Hamish Smith is invited on a trip to Dubai that turns out to be bartender retreat in the UAE desert. The terrain wasn't the only changing landscape, he says.

RTD forecast growth slows

24 October, 2023

IWSR Drinks Market Analysis has released its RTDs Strategic Study 2023, which revealed the RTD category is expected to grow by 12% in volume between 2022 and 2027, achieving $40bn by 2027 across 10 key markets.

When it comes to the production of rhum agricole, terroir is key to quality. Oli dodd meets those at the forefront of this lesser-known spirits category.

I’m a perfectionist and I like to surprise people, make them experience something truly memorable,” says Giorgio Santambrogio, owner and bar manager of Officina in Milan.

A direct-to-consumer site allowed AB InBev’s global investment and innovation group to continue gathering vital consumer feedback during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The volatile symptoms of climate change are looming larger over the wine world, Oli Dodd investigates.

Israeli firm Ripples has launched a next-generation hardware device that prints selfies and logos on the tops of cocktails, beers and coffees.

Drinks international catches up with the founder of The Emissary Prosecco, Ed Smith, to find out whether talk of a Rosé Prosecco shortage is cause for concern.

Stars continue to flock to give their endorsement to 100% agave brands, but sustainability has become an issue as consumer demand has risen.

Pernod Ricard says its New Zealand wine brands Brancott Estate and Stoneleigh will be unable to meet global Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc supply this year after one of the smallest New Zealand harvests in 10 years.

While New Zealand has managed the pandemic better than most, a lack of tourism and difficulties with shipping have taken a toll on wine sales. Martin Green reports.

The latest edition of the UKHospitality and CGA Quarterly Tracker has revealed a 54% drop in sales for 2020 from £133.5bn in 2019 to £61.7bn.

Ecommerce has broken into markets that barely knew it existed pre-pandemic - and forcasts for the alcohholic drinks sector are very positive. Martin Green reports.

An award-winning distiller has tipped the non-alcoholic spirits category to enjoy strong future growth thanks to a raft of innovation in the years ahead.

The language of rum

23 July, 2020

Language has immense power. It can start wars and broker peace; it can convey truth and espouse lies; it can lead to both understanding and misunderstanding. For rum, semantics is a particularly sore subject.

Bordeaux winemakers are pulling out all the stops in a bid to present the trade with an en primeur campaign amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on the global drinks industry presenting business owners with a formidable set of challenges. Yet for winemakers in Lebanon it represents just another obstacle in a long list of trials and tribulations they have overcome in recent times.

Spanish producer Zamora Company has reported that wine and spirits sales in China have recovered as the country emerges from a sweeping coronavirus lockdown.

Iconic Californian producer Daou Vineyards is ramping up its focus on exports in a bid to put Paso Robles on the international wine map.

Aquavit, ‘the water of life’ was all but dead in the water thanks to younger drinkers’ aversion to it. but now all that is changing, as Hamish Smith discovers

The no-low science bit

08 February, 2018

Low and no-alcohol wines were once horrible parodies of the real thing. not any more, writes Jamie Goode.

New shoots

08 February, 2018

Finally getting its own craft segment, vodka is taking cues from wine and championing the terroir of its base as a flavour provider. Shay Waterworth grows the theory.

India comes in from the cold

02 February, 2018

Indian whisky producers are becoming increasingly confident as drinkers recognise the spirits for their quality. now, says Dominic Roskrow, they’re set to take the next step up.

There is increasing awareness and demand for low and lower-alcohol wines. Christian Davis checks on who’s doing what

Market research exists in the short term, but reviewing past research projects can uncover trends relevant to the future, says Bryan Urbick of Consumer Knowledge Centre.

on 30 October, 2012

I may be on holiday but that doesn't mean I have stopped sampling and tasting.

Eastern promise

18 September, 2012

With ProWein 2013 in mind, Thomas Brandl finds out how winemakers in central and south-eastern Europe have made efforts to modernise and become more competitive.

Gin

14 August, 2012

Gin is trading on the complexities of its flavour profile to cash in on the cocktail boom. Patience Gould finds a booming super-premium sector

Absinthe

09 July, 2012

With all the bans on absinthe now lifted, the traditional French and Swiss producers are now free to re-invent the category for the 21st century. Hamish Smith investigates

Tetra Pak, the world leader in its eponymous packaging, has announced that wine can be packed in its cartons in the UK for the first time

The McLaren Vale Grape, Wine and Tourism Association (MVGWTA), the generic body that represents growers in the premium wine producing region in south-east Australia, has announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer.

on 08 March, 2012

Fred Noe is approaching 57 and he’s just had his first tattoo.

Australian wine producer Australian Vintage (AVL) has hailed the 2012 vintage from the Sunraysia and the Riverland wine region as ‘exceptional’ and one of the best in the past two decades.

The European Forum for Responsible Drinking (EFRD) has launched a web-campaign to promote responsible marketing practices for alcoholic beverages. The objective is to explain in plain language how EU-wide codes of advertising should be applied.

Heineken has announced that it has extended its 15-year partnership with the James Bond franchise.

Altia buys Xanté

23 January, 2012

Altia Plc is buying the Xanté Company and the Xanté spirits brand from the Swedish Tilander family.

The rise of craft beer in the US can benefit Peroni Nastro Azzurro, says the lager's global brand director Andrew Walker.

Nomacorc, the leading alternative wine closure producer, has announced the introduction of NomaSelector, which is software that recommends a closure tailored for a specific wine.

on 05 July, 2011

Do you meet the Russian Standard? I recently met Russian Standard vodka founder Roustam Tariko’s college roommate. In fact, he works for the firm, too. Igor Galburt is the company’s global brand ambassador (though it also says on his business card executive VP corporate affairs – very American-sounding) and he came to give us a Russian Standard injection. Are you aware of the how the brand got its name, for example? I’ll tell you…

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Ben Branson

Ben Branson on the future of non-alc spirits

In his inaugural column for Drinks International, Branson takes a wider look at the overall non-alcoholic spirits sector to identify which brands will thrive and which won’t survive.

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