The answer is No. Even though Languedoc owes its rebirth to varietal wines, the essential of its personality lies somewhere else. Single -variety wines are still and must remain an important part of its production. However, blending brings it an obvious qualitative "plus" and it is blending that will retain consumers. Its vineyards have now reached adult age and many Languedoc consumers feel like increasing…

Have security restrictions on passengers carrying liquids onto aircraft – particularly for transfer passengers – done irreparable damage to the duty-free and tax free liquor sectors? —- === The whisky producer Leonard Russell, managing director === … certainly not irreparably. The restrictions have created confusion. Travellers are obviously concerned that they will not be able to carry liquid items on to aircraft…

Moët & Chandon may be the world’s most successful Champagne brand, but its performance shows some surprising variances across different European markets, according to data from Vinitrac Global. In the UK its position is very strong, with the highest awareness levels of any Champagne brand (82 per cent) and the highest conversion rate (the proportion of people aware of a brand who have bought…

Wine writers Hugh Johnson and Oz Clarke recently stated that vintages are no longer an important factor in winemaking. Were they wrong to make this generalisation? —- === The French winemaker Albéric Bichot === managing director Maison Albert Bichot Our goal is to express terroir and vintage rather than a standardised product.  Today, thanks to technology and with investments (yield control, grape…

Germany 48% Netherlands 46% Finland 42% Switzerland 35% Sweden 34% Denmark 32% Canada 32% Australia 30% USA 28% Norway 28% Ireland 27% UK 24% Attitudes towards wine: % of respondents who chose “I know what I like and I tend to stick to what I know” over other options: “I enjoy trying new and…

Humans are creatures of habit, and if those habits happen to include buying your product, then you’re in clover. If, however, you are not part of a habitual behaviour, you can be frozen out of a market. Therefore the flexibility of consumer behaviour can be an important factor in the attractiveness of a market for a new entrant. Every time we survey wine drinkers around…

honorary secretary All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group /The British Beer Club in the European Parliament Not without a lot more effort. The pressure of the new puritanism abroad in the high -taxing democracies of the industrial world is powerful and growing. As the new liberalism of post-war Europe moves into its third generation, the earlier legacy of self-control and conformity has dissipated and the…