Australian wine producer Penfolds has appointed La Place de Bordeaux as an official distribution partner for its ‘Luxury & Icon’ wines across EMEA, coming into effect in January 2024, following the brand’s 180th anniversary in the new year.

Drinks distributor Speciality Brands has signed an agreement with French spirits producer Distillerie de Grandmont to exclusively distribute the brand’s expressions in the UK from this month.

Spanish gin brand Puerto de Indias has announced its partnership for distribution in the UK with Love Drinks.

Nico de Soto, ranked 23 in Drinks International’s Bar World 100 list in 2023, will open a new bar in London’s Soho this October.

Ferrari Trento has announced that Cyril Brun has joined the Italian sparkling wine brand located in Trentino, Italy, as cellar master.

Giacomo Giannotti, owner and bar manager of Paradiso, won the first edition of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge in Barcelona on Thursday, 30 April.

Barcelona Wine Week 2023, the trade fair for Spanish wine, will be bringing together nearly 80 Masters of Wine, sommeliers, producers and experts from the world of wine in a program of activities with more than 50 presentations and tastings.

Diageo has announced the sale of Archers, the Peach Schnapps brand, to De Kuyper Royal Distillers. 

Flor de Caña has announced the opening of inscriptions in Europe for the 2022 edition of its Sustainable Cocktail Challenge. 

Spain’s most famous alcoholic export is on the cusp of some major changes. Millie Milliken takes a look at the incoming regulations in sherry and what the future could hold for the category.

Nicaraguan rum brand, Flor de Caña, has announced the return of its Zero Waste Cocktail initiative, partnering with venues to produce cocktails made with ingredients derived from repurposed food scraps and leftovers.

To celebrate Earth Month, Flor de Caña, a carbon neutral and Fair Trade certified rum, is launching a year-long, global reforestation campaign that aims to ensure a greener future for generations to come.

Cuban rum brand Ron Santiago de Cuba has announced the appointment of Antonio Naranjo as new global brand ambassador.

Manachain Monaghan from the UK has been crowned global champion of Flor de Caña Rum’s Sustainable Cocktail Challenge with his ‘Steamship’ cocktail.

Amber Beverages will launch the first new tequila from Fabrica de Tequilas Fino in the UK after the group’s recent acquisition of the distillery in Jalisco, Mexico.

Tequila brand Volcan De Mi Tierra has launched its Blanco and Cristalino expressions in the UK.

Flor de Caña has launched a global initiative called ‘Zero Waste Month’ for July which invites eco-conscious bars, restaurants and consumers to reduce food waste.

Dutch liqueur producer De Kuyper Royal Distillers earned an impressive haul of two double gold medals and three golds at the International Spirits Challenge 2021.

Three organic wine producers in Bordeaux have joined forces in a bid to promote a sustainable future for the region.

Flor de Caña has pledged to plant more than one million trees by 2025 through its own annual reforestation program called ‘Together for a Greener Future’.

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.

UK importer Kingsland Drinks is championing alternative grape varieties that have the potential to drive excitement and experimentation among consumers.

Moët Hennessy has purchased a 50% stake in Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac champagne brand for an undisclosed sum.

Venezuelan producer Diplomatico is targeting rum connoisseurs with a new high-end expression called Selección de Familia.

Dutch producer Gin 1689 has appointed specialist firm GinBuilders to distribute the brand in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Champagne Gosset has launched a non-vintage cuvee that has benefited from more than 12 years of ageing on the lees.

De Kuyper Royal Distillers has partnered with Salvatore Calabrese to launch Acqua Bianca, an aromatic premium liqueur.

Low and no-alcohol wines were once horrible parodies of the real thing. not any more, writes Jamie Goode.

Beam has announced the 2013 launch of Courvoisier Le Voyage de Napoleon, an exclusive travel retail range of cognacs.

Liqueurs de France has added a Swiss absinthe to its Enigma brand range, Enigma Verte Suisse.

InterLoire, the interprofessional body for Loire wines has announced that 18 wines from AOC Touraine and Vins de Pays du Val de Loire 2011 vintage have been selected as “Ambassador wines” for the Sauvignon Blanc de Loire project this year.

Maxxium Travel Retail (MTR) is raising the profile of Courvoisier and aiming to demystify the cognac category with its multi-sensory experience, ‘Le Nez de Courvoisier’ in the World Duty Free store at London Heathrow Terminal 5. 

Bacardi Limited is planning a raft of activity to celebrate its 150th birthday. Besides parties and commemorative gifts, the company is to launch a $2,000 limited-edition decanter of "rare" Bacardi rum.

Rémy Martin is to introduce a new expression of its VSOP cognac for the European market. VSOP Mature Cask Finish is to replace VSOP in Europe, while the rest of the world will continue to receive the original VSOP cognac.

The major Rioja producer, Marqués de Riscal, has held a charity auction in Beijing of 100 vintages dating from 1862 to 2005.

AXA Millesimes has released the 2009 Sauternes, Les Lions de Suduiraut, to global markets.

The Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac (BNIA) has reported that distillation in the region – ‘La Flamme de l’Armagnac’ - commenced yesterday (October 5).

Diageo has extended the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project campaign with the release of city and country-themed bottles to selected global markets.

Grupo Codorníu has extended its Raimat range of wines with the addition of Castell de Raimat Xarel.lo-Chardonnay and Castell de Raimat Chardonnay Barrica.

Liqueurs de France has rolled out the launch of its Enigma absinthe range to the UK, in a bid to change consumer perceptions of the spirit.

A de Fussigny cognac has released XO 24 Carats Grand Champagne to North America, Europe, Asia and duty free.

Lanson International has launched a website to educate trade and consumers about champagne, called L‟Académie de Lanson.

Spanish wine group Baron de Ley-El Coto has announced the purchase of winery Carbonera-Bergasa as part of a €5m investment in Rioja white wines.

Drinks International Travel Retail Awards trophy winners were announced during the Tax Free World Association exhibition in Cannes this week (October 19).

Pernod Ricard has announced the disposal, by its subsidiary Domecq Bodegas, of Spanish wine brands Marqués de Arienzo and Viña Eguίa. The sale also includes the related Bodega and 358 hectares of vineyards and lands.

Chile: The Asociación de Viñas de Colchagua and the Colchagua Valley Wine Route have estimated a loss of 25 million litres of wine as a result of the earthquake.

Chile: Vinos de Chile has assessed earthquake damage and reported limited damage, though this amounts to a loss US$250 million.