On just-drinks last week...

New Zealand Winegrowers released details of the country's latest harvest figures. With the numbers this year coming in below 2011, the trade body will be hoping for a return to the healthy balance of supply versus demand that it has enjoyed in previous years.

In South Africa, the spectre of a ban on alcohol advertising reared its head. Here's a battle that, if you've not seen it in your market yet, then you certainly will in the coming years.

John Brock, the CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, said the company is targeting an evolutionary approach to the future rather than a revolutionary tack. The plans the firm have in place to deliver healthy returns will take time, but have investors got the patience?

An analyst has accused the owners of big beer brands in the US of having spent the last 20 years “asleep at the wheel”, in terms of acting on consumer trends. In admonishing the big brewers, however, Trevor Stirling of Sanford Bernstein maintained that the future for beer in the country still offers great potential – so long as brewers keep an eye on the ball.

Staying with beer, we had an exclusive on Carlsberg who, in trumpeting the strong numbers it has seen come from its headline presence at the European Football Championships in Poland and Ukraine this month, told us on Friday that its performance during the tournament hasn't been as plain sailing as it would have liked.

Finally, if you work in the spirits category, and want to get the lowdown on Brazil's domestic white spirit, cachaca, take a look at our latest report, co-written with the IWSR. If you'd like a quick snapshot of the report, click here.

Until next time...

Olly Wehring
Managing Editor
Web: http://www.just-drinks.com
Email: editor@just-drinks.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/just_drinks