The results of the English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition are in. 

A record number of medals were awarded across the style categories by a judging panel of five Masters of Wine, chaired by Susan McCraith MW.  According to the organisers, results showed the quality of the 2009 vintage, particularly in the dry white and still rosé categories. Sparkling wines were consistently impressive.

The 2010 New Zealand grape harvest totalled 266,000 tonnes, 19,000 tonnes smaller than the 2009 crop and in line with the pre-harvest forecast.

US: Foster's Wine Estates has announced long-term distribution agreements with Southern Wine & Spirits in three US markets.

South Africa-based wine company Origin Wine has announced growth in Holland, and Denmark for its brands Stormhoek and Fairhills.

UK: Alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware has appointed three new trustees to its board.

Bombay Sapphire gin is to launch a global digital campaign, aimed at the social media market.

E&J Gallo has announced staff changes within the European sales team.

US: Heaven Hill Distilleries has launched the 21^st flavour of its Burnett’s flavoured vodka brand.

The Isle of Arran distillery is to double production to meet rising demand. Production in 2008 was 150,000LPA (litres of pure alcohol) and 130,000 in 2009. During 2010, the distillery aims to double the 2009 total.

Belgium: The European Spirits Organisation CEPS and The European Forum for Responsible Drinking (EFRD) have teamed up with the Belgian Federation of Wine and Spirits to launch a responsible drinking campaign during the World Cup.

Travel retail: Bacardi has launched a limited edition bottling of Bénédictine liqueur.

Russian Standard has launched Russian Standard Gold into the travel retail market. The company launched the brand at TFWA Asia Pacific in Singapore.

Diageo has announced the return of its Arthur’s Day celebrations for stout brand Guinness.

Diageo has unveiled a new ad campaign for its ultra premium vodka Cîroc.

Diageo has announced changes to its global marketing department following a review of its structure.

A new study has revealed that Scotch whisky is worth £4 billion a year in added value to the Scottish economy - with the industry spending in excess of £1.1 billion annually on supplies produced in Scotland.

Despite problems in some major markets, Austria’s wine exports defied all expectations in 2009, rising by 5.3% in value and 16% in volume.

UK: Alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware has launched a programme to help fans stay safe and drink responsibly throughout the World Cup this summer, whether they’re travelling to South Africa or watching from the UK.

Foster’s Group plans to create separate stock exchange listings for its beer and wine divisions.

US popularity and universal appeal have kept the Irish whiskey market buoyant, according to business analyst Datamonitor.

Carlsberg Group is to sponsor the UEFA Euro 2012. It is the first UEFA Euro ever to be hosted in Eastern Europe. Carlsberg considers the UEFA European Championship its most successful marketing activity for the Carlsberg brand.

Islay malt whisky, Ardbeg is to launch a second edition of Ardbeg Supernova – SN2010 – to be released on May 31 2010. This limited edition release is 40% more peaty than the distillery’s already heavily peated flagship Ardbeg ten years old.

An Austrian bio-dynamic winemaker has produced a wine from the 2009 harvest by fermenting grapes in clay amphorae buried underground.

Research commissioned by the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) in the UK, has shown a further shift to the off-trade in terms of wine consumption.

US: Foster's Wine Estates has appointed master sommelier Fred Dame as vice president, luxury sales. He will report to Mike Holden, SVP sales. Dame will head-up the selling division for brands including Beringer, Penfolds, Chateau St Jean, Stags' Leap Winery, Etude and St. Clement.

A major scientific study into the storage of wine in different forms of packaging has revealed that the bag-in-box, single-layer PET and small multi-layer PET altered the character of white wines when stored over six months, with oxidation clearly noticeable.

The 2010 global Tax Stamp Forum is to take place in London in June.

The Edrington Group has appointed a new area director for global travel retail.

Diageo’s chief financial officer is to step down. Nick Rose will stand down from the board at the company’s AGM on 14 October 2010.

A 56% increase in exports confirmed Scotch whisky’s growing popularity in Brazil in 2009, according to new figures published by the UK-based Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Carlsberg, the official beer of the England football team, has launched its new TV advert in the build-up to this year’s World Cup.

Smirnoff has retained its position as the world’s leading alcoholic drinks brand according to The Power 100, 2010, the annual survey of the world’s leading drinks brands published by brand valuation and strategy consultancy Intangible Business.

Scottish family owned distiller William Grant & Sons has announced the formation of a new wholly owned subsidiary, William Grant & Sons Australia Pty Ltd.

Scotland: The Wemyss family has launched a small batch gin called Darnley’s View. Darnley’s View celebrates the meeting of Mary Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Darnley at the Wemyss family home, Wemyss Castle in Fife, in 1565.

Australian wine brand Wolf Blass is to launch a sparkling rosé wine at the London International Wine Fair.

Red is the most popular choice of wine for Asian women, according to new research.

The Edrington Group has appointed a new brand controller for its newly acquired scotch whisky Cutty Sark.

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

Korea: The 2010 Ballantine’s Championship golf tournament has been won by Australia’s Marcus Fraser.

Estonia: Liviko is to become the sole representative of Bacardi-Martini Group’s products in Estonia.

The Spirit of Speyside whisky festival starts this week.

Italian wine producer Guerrieri Rizzardi has announced the re-appointment of Rupert Dean, as international sales & marketing manager.

UK: Stolichnaya vodka has linked up with the Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2010, by supporting defending British champion Paul Bonhomme.

In honor of the 40th anniversaries of both Earth Day and Finlandia vodka, Finlandia is releasing limited edition charity water bottles. The bottles are to feature designs by Finnish graphic designer Klaus Haapaniemi.

Alcohol awareness charity the Drinkaware Trust has issued a response to the Eurobarometer survey on alcohol.

The European Commission’s new Eurobarometer report on attitudes to alcohol misses the bigger picture, according to CEPSand EFRD,the representatives of the European spirits industry.

Scottish beer company Innis & Gunn has received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The South African wine industry has launched a new sustainability seal, as a guarantee of environmentally-sensitive production.

Consumers are returning to premium purchases, according to global drinks giant Diageo.

As part of its ‘Open the Facts’ campaign, SABMiller is encouraging women to make informed choices about drinking.