A European Commission ruling has removed restrictions on the sale within the EU of reduced alcohol wine produced.

According to Jeremy Beadles, Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) Chief Executive,  “The main purpose in pressing for the removal of the restrictions has been two-fold: to allow consumers a wider range of wines and to give a level playing field to producers by removing these restrictions,” he says. (Source: Wine Business International.com)

UK wine drinkers are cutting the amount they spend on a bottle, with price now the most important factor in buying wine.

A WineIntelligence poll of 1,000 wine drinkers found that the number of people willing to spend €6 - €7 on a bottle of wine had dropped by 5% in the past three months. There has been a corresponding increase in those paying less than €6 for a bottle. Pub and restaurants have also registered a downturn in sales of more expensive wines.

The study, commissioned by the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), also found that grape variety had been overtaken by price as the most important factor for consumers in choosing wines. (Source: Decanter.com)

Having integrated Absolut into its portfolio, Ricard has abandoned not only the distribution of Stolichnaya, but also Wyborowa, which joins Zubrowka in the Pernod range.

The second Pernod Ricard subsidiary has thus created a Polish vodka business. (Source: Décision Boissons)

French scientists, from a unit of France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) based in Bordeaux, have developed tests involving particle accelerators that can authenticate a wine bottle’s age and sniff out counterfeits. Testing wine to determine its age is problematic, so the scientist decided to analyse the composition of the bottles instead.

As concerns about counterfeiting grow, wineries, retailers and auction houses are looking for ways to guarantee authenticity. (Source: Wine Spectator)

In June 2008, airline Air France-KLM reported a 4.1% decrease compared to 2007 in its overall air traffic and cited the reason that there were no Vinexpo or le Bourget exhibitions that year. Vinexpo 2009 will soon be here and it will be June in no time, so remember to book your tickets right away. (Source: Vinexpo – AFP – Air France)

Sam Holmes, the chief executive of the recently formed Barossa Grape and Wine Association (BGWA), began his tenure by drawing attention to some of the dangers facing the Australian wine industry. His key concern was the oversupply of grapes resulting from the massive increase in plantings over recent years.

The BGWA was formed to bring together all the region’s grapegrowers and winemakers to enable more successful promotions offshore. (Source: Wine Business International.com)

La Martiniquaise has recently acquired the Scottish distillery Glen Moray, which produces the fifth largest brand of malt whisky on the British market. La Martiniquaise will also eventually produce its own grain whisky after the inauguration of stills in its Bathgate facility near Edinburgh. (Source: Rayon Boissons)