== Mimus 2003 QbA Trocken, Dr Heger - Baden ==

The Bordeaux Ecole du Vin has the dates for its three new courses . Bordeaux Wine Tasting, From A-Z, May 16-17, July 25-26 and October 17-18. Price: E350. Explore the Secrets of Bordeaux Wines , May 18-19, July 27-28, October 19-20. Price: E335. T he Grands Crus of Bordeaux , June 23-25. Price: E600. http://ecole.vins-bordeaux.fr.

== Get back to yesterday ==

l Small Plates, Perfect Wines

US wine producer Kendall-Jackson has published a book of recipes with wine pairing tips. Author Lori Lyn Narlock has compiled more than 50 recipes from K-J executive chef Justin Wangler and the culinary team. Wine tips come from K-J's winemaster , Rany Ullom.

kj.com/book.

Published by Simon & Schuster

Price: US$16.95/£9.99

One of the most pressing problems on wine trips is not a lack of sleep or of water (though both are hazards) , but a lack of adjectives. When the minibus pulls up to the château, domain or bodega, spilling its cargo of buyers and journalists, the hosts are eager to show off vineyards, cellars and perhaps even bottling lines. But what they want most is an assessment of their beloved wines.

Twenty mixologists representing some of the world's top bars in Germany, France, Slovakia, the UK and US converged in the town of Cognac earlier this year to collectively create a signature cocktail for Cognac.

This first International Cognac Summit organised by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac involved four days of visits to Cognac houses large and small to discover the complexities of the brandy, as well as workshops and debates on ingredients, balance of taste, presentation and a name.

BNIC director Jérôme Durand explains: "Seventy per cent of all Cognac consumed in the world is drunk as an aperitif and Cognac's history and heritage means it has a rightful place in any cocktail repertoire - take the Sidecar or the Horse's Neck. But the last classic Cognac-based cocktail, the Alexand er, dates back to 1940. We thought it was time to shake it up again , so asked the cr ème de la cr ème to tell us what they think and show us how."

The result? The Summit: a fresh, aromatic and complex mix of Cognac, quality lemonade, finely sliced ginger, fresh lime zest, ice and a thin slice of cucumber peel to garnish. Stirred not shaken.

== l A family affair ==

There is an extraordinary affinity between smoky island malt whisky and well-aged, powerful blue cheeses, such as roquefort, gorgonzola and Lanark  blue. These cheeses can overwhelm some red wines and a sweet Sauternes may be too cloying for many palates.

Smoky malt whisky is a great match with the strength of blue cheese. Diageo's classic malt The Lagavulin 16 Year Old for example has an intense palate of peat smoke and sweet barley-malt flavours, with a long warming peppery finish, that helps cut through the fat content of the cheese.

The ideal serve? A large dram in a red wine glass, possibly diluted by about 20 per cent, no more, with still, cold water. Who needs port and Stilton?

== The Summit ==

The family of beer has two broad branches - the cold, crisp, bottom fermented lagers and the warm-hearted, top fermented beers. In the latter case there is a traditional association with the beers of the United Kingdom, with its milds, bitters, pale ales, IPAs, brown ales and barley wines.

But the process, which produces wonderful rich, fruity tones, is widely used elsewhere in the world. Germans in Dortmund and Cologne enjoy Alts and Kolchs. In northern France epicures open a Bière de Garde. The Belgians sup strong, top fermented, bottle conditioned ales produced by the Trappist abbeys of Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, St Sixtus and Westmalle. And wheat beers such as the Belgian classic Hoegaarden are enjoyed around the world.

In America - where refrigeration and lagering dominates - a new breed of brewers is discovering fruitier, sweeter beers, and the Italians are experimenting with warm beers as few have done before.

So what is a top fermented beer? The question is simple, but the answer a little less so. Marlous Kuiper, global alcoholic drinks research manager at market researcher Euromonitor International, states: "Beer is normally classified in the industry by the nature in which it is made : top fermented, which includes ales, bitters, wheat beers, stouts, porters; and bottom fermented, which means all lagers.

"The significant difference between these two types is the way they ferment. Top fermented beers can ferment in just a few days between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit. These beers tend to be heavier-bodied and more alcoholic, darker in colour and cloudier than lagers."

Kuiper continues: "Lagers are bottom fermenters. They take much longer to ferment, anywhere from one to three months, and ferment at a much colder temperature than ales. Lager means 'to store' in German. Lagers will have a cleaner taste and appearance.

"Lagers also are less hoppy, maltier and have a lighter body than ales. Lagers were invented by Bavarian monks about 500 years ago when they found they could produce a clearer brew by storing it during the summer in wooden casks in cold subterranean caves."

In production terms the lager beers dominate the world of brewing. The world's biggest brands are all lagers - Carlsberg, Heineken and Budweiser. And even in the UK, where ale was once the swaggering top dog, lager predominates.

According to British Beer & Pub Association figures for 2007, lager now accounts for 70 per cent of the total beer market in the UK. A far cry from the swinging sixties when top fermented beers accounted for 99 of every 100 pints drunk and lager was seen as a drink for the ladies. Economies of scale have certainly contributed to lager's dominance as has a worldwide trend towards lighter coloured, cooler drinks.

Global profile

Most top fermented beers remain regional favourites. However, InBev's Hoegaarden is one top fermented beer that is known around the world, with Euromonitor quoting sales in 2006 of 121 million litres. However, it wasn't always so.

The birthplace of Belgian white beer lies in a Flanders village called Hoegaarden, one hour's drive from Brussels. Traces of brewing have been found here dating back to the year 1445, but the tradition died out in the early 1950s.

The modern story really begins in 1965 when Pierre Celis, a former milkman, decided to brew a beer in his hay loft which was like the beer of his youth. Celis used the traditional ingredients for a white beer of water, yeast, wheat, hops, coriander and dried Curaçao orange peel.

The beer gained a cult status, especially among younger drinkers and in the 1980s, with demand for the product continuing to grow, Celis bought a local soft drink factory and converted it into a brewery. A fire in 1985 saw brewing multinational Interbrew (now InBev) lend Celis money to keep the brewery going.

Over time the loan became full ownership and the relationship between the two parties became ill-tempered. Interbrew wanted a consistent, mass-market beer, while Celis tinkered with the recipe as he pursued brewing excellence.

On the sale of the brewery Celis moved to the States. Once there he set up the Celis Brewery in Austin, Texas, and continued making white beer to what he described as the original Hoegaarden recipe.

InBev had a success on its hands, and in the past few years the beer has been rolled out worldwide.

"The growth of our Belgian beer portfolio is outstanding," says Peter Kean, managing director for InBev's New Zealand distributor, Lion Nathan. "We are committed to the expansion of the premium segment in New Zealand and have no doubt that the exceptional performance of Hoegaarden will continue as New Zealand consumers' demand for speciality beers increases."

Tradition plays a big part in the story of top fermented beers, and InBev came in for criticism when it decided to close the Hoegaarden plant in 2005 and move production to Jupille. The announcement of the brewery's closure sparked protests locally and worldwide as beer lovers expressed their anger at the move, which would cause job losses and, critics argued, destroy the character of the beer.

Finally, in September last year the multinational brewer had a change of heart and as part of a E60 million investment in its Belgian breweries the Hoegaarden site is to remain open.

Achouffe - bless you!

The success of Hoegaarden sparked the production of other top fermented beers. In the south of Wallonia, in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, you will find the peaceful village of Achouffe. It's a place that doesn't play a significant part in Belgian history, but occasionally it makes the local news because for the past 25 years the village has had a brewery whose beers are honoured around the world but little known at home.

In the late 1970s two brothers-in-law decided to create their own beer in their own brewery, and for the first five years in the life of the Achouffe Brewery, Monsieurs Gobron and Bauweraerts were able indulge their hobby.

However, in 1984 Pierre Gobron decided

that life as a production manager in an ice cream factory could be bettered and he decided to devote himself 100 per cent to the brewery, with Chris Bauweraerts following him four years later.

"We never had a desire to produce copies of existing beer," says Bauweraerts. "As a consequence our La Chouffe and Mc Chouffe, which are unpasteurised and unfiltered, are distinctive and unique.

"The use of unusual ingredients such as spices and candy sugar make for superb drinking experiences and incomparable beers."

In August 1982 the Achouffe Brewery's first brew was 49 litres, but this had increased to more than 25,000hl in 2006 when the company was bought by Duvel Moortgat, Belgian family brewers of the strong golden ale Duvel and the Maredsous line of abbey-style ales. At a stroke, the sales force increased from one to 60 across Europe and a production target of 70,000hl a year has been set.

The beers are produced in a highly sophisticated, state of the art brewing hall, with the beers then transported to a high-speed filling hall some kilometres away. The company has invested heavily in marketing and believes the use of the internet has been key to building up demand for its beers. The beers are sold in large, stylish 75cl and 1.5-litre Champagne-style bottles.

"We are Belgium's market leader in the use of magnum style-bottles," says Bauweraerts. "These have imprinted painting, rather than paper labels, which make them an ideal gift. Our success is not bad given how difficult it is to sell our beers in Belgium. We are an artisanal brewer of the 21st century."

Exports have proved to be the company's saviour for, like many other brewers in Belgium, it has had to sell abroad or die. And its success in the US has led to the production of Chouffe Houblon, which is only sold in 75cl bottles in America. Unlike the beers produced for the local market it is jammed full of aromatic hops - Tomahawk, Amarillo and Saaz.

"We will continue to develop the export market and are confident that there will be growing worldwide interest in speciality beers over the coming years," says Bauweraerts.

Unprecedented demand

For many though, Britain remains the traditional home of top fermented beers, in particular cask conditioned ales in which the yeast continues to live in the container from which the beer is served.

Members of the Society of Independent Brewers are experiencing unprecedented demand for top fermented beers. SIBA president Keith Bott says: "There is a buoyant and increasing demand for premium quality beers produced by local brewers, which is driving impressive volume growth, contrary to beer market fortunes."

