French prime minister Dominique de Villepin said the plan would
help to dig France out of wine crisis, yet under-pressure
winemakers are planning more protests.
Portable, idiot-friendly wine analysis equipment was all the rage
at this year's Sitevi wine production expo, with one machine using
rays to assess the quality of grapes standing out.
French wine sector leaders have launched a battle plan to tackle
the industry crisis, including fixed minimum prices and vineyard
conversions, as militants re-launch their campaign in the south.
Two French entrepreneurs have developed a novel hand-held wine
tester that will better help wine firms meet specific consumer
tastes by taking scientific samples like a diabetic measures blood
sugar.
Champagne market leader Moet-Chandon demonstrated at FiE in Paris
how an industry constrained by limted ingredient supplies and an
incredibly tough regulatory environment can successfully innovate
to increase both quality and efficiency.
Italian fraud police have seized more than nine million bottles'
worth of high quality Chianti Classico wine at the renowned Ruffino
winery in Tuscany, seriously threatening the group's supplies at
the start of the new season.
A chance to fight Pierce's disease, one of the wine industry's most
deadly foes, at its origins has come a step closer after scientists
found common weeds nestling in vineyards were helping the sickness
to spread.
France will have to give back three times the amount of money it is
receiving in crisis distillation funding for appellation contrôlée
wines as the EU cracks down on wine sector mis-management,
reports Chris Mercer.
Crisis in the French wine industry is spurring producers'
acceptance of aggressive marketing strategies that, whilst perhaps
long-overlooked, could be worrying for foreign producers on an
increasingly competitive world market,...
Bordeaux - VinExpo, described as the largest gathering of wine and
spirits buyers and sellers in the world, is this year also a
showcase of the industry's response to a rapidly changing consumer
market, reports Ahmed ElAmin in...
An EU Commission committee has promised extra money to help French
wine makers distil more than a million hectolitres of quality wine
into undrinkable industrial alcohol after the French government
promised to rip up vines and make...
Angry French wine makers clashed with riot police in Narbonne
yesterday, turning the city centre into a smoking battle zone in
protest at a lack of government support for their ailing industry,
reports Chris Mercer from Narbonne.
Wineries are getting bigger and their businesses are therefore
exposed to greater risk. In a bid to help producers achieve greater
consistency, Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen has created blended
yeasts, writes Philippa Nuttall.
Ochakovo, one of Russia's best known brewers, has launched itself
into the wine market in an ambitious move to revive the flagging
fortunes of the country's wine industry, writes Angela
Drujinina.
South African winemakers are keen to capitalise on growing interest
in their wines from US consumers - and on the predicted growth in
the market there. Their US counterparts, meanwhile, continue to
focus on Europe, where sales have...
International drinks groups have been lining up to invest in China
in recent years, but almost all of their acquisitions have been in
the beer sector where there are literally hundreds of potential
takeover targets. But China's...
The maximum concentrations of compounds transferred to wine from
wood is reached after 10 to 12 months of the wine being stored in
wooden casks, according to a Spanish scientist.
The French authorities have come up with a €70 million rescue
package for ailing wine producers, but as Kim Hunter Gordon and
Chris Jones report, they have once again failed to tackle the
principal problem - massive overproduction...
Twelve bottles of prestigious French wines will be kept for six
months on the bottom of Russia's Lake Baikal by a group of people
looking to push the boundaries of wine consumption and production.
writes Angela Drujinina.
Wine grape production is projected to increase by over 5 per cent
to 1.93 million tonnes over the two years to 2006-07, according to
a new report that goes against industry opinion that slowing
exports could lead to a red wine glut.
In the last two years Spain, France and Italy's wine production has
increased by over 8 million hectolitres each. In the face of a
global glut, the French wine confederation is calling on the EU to
fund a crisis distillation,...
In the US, Alcoa Closure Systems International has begun the
commerciallaunch of VinTegra, its new closure system for wine
bottles as an alternative tocorks and synthetic stoppers.
Figures released today confirm that the mere unveiling of the
taint-proof Diamont cork improved sales of all Oeneo closures in
the last half of 2004. But can this boost be transferred to its
barrels division? asks Kim Hunter Gordon.
