Stella Artois - curioser and curioser
20th November 2009 12:25

Take a look at this email from InBev UK, which I received earlier this week.

How very intriguing. I'll let you all know on Monday just what on earth is going on.

Dear Olly

Vous êtes invités to the exclusive launch of Le Recyclage de Luxe Show, premiering on le cyberspace on 22 November.

And to make votre expérience plus chic, Stella Artois would like to offer you a haute-cuisine three-course TV dinner to enjoy while watching the show.

To have this magnifique gourmet dinner delivered straight to your door between 6pm and 8pm on the evening of the premiere, please RSVP with your name, delivery address, food allergy information, any special dietary requirements and your choice of menu.

TV Dinner Menu

Entrée: Pork Rillettes with Crusty French Bread, Cornichons, Sauce Vierge and a Baby Leaf Salad
Plat Principal: Coq au Vin - Slow cooked Chicken in Red Wine with Smoked Lardons, Silver Skin Onions, Button Mushrooms, Bay & Thyme
Dessert: Profiteroles au Chocolat – Chocolate Profiteroles filled with Pastry Cream
Boisson: 1 x bottle of Stella Artois

Option Végétarienne
Entrée: Remoulade, Marinated Olives, Escarole Salad and Carrot Râpées with Crusty French Bread
Plat Principal: Roasted Ratatouille, served with Purée de Pommes de Terre and French Beans with Garlic Butter
Dessert: Profiteroles au Chocolat – Chocolate Profiteroles filled with Pastry Cream
Boisson: 1 x bottle of Stella Artois

Like this? Share it with | | | | [?] | permalink url | comment on this blog

FDA probe on caffeine and alcohol
16th November 2009 17:35

The Food and Drug Administration's probe on caffeinated alcoholic beverages raises several important questions.

While the FDA is adamant that it has yet to make up its mind on the drinks, it left Friday's conference call listeners in no doubt that it sees no reason why caffeinated alcoholic beverages should be considered legal - without fresh regulation.

However, there are several difficult issues with this investigation.

The first is that one must question why the FDA has not looked at this before, given that caffeinated alcoholic drinks have been on the market for more than two years.

On the industry side, one must ask why, according to the FDA, nobody has sought clearance for these drinks?

The problem the agency and industry face is that there appears to be a lack of clinical scientific evidence on the effects of adding caffeine to alcohol. How do you nail down added caffeine as a culprit? 

Assuming a ban is introduced, where does this end? The concept of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages containing caffeine is merely an extension of the consumer trend for mixing spirits with caffeinated energy drinks.

Is the FDA also going to ban bars from selling vodka and Red Bull combinations? Incidentally, it is believed in the industry that the 'vodka Red Bull' phenomenon accounts for a significant proportion of the energy drink maker's sales.  

This issue has quite a few miles left to run, in our opinion.

Chris Mercer, deputy editor. 

Like this? Share it with | | | | [?] | permalink url | comment on this blog

UK still in recession...
13th November 2009 15:30

It seems the eurozone economy has finally emerged from recession.

Figures show that the economy grew 0.4% between July and September after a 0.2% shrinkage between April and June.

The fastest economies were France and Germany, whose economies grew 0.3% and 0.7% respectively.

But while France and Germany are now said to be out of the recession, it seems the UK is still in the thick of it. The country has contracted for six consecutive quarters, proving its crawl out of the depression may take some time.

Analysts have said that the German economy emerged from the recession “earlier and faster” than many had thought. This can be put down to the country’s financial sectors accounting for a smaller proportion of their economies, the BBC reported.

Good news also for Italy, Austria and Slovakia, who also emerged from recession in the third quarter.

Read more about the eurozone's emergence from the recession on the BBC newspage here.

Like this? Share it with | | | | [?] | permalink url | comment on this blog

VAT increase garners industry reactions
11th November 2009 15:27

With VAT due to be restored to its standard 17.5% rate by the end of the year, many in the industry have voiced their opinions on excise duty.

The WSTA yesterday (10 November) called on the government to cut duty once the VAT rise is implemented, claiming the rise was happening at an “inconvenient” and the “worst possible” time of the year.

The association questioned whether lowering the VAT really had any impact on stimulating consumer demand.

The BBPA echoed those sentiments, asking to be treated on a “level footing” with other sectors of the economy.

While the BRC has said it will be up to individual retailers to decide whether to pass on the increase, Tesco has confirmed to just-drinks that will indeed be the case.

And so the potential effects on the drinks industry once the VAT increases are implemented are yet to be witnessed, but with Christmas on the horizon, a last minute spending surge by consumers may be on the cards.

Click here for more insight into the industry's thoughts on the VAT increase.

Like this? Share it with | | | | [?] | permalink url | comment on this blog

A night at Courvoisier Cognac
9th November 2009 17:57

just-drinks deputy editor Chris Mercer exchanged the urban rush of London for some country-fication in the relative tranquility of France's Cognac region at the end of last week.

The trip, organised by Courvoisier, saw just-drinks accommodated in the manner it has become accustomed to over the years. Courvoisier's chateau at Jarnac has rooms the size of your average London flat and the type of cellar that you wouldn't mind being locked in for several days.

For Courvoisier, as for other Cognac houses, 2009 has been a tough year.

But then, this is not the first and is very unlikely to be the last recession for the company, which was previously part of Allied Domecq and sold to Fortune Brands following Pernod Ricard's buyout of Allied in 2005.

Cognac as a spirit occupies a strange position in modern France. Courvoisier may have been official Cognac supplier to the French Royal Court in the 19th Century, but with around 97-98% of all Cognac exported, it seems that most French people outside of the Cognac region would these days rather have a Scotch whisky in their drinks cabinets.

In a sense, with strong export links to the US, Western Europe and increasingly Russia and Asia, this is not such a problem. China's emerging middle classes would probably fill swimming pools with XO, given the opportunity.

Also, most 'national' drinks have tended to suffer on their home turf at the hands of 'exotic' imports - homemade wine in France, beer in the UK and vodka in Russia have all been in decline among domestic drinkers.

Yet, lack of penetration for Cognac in modern France is an issue. Courvoisier admits that the industry was caught napping by Scotch in the decades following the end of World War Two in 1945.

As one company representative said, it is an issue because Cognac is, to some extent, sold on its French heritage and culture. Some consumers, particularly in emerging markets like China and Russia, are buying into that idea. The big French fashion houses view France as an important market, because it helps them to sell a certain style to the world. They want French women dressed in their designer clothes and to be seen dressed in them.

Opportunities will continue to abound for Cognac in emerging markets, but the houses are aware of the need to push more in France and it will be interesting to see how this develops.

Chris Mercer, deputy ed.

Like this? Share it with | | | | [?] | permalink url | comment on this blog