SIBA's Industry Report 2006 found that its members experienced a 7.5 per cent average annual sales volume growth (2006 v ersus 2005) and that there was a 70 per cent average five years sales volume growth (2006 v ersus 2001).

"In order to further this impressive progress, local brewers are maintaining and projecting further high levels of investment in additional capacity, employment, capital equipment and marketing of local brands that represent the British beer industry," says Bott.

"The growth in demand for locally brewed beer is part of broader trends to increased interest in locally produced food and drink and environmental concerns over provenance and food miles," he continue s. "Despite the overall decline of the beer market, locally brewed beer is one of the significant healthy sectors along with premium bottled ales and more recent newcomers such as speciality beers."

According to SIBA, local brewers are responsible for many of the beer market's most recent innovations, including golden ales and the introduction of new ingredients to introduce a wider choice of aromas and flavours as well as responding to drinker demand for the revival of once-popular beer types such as porter and India pale ale.

"The range of these innovations and quality of local ale is regularly celebrated by success in renowned brewing competitions," says Bott. "The prestigious title of the Campaign for Real Ale's Champion Beer of Britain, for example, has been awarded to a local brewer in each of the past six years."

Most days in the village of Hook Norton in north Oxfordshire the comforting sound of the clip-clop of a horse-drawn dray echoes off the yellow-stoned Cotswolds cottages. Local brewer Hook Norton has been brewing top fermented beers for 150 years and managing director James Clarke says it is a true local brewery, with great pride in its past and the motto: Where Progress is Measured in Pints .

The company marries 19th-century tradition with 21st-century marketing skills. On the ground floor of the brewery is a fine, 25 horsepower steam engine, supplying through a series of belts, cogs and shafts most of the motive power the brewery needs to produce its beer.

However the look and feel of the beers is modern and stylish. And the use of contemporary hand pumps in many of its pubs gives the beers a modern look.

"We are an ale brewery, and will stay that way," says Clarke. "But we must look at using new ingredients, new forms of packaging and continue to invest in excellence.

"Sentiment and tradition alone will not sell top fermented beers. Excellence at every stage of production from the ingredients to dispense and marketing are essential for success."

Germany has its fair share of stereotypes to battle. As Rainer Lingenfelder, a well-known Pfalz producer and exporter, puts it: "Germany is seen as a high -tech country where everyone is an engineer who is obsessed with 'vorsprung durch technik', racing up and down the autobahn. These guys don't eat or drink and only occasionally stop to enjoy a Beethoven concert.

"The fact is , Germany has the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants besides France. No-one wears lederhosen, except when urged to do so to provide a tourist picture, and hitting each other over the head with beer mugs is only practised by our Australian friends when they are running wild during the Oktoberfest in Munich," he counters.

Lingenfelder has a point. And on the wine front, while Germany makes some of the greatest white wines in the world and is a significant red wine producer, particularly Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder), it is still, to an extent, saddled with this image of making cheap and cheerful, sweet glugging wines.

This is undoubtedly changing, and while many consumers still have that perception, the trade is starting to wise up. Over the last few years the Deutsches Weininstitut (Wines of Germany) has taken "ownership " of the Riesling grape variety in the same way that Argentina has grabbed Malbec and California has adopted Zinfandel. The Germans were shocked into action when Australia started marketing its Rieslings from cool -climate regions such as Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills at more mainstream prices.

As 60 per cent of the world's Riesling is grown in Germany, its producers were faced with the world's most effective marketer of wines snatching its best variety from under their noses. So, is the job done? What comes next?

WoG export director Steffen Schindler replies: "Yes and no. We have come a long way since the 80s. Certainly when we talk to people in the media, trade and gastronomy, they usually have a high appreciation of German Riesling but the 'normal' consumer still

has to be convinced."

Slightly controversially, the generic body is changing its focus from single-mindedly promoting Riesling, adding Pinot Noir to its message. For the coming year, the strategy is to push Riesling and Spätburgunder to the trade and top -end retailers and consumers, while also adding Pinot Grigio to its mainstream strategy.

The reality is that outside the wine trade, only well -heeled wine buffs will know that not only is Germany a major Pinot Noir producer - the third largest in the world - but that the se are world -class wines. After all, southern Germany is only about two hours' drive from Burgundy, the world's most famous Pinot Noir region. Add to that, serious German wine drinkers are not stupid. They drink most of the red wine produced in their own country.

"When we talk about German Pinot today, it is mainly to connoisseurs," says Schindler. "We first have to spread the good news about our Pinots among these people and, as our budgets are limited, this will take some time. One of our top Pinot producers, Werner Näkel, said it will take 10 years to build a new image for Spätburgunder abroad - that's about the time it took Riesling to get global recognition."

Germany has a number of major producers - ZGM, Reh Kendermann and Langguth to name but three - with some global brands. It is easy for aficionados to sneer at the likes of Black Tower, Germany's best selling and most widely exported brand, and Blue Nun, which is sold in 100 markets, but they are undoubtedly popular and successful. While for older consumers the brands carry "baggage " and are deeply unfashionable, for many younger drinkers they press all the buttons in terms of lightness of style, easy drinkability, slight sweetness and packaging that is easy to understand.

Kendermann and Langguth are using their extensive distribution to get wine drinkers worldwide to re assess German wines.

The Kendermann brand has led the charge in getting lower -priced Rieslings in front of mainstream drinkers. Langguth has its Blue Nun Winemaker's Passion Riesling and Erben brand to push Pinot and that other German red Dornfelder.

Kendermann managing director Nik Schritz says: "Sampling is the way to counter misconceptions about the quality and taste of contemporary German wines."

Langguth's Armin Wagner bemoans the "everlasting misconception" that German wines are "only available with a higher residual sugar level", but he perceives more positive awareness of the lower alcohol content of most German wines with their "easy-going style".

John H übinger, managing director of ZGM, which recently announced a £4.8 million investment in the UK, Germany's biggest export market (861,229 h l ), sees a new generation of consumers who do not associate German wine with Liebfraumilch and will be more open to varieties such as Pinot Blanc. But he also sees German reds as a "big challenge".

All three plus Schindler extol the new breed of winemakers in Germany. Better educated, well travelled and therefore more willing to experiment and consider new ideas - the new mantra is quality over quantity.

Nik Weis of St Urbans -Hof is a small producer committed to getting out to sell his wares. North America is the principal market for his high -class Mosel wines, and he visits the US, particularly New York, seven times a year.

Lingenfelder is excited by the prospect of India opening up as he sees German wines going perfectly with Asian cuisine, while Weis would like to break into the more traditional UK market .

Lingenfelder has concerns , however. "There are too few wine growers and winemakers with a global and professional approach. This is our heritage. We are mostly small growers with a local, or at best, regional perspective.

"Premium German estates have a reputation and can command prices comparable to some of the leading French producers - however only in Germany, with some exceptions. These producers often lack the ambition, professionalism, capital and marketing muscle for the global reach."

Weis is concerned about the over complicated regulations that lead to consumer confusion.

Not only would he like to see the system simplified, but regional characteristics and styles focused to such an extent that, on a rather Draconian note, he'd like to ban dry wines from the Mosel and sweet wines from Baden in the sunnier south.

Anna Reimann, an oenologist at Weingut Markus Molitor, also sees the need for "more premium marketing and more brands/estates that are regarded as luxury brands". Molitor has a thriving export market, stretching to 30 countries - and 94 per cent of the estate is given over to Riesling. To emphasise the natural qualities of the wines, it extols spontaneous fermentation and no enzymes, fining or additives. Fifty per cent of the wine is stored in huge 1,000 to 3,000 -litre barrels, and bottling is left to just before the next harvest to get the maximium character from the wine.

Weis points to better viticulture with more sophisticated canopy management and soil husbandry, for example, to reduce yields and improve quality. He is also a fan of indigenous yeasts to add more character. Lingenfelder says "green " viticulture is no longer "only the domain of old hippies". He also points to a "growing renaissance in natural yeast fermentation".

Weis eulogises about the " chameleon" nature of Riesling wines and how sommeliers love to recommend them as perfect accompaniments to the spicy and exotic dishes that are routinely offered in most medium-to-high ticket restaurants.

Back at the institute, Schindler wants to maintain the move away from cheap sweet wines, particularly in long -established markets like the UK, while looking to new emerging countries such as China and India. Blue Nun is in China and Russia, and Schritz at Kendermann reports that Black Tower has been in Brazil for decades and is still doing well while they are working "intensively" to develop China.

Schindler says: "It is always difficult to export wine to markets which are dominated by national production - be i t the Old World (France, Spain, Italy) or the New World (Argentina, Australia, South Africa). It is just so much easier to market wines where there is a certain openness for and knowledge of them."

One exception is Japan, where German wines are declining. "In the 90s, we all thought Japan was going to be the next big market for wine, but then consumption stalled and is only growing slowly today," says Schindler. "One reason is the general economic crisis, another is the fact that wine has not become an everyday drink in Japanese households."

Nevertheless, it is cheaper wines that are losing out. According to Schindler, sales of top German wines in Japan remain stable.

So the new pyramid of strategy for German wines sees Riesling and Pinot Noir at the apex with Riesling, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir (notice  the latter comes third in the mainstream segment) at the broad base.

Wines of Germany has, without doubt, been successful in focusing the trade on Riesling as the way forward and more discerning wine drinkers have responded. The lack of awareness by consumers of German reds will make Pinot Noir a tougher nut to crack and risks the momentum behind Riesling. Pushing its whites - the other Pinots , Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Grigio/Gris) - may be a safer bet.

Promoting expensive German Pinot Noirs may be a step too far, but if it means more of us get to try them , then nobody loses - except possibly the German consumer. But as we all know, he'll be in his BMW or Porsche on the autobahn, or maybe attending a Beethoven concert.

