The Australian wine industry reportedly has some untapped opportunities in the U.S. market that would help it grow in both volume and value. According to investment bank Rabobank, Australians need to break away for the image of cheap wine and begin supplying more expensive, high quality bottles to secure a sustainable future.The Australian wine industry … Continue reading “Australia Aims for the High End”

More than 100 college and university presidents nationwide, including leaders from Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on the public to rethink the drinking age. Other prominent schools in the group include Syracuse, Tufts, Colgate, Kenyon and Morehouse.In a statement, top university officials said the current legal drinking age “is not working” and has … Continue reading “Debating the Drinking Age”

Direct-to-consumer wine shipments are currently legal in Pennsylvania, but most out-of-state wineries are wary to ship to Pennsylvanians because of legal uncertainties. Wineries are hoping to smooth out legislation and open direct wine shipments once and for all. However, many think House Bill 2165 is still too restrictive, while others think it’s not restrictive enough. … Continue reading “Pennsylvania Debates Wine Legislation”

CM Profit Group just released its 1st annual survey of On-Premise Chain Retailers, (after researching off-premise establishments for six years). The spirits category edged out beer and wine as the “Leading Category for On-Premise Value and Service,” with Future Brands performing the best overall. SURVEY BACKGROUND. The survey is conducted by interviewing the 50 key … Continue reading “Retailers Rate Suppliers”

Wine & Spirits Daily had the chance to talk with Jim Sabia, the new Executive Vice President of Marketing for Constellation Spirits. Before joining Constellation a little over a year ago, Jim spent 17 years with Coors where he was the creator of Blue Moon and most recently served as VP of Coors and Coors … Continue reading “A Talk with Constellation’s Jim Sabia”

Southern and Glazer’s announcement yesterday afternoon definitely qualifies as one of the biggest news stories this year. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or vacationing on some remote island), Southern and Glazer’s are forming a strategic joint venture under the name Southern/Glazer’s Distributors of America. A company press release obtained by WSD stated: … Continue reading “An Inside Look at Southern/Glazer’s”

Since I started writing this newsletter three years ago, there has been an almost constant stream of rumors that Southern and Glazer’s were coming together, although for awhile it looked like Glazer’s and Wirtz may merge nationally. Needless to say, Southern/Glazer’s makes sense from a business standpoint, particularly during a time when it seems like … Continue reading “Southern and Glazer’s: Mega-Distributor”

Southern Wine & Spirits of America and Glazer’s Distributors have announced the formation of Southern/Glazer’s Distributors of America. According to the two companies, this new national strategic joint venture for wine and spirits will cover the 38 states that represent more than 80% of the total Wine and Spirits volume in the United States. Financial … Continue reading “Alert: Southern and Glazer’s Merge”

David Angelo, chairman and chief creative officer of LA-based independent creative agency David&Goliath, wanted to know what beer and spirit brands are considered “hot” in today’s competitive market. So he took it upon himself to understand what brands currently have the strongest “badge value” among bar patrons.“Beyond taste, spirit and beer choices are often based … Continue reading “Jack Daniel’s Ranks Best Badge Value”

An Indiana ruling yesterday resulted in a mixed victory for wholesalers and wineries. The Seventh Circuit US appellate court rejected an August 2007 ruling that lifted the face-to-face requirement on the grounds that direct shipments give minors easier access to alcohol. However, the court did not hold up Indiana’s law prohibiting wineries from shipping direct … Continue reading “Indiana Reinstates Face to Face Law”

The common denominator in today’s issue is Australian wines. Constellation announced yesterday evening that it plans to sell three out of ten production facilities – in Clare and Padthaway in South Australia and at Mount Barker in Western Australia – and twenty vineyards to reduce debt. It also plans to consolidate bottling operations, streamline its … Continue reading “Constellation Sheds Australian Assets”

The globalization of spirits companies have changed the way countries drink as the big boys make inroads into emerging and even developed markets. Vodka by far is the world’s most popular spirit, although whiskey, particularly Scotch, is experiencing “very good times,” according to an article in Business Week. “With the opening up of Russia and … Continue reading “