It’s December 2020 and I’m holding in my hands a Rioja whose vintage bears the same year. And it’s one of the brightest, freshest, easiest to drink wines I’ve had since moving to the area.

A U-turn on regulations for mezcal has left producers confused about quality control. Shay Waterworth reports.

Drinks International caught up with Ferrari Trento chief executive Matteo Lunelli to learn more about the brand’s new Formula One sponsorship deal.

The Peroni Libera 0.0% logo will take pride of place on Aston Martin Cognizant’s new Formula 1 car this season as part of a multi-year sponsorship deal. Drinks International caught up with Richard Ingram, global brands director at parent company Asahi Europe & International, to learn more about its plans for the partnership.

BrewDog has launched a new initiative to plant one tree for every multipack of its flagship beers purchased throughout 2021.

Heineken has unveiled plans to make Amstel one of the bestselling beer brands in the Chinese market.

Johnnie Walker has announced a commitment to plant one million trees across Scotland in the next five years.

Galaxy Bar in Dubai has been named this year’s Campari One to Watch by the World’s 50 Best Bars.

Legendary Adelaide Hills winemaker Taras Ochota has died after a long battle with illness.

Lebanese wine producer Ixsir is ramping up its focus on exports after the domestic market was hit by a double whammy of hyperinflation and Covid-19.

A British bar owner has created a prototype layout that would allow his pub to reopen this summer at around 75% of its usual capacity.

Bars and nightclubs will be the last businesses to reopen when Italy’s coronavirus lockdown ends, a leading virologist has warned.

Aquavit, ‘the water of life’ was all but dead in the water thanks to younger drinkers’ aversion to it. but now all that is changing, as Hamish Smith discovers

It’s all about the branding for craft beers trying to get noticed in a crowded marketplace. Shay Waterworth gets under the skin of funky designs

Prosecco producers are looking for ways to beat the ravages of climate change in the vineyards. Shay Waterworth reports from Italy

Is it possible to apply the craft approach to vodka? Philip Duff could have had the recipe for success

The new £2.5m Lakes Distillery will become the first whisky operation in the Lake District in more than 100 years, when it opens in December.

With convenience at its heart, the pre–mixed drink is always going to involve an element of compromise – the category will probably never be one for the purist. But that doesn’t mean it should be spared our scrutiny. 

The International Wine Challenge held is annual bash at the Hilton on London’s Park Lane last night at which all its trophy winners were announced.

A rare bottle of Rémy Martin Black Pearl cognac estimated to be worth between £5,000 and £7,000 is up for auction in London.

Yes, it is that time of year: late summer/autumn when publishers start releasing books with an eye to the Christmas gifting market. Well, here’s one for anyone looking for either a coffee table book or an easy-to-read/glance at, authoritative book on whisky.

Lucy Britner on livening up tequila

The world’s first female master blender, Joy Spence, is a chemist, philanthropist and all-round spirited raconteur. Jaq Bayles meets the architect of Jamaica’s best-known rums

Tesco has moved one of its champagnes to lightweight bottles, but should other brands follow suit? James Boulton of Claessens International explores whether champagne producers can embrace sustainability without damaging their products’ premium status

Vergelegen, one of South Africa’s best wine producers, has unveiled a new wine, DNA.

The House Janneau has released some limited edition armagnacs, called the Dragon Vintages.

The European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) has welcomed the European Parliament’s recent motion to stop budget airlines charging passengers for carrying more than one bag in their hand luggage.  

Campari America has joined the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

The UK government has pledged to introduce a minimum alcohol price of 40p per unit and the ban of by-one-get-one-free deals in a bid to counter binge drinking.

First Drinks will be the new UK distributor of CEDC brands Zubrówka Bison Grass Vodka and Green Mark - the world's fourth largest vodka.

There has been a seismic shift in the Chilean and Argentinian wine industries, according to some leading experts.

World number one Irish whiskey, Jameson, is teaming up with film actor Kevin Spacey and his production company to launch a short film competition to discover talented screenwriters and directors from Russia, South Africa and the US.

Diageo, through its Johnnie Walker brand, has launched a social media project to get communities involved in either technology, arts or business projects.

New Zealand’s Ara Wines has launched One Estate, a sparkling wine made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, in the UK.

Diageo has launched a cinnamon spiced vodka in travel retail.

Diageo has announced that Madonna will partner Smirnoff in the next instalment of the Nightlife Exchange Project.

Stock Spirits recorded double-digit organic revenue growth and profit growth in 2010.

The Stock Spirits Group has announced double digit organic volume growth with total sales volumes of 162.4 million litres in 2010.

Jameson has reached three million nine litre case sales (MAT ending October 31). According to the brand, growth in the US, Jameson’s largest export market, contributed to its milestone success, with one million cases sold.

The trade has welcomed the Scottish Parliament’s decision to reject minimum pricing. This was the final time in which MSPs could vote to decisively keep minimum pricing out of the Alcohol Bill. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has consistently argued that minimum pricing would be illegal and ineffective in addressing misuse, whilst significantly damaging one of Scotland’s key industries.

US spirits company Proximo has entered into a UK distribution agreement with Marblehead Brand Development.

The number of brands meeting the criteria of The IWSR’s Elite Brands has fallen from 22 in 2009 to just 10 in 2010. Ukrainian vodka Nemiroff has taken the top spot.

Dutch beer Grolsch has announced a partnership with British Airways and has opened a bar in one of the airline’s lounges in Terminal 5.

According to the Scotch Whisky Association more than 5 bottles of scotch are shipped to France every second.

Ketel One vodka has introduced Ketel One Oranje, an orange flavoured vodka.