indeed, sales of its flagship brand are expected to increase
by 25 per cent next year.
Small vineyards claim that US wholesalers are fighting against
direct shipping in order to preserve the "monopoly" they hold. If
not this, then what exactly does the wholesaler fear? asks Kim
Hunter Gordon.
Following conflicting rulings in lower courts, the US Supreme court
in Washington will rule on the legality over state restrictions for
shipping wines, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
Nearly half of the world's vanillin supplies are sourced from China
but since tighter production rules arrived there a few years ago
there are now only two major Chinese producers left in the country,
reports Lindsey Partos....
Brewer Yarpivo is growing twice as fast as the rest of the Russian
beer market, which itself has been expanding at an annual rate of
seven per cent. Angela Drujinina uncovers the strategy
behind the success.
The low-calorie juice drinks market is expected to continue to
increase by 30 to 40 percent in the US during the next few years,
according to a report on Reuters.
The latest trade figures between China and the EU reveal that the
balance of food and drink exports is continuing to swing in favour
of the People's Republic.
Russia's OST group, one of the country's biggest alcohol producers,
has built a new bottle plant near Moscow which will supply it with
up to 600 million bottles a year - and save it more than $10
million, writes Angela Drujinina.
French firm Danone has pulled out of the chaotic race to buy
Serbian soft drinks firm Knjaz Milos, warning that it is not
prepared to commit itself in Serbia until there is political and
legal stability for investors, reports Chris...
At 3.15 million tonnes world tea production in 2003 beat 2002
supplies but prices remained firm reflecting season variability,
reports the UN food and farm body, adding that China has pushed up
green tea supplies.
Cape Town wine business KWV has revealed that two of its winemakers
added illegal flavourants to their 2004 vintages. The company will
stand to lose an estimated €130,000 from the lost wine but the
damage to its reputation could cost...
The Irish government's 2005 budget, which halves the alcohol
products tax for microbreweries, comes at a time when Europeans are
drinking more beer from small breweries than ever before, writes
Kim Hunter Gordon.
Archeologists believe that wine was first fermented in the now
Republic of Georgia 9,000 years ago. But, the opening of a new
hi-tech wine testing laboratory has given Georgian winemakers a
reason to look to the future, writes Kim...
San Miguel says it is looking to expand its food and beverage
business outside of the Asian market, building on moves introduced
earlier this year to extend its business beyond the domestic market
and into Asia. Simon Pitman reports.
British spirits drinkers are abandoning blended whisky in favour of
foreign products such as vodka. A new report from market analysts
Datamonitor reveals that although whisky remains the most
popular spirit in Britain, sales are in...
Heineken, the Dutch brewer, has continued to extend its reach into
some of the world's lesser-known beer markets with an agreement to
take a controlling stake in Nigeria's Consolidated Breweries,
writes Chris Jones.
Australian beer giant Foster's has teamed up with Russia's leading
brewer to become the latest contender for riches in the Russian
beer market gold mine, but the competition is strong, writes
Chris Mercer.
Despite the unresolved legal battle over rights to the brand,
Allied Domecq is to take on global distribution of Stolichnaya
vodka, writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
Leaked details of a potentially landmark WTO ruling throw into
question the EU's right to protect regional product names if they
are translated from another language, writes Kim Hunter
Gordon.
The Russian Union of Grapes and Wine Producers is launching an
annual exhibition and conference to address the challenges of
inadequate raw material supplies that have decimated the Russian
wine industry in recent years, writes Angela...