Happening in between Vinexpo years, the objective of VieVinum is “for expanding trade”, according to AWMB managing director Willi Klinger. “It was one of my strategic objectives to bring in new buyers from the emerging markets,” he added, citing Asia and eastern Europe as areas where Austrian wine sales are historically weak. AWMB has this year invited 840 guests from around the…

Reducing the weight of a standard 75cl glass champagne bottle from 900g to 835g, the Comité Champagne predicts the move will cut the region’s carbon dioxide output by 8,000 tonnes a year – equivalent, it says, to the emissions of 4,000 cars. Speaking at the annual Champagne Bureau tasting in Whitehall, London, CIVC head of viticulture Laurent Panigai said that the advantages of the new…

Black Tower Special Release will consist initially of three single varietal wines: Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. The company says there are “other varietals planned”. With the Classic range priced at £4.49-£4.99 retail in the UK – the biggest single market for Black Tower at more than 500,000 9-litre cases in 2009 – the premium edition Special Release range will be on the shelf at…

Following two years of in-depth consumer research in the UK, US and China, the brand’s flagship Black Tower Rivaner has switched to half-and-half colouring. New clear glass at the bottom for the first time reveals the colour of the white wine within, while the top half of the bottle retains the signature black of the Black Tower brand. At the same time…

The nanocork has been developed by British company Bacchus Wine Closures, in partnership with Portugal’s Alvaro Coelho & Irmãos, the world’s second largest producer of corks. Bacchus Wine Closures utilised existing technologies to apply a special coating – the Bacchus Barrier – to each end of a natural cork providing, the company says: improved anti-oxidation consistency of the cork; dramatically reduced cork taint and other…

With the next tranche of bottlings due out in January 2010, the six – Blair Athol, Dalwhinnie, Glen Spey, Inchgower, Royal Lochnagar and Talisker – are from the second and third of four batches in total, due to be fully rolled out by the middle of next year. In February 2009 Diageo initiated what turned out to be a complicated process of selecting a single…

On show for the first time in the UK at the French Ambassador’s residence in Kensington Park, Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2002 was introduced by Perrier-Jouët brand devlopment manager Agnès Laplante-Jones as: “The first vintage of the 21st century – and it…

At the Nov 26 London launch of the book, ICAP president Marcus Grant said: “WHO is in the midst of a global process to reduce harmful drinking. ICAP has been working with them to agree what industry can do to help implement the policy.” Diageo chief executive Paul Walsh said: “There is a small but…

Northern Irishman McDowell – winner of the inaugural Ballantine’s Championship in Korea in 2008 – will now wear the Ballantine’s logo on his sleeve at all tournaments in which he plays. Upping its stakes in the world of professional golf, Chivas Bros has also recently signed a sponsorship deal for Ballantine’s with the Omega Mission Hill World Cup in China. The event, sanctioned by the…

The company plans to use the new method as a training tool for the on-trade, allowing a clearer understanding of the characteristics of the premium vodkas in its portfolio. Bartenders will be able to explain signature serves more easily to consumers, based on the profile of each brand, such as the “Clean & Classic” Smirnoff No.21 (Red); “Rich & Distinctive” Smirnoff Black; “Crisp & Sophisticated” Ketel One;…