Wine

WSTA warns Government over post-Brexit bootlegging

27-Mar-2017 By Georgina Townshend

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has warned Government that if Brexit talks do not achieve frictionless borders, delays and gridlocks at ports will “encourage the resurgence of alcohol smugglers”.

World’s first ‘drip-free’ wine bottle unveiled by US scientist

24-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

The days of near-unavoidable tablecloth stains may be nearing their end, with a US scientist unveiling the world’s first drip-free wine bottle.

Low-calorie Skinny wine to roll out across M&B pubs

23-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) will introduce new wine brand The Skinny Fizz across a large segment of its pub estate next month.

Winners of first independent English wine competition announced

21-Mar-2017 By Georgina Townshend

The inaugural winners of the Independent English Wine Awards (IEWA) have been unveiled after judging took place last week.

BBPA: beer should have been included in low-strength consultation

21-Mar-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has hit out at the Government’s low-strength consultation, which focused on wine and cider, because beer was not included.

Grape expectations: how wine is evolving in the pub sector

16-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Ordering a glass of house wine in the local used to result in receiving a drink that tasted more like sulphuric acid than Syrah. Thankfully for customers’ stomach linings, those days are over.

Spring Budget: duty rises for beer, cider, wine and spirits

08-Mar-2017 By Liam Coleman

Alcohol duty will rise for beer, cider, wine and spirits, the chancellor has announced in the budget.

Pubs lose out to supermarkets in Christmas fizz sales

08-Mar-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

More than 45m bottles of sparkling wine were sold in the UK at Christmas, but just 5m of those were bought in the on-trade, the rest being purchased in supermarkets.

Mounting costs pose real threat to on-trade growth

23-Feb-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Increasing food and drink prices, as well as business rates revaluations, pose immediate threats to on-trade growth this year, new research shows.

JDW will be first pub chain to show drinks calories

19-Feb-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Calorie information for all pub giant JD Wetherspoon’s (JDW) drinks will be shown on its menu and website for the first time from next month.

Still and sparkling wine faces triple whammy threat

14-Feb-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Brexit, inflation and alcohol duty represent a triple threat to still and sparkling wine drinkers according to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

2017 wine trends: Prosecco reigns but Italian reds poised for growth

08-Feb-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Prosecco may be Brits' favourite wine, but lesser-known Italian regions are poised for greater popularity, according to a leading wine expert.

BBPA rebukes calls for wine and spirit duty cut

06-Feb-2017 By Liam Coleman

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has dismissed the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA)'s calls for a cut in wine and spirit duty at the upcoming Budget and reiterated its own call for cuts to beer duty.

Conviviality ahead of schedule on Matthew Clark and Bibendum integration

30-Jan-2017 By James Wallin at MCA

Drinks retailer Conviviality has said it is ahead of schedule on the integration of Matthew Clark and Bibendum.

WSTA calls for 2% wine and spirit duty cut

23-Jan-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to cut wine and spirit duty by 2%.

Health

Men push women off #DryJanuary wagon

04-Jan-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Men are more likely to push their female partners off the #DryJanuary wagon, goad them into breaking healthy drinking plans and consume more alcohol than the other way round.

Drinks predictions

What 2017 has in store for the drinks category

03-Jan-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Last year was a mixed bag for the pub trade, from the shockwaves following the ‘Leave’ vote of the EU referendum, to the heavily delayed pubs code and the anguish at the appointment of the US president-elect Donald Trump.

The Drinks List: Top 100 Brands

07-Dec-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Drinking habits are changing as consumers are faced with more choice than ever, but in The Morning Advertiser's Drinks List: Top 100 Brands, there is a positive story showing a healthy mix of the long-established mainstream brands sitting alongside...

The drinks list: top 100 brands

The Drinks List: wine brands make the top 100 hot brands to stock

30-Nov-2016 By Michelle Perrett

Eight wine brands are in the top 100 brands pubs should stock behind the bar.

Drinks trends

Drinks Trends: what was big in 2016 and what is to come

29-Nov-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

We all know that gin and craft beer are the big movers and shakers in drinks trends right now. But what else is making the ground move for licensees, and what’s around the corner?

Champagne and sparkling wine

Is Champagne too fancy for pubs?

11-Nov-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

When it comes to a celebration the no-brainer go-to for us Brits has long been a bottle of Champagne. Now it seems we don’t even need an excuse to turn to the bubbly. So if you don’t want to miss out on the action, it may be time to add some extra fizz...

Wine

Millennials chugging sparkling wine to unwind

08-Nov-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Sparkling wine is attracting more Millennial drinkers, who are choosing to drink it after a ‘rough day’ because it is one of the easiest propositions in the category for them to understand.

BREXIT

Post-Brexit wine price fears: a storm brewing or scaremongering?

26-Oct-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Wine experts have warned that the severe economic uncertainty left by Britain’s vote to leave the EU is likely to disrupt the UK’s wine industry and raise prices. But how tangible will the knock-on effect be on UK pubs and should licensees be worried?

Wine

The Wine Guide – your 101 to wine in pubs

20-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

It shouldn’t really come as a great surprise that wine doesn’t have it all its own way in the setting of a pub, but growth is singularly lacking and the perceived wisdom is that it should be doing better. In our Wine Guide we take a good look at the on-trade’s...

New products

Wine, beer and pumpkin-spiced Baileys

21-Sep-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Top shelf: Pour a glass of Kleine Zalze Bush Vine’s South African Chenin Blanc and be prepared for a ripe pineapple and guava smack in the nose.

Wine

Greene King helps licensees ‘take the mystery out of wine’

15-Sep-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Pubco Greene King has launched a free wine and spirits tool kit to help operators drive sales in the categories, which it claims can be challenging for licensees who feel they “lack the expertise” to put together a strong offer.

Spirits and fizz ‘taking over beer’

Spirits and wine make up 50% of drinks sales in new pubs

12-Sep-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Spirits and wine are giving beer a run for its money, with the two categories now accounting for almost half (49%) of value sales in new pubs, bars and restaurants.

Spirits

New Star Wars film ‘kept people out of the pub’ at Christmas

08-Sep-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Stormy weather, Christmas markets and the new Star Wars film kept punters out of the pub last Christmas, according to Pernod Ricard’s UK (PRUK) on-trade channel director Ian Peart. But those who made it to the bar did spend more.