Are draconian government and health authority proposals really a solution to excessive drinking?…

Region of origin is what researchers like to call a “high involvement cue”. People who know their regions, goes the logic, are more likely to: l be highly involved in wine l be willing to trade up l talk about their recent purchases to friends. Using Vinitrac Global, its proprietary survey of wine consumers in all major wine consumption markets, Wine Intelligence…

So what is a bitter, excepting an English top-fermented ale ? According to web encyclopedia Wik ipedia, it is: "A preparation of herbs and citrus dissolved in alcohol or glycerine with a bitter or bittersweet flavour. The brands, once numerous, were formerly manufactured as patent medicines, often served as digestifs. The few remaining varieties are principally used as aperitifs or as flavourings in cocktails." There…

A year ago, UMP party deputies Philippe-Armand Martin and Gerard Voisin suggested teaching wine appreciation in French schools to help the nation’s ailing vineyards, in the light of increasing evidence that young French people are turned off by the traditional drinks of their parents. Per capita wine consumption had, after all, famously dropped dramatically from what it was in 1970, standing at some 55 litres…

One of the biggest challenges when we’re asked to create a distinctive design for a branded wine range is how to make it stand out in a category so dominated by tradition and traditionalists. Mixing oil and vinegar comes to mind. We quickly discover two very different perspectives: that of the traditional wine trade and that of the consumer. For the former, the focus…