French wine professionals are pointing to an urgent need for legal guidelines to govern wine promotion and sales on Internet. According to the President of the Bordeaux merchants union, “If we apply the letter of the law, we should not be promoting wine at all and should close all websites. But everyone continues to trade, relying on the responsibility of all players and the sense of what is ethically acceptable of all concerned.” (Source: AFP)

The city of Mainz, a renowned German wine centre has been introduced as a new member of the Global Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Network.

The GWC is an organisation that spans both the northern and southern hemispheres, and exists to encourage wine tourism, education and business exchanges between the internationally-renowned wine centres of Bordeaux, Cape Town, Florence, Mendoza, Melbourne, Porto, Bilbao (Rioja) and San Francisco (Napa Valley) and now Mainz. (Source: Wine Business International)

Production of Us whisky volumes has risen by 10.3% between 2002 and 2006 to reach 26.6m cases. Preliminary figures suggest that volumes again increased, adding a further 1.9% to reach over 29m cases for the first time. (Source : IWSR)

Australia could be forced to give up its place among the world's biggest wine exporters within 50 years and become a niche player. According to a report, hotter temperatures and water shortages will spell the end of mass wine production in Australia. (Source: Heraldsun.com.au)

In 2007, sales of Alsace wines, all AOCs combined, reached 1 122 570 hl (149.7 million bottles): this was an increase of 0.8% compared to 2006. This rise in volume was due to strengthened export sales (+2.1% in overseas markets against +0.4% on the domestic market) and to increased sales of Crémant d'Alsace both on the French and export markets (+ 8.4% overall from one year to the other). (Source: Harpers)

More and more rosé is being made in the French winegrowing areas. 2007 should beat all the records. In Provence, where they are clear favourites, rosés are powerful and heady, but the Provencal leader is being challenged by the Loire region with its rosé d’Anjou (up 9%) and its cabernet d’Anjou (up 18%). Bordeaux also intends to take advantage of the current trend to sell large volumes derived from running off red wines. (Source: La Revue du Vin de France)

Still light wine has been growing uninterrupted for years in the Czech Republic; a trend that continued in 2007, with the market recording a rise of 3.8% to around 13m nine-litre cases. Imported wines now account for almost 60% of the still light wine market, compared to mere 10% in the early 1990s. (Source: IWSR)