You could be forgiven for thinking that very little changes in Armagnac. It's also easy to regard it as Cognac's introverted and less illustrious younger sister. Both charges are unfair. Quietly, and without enlisting the support of rappers, Armagnac has been flexing its muscles in export markets and experimenting with new products and presentations.

Armagnac produces fewer than 6 million bottles a year to Cognac's 180 million, exporting 40 per cent of what it makes (source: BNIA). France may be tiring of some of its domestic liquor, but Armagnac remains in vogue - albeit in a niche kind of way - with sales up 16 per cent in the year to November 2007. Younger styles declined somewhat, but Armagnac aged for four years or more is increasingly popular.

Exports have increased by 19 per cent over the past two years, with Britain remaining the number one customer - the most recent figures report shipments of 225,000 bottles. Germany is next in the order of current priorities, but all eyes are on Russia - currently in third place and witnessing a 41 per cent increase in volume. Sales value is up a healthy 25 per cent as exporters take advantage of the new wealth of Muscovites.

Fabio Giovinetti, vice president of Janneau, is understandably upbeat. "There is good news about Armagnac after a few years in which things were a bit difficult," he reports. "Janneau has been growing in exports for the past four years. In 2008 we will see the best year ever - we're looking at growth of between 30 and 50 per cent.

"The growth is coming from eastern Europe and Russia, but in some cases also from the mature markets like the UK, Italy and Germany. Armagnac is a really niche category so even small growth can be quite significant."

Why is it happening? "There is a trend towards these types of premium drinks and also the marketing of Armagnac has improved over the past few years - not so much the advertising, which is almost non-existent, but the packaging and by offering something more special with age statements and vintages."

Giovinetti believes Russia still has great potential, having been slowed down by some bureaucratic issues in recent years, but also feels the US is territory to be conquered. "It's the biggest market for Cognac in the world but almost irrelevant at the moment for Armagnac," he says.

"I think the US is something the BNIA should be addressing in a very aggressive way to create awareness. It's not enough just to be there with some old bottles. At the moment we [Janneau] don't do any business with the US - we've been absent for maybe 10 years. We're looking at coming back but we need to find the right solution."

Clear way forward

Armagnac's artisanal image, its captivating aromas and almost ethereal qualities win it devotees all over the planet: it seems to arouse a passion rare even by spirits' standards. Yet producers have demonstrated they are not necessarily putting all their eggs in one basket and are willing to allow Armagnac to move with the times.

La Blanche Armagnac is, arguably, as innovative a step as the region is ever likely to take. An unaged, colourless spirit designed to capture the flavours of the grapes that produced it, Blanche was given the go-ahead last year and adds a new dimension to the region's offering. True, the locals have been enjoying similar products between courses for many years, but this is the first time Armagnac has been unleashed on the wider world without oak influence.

Some 10,000 bottles have been produced so far of what is claimed to be the world's first eau de vie with its own appellation. Sébastien Lacroix, director of Armagnac producers' association the BNIA, says: "La Blanche is the most simple expression of the grape and the terroir, selected and chosen for its immense aromatic richness that combines fruit and flower for its finesse."

Lacroix argues that La Blanche's real unique selling point is that, while rivals may aim for blandness, Armagnac's great white hope can be marketed on its flavour credentials.

"Blanche will bring real originality and freshness in the setting of a huge explosion of white spirits," he says. "We are the first white eau de vie to gain an appellation. But above all, while our colleagues are aiming for the most neutral character possible through increasing the number of distillations, we are doing the opposite in trying to give Blanche real character."

Authorised to be made from Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Baco Blanc, all La Blanche Armagnacs will be assessed by a tasting panel to ensure they are "absolutely colourless, with a very fruity and floral flavour, a supple mouthfeel and non-aggressive palate ", according to the BNIA, which recommends it as a chilled aperitif, suitable for mixing with fruit juice or as a cocktail base.

Château de Laubade, Domaine du Tariquet, Domaine Marquesteau and Domaine de Lassaubatju have all released Blanche variants. In general there seems to be enthusiasm for the idea, but some producers and merchants are less impressed.

José Barbe, of Millésimes & Traditions, says: "It's going to be very hard to sell Blanche as there are so many white spirits on the market that are a lot cheaper. If you compare it with grappa, then it becomes even harder."

Janneau is keeping a watching brief. "We know it could be a very nice drink," says Giovinetti. "We would like to understand where it will compete - whether it's more in the market for mixers or more in the market for grappa."

New directions

Armagnac is not noted for its ostentatiousness, but even that could be changing. Domaine de Joÿ has teamed up with Paco Rabanne to create the world's most expensive Armagnacs, presented in gold and silver decanters, which went under the hammer at Sotheby's in Moscow in December.

Bottle No 1 from the Armagnac d'Exception collection fetched a world-beating price of E16,000, in return for which the buyer receives a blend of 23 vintages ranging from 1888 to 1974. Only 397 decanters have been produced.

The Grands Millésimes collection of rare single vintage Armagnacs is in slightly greater supply, though certain vintages are in short supply. There are just 14 bottles of the 1912 and 12 bottles of the 1914.

It's a bold move by the domaine's owners, Olivier and Roland Gessler, but not all producers have the budgets to enter the big league. The owners of Domaine de Lauroux, British couple Nicolas and Karen Kitchener, borrow a still to produce their Armagnac and, though they export successfully to Belgium, Italy, Germany and the UK, they are one of many producers who feel a little left out of the big league.

"We don't have the marketing resources that people like Domaine de Joÿ or Tariquet have," says Karen. "When we get people here to taste the Armagnacs they see they're very high quality and they buy them. But the journalists who come over from the States are taken to Tariquet and Janneau."

Does Kitchener think a divide is emerging between the bigger, commercial Armagnac houses and the artisans? "I wouldn't say we were going in separate directions," she says. "But I think we are struggling in their wake. What they're doing is very positive. If Armagnac as a generic product is promoted I will benefit from it - but they very much plough ahead."

Kitchener is supportive of the efforts being made by the BNIA, including the creation of the Armagnac Route (see box), to promote Armagnac. But she bristles at the suggestion that the strength of a small producer such as Domaine de Lauroux's marketing hook is its rusticity.

"If you came here and called it a rustic product they would tear your head off," she laughs. "It's not this rustic fire water, but an incredibly sophisticated drink. It does have the problem of being perceived as a rustic drink and a poor cousin of Cognac."

Kitchener applauds the ingenuity of Domaine de Joÿ's excursion to Moscow and also sees merit in the launch of La Blanche, even if the style is not to her personal taste. "I can see why it would have value in the marketplace," she says.

"I think it's good that producers are looking for other ways of marketing their Armagnac, not just as an after-dinner digestif."

The fact that Armagnac exists at all is arguably grounds for celebration - 10 years ago, some observers were questioning whether the region's decline over the course of the 20th century was terminal. Growers and producers are still going out of business, but there is a confidence in the quality of the product that seems to have filtered through to export markets.

It will never eclipse Cognac, and neither would it attempt to. But recent developments have offered proof, if proof were needed, that Armagnac has a bright future.

Thankfully we're not given a list of things we can't talk to Mark Elliott about, but if we were it would probably include cinemas, open-top buses and Cognac.

The first two featured in Elliott's career before he became responsible for buying all the on-board drinks for Eurostar . And although hinted at in conversation , requests for him to elaborate are declined. What we do know is that he's been involved in the Eurostar set-up in one way or another for 13 years.

== Central Vineyards ==

The annual Salon des Vins de Loire is always a great opportunity to take the pulse of France's third largest wine region and the only one to hold an annual regional fair.

It is a chance to talk and taste in one place with producers from all of the Loire appellations without having to travel the 450 miles or so from Muscadet in the west to the Côtes de Forez deep in the heart of France near Saint-Etienne.

The overall mood of Loire producers was one of relief and optimism - relief that the 2007 vintage, which looked catastrophic towards the end of August, turned out much better than anyone expected.

After a wet June and July and a cold August with several days of torrential rain leading to severe mildew problems, it was saved by fine weather that started around Aug 25 and continued through September and into October.

Some producers, such as Guy Bossard in Muscadet-Sévre-et-Maine, lost almost their entire crop. "We were hit by a frost in March," said Bossard, "and lost 25 per cent. Then two virulent attacks of mildew t ook 25 per cent and 35 per cent respectively. We only made 9hl/ha."

Overall, the 2007 whites are more successful than the reds, with great purity of flavour and higher acidity than seen in the past two years.

Reds are lighter than in 2005 and 2006 and will probably be best drunk young.

Disease and a very low ratio of juice to grape skin means 2007 is a small vintage. This, allied to an increasing demand for Loire wines - especially Sauvignon Blanc - over the past couple of years, means prices are likely to rise, particularly at the cheaper end.

Jean-Yves Langlais, of Lacheteau - now part of Grands Chais de France - told Drinks International of the pressure on prices. "The £2.99 (US$5.82) retail bottle is no longer possible. We are now discussing with UK supermarkets whether the new price points will be £3.49, £3.59 or £3.69. When I look at my price list from the year 2000, I see they were nearly the same level as 2007. This cannot continue."

Further up the price scale, Langlais spoke of a big demand for Sancerre - a comment echoed by Olivier Mouraud, export director for Bougrier in St-Georges-sur-Cher.

== Reds ==

Italy's top wine guide publication, Gambero Rosso, has embarked on a world tour with 49 of its award -winning producers, displaying their wares in 11 cities around the world in the Top Italian Wine Roadshow.

Beginning in Stockholm and Zurich last November, the tour continued to London and Copenhagen in January, Amsterdam and Brussels in February, Los Angeles and Las Vegas early in March, with Berlin and Duesseldorf lined up for April, plus a final visit to Moscow scheduled for mid-October.

