Brexit - What is certain is that nothing is certain - Editor's Viewpoint 14 Sep 2016

Olly Wehring

Attending the UK Wine & Spirits Trade Association’s annual conference in London yesterday, I was particularly struck by one thought: Stripping out every use of the words "if", "could", "might", probably" and "likely" would have made the whole event a darn sight shorter. The main topic of the day? Of course: Brexit.

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Why China is as much about wine production as wine consumption - Comment 8 Sep 2016

Chris Losh

Looking through the mist, Chris Losh can see China's wine production efforts becoming of greater importance to the wine world than the country's potential to consume the stuff.

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Why has Accolade Wines lost another CEO? - Editor's Viewpoint 1 Sep 2016

Olly Wehring

When it comes to HR announcements, the departure of a chief executive always gets the juices flowing. Why are they going? Where are they going? Who is replacing them? When the announcement isn’t even an announcement, however, then you’ll forgive us for being a mite suspicious. The confirmation by Accolade Wines on Tuesday of an internal memo detailing Paul Schaafsma’s plans to stand down within the next ten months is just such a curious turn. Why is he going? Where is he going? Who is replacing him? Far more pertinently, though: Why didn’t you tell us?

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Job cuts may not be the whole story at work-intense Anheuser-Busch InBev - Comment 26 Aug 2016

Andy Morton

Is Carlos Brito's job in danger?

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The decline of the flagship beer brand - Comment 25 Aug 2016

Stephen Beaumont

It's seven o'clock in the morning, and the gathering crowd already boasts a few dozen hardy souls. By the time sales actually commence in a few hours, there will be many times that number standing patiently in a line that will snake from the door down the block and likely around the corner. Welcome to the world of one-off beers.

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Craft spirits shake-out will be just the beginning - Comment 23 Aug 2016

Ian Buxton

As just-drinks white spirits commentator, Richard Woodard, noted earlier this month, we are experiencing a latter-day Gin Craze. But, here in the 21st Century, this is no Hogarthian excess: This boom in small batch spirits is a further manifestation of the global development of craft distilling. Far from slowing down, the craft distilling movement appears to be gathering pace and attracting ever greater interest from consumers and industry giants.

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How Treasury Wine Estates is rewriting the rule book - Editor's Viewpoint 22 Aug 2016

Olly Wehring

For years, they said it couldn't be done. In wine, the theory goes, if you're playing a volume game then you can't all of a sudden make the switch to a value-focussed strategy. And, for a long time, they were right: Talk in recent years of getting consumers to trade up their wine choices has fallen on deaf ears. Within the space of just two years, however, Treasury Wine Estates has proved the theory wrong.

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Has Diet Coke passed its sell-by date? - Comment 16 Aug 2016

Richard Corbett

This month, soft drinks commentator Richard Corbett looks at Coca-Cola's most successful brand extension and ponders its relevance in today's soft drinks arena.

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How to verify a gin boom - Comment 11 Aug 2016

Richard Woodard

There is a definite scent of juniper in the air. But how long will it last? Richard Woodard takes a closer look at the rise and rise of gin. 

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What does the future hold for bottled water? - Comment 9 Aug 2016

Ray Rowlands

Bottled water looks set to overtake soda as the number one soft drink choice in the US. Here, Ray Rowlands examines how the global bottled water market has developed and how it will continue to evolve.

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How the Internet of Things is shaking up the cocktail market – Consumer Trends 4 Aug 2016

Ben Cooper

Rapid and constant connection to the Internet has already transformed how consumers interact with the market, but the digital revolution is by its very nature a continuing phenomenon. In this month’s Consumer Trends, Ben Cooper investigates the link between a recent multi-billion-pound tech deal and the Moscow Mule.

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Time to take stock of Constellation Brands' Corona - Comment 27 Jul 2016

Andy Morton

Constellation Brands is a firm favourite on Wall Street at the moment. The company's share price hasn't stopped rising since it took control of the Grupo Modelo brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev. Indeed, US$100 worth of stock bought in June 2012, when the deal was announced, is now worth just over $850.

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Can craft breweries compete in lager arena? - Comment 21 Jul 2016

Stephen Beaumont

Regardless of what country you choose or in which time period it is framed, three words can be used to characterise most early craft beer development: small, undercapitalised and ale. As much as the first two are fairly obvious – we didn't call it 'microbrewing' for nothing, and pretty much all small-scale start-ups are underfunded – the third, ale, is somewhat less self-evident. It is nevertheless directly related to its predecessors.

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Coca-Cola Beverages Africa - A new powerhouse is created - Comment 19 Jul 2016

Ray Rowlands

This month, Ray Rowlands looks at how The Coca-Cola Co, SABMiller, and Gutsche Family Investments have teamed up to create Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, and considers some of its implications for the region.

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Do you buy the Wild Geese, Pernod Ricard conspiracy theory? - Editor's Viewpoint 19 Jul 2016

Olly Wehring

In our coverage of the legal ruling in favour of Irish whiskey brand The Wild Geese in Australia yesterday, I sensed a conspiracy theory of pretty impressive proportions. Could the dominant player in the Irish whiskey sector really have been looking to ride roughshod over one of its much smaller competitors?

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Why is rum still stuck on the runway? - Comment 14 Jul 2016

Richard Woodard

For years, rum was lined up to be the spirits industry's next big thing. And yet, for all the shining promise of the category's mix of heritage, mixability and positive lifestyle cues, that potential has never quite been fully exploited, particularly in the vital US market. Richard Woodard reports.

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How the hangover could be a marketing opportunity for soft drinks - Comment 12 Jul 2016

Richard Corbett

We (nearly) all suffer from them, and yet we all counter them with different measures. Could the soft drinks industry be missing an opportunity to surf the hangover wave? Richard Corbett reports.

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The move away from alcohol and the soft drinks opportunity – Consumer Trends 7 Jul 2016

Ben Cooper

There has always been demand for non-alcoholic drinks for adults, but the adult soft drinks segment – and its consumers – are changing. Ben Cooper reports.

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Why big drinks companies need to think local - Comment 7 Jul 2016

Lucy Britner

The world is so accessible now, it is both overwhelming and tedious at the same time. It takes seconds to find out what is happening on the other side of the world. We know what people are eating, what they are wearing and what they are drinking.

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Why Brexit is a disaster for the wine category - Comment 5 Jul 2016

Chris Losh

The UK's referendum rejection of the European Union is bad news for the wine trade, the UK and the EU itself, argues Chris Losh as he pores over the entrails of a slaughtered sacred cow in search of enlightenment.