Five Minute Read – October 2008

AS it is every year, September is a shock to the system for even the most robust of drinks industry stalwarts as people trickle back into their offices from warmer, or at the very least, more exotic climes.

However, before thoughts and memories of long summer holidays are begrudgingly filed away to the back of people’s minds, we take a look at one of the drinks industry sectors that has (hopefully) had a busy summer this year – travel retail. We look at the rise and rise of vodka. Alexis Hercules monitors the success of the spirit of the moment as it jostles with other drinks in the ferociously competitive environment of luxury brand selling.

But, before this, Simon Warburton dons his beer goggles as he analyses another drinks category rise in travel retail – beer, and its impact on the travel retail market.
Not to be outdone in the luxury stakes, we focus this month on Champagne. Fionnuala Synnott takes the temperature of growers, houses and consumers.

Meanwhile Champagne expert Michael Edwards considers the increasingly important role of the  Champagne growers and the equally expert Giles Fallowfield takes a look at Champagne’s cooperatives.

But wait, there’s yet more Champagne information to digest. Jane Parkinson reports on the turbulent economies but faithful Champagne export countries of the US and UK, as well as looking at the growing prospects of other Champagne-consuming countries. And to top it all off, we get the inside take on how Laurent-Perrier chooses to celebrates 40 years as the quintessential rosé Champagne.

Our top story this month, courtesy of Alex Eyre, takes a look at the ups and downs of the  credit squeeze. Some retailers are benefiting from consumers’ never-ending hunt for a bargain, while on-trade licences are not faring so well.

Meanwhile, Warren Anderson of Sainsbury’s tells Patrick Schmitt how the supermarket is hoping to revolutionise the way in which people make their wine buying decisions in the aisle, thanks to style labelling across all own-
label wines.

On the subject of style, why, asks Patrick Schmitt, does Alsace still suffer from an image crisis, even though its aromatic, fruity wines can be as refreshing and engaging as some of the more popular New World white wines?

Zooming out of our focus on one French region, we also look at France in a generic capacity. From Chablis to the Languedoc and the Loire to the Rhône, we reflect on the future of French wines, which is looking less like a source of cheap plonk and more like a haven of value for money from any number of regions.

We then round-up the hot topics from our sell-out seminar last month, The Future of the Wine Business, which prompted discussion and debate on the issues that are set to shape the industry’s future.

We began the event with a view from outside the trade, by advertising guru Gary Leih, chairman of Ogilvy, who educated the trade on its current lack of advertising flair as it attempts to reach out to its target market.

The Global Perspective seminar discussed future wine-drinking patterns, company consolidation, who is ripe for innovation, as well as the potentially suffocating legislations that are being proposed by governments in order to tackle alcohol abuse in the UK.

Then we feature the best bits from the Fairtrade and climate change seminar which highlighted the impact the wine industry could have on people less fortunate, if only it followed the example of producers such as La Riojana.

The innovation theme continued at the UK market seminar, in which the audience was advised to be both strategic and different in the on- and off-trade.

Then, from technological innovation to re-filling containers, we report on the future of drinks logistics. And finally, our in-depth look at the future of the wine business concluded with lessons that can be learnt from markets outside of the UK, with particular reference to travel retail and the spirits industry.

Walter Speller gives us food for thought in this month’s green column. He questions whether wine producers actually have the nerve to sell their wine with labelling that states it’s organic, or will they simply wait until organic wine becomes
the standard?

In marketing, we reveal the array of new products on the shelves including the Husky wine pod which changes temperature (hot or cold) of bag-in-box wines.

It’s all things “two” in restaurants at the moment. We hear how chef Thomasina Miers is to open the second in her Mexican chain Wahaca, while Gordon Ramsay plans his second restaurant in New York, on our on-trade pages.

In challenging financial markets, Diageo chairman Paul Walsh presents the company’s annual results in finance.

This year’s bumper crop of new MWs, set to be inaugurated into the IMW later in the year, is revealed in people news.

And from wine experts to party experts, we take a look at the most photogenic faces of the month in Salut.