Gambero Rosso has traditionally held annual events in New York, San Francisco and less frequently in Germany as a showcase for the winners of the Italian Wine Guide's highest awards, the Tre Bicchieri (three glasses). But these shows are produced in conjunction with the Slow Food organisation, and the only previous series of exclusively Gambero Rosso events was for the English language launch of its magazine in the US in 1995.

A broad selection of vintages, going back to 2001, was available to taste at the London session . The objective, according to organiser Marina Thompson of Thompson Marketing International, was: "To make people aware of how the quality of Italian wine has changed over the past 10 years. The goal was to have as many wines from the different areas as we could.

"There are more producers aiming for higher quality, for lower production and to find a balance for their own estates," she said. "And the younger generation are really having an influence."

Certainly, the splendid Vintners Hall venue was well attended - with strong representation from the top -end UK merchants and on-trade, as well as a notably high number of Masters of Wine.

A similar tour is planned for 2008/9, again beginning in November, but this time with a maximum of nine events and omitting the US market. "We want to have a European focus and to develop new markets such as the Czech Republic and Bulgaria," said Thompson.

We've come a long way since the days when a few bow-tied anoraks prattled on about the wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Germany, and the new recruits to the elitist world of wine cut their teeth on Hirondelle and Liebfraumilch.

Our shelves are now groaning with wines from around the world as their tags improve our geography no end, by listing vineyards from New Zealand to California, as well as bringing Europe into sharp focus. The trade's done a great job and wine is now a part of everyday life, with choice an exciting part of the wine experience.

The consumer wine media has played its part, but has it kept up with the revolution? I don't think so. Just ask Joe Public and his wife as they face the wall of wine in their local supermarket. Nearly 20 million people drink wine in the UK and around 19 .75 million haven't a clue what they're drinking. They go for price or an attractive label. I can handle trade mags "talking trade " and specialist wine mags dealing the "vit-vin-vintage" card to their wine-hooked readers, but it's about time we gave the ordinary consumer more straight talk and less mystery . " Be it in a newspaper or magazine, on television or radio, everybody tells you what to buy - which is fine as far as it goes - but you never get to learn anything about wine that way," notes beginner but enthusiast Adrian Chiles, presenter of BBC's One Show in the UK.

It may come as a surprise, but Joe doesn't know how Champagne is made, or what acidity, tannin and balance are, and he starts considering suicide when we talk about terroir. But, I believe he is intrigued. He may not want to become an expert, but he does want to know just a little more. Talking straight and kicking "wine speak " into touch is the key - it may also help achieve the trade's Holy Grail of getting Joe to trade up to better quality. I think most main stream brands are boring, but it's no coincidence that they rule our shelves big time - their in-built security fills the consumer's knowledge gap.

After dinner, speaking to lawyers, bankers and accountants, I'm amazed how these so-called stuffy, establishment professions have moved with the times. In-house media, PR and marketing departments keep their corporate image crisp, job books fruity and fees sparkling. The fashion media, with a heady mix of entertainment and razz ma tazz, has been changing our opinions every season for decades. By comparison, the wine media is stuck in a time warp.

Newspapers and magazines print articles that haven't changed much in 20 years , radio programmes are as stilted as ever, and wine and TV continue their on /off relationship. It's not surprising that Joe still sees wine as for the elit e. The consumer wine media needs a trip down the cat walk.

I don't wholly blame wine writers and journalists. They have to ply their wares to newspaper, magazine, television and radio editors who, thankfully with a few exceptions, are also caught in the headlights of the traditional world of wine. Sensitive to the risk of change, they unwittingly ensure that the cycle is self propagating.

On the speaking circuit, in the television studio, or with my mates in the pub, Jilly Goolden is the only wine person people ever mention to me. She's been wine's best ever ambassador, but the BBC's Food & Drink programme was on our screens in the 80 s. It's a sad but telling reflection that nobody's taken up her mantle since.

Unlike with food , most wine books don't get the slightest "ching" from the busiest till and it's reported that some publishers are losing interest. That the average price of a bottle of wine in the U K still hovers around a meagre  £3.99 is also testament to the fact that we writers, journalists and editors need to wise up to our potential readership.

We simply need new ideas to help Joe onboard . " Gooseberry is the classic, but to my mind, entirely useless, reference point for Sauvignon Blanc," notes Chiles. "Of all the tosh talked by wine writers, it's this gooseberry business that gets on my wick the most. Who knows exactly what a gooseberry tastes like ? I haven't had one in my mouth for years and I don't know anyone who has."

We need to stop writing for a moment and listen up.

== The Australia expert ==

When it comes to awareness of wine regions among UK consumers, the French still rule. French "region brands" of Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy and Chablis are clear leaders in terms of consumer awareness, affinity and usage.

In fact, only two non-French regions - Chianti and Rioja - make it into the top 10 regions in terms of UK consumer awareness.

The dominating factors are that these French region brands have been around for a long time and have become an accepted consumer shorthand for particular styles of wine. By contrast, Australian regions are much less consistently recognised, and consumers currently struggle to attach particular styles of wine to a particular region.

This last point is perhaps the most crucial: unless any wine region - particularly newly minted ones - can establish that they stand for something consistent and recognisable, they won't have any consumer brand equity and will be quickly forgotten.

Richard Halstead, operations director, wineintelligence.com

Carlsberg could not hide its delight in announcing an agreement to buy BBH - sorry, make that Scottish & Newcastle - recently.

Spurred on by success in 2007, the Danish brewer is now looking to expand BBH in both its eastern Europe homeland and further afield.

The importance of BBH to Carlsberg - and to S&N shareholders - is evidenced by the small rainforest's worth of paper used by the journalists, analysts and investors to explain the potential of these prized eastern European beer markets.

BBH eclipsed everything else in the S&N takeover tussle, including the benefits to Carlsberg's bidding partner, Heineken. The deal would see the UK's last national brewer S&N carved up, yet the future of BBH, S&N's 50-50 joint venture with Carlsberg, was all anyone really wanted to write about.

BBH sold more beer across its markets last year (29 million hl) than Carlsberg sold in western Europe, the Danish brewer reported in its recent full-year results.

This trend was one of the main reasons behind Carlsberg's 2005 announcement that it would shut about half of its European breweries within a decade.

In Russia, BBH's flagship Baltika brand now claims a 37.6 per cent share of the beer market, while the venture again grew volumes in developing markets such as Kazakhstan and Ukraine in 2007.

No wonder Carlsberg chief executive Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen called the takeover of S&N "transformational".

BBH got in to Russia at a good time. When it bought Baltika in 1993, the country's fledgling government was busy sweeping up the lingering fragments of communism, to clear space for McDonald's outlets and western-style consumerism. Beer was classified as a soft drink and positively promoted as a less harmful alternative to vodka. Even an economic collapse in the late 90s could not stop Russia becoming the world's fifth -largest beer market.

Baltika rapidly expanded distribution and production, and now has what several analysts believe is an unassailable position. Not bad in a market where consumers' thirst for beer continues to astound the experts.

Carlsberg reported beer market growth of an "extraordinary" 23 per cent in Russia during the first half of 2007. Full-year market volumes rose 16 per cent. But hang on a minute, wasn't the Russian beer boom supposed to be over?

Despite unexpected success last year, Carlsberg stuck to this line in its recent results conference. It estimated that Russian beer market growth will decline from 5 to 3 per cent between 2008 and 2010. This estimate, the brewer said, was "in light of increases in excise duty, price increases and continued restrictions on advertising, as well as exceptionally warm weather at the beginning of 2007".

Many analysts broadly agree there will be a slowdown as Russia enters a new growth phase. Pressure on margins is likely to grow as rising costs for raw materials and energy show no sign of abating. This makes profitability and raising value much bigger issues for BBH and its rivals.

For all their growth, emerging markets in eastern Europe remain some way behind their western counterparts when it comes to value.

BBH revenue was DKK10.4 billion (US$2.1 billion) in 2007, compared to DKK27.5 billion ($5.6 billion) for Carlsberg in western Europe, even though BBH sold more beer. Moves to improve value are being made. BBH's operating profit rose 30 per cent in 2007, following price increases and cost controls imposed by Carlsberg and S&N.

Rising wages have also boosted the country's premium beer sector. Carlsberg will attempt to capitalise on this by expanding key brands in BBH markets.

Another way of raising value through BBH is to spin globalisation on its head by harnessing a trend for imported beers in mature markets. Carlsberg and BBH's leadership have each indicated they would like to bolster Baltika's international credentials in this sector.

The brand's notoriety is already growing. Russia's beer union dubbed 2007 "the year of Baltika", following the brand's high-profile expansion in the UK and launches in several other countries . Overall, Baltika increased export sales by 23 per cent to 2 million hl during the year. BBH has also recently investigated launching in China, another goldmine for big brewers.

Move over Stolichnaya and the rest, beer is the drink of modern Russia.

Treading a path between caution and optimism, Dr Peter Cressy, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) forecast modest growth for the industry this coming year.

The trade association expects sales for the US spirits industry to rise 4.6 per cent to US$19 billion in 2008, slower than last year's growth of 5.6 per cent. Volumes are expected to rise 1.9 per cent to 185 million cases. Said Cressy: "Despite a slowing economy, spirits market share will continue to grow. In particular, acceptance of Bourbon and Tennessee whiskey is growing significantly overseas."

DISCUS senior vice president for international trade, Debbie Lamb, said 2007 exports grew by around 15 per cent in volume hitting a record $1.01 billion (preliminary).

In his review of the spirits industry year in 2007, DISCUS chief economist David Ozgo reported that vodka, representing 24 per cent of industry sales, saw a 7.65 per cent revenue growth to $4.3 billion; rum (18 per cent of industry sales) 8.9 per cent growth to $2.1 billion; Tequila (15 per cent of industry sales) 10.5 per cent growth to $1.6 billion; and whiskey (Bourbon, blends, Canadian, Scotch and Irish; 29 per cent of industry sales) 3.8 per cent growth to $5.2 billion.

