A new PET beer bottle for the German market may suggest increasing
acceptance of the material as a viable beer-packaging format, but
some still have environmental concerns, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
A Californian wine producer is to package its products with labels
designed by a contemporary artist as part of its strategy to change
how the US wine industry operates.
For decades, Moldova has been the biggest exporter of wine to the
Russian market, dominating the market with a share as high as 70
per cent. But the arrival of more sophisticated wines from
countries such as Australia, Argentina or...
Slovenia's wine makers, buoyed by the news of EU funding for their
vineyards, face a long struggle if they are to conquer foreign
markets and compete effectively against the titans of the world
wine business - but one man is...
Wine players are getting bigger and exposing their businesses to
greater risk as consolidation in the industry continues and to
ensure quality remains constant, Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen
claims to offer the solution through...
Six of the new EU member states are set to receive more than €20
million in EU funding so that they can improve and expand their
vineyards, helping them to make better quality wine and compete
more effectively in both their home markets...
Investors monitoring the huge growth potential and high profit
margins of China's burgeoning wine market are beginning to dip
their toe in, writes Anthony Fletcher.
The European Commission has fined French dairy Groupe Danone and
Dutch beer giant Heineken €2.5 million for colluding to control the
wholesale beer market in France.
Australian alcoholic beverages group Foster's has been denied what
could have been a magnificent turnaround by a poor showing from its
wine trading division during the 12 months to June 2004. A glut of
wine in the US - and the...
The Russian government has introduced new laws restricting the
advertisement of beer in the country. The rules for the previously
unregulated market are said to go even further than EU regulations,
but despite being seemingly heavy-handed...
As growth in the premium bottled beer sector gallops ahead overall
beer consumption in Europe brewers are driving innovation in the
ingredients sector, encouraging firms to come up with novel
solutions to tackle the market. Starch...
Over the course of the last few months the China beer market has
witnessed frenzied activity as international brewery companies race
to increase their footprint in what is now the world's second
largest market by volume. But...
Overproduction by New World wine producers has pushed down prices
over the last few years, taking a major toll on producers' margins.
But a growing trend towards premium wines could save the day, in
both established and emerging...
Germans have a reputation as Europe's beer-drinking heavyweights,
but an increasing lack of interest in beer among young consumers
there means that German brewers may have to look to other western
European nations such as Italy...
Two of the best-known names in the North American beer market are
considering joining forces in a bid to bolster flagging
performances and generate growth in an increasingly tough market.
But will the "merger of equals"...
Brewers targeting the Russian beer market are increasingly shifting
their focus to premium lager, despite the fact that large numbers
of Russian consumers still cannot afford to buy it - an indication,
above all, of the strength of...
A shift towards lower priced table wines helped lift Spanish wine
exports in the first quarter of the year, but the lower revenues
mean that double-digit volume gains were rather more modest when
converted into value figures.
Old World wine producers – who just 15 years ago had the British
wine market almost to themselves – still need to do more to counter
the ongoing threat from New World producers, a new report suggests.
But solving the problem is likely...
The San Miguel Corporation has signed an approval of a license to
produce beer in Thailand, a deal that will allow the entry of the
Philippines-based brewer's beer brands into the fast-growing Thai
beer market.
On the back of this week's dramatic acquisition of China's Harbin
Brewery by the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, ahead of its
nearest rival, SABMiller, Scottish & Newcastle has announced
that it has signed...
Scientists have discovered a possible mechanism for the anti-cancer
activity of resveratrol, the compound found in red wine and thought
to be responsible for the drink's widely reported health benefits,
writes Wai Lang Chu.
Corbett Canyon, the largest US wine brand, is converting all its
750ml bottles to Stelvin screw top closures in order to protect
them from cork taint. But with many consumers still attached to the
cork, are manufacturers too eager...
SABMiller, the second largest brewer in the world, said it intends
to increase its 29 per cent stake in Harbin, China's leading
brewer. The announcement comes in direct response to rival brewer
Anheuser-Busch's move to secure...
A brand of wine packaged in Tetra Prisma 500ml packaging has been
launched in the US. This is the first wine to packaged in this way,
and the company behind it believes it offers consumers greater
convenience and freshness.
Cobra Beer is probably the UK's best known Indian beer brand, with
its outsized bottles gracing the menus of Indian restaurants the
length and breadth of the nation. But despite its Indian heritage
and image, the beer is not...
Asian Pacific Breweries (APB), Heineken's Asian based partner
company, is set to launch a new beverage which combines the
qualities of beer and champagne. Touché is brewed with champagne
yeast which gives it an enhanced flavour,...
A warm glow from a regular pint at the pub might not be the only
benefit to the health as a small study finds moderate beer
consumption could help prevent osteoporosis through the
bioavailability of silicon rooted in the beverage.
Miller Brewing is to package beer in innovative new containers,
which the company claims are designed to fit conveniently into home
refrigerators. The firm is the first to apply the Fridge Pack, a
popular consumer package in other...
Flavourants that may be added to wine cause no harm to a consumer's
health, but the inclusion of such ingredients are illegal.
Following two years of research on the matter, it has been thought
that some producers are actually...
Some of the components in beer appear to protect against
development of colon cancer, report Japanese researchers, revealing
new results from a study on rats.
A brewer in Sweden is facing the GM debate head on. The company
claims to have launched the first food product to use genetic
modification as a marketing tool.
A US company says it has launched the first dietary supplement that
preserves the natural antioxidant molecules found in red wine,
making it a suitable alternative for teetotallers.
As the days of blindingly fast growth in the Russian beer industry
begin to ebb away the market is starting to show signs of maturity.
In turn it is the premium and super premium sectors that are
increasingly showing signs of promise...
Beer sales in most of western Europe rose strongly last year as
consumers across the Continent looked for any means possible to
cool down during the heatwave in July and August.
Asconi, one of
the largest eastern European producers of wines and spirits, is to
buy new grape processing and winemaking equipment for its Puhoi
winery to help it meet growing demand for its products.
With several of the world's biggest drinks group accused last month
of deliberately promoting their brands to under age drinkers, the
issue of drinks advertising has never been hotter.
Baby boomers are convinced that beer makes you fat and wine is good
for the heart, so finds a recent poll in Canada conducted by
Ipsos-Reid on behalf of the Brewer's Association of Canada.
Czech brewer Plzensky Prazdroj recently undertook an extensive
survey into the art of beer drawing. The experts concluded that the
process has an unquestionable influence on the resulting taste and
quality of the product.
Certain constituents in red wine may be able to reverse some of the
damage caused by cigarettes, suggests a new study presented at the
European Society of Cardiology meeting last week.
Declining beer consumption has been the order of the day in Germany
for several years now, but there are still some sectors of the
market which continue to grow, such as beer-based RTDs.
Just a few weeks after the launch of Franklin Estates' Australian
wine in cans in the UK, another Antipodean winery is taking a
similar stance and introducing its wine in a single serve Tetra
Prisma carton.
Rumours of a takeover bid for Allied Domecq by Brown-Forman and
Bacardi have at least thrown light on the perennial problem facing
the global spirits players.
Franklin Estates is to launch its Australian wine brands in cans
across the UK next month, just in time for the summer picnic
season. But persuading the UK consumer - to say nothing of the wine
trade - that a good quality wine can...
Satellite imagery allowing wine producers to map precisely their
vineyards could give European growers a qualitative edge in their
long running battle with New World producers.
Although the alcoholic drinks market as a whole is growing strongly
in Mexico, the country's consumption of spirits continued to
decline in 2002, according to a new report from industry analysts
Canadean.