As a weak dollar encourages the ever growing number of American
wine drinkers to stick to home-grown varieties, a survey has
reassured the rest of the viticultural world that they would still
be willing to try other things, writes...
A drop in export growth and the strength of this year's crop has
meant that the addition of the 2005 vintage will cause a surplus of
red wine in Australia, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
A study published in the International Journal of Cancer this month
has provided evidence that red wine could reduce the risk of
prostate cancer, and that general alcohol consumtion has no
negative effect.
Following a two year operating loss, Oeneo has been forced to sell
its Bloomfield oak stave mill in Iowa. Is American oak too 'woody'
for the wine industry, asks Kim Hunter Gordon.
Predictions of an excellent vintage will help Swiss winemakers
regain their domestic market, while focusing on the country's
traditional white wine varieties could help build up exports,
writes Kim Hunter Gordon.
Further evidence to support evidence of the harmful impact of heavy
drinking on health as researchers find three or more alcoholic
drinks a day considerably ramps up stroke risk in men.
Diageo confirms that it has trumped the bid that Domaines Barons de
Rothschild, Constellation Brands and Quintessa had submitted to
acquire the Chalone Group, reports Kim Hunter Gordon.
Following last week's assurances that the 2003 KWV Reserve
Sauvignon Blanc "has been tested and is clean", South
African winery KWV faces the enormous task of winning back public
trust after tests revealed that it isn't,...
After seven years of development, Swiss company Cybox unveiled its
square oak barrel, which triples barrel storage capacity, at the
Vinitech exhibition in Bordeaux last week, reports Kim Hunter
Gordon.
A key compound in red wine could have a direct beneficial effect on
heart cells, report researchers from the US, building on a raft of
science that suggests this popular beverage could play a role in
preventing heart disease.
Cape Town wine business KWV has revealed that two of its winemakers
added illegal flavourants to their 2004 vintages. The company will
stand to lose an estimated €130,000 from the lost wine but the
damage to its reputation could cost...
Last week Alcoa began commercial production of Vino-Lok, its
glass-on-glass wine closure system. Has upmarket wine finally found
an alternative to the screw cap? asks Kim Hunter Gordon.
The Russian Union of Grapes and Wine Producers is launching an
annual exhibition and conference to address the challenges of
inadequate raw material supplies that have decimated the Russian
wine industry in recent years, writes Angela...
A US wine maker is packaging its Vendange product in 500ml Tetra
Prisma containers, in a bid to break out of the confines of
traditional wine packaging.
A Californian wine producer is to package its products with labels
designed by a contemporary artist as part of its strategy to change
how the US wine industry operates.
Slovenia's wine makers, buoyed by the news of EU funding for their
vineyards, face a long struggle if they are to conquer foreign
markets and compete effectively against the titans of the world
wine business - but one man is...
Wine players are getting bigger and exposing their businesses to
greater risk as consolidation in the industry continues and to
ensure quality remains constant, Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen
claims to offer the solution through...
Investors monitoring the huge growth potential and high profit
margins of China's burgeoning wine market are beginning to dip
their toe in, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Australian alcoholic beverages group Foster's has been denied what
could have been a magnificent turnaround by a poor showing from its
wine trading division during the 12 months to June 2004. A glut of
wine in the US - and the...
Cork taint has become a serious issue for the wine industry, with
manufacturers increasingly moving towards plastic corks because
they are deemed to be less of a risk. However, UK-based Instruments has developed a series of solutions to...
Overproduction by New World wine producers has pushed down prices
over the last few years, taking a major toll on producers' margins.
But a growing trend towards premium wines could save the day, in
both established and emerging...
France's wine industry lobby faces fierce opposition from health
groups in its bid to persuade the government of Jean-Pierre
Raffarin to amend the 1991 loi Evin restricting alcohol
adverts. Wine makers want a relaxation of the...
Corbett Canyon, the largest US wine brand, is converting all its
750ml bottles to Stelvin screw top closures in order to protect
them from cork taint. But with many consumers still attached to the
cork, are manufacturers too eager...