Overall, spirits hold a 33.1 per cent share of the US alcoholic drinks market, continuing a steady rise from 28.7 per cent in 2001. While wine also increased market share in 2007, beer lost share for the sixth year in a row.

News that a wine created specifically to go with Asian food is to be launched in India brings the old British adage of "taking coals to Newcastle" to mind. Pink Elephant, a Portuguese rosé wine, has been picked up by United Vintners, which is part of the Indian group United Breweries, the third largest spirits producer in the world.

That may not be a huge story in itself, but the potential of India, coupled with the people behind Pink Elephant and its creator, 10 International , makes it interesting.

There are an estimated 700,000 wine drinkers in India (source: United Beverages Group) but the potential is a mouthwatering 20 to 30 million. At present three-quarters of the wine drunk in India is local and 41 per cent is described as premium domestic.

Bottled imports amount to 18 per cent and bulk imports 4 per cent. While beer and spirits such as whisky and gin have associations with India's colonial past, wine is cosmopolitan and fashionable, if not avant garde. A Bollywood star is unlikely to be seen with anything else. Also, wine is perceived as healthy.

For 10 International founder Bill Rolfe, this could be his chance to make a breakthrough. After 30 years with UK off-licence chain Unwins (now defunct), working his way up from shop assistant to marketing director , then four years as international marketing director at United Wineries (Arco Bodegas Unidas), Spain's third largest wine producer with brands such as Berberana, Marqués de Monistrol and Marqués de Griñón , he's paid his dues.

Following a company re organisation, Rolfe and a colleague, Toby Hancock, left and decided to pool their international knowledge to look for opportunities in the wine sector. 10 International was born in June 2006, the concept being to work with 10 producers in 10 countries to create 10 new wine brands.

The first project was to create a wine that would go with spicy food. Rolfe and Hancock held a blind tasting in the Masala Zone Indian restaurant in London with 12 well-known writers, journalists and masters of wine - the likes of Sarah Jane Evans MW, Anthony Rose, John Radford, Christine Parkinson and Matthew Jukes.

Tasting rosé wines from brands such as Jacob's Creek and E&J Gallo, the panel scored which they liked and commented on which they thought went best with the dishes. Contrary to expectations, the panel did not like the sweeter wines. They felt the ones that went best had some balancing acidity.

Winemakers José Neiva and Dave Baverstock (Sir Cliff Richard's winemaker, no less), used these comments as a basis for their work and the result was Pink Elephant, which is currently a blend of Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alfro cheiro Preto (or Pé de Rato, which means mouse paw) and Castelão (or Periquita, which means parrot). The new 2007 will be 50 per cent Touriga Nacional.

Pink Elephant having been generally well accepted in the UK, Rolfe got an unexpected recommendation from the Wine Society of India, namely board members Steven Spurrier (the man about to be portrayed by Alan Rickman in the film about the famous Paris tasting, where fine Bordeaux wines were trounced by Californian wines ) and David Banford.

"Steven saw the potential," says Rolfe. "He told us to do some research and basically there is an emerging middle class that has quadrupled over the past five years. There is clearly an opportunity so we approached United Breweries."

Rolfe and Hancock have other irons in the fire - there is a Spanish wine, Altaro ; one from Argentina should be coming soon, and they are in talks with Chilean and Californian producers.

For the time being, though, they just have the one elephant in their room, so to speak. Pink Elephant currently sells 300,000 bottles and Rolfe expects it to top a million this year. If India takes to it, that room may need considerable enlarging.

Brand

Akvinta

Critique by

Angela Pirrie, director

Charteredbrands

Product

There seems to be an endless stream of new products when it comes to vodka, each one claiming its own uniqueness with increasingly contrived propositions. Akvinta's claim is that it

was the first Mediterranean Luxury vodka. Made from Italian wheat and Croatian water, this super -premium vodka is the brainchild of Croatian company, Adriatic Distillers.

Packaging

Vodka has been presented in all shapes and sizes, and the new Akvinta is not ostentatious or elaborate like some, but has won numerous awards for its style all the same. The wine -shaped bottle is no different from Grey Goose or Citadelle, but its clarity sets it apart, made of "a special kind of crysta l-clear glass". The overall look has artisan qualities with a contemporary twist.

Positioning

Akvinta prides itself on its taste and positions itself as the connoisseur's choice. The website encourages consumers to drink vodka neat to appreciate the subtleties in taste of the spirit, enjoying it as you would a fine wine. Product differentiation lies in the rather extravagant, quintuple -filtration process where the spirit passes through  five natural elements: charcoal, marble, silver, gold and platinum. The brand positioning is followed through in the name, which is built around the product's key attributes of purity of water , the association with wine and the quintuple filtration - aqua, vinum and  quinta.

Pricing

Akvinta is indeed a luxury vodka at £35 per 70cl bottle. The pricing is on a par with the boutique brands and designer creations of the category. Each time a new premium vodka is launched the pricing boundary is challenged in terms of what consumers are willing to pay for it.

Marketing

In the UK Akvinta has targeted the on -trade, attending various trade shows and hosting "pleasure parties". It has won various awards for its packaging design, but hasn't performed so well on taste. For a brand that believes itself to be the "best -tasting pure vodka in the world", the quality of the liquid must be able to deliver to expectations.

Overall

Since its launch in early 2007, the brand has proven popular in its home country. However, whil e vodka is the most popular spirit in the UK, Akvinta's sophisticated proposition will restrict its appeal. The size of the market opportunity with such price and positioning is limited. The tenuous connection with wine is not the most compelling idea, although it does challenge consumers' perceptions of vodka. Akvinta may be the first Mediterranean luxury vodka , but are any more likely to follow?

In this month's DI we have two supplements: Sherry (in a pull-out section) and Vodka, in which you'll find the results of our Vodka Challenge tasting.

Awards can really give you and your business a boost. Every profession and every type of business has its awards schemes, and in terms of entering competitions - the more the merrier. There can't be too many opportunities to have your excellence in creativity and productivity independently recognised.

Why? Because it makes good business sense. For example, to have your wine or spirit awarded a medal is a powerful accolade and one which, if used well as a marketing tool, can strengthen your brand's image and seriously boost sales. Let's face it - the majority of consumers the world over like to have some form of reassurance that they are buying wisely and that their friends and family, particularly if they are entertaining, will appreciate and admire their choice of wine, aperitif and or digestif, to accompany the meal.

Confronted with a wall of bottles in the retail outlet, it's easy to understand how the addition of a medal on a label can cement the purchasing decision.

It can also be good news for the retailer who stands to benefit from customers feeling confident enough to trade up and start spending that little bit more on their wine selection on a more regular basis.

The best -known competition medals on an international scale are those of the International Wine Challenge and the International Spirits Challenge.

Now in its 25th year, the International Wine Challenge has to be one of the most important for the wine sector globally, attracting some 9,000 entries every year. It is considered the most comprehensive and influential blind tasting in the world and its medals are recognised not just in the UK, where the awards are organised, but internationally.

The 2008 IWC entries are in, but if you still wish to enter this year's competition and can get your wine to the IWC's UK offices by April 14, I suggest you e-mail iwc@william-reed.co.uk for late entry information.

Brand owner Lejay Lagoute

Produced in France

Size 75cl

Price £8.99, d6-d10

Abv 12

Markets Europe (France, Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and UK)

Contact david.john@cowen.co.uk

Dijon, France-based liqueur producer Lejay Lagoute has produced a ready-mixed Kir Royal, which is a blend of French sparkling wine and macerated blackcurrants. No colouring or water is added.

Kir is said to have been created by Canon Kir, the mayor of Dijon after World War II, who gave Lejay Lagoute permission to use his name to promote its crème de cassis.

Brand owner Fladgate Partnershi p

Produced in Portugal

Size 75cl

Price £9.99 , d12.95 , US$ 19.95

Abv 19.5

Markets UK , USA , Canada , Portugal and other main European markets

Contact marketing@ croft.pt

The Fladgate Partnership, which owns Taylor's, Fonseca, Croft and Delaforce ports, has introduced a rosé port called Croft Pink.

The company says it has been three years in the making with winemaker David Guimaraens and his team working on extracting just a small amount of colour from the traditional red port grapes. The grapes were pressed before the juice was cold fermented for seven days off their skins. This slow fermentation, which is twice as long as standard port, produced berry flavours while retaining a crispness appropriate to the lighter style.

Fladgate managing director Adrian Bridge is hoping the new style will attract new consumers, particularly women and de-seasonalise the category, moving consumption away from just Christmas.

Brand owner La Riojana Europe

Produced in Argentina

Size 75cl

Price £5.99 , d6.99

Abv Red: 13.5/White:13

Markets Worldwide

Contact daniel.lim@larex.se


La Riojana, the Argentinian co-operative which claims to be the world's largest producer of organic/Fairtrade wines, is using the forthcoming Prowein show in Germany to launch its Ecologica range worldwide.

The brand is already available in Sweden and Norway, with sales in excess of 1.5 million litres annually. The range includes a 2007 Malbec, Shiraz and Torrontés/Chardonnay.

The La Riojana co-operative comprises 510 members, the smaller producers have 1ha or less, while the larger ones own more than 75ha.

Brand owner Inver House Distillers

Produced in Scotland

Size 70cl

Price £39.99, d55, US $80

Abv 46

Markets Japan, Russia, mainland Europe

Contact Elaine Mitchell +44 (0)1236 769 377

Inver House has introduced a 16 Year Old expression of its anCnoc single malt Scot ch whisky brand. Unchill filtered and non-coloured, master distiller Stuart Harvey is said to have hand selected the whiskies only from those matured in American bourbon oak barrels. Previous anCnoc whiskies have been finished in sherry oak.

The taste is described as light and zesty with a hint of spice, warming up to toffee.

Brand owner Diageo

Produced in Ireland

Sizes 1 litre, 70cl

Price £11.99 (litre bottle)

Abv 17

Markets Travel retail

Contact marie.a.kennedy@diageo.com

Diageo has developed a fourth flavour variant for one of its leading brands, Baileys Irish Cream liqueur.

Baileys With a Hint of Coffee will be showcased in UK airports, available in 1-litre bottles exclusively in World Duty Free stores from the end of February, then Alpha and Nuance UK airport stores (1-litre and 70cl) in April.

Other flavours in the range are Baileys Original (chocolate cream), Baileys With a Hint of Mint Chocolate, and Baileys With a Hint of Créme Caramel.

"We've chosen to test the new flavour in the travel retail sector as the brand has consistently performed well here and it offers a broad consumer profile to test against," says Nick Robinson, marketing director for Diageo .

The trials will be supported by high -impact in-store displays and sampling programmes.

The Drinks International team tasted the new flavour and found it balanced and moreish with a subtle lick of coffee.

Brand owner MLA

Produced in New Zealand

Size 75cl

Price £13.99, US$16

A bv 12.5

Markets Worldwide

Contact biserno.com

Mount Nelson is a classic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand's Marlborough wine-growing region, coming from Marchese Lodovico Antinori (MRA), Lodovico Antinori's new project.

Mount Nelson, which is a 13ha estate in the Awatere Valley, was bought by Antinori after he developed a passion for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

It has a Swedish winemaker, Helena Lindberg, and the 2007 vintage is about to be unveiled.

Brand owner Clément USA

Produced in Martinique

Size 75cl

Price US$34.95

Abv 40

Markets US

Contact rhumclement.net

This month sees the introduction in the US of the sleek new packaging for Rhum Clément VSOP and Clément Créole Shrubb, an 80 proof rum-based liqueur. This follows the successful European roll-out of the redesign, which saw sales of the award-winning aged rum jump 40 per cent. The new packaging, the company says, "presents a modern outlook while maintaining a strong sense of the brand's 120-year-old history and heritage". The original Rhum Clément bottle was most recognised for its towering cylindrical shape and hand-tied raffia detail (below) . The new bottle, with its shorter silhouette, has a fashionable perfume-like look and is cork-finished. There are no plans to make design changes to the other bottles in the portfolio.

Brand owner Vranken-Pommery Monopole

Produced in France

Size 75cl

Price £27.99, E22.99

Abv 12

Markets UK, France, Belgium

Contact sara.hicks@diageo.com

Grande Cuvée is the new entry-point wine for the Charles Lafitte range of Champagne, according to Vranken-Pommery Monopole, one of the leading Champagne groups. Aimed at both the on- and off-trades, the Brut NV is the first of this new "sub-range". Non -vintage rosé, demi-sec and a vintage, produced under the direction of Sabrina Roussel, are due in the next few months.

Fears of a recession loom large over the US in this turbulent election year, but both duty-free operators and suppliers report relatively brisk liquor and wine sales over the first quarter of 2008. While the airport security situation continues to be a thorn in the industry's side and conditions remains tough for retailers along the US/Canadian border, the overall mood in the region ahead of next month's 40th IAADFS (International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores) Duty-Free Show of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale is remarkably upbeat.

The US credit crunch may be giving the world's stock markets a bad case of the jitters and fuelling depressing news headlines, but the US$1.23 billion North American duty-free liquor business is still buoyant, largely because the weak US dollar has spurred inbound travel and discretionary spending by overseas travellers. "We are seeing consistent growth at the airports for our spirit and wine brands along both US borders and on the Caribbean cruise ships," says Patrick Moran, outgoing managing director of travel-retail at Brown-Forman.

The Middle East's largest travel retailer Dubai Duty Free enjoyed a 40 per cent increase in wine sales by value last year thanks to the expansion of its top-end wine offer.

Volumes grew by 17 per cent for the UAE-based airport operator, which generates a round 80 per cent of its wine sales in arrivals, and added 60 new wine SKU s to its selection last year - many of them fine wines. Consequently, wine grew one percentage point during 2007 to account for 11.5 per cent of DDF's total liquor sales, making it the second -largest sub-sector after whisky.

"Our wine business is not traditional duty-free," said DDF manager purchasing and research Sharon Beecham. "We do sell quite well in departures, where we have improved the business by targeting the range more specifically to departing passengers. However, arrivals passengers keen to take advantage of the price saving remain our top customer group for wine.

"We ensure that the selection is only the best at whichever price point is on offer and we sell from US$8 up to US$2,000," she added. "The factors that have driven the business in 2007 are the additional listings and the opening of two small shops in the VIP terminals."

French wines still dominate DDF's wine sales with shiraz and chardonnay proving popular grape varietals.

American Airlines has partnered with Internet broadcaster GrapeRadio to offer passengers in business and first class wine-specific programming on the airline's in-flight entertainment programme.

The broadcasts from US-based GrapeRadio, whose podcasts are listened to by 20,000 listeners nationwide, range in length from 30 to 60 minutes. The first programmes for American Airlines will include interviews with famous wine industry personalities such as Frederick Paniotis of Veuve Clicquot and Margit Mondavi, as well as reports from top wine-producing regions worldwide, and discussions on wine buying, tasting and restaurant etiquette.

Commenting on the deal, GrapeRadio producer Jay Selman said: "We couldn't be more excited about the partnership with American Airlines. The field of wine is fertile ground for savvy, curious listeners. There's still plenty yet to learn and explore."

GrapeRadio was created in 2005 by podcast pioneer Michael Geoghegan.

l Family-owned Australian winery De Bortoli Wines has appointed UK-based World of Patria its global duty-free and travel-retail distributor.

l Bacardi Global Travel Retail Division has named Mark Halgunseth its new trade marketing manager. His main responsibilities include developing regional opportunities .

l Wine producer Racke saw duty-free and travel-retail sales increase by more than 10 per cent in 2007, with Europe proving the strongest performing region. The company's New World wine ranges helped drive this growth, in particular the South African Golden Kaan brand and the more recently launched Espiritu de Chile.

Bombay Sapphire gin has employed three leading names from the world of luxury goods and design - glassware manufacturer Baccarat, jeweller Garrard and artist Karim Rashid - to create five hand-made crystal bottles decorated with diamonds and sapphires.

The five Revelation bottles, which are cut in to the shape of giant gemstones, will retail at US$200,000 each and will be exhibited exclusively at five key airports over the next two to three months - Singapore Changi, New York JFK, Dubai, Sydney and London Heathrow's new Terminal 5.

All profits from the sale of the bottles will benefit children's charity The Smile Train, which provides cleft palate surgery to children in third-world countries.

At the London unveiling of Revelation last month, Bacardi Global Travel Retail Division marketing director Gary Chau said: "Bombay Sapphire Revelation gives new meaning to the phrase 'high-value partnership', which is one of the B G T R D 's guiding principles. Creating Revelation has been a collaborative journey and we are nearing the 'reveal' of these five beautiful objects."

Liquor retailing in travel retail is set to reach new heights when London Heathrow's £4.3 billion Terminal 5 opens later this month.

BAA-owned World Duty Free has allocated the liquor and tobacco sector more than 600sq m in a separate store, which faces the larger multi-category shop on the main passenger route into the departures terminal.

The shop incorporates some firsts for the travel-retail industry, most significantly a style bar developed and funded in partnership with Diageo. The circular bar is dominated by a giant chandelier , made up of nearly 300 fibre optic tubes. Mixologists will serve cocktails using Diageo-owned brands.

The Canadian Airports Council has called on the country's government to introduce duty-free arrivals shopping.

CAC has developed a

powerful economic case for the adoption of arrivals shopping.

It estimates the opening of arrivals shops would give the C$174 million Canadian airport duty-free business a sales boost of C$61 million, create 400 new jobs, and generate C$7.2 million in additional federal tax revenue.

"Arrivals duty-free represents a unique win-win opportunity for the federal government to help Canadian duty-free operators and their airport hosts, while also increasing federal tax revenue," said CAC president and chief executive Jim Facette.

"We hope the minister [of finance] will act on this ­recommendation from the committee."

The Canadian government ignored earlier calls by the industry to allow arrivals duty-free, but the continuing spread of arrivals shops in other countries worldwide (some 50 states have now adopted them) might ­persuade the authorities it is the right time to take the plunge.

If arrivals legislation is passed, Canadian operators' duty-free liquor sales will increase significantly as many travellers opt not to buy earlier in their journey because of the inconvenience of carrying heavy bottles.

Conversely, airport retailers in the US and Europe with significant numbers of flights to Canada will be negatively affected as returning Canadians opt to defer their purchase until their arrival.

LVMH has revealed that the increasing spending power of Chinese travellers was the main factor behind a strong set of year-end financial results for DFS Group, one of the world's leading luxury retailers.

The French luxury goods group reported that its Selective Retailing division, which includes DFS Group along with Miami Cruiseline and beauty chain Sephora, posted a 10 per cent increase in profit in 2007 to reach US$439 million, and a 7 per cent rise in revenues.

Famous for its sophisticated merchandising and high level of customer service, DFS continues to be the first choice among liquor suppliers wanting to find an exclusive regional launchpad for new items such as Absolut 100, Chivas Regal 25 Year Old and Martell Château de Versailles VSOP.

"DFS is continuing to grow its market share in Asia against a backdrop of lower spending by Japanese travellers and a weak yen," said LVMH during a conference call on the results. "The growth in DFS is driven by an increase in Chinese travellers , new plans for Macau and opening the business in Vietnam in the final quarter [of the year]. These are major growth drivers going forward. Tourist flows to these two destinations are growing strongly."

Hong Kong-based DFS operates more than 150 airport shops across Asia -Pacific and North America, as well as 14 downtown "Gallerias " in locations such as Sydney, Guam, Los Angeles and Hawaii. A new DFS Galleria is scheduled to open in June at the Four Seasons hotel in Macau.

Andrew Holmes is the new sales director of CL World Brands, responsible for the international sales structure for the group's brands covering both domestic and duty -free channels for all regions, excluding the UK, Australasia, the Americas and the Caribbean.

Castle Brands has made John Glover its senior vice president - marketing. He joins from Remy Cointreau USA and will be responsible for the all the company's brands globally.

Stuart MacFarlane, currently InBev's global director of customer standards, is returning to the UK to become the president, InBev UK and Ireland

Altia Corporation, a Nordic wine, beer and spirit distributor has announced a series of appointments. Joacim Hultin has been promoted to senior vice president (SVP), supplier management. He was previously vice president of operational development and, before that, managing director of Bibendum AB, Altia's subsidiary in Sweden. Svein Harald Røine is now SVP Norwegian operations and Sam Stenberg SVP Denmark and travel trade.

The Symington family has appointed Euan Mackay as sales director of Symington Family Estates. Mackay joined the wine trade in 1987 with Tanners before moving onto Fells. In 1996 he joined Symington Family Estates with responsibility for several key European and Asian markets, but remained based in the UK. In 2006 he moved to Portugal and is now based in Oporto.

Vernon Henn is the new general manager of Thandi, the fairtrade South African wine brand. He has five years' experience in the wine industry and is currently doing a wine business management programme through the University of Cape Town. He is a member of the executive committee of The Company of Wine People, which owns 33 per cent of Thandi. The objective is for Thandi to become an independent brand with its own cellars and facilities.

Gonz ález Byass has made Suzanne Strain its wine director - a newly created position to capitalise on the company's new Spanish wine range, which has been made under the guidance of Jane Masters MW. Strain comes from Flagstone UK where she was a director. She has also worked for Western Wines and Edward Cavendish. Michelle Down joins as on-trade business manager, having worked for Maxxium, Delegats and Laurent-Perrier.

Denbies Wine Estate, the English wine producer has made John Worontschak its operations director. He will oversee all aspects of production. Denbies makes 12 wines and has an average annual production of 450,000 bottles.

.

Jane Ewing

General manager for Diageo in eastern Europe

What has been your greatest achievement?

Probably handing over the general management responsibilities for the Benelux (my previous role) to one of my team, who was more than ready for the challenge.

What is the best thing about working for Diageo?

I feel privileged to work with some very talented people and some of the best brands in the world.

What do you like best about eastern Europe?

I have grown to love the diversity of cultures and the warmth of the people.

What is your greatest strength?

Probably my focus on people, I spend as much time as possible with my teams, supporting them to grow as leaders.

What concerns you most about the drinks industry?

That there remain some parts of the industry that do not appear fully committed to promoting responsible drinking and the work to change the attitude to alcohol. We still see products and promotions that do a disservice to those genuinely trying to educate consumers to drink alcohol responsibly and reduce alcohol harm.

What one important trend do you think may be overlooked?

That this is no longer a purely male -dominated industry.

What is your favourite drink?

I have a number of favourites, depending on my mood and the occasion. A correctly served Tanqueray and tonic is the perfect aperitif. Other occasions may call for a pint of Guinness, a Johnnie Walker Black Label and soda, or a glass of decent Champagne.

Assuming you travel a lot, how do you balance work and family?

Most weeks, I try to limit my travel to two or three days. And from time to time I travel with the family.

What do you do to relax?

Run, watch movies and eat chocolate.

l Prowein

March 16-18

Duesseldorf, Germany

prowein.de

Vinitaly

April 3-7

Veron, Italy

vinitaly.com

International Malbec Days

April 4-6

Cahors, France

malbecdays.com

Duty Free Show of the Americas

April 6-10

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

iaadfs.org

World Whiskies

Conference

April 15-16

Glasgow, Scotland

whiskyconference.com

VDP Weinbörse

April 27-28

Mainz, Germany

vdp.de

Tax Free Asia Pacific

May 13-16

Singapore

tfwa.com

SIAL China

May 14-16

Shanghai, China

sialchina.com

LIWSF

May 20-22

London, UK

londonwinefair.com

Buyer Meets Spanish Cellar Workshop

May 25-27

Selva, Spain

wpworkshop.com

Vinexpo

Asia Pacific

May 27-29

Hong Kong

vinexpo.com

VieVinum

May 31-June 2

Hofburg, Vienna

winesfromaustria.com

World Sauvignon Congress

August 26-29

Graz, Austria

worldsauvignon.com

Cape Wine

September 23-25

Cape Town Convention Centre

wosa.co.za

l In a tasty promotion celebrating 125 years of winemaking, Bolla wines of Italy, owned by Brown-Forman, has declared itself the Official Wine of Pizza and will launch a multi-city wine and pizza tour of the US this year.

l Anchor Distilling of San Francisco has released Genevieve Gin distilled from malted grains in a pot still, before being flavored and redistilled in another pot still. Anchor, which also makes Anchor Steam Beer, has a column-distilled gin, Jun ípero.

l McCormick Distilling's 360 Vodka, the "green " vodka, from one of the oldest distilleries in the US, is the official spirit of the Sundance Film Festival, the Robert Redford-backed festival in Utah. McCormick will donate $1 to environmental causes for every wire top mailed back.

l Underdog Wine Merchants, of California , has imported from Alsace a wine designed to accompany Chinese food. Now & Zen is a blend of Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer, at a suggested price of $9.99.

There are eight new members of the California Vintners Hall of Fame. Paul Draper, chief executive and winemaker of Ridge Vineyards, said he was surprised to hear the news because he was "still alive".

"I thought you had to be dead to get in the hall of fame ," he said. "It really is an honour, especially since I am still around and enjoying making wine as much as ever."

There were two other living honorees, Miljenko Grgich, owner of Grgich Hills, and Darrell Corti, a wine retailer. The other five inducted were Ernest and Julio Gallo; Napa pioneer winemaker John Daniel Jr , of Inglenook; Louis P Martini and Karl Wente.

Grgich is credited with making the Chardonnay that won the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting ; Corti helped promote California wines through his Sacramento shop ; and Draper is a master winemaker who created legendary single vineyard Zinfandels as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from his Santa Cruz Mountain estate.

The receipients were ­chosen by a panel of 40 US wine writers from around the country and were inducted on March 7 in a Napa ceremony at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, which runs the hall.

A recent experiment conducted in California showed that price of wine does influence a consumer's enjoyment of wine.

In a test devised by Antonio Rangel at the California Institute of Technology, 21 volunteers sampled five different bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. The taste test was blind, but the tasters were told the price of the wine.

Without telling the tasters, however, researchers presented two of the wines twice, once with the true price tag and again with a fake .

They also passed off a $90 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon as a $10 bottle and presented a $5 bottle as being worth $45 , according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

As the wine was tasted, researchers scanned the brains of the tasters to monitor neural activity in an area of the brain believed to register pleasure related to taste and odours.

The study found that inflating the price of a bottle of wine enhanced a person's experience of drinking it, as shown by the neural activity. Also,

the tasters consistently gave higher ratings to the more "expensive" wines.

Rangel said the test demonstrated that the tasters believed that higher priced wines were better and enjoyed those wines more.

In other words, the more it costs, the better the tasters liked it. Marketing departments, take note.

The US wine market showed solid growth of around 4 per cent in 2007, up 12 million cases to 314 million cases, according to Jon Fredrikson, wine market analyst and publisher of the Gomberg Fredrikson Report.

Imports continued to show strong gains, up eight million cases, growing twice as fast as the domestic market.

Imports now hold 31 per cent of the US wine market, up a round 9 per cent for the year. Fredrikson said that could hit 33 per cent by the end of 2008.

He said the downturn in the US economy at year's end didn't seem to be hurting the wine market. "In my experience, people are going to continue to drink wine , although they may trade down," he said.

Fredrikson said he was optimistic about continued growth in the US market. He estimated that at the end of 2007, total wine sales in the US were $29 billion.

A marketing campaign promoting Italy's Trentino region as the Champagne of Italy is being launched globally this year.

Trentino is one of the most important producers of Italian sparkling wine, with almost eight million bottles produced there last year . But wine drinkers around the world do not associate the region, in the north of the country, with quality sparkling wine.

The campaign, which was launched in Italy at the end of last year, includes the re-branding of the Trento DOC logo, which is now written in capital letters with the two "O"s designed to represent the rémuage process, which involves the turning and inversion of the bottle to bring the lees into the neck prior to their removal.

Maurizio Rossini, marketing director for Trentino Spa, said: "The new brand identity will be used as an umbrella logo for T rento DOC brand to enable us to build global brand awareness of the premium quality of Trento DOC and reposition it as the Champagne of Italy."

Tiziano Mellarini, councillor for Trentino agriculture, commerce and tourism, said the re brand was necessary because Trento DOC is "Italy's oldest methodo classico wine, although it is not often recognised as such by the trade ".

l Pernod Ricard has sold the boutique New Zealand winery Framingham, including the vineyards, to leading Portuguese producer Sogrape. Pernod retains the distribution rights for Framingham in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific travel retail markets.

l Henkell & Söhnlein, the German wine and spirits producer, has bought a majority shareholding in Mionetto, the Italian Prosecco sparkling wine, still wines and spirits producer.

l Fortune Brands has announced that, for the 11th time, it has filled a million barrels of Jim Beam, the world's top-selling bourbon. This is the first time such a fill has been achieved in under three years.

l Anheuser-Busch, the US brewer, has renewed its sponsorship of US golfing tournament the PGA Tour for another three years. The whole Michelob family of beers will replace Michelob Ultra as the official beer sponsor of the PGA and Champions Tour.

l The old Bushmills Irish Whiskey distillery is to be featured on Irish bank notes, according to the Bank of Ireland Northern Ireland. It coincides with the 400th anniversary of the granting of a licence to distil whiskey to the area around Bushmills.

l Beer sales in Germany have dropped to their lowest

in 15 years. The German Federal Statistics Office said German brewers sold 103.9 million hectolitres of beer in 2007 - a drop of 2.7 per cent on the previous year and the lowest sales figure since 1993.

Scotch whisky specialist Edrington Group has its sights on fast-growing rum markets after buying a majority share in the Brugal Company.

Drinks International understands Edrington paid more than £200 million for the 60 per cent share in Dominican Republic-based Brugal.

The deal catapults Edrington into the growing rum market. Brugal sells 5 million cases of golden rum annually, has an 80 per cent share of its domestic market and is one of the fastest growing rum brands in Europe.

Edrington has previously focused solely on Scotch whisky, producing The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and premium single malts The Macallan and Highland Park.

Chief executive Ian Curle said: "We announced some time ago our objective to increase international growth and stated that, as well as developing our core brands, we also intend to target opportunities outside the Scotch whisky category."

Brugal is a good strategic fit because it doesn't compete directly with Edrington's existing brands and has posted "high levels of growth in several mature markets", an Edrington spokeperson told Drinks International.

Brugal is to open an international sales office in Spain.

The Brugal family will continue to supervise production in the Dominican Republic, as it has since 1888. As part of the deal, George Arzeno Brugal will remain president of Brugal Company's board of directors, and Franklin Baez Brugal will become executive president of the firm's board of administration.

Irish Distillers, part of Pernod Ricard and maker of Jameson whiskey, is set to sue rival distiller Cooley.

The dispute relates to a new Cooley whiskey produced for the Russian market.

Irish Distillers is understood to be concerned about the whiskey's similarity to the Jameson brand.

A spokesperson for Irish Distillers declined to comment on the case, but said that proceedings were at a "preliminary stage".

Cooley, which claims to be the only independent, Irish-owned distillery, produces and bottles whiskey for several international companies.

Fortune Brands is believed to be ahead of its rivals in the bidding auction for Sweden's state-owned Vin & Sprit, owner of Absolut vodka.

Sweden's government has narrowed the race to four bidders, according to a local media report, understood to be Fortune Brands, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi and a private equity group.

But it is Fortune, which already distributes Vin & Sprit's Absolut vodka brand in the US, which is thought to be ahead.

"Fortune now has the best chance of getting it," one analyst who wished to remain anonymous told Drinks International. "They know the company and they would have the least distribution fees to pay [because of the existing contract in the US]".

He said that Fortune's proceeds from selling its wine division to Constellation recently gave the group around a $1 billion head-start on Pernod Ricard. Pernod, although bigger, would find that "tough" to make up, he added.

Pacific Beverages, SABMiller's joint venture with Coca-Cola, is planning to build a "state-of-the art" brewery in Australia to increase production of its premium brands.

The brewery in New South Wales will have a capacity of 500,000 h l and will be used by Pacific to brew more Bluetongue and Bondi Blonde beer and potentially develop more premium brands.

Ari Mervis, managing director of SABMiller Asia, said Pacific Beverages had "exceeded initial expectations" since it began trading in 2006 and a new brewing facility was needed to expand the business.

The joint-venture brewery, which is aiming to incorporate a number of environmental technologies, is expected to be completed by 2010.

Havana Club, the dark rum brand owned by Cuba Ron SA and Pernod Ricard , has recorded a 15 per cent year-on-year increase, taking it past the 3 million nine-litre case mark.

Havana Club International says the rum is set to make 5 million cases by 2013. The company exports to 124 countries, excluding the US where Cuban-made products are banned.

Havana Club International operates the new rum distillery that specialises in dark, aged rums. It is also responsible for domestic distribution in Cuba along with Pernod's key international brands.

Over the past 10 years, rum has been the number -two growth contributor to the international spirits sector and has been growing nearly twice as fast as other spirits, according to IWSR statistics.

While Spain's best known wine, Rioja, has updated its logo, two names have been added to the list of Spain's Denominación de Origen wine producing regions.

Based on the Tempranillo vine, the quintessential grape variety of Rioja, Rioja's regulatory council hopes its new logo design will appeal to new younger drinkers without alienating its existing devotees.

The logo is being introduced to the domestic Spanish market as well as to key export markets - the UK, US, Germany and Sweden.

Ricardo Aguiriano San Vicente of the consejo said: "We are confident that the new brand identity combines Rioja's great heritage with creativity, encouraging consumers to discover the wide variety of quality wines that Rioja encompasses. The new logo gives us the chance to rejuvenate our brand image."

The 2007 harvest in this north eastern region of Spain fell 2.2 per cent to 412 million kg, (91 per cent red, 9 per cent white).

The DOC approved 391 million kg for wine and, for the first time, wineries were allowed to set aside 10 per cent of the maximum yield as holding stock against small harvests in the future.

MAPA, the Spanish ministry of agriculture, fishing and food, has announced Ribera Arlanza and Tierra del Vino de Zamora as Spanish wine appellations.

The two regions are now official wine DOs (denomination of origin).

The DO Ribera de l Arlanza is situated in the centre of the province of Burgos, around 40 k m south of Madrid. The denomination is composed of 50 municipalities, of which 45 belong to the province of Burgos, and five to Palencia.

The DO Tierra del Vino de Zamora straddles the R ío Duero in the north eastern province of Zamora.

This recognition affects eleven Zamora bodegas, seven from Burgos and two from Palencia. DO Arlanza endorses the white grape varieties Albillo and Viura and the reds Tinta del País, Garnacha, Mencía, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot; while DO Tierra del Vino de Zamora endorses white wines made from Malvas ia, small grain Moscatel, Verdejo, Albillo, Palomino and Godello, and reds made from Tempranillo, Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Diageo plans to significantly increase production of its recently acquired Ketel One vodka, as part of a global push on the brand.

Diageo wants to expand Ketel One's presence outside of North America, initially in Latin America and Europe, chief executive Paul Walsh has told Drinks International.

Diageo has spent US$900 million to begin a 50 /50 joint venture on Ketel One with the Nolet family, which produces the brand in the Netherlands. The move saw Diageo pull out of the race to buy Sweden's Absolut vodka.

It is now understood the drinks giant may look to double production of Ketel One over the next few years, reflecting ongoing growth in the global premium spirits market.

Ketel One sells around 1.9 million cases per year, predominantly in North America. The brand has a 14 per cent share of the US premium vodka market, compared to 17 per cent for Stolichnaya and 39 per cent for Absolut.

Diageo's plan to ramp up production echoes a similar strategy for Bushmills Irish whiskey. Bushmills' production has tripled since Diageo bought the group in 2005.

At its recent first -half results, Diageo reaffirmed its guidance of a 9 per cent rise in operating profits for the full year.

Big brands such as Smirnoff and Johnny Walker, as well as a resurgent Guinness in the UK, lifted Diageo's net sales by 7 per cent to more than £4 billion for the six months end ing December 31 . Volumes grew less sharply at 4 per cent, reflecting Diageo's focus on higher -end drinks.

In another deal, Diageo has signed a deal to distribute and market Guatemalan rum brand Zacapa globally.

The three-year deal with Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala means the drinks giant will have control of the brand in most markets excluding Guatemala and Central America.

At the end of the deal, Diageo will have the option to buy a 50 per cent equity stake in the brand.

Randy Millian, managing director of Diageo's Latin America & Caribbean hub, said: "The Zacapa brand will widen our brand range within the second -largest and fastest -growing major spirits category in the world, and diversify our reserve brand collection."

The Zacapa rum range includes Zacapa Centenario 15, Zacapa Centenario 23 and Zacapa Centenario XO.

Bacardi, Brown-Forman and Rémy Cointreau have announced plans to expand their US distribution alliance to California and Texas.

The companies launched the alliance in New York in May last year, aligning with Empire Merchants, and are keen to build their portfolios in other states .

The expansion will begin with the Republic National Distributing Company in Texas and discussions have taken place with Young's Market Company in California.

James L Bareuther, chief operating officer of Brown-Forman, said: "Our experience in New York demonstrated that the combined strength of our portfolios , provides better brand-building programs, both on- and off-premise ."

The Royal Oporto Company (ROC) has just completed the pur­­chase of the Delaforce brand from the Fladgate Port Partnership for an undisclosed sum. Blending and bottling of Delaforce ports will remain with Fladgate, which has a similar arrangement with Osborne.

This is a strategic move by both companies. Delaforce is the brand leader in Germany, is strong in Holland and Denmark, and will provide an entrée into the UK and North America.

ROC's managing director Pedro da Silva Reis is del­ighted with the deal . "Our brands were already big in Germany," he said, "and Dela­force will give us a dominant position in the market. We have changed the distribution and put both brands with the family company BORCO. With combined sales of close to 100,000 cases, this is the first time a port company will have real clout in Germany."

The Delaforce move enables Fladgate to concen­trate its resources. "The future," said managing director Adrian Bridge, "lies with special cat­egory premium ports. These have increased 11 per cent in 10 years. Our group accounts for 73 per cent of this, so we are creating the growth and leading the industry. Port also needs innovation so we have created Croft Pink to appeal to new consumers outside the festive season."

"Our arrangements mean we will still be supplying good wine to Germany and Spain through companies with strong distribution in these countries ," he added.

Germany is the sixth biggest port market, with shipments up 38 per cent last year to 413,000 cases.

What is it about the phenomenon of celebrity? Grown women become simpering teenagers again. Men try to look disinterested and tough but you can see they are dying to talk to him or her . And autographs. What's in a squiggle on a piece of paper - proof that, "no s***", you met this demi-god of the screen or pitch.

And so to the London International Wine Fair, held in London in May. The International Wine Challenge releases the results of this year's competition. A rosé wine from Provence gets a silver medal. So what? Nothing earth-shattering about that. But there is because, lo and behold, the heart-throb French footballer David Ginola has his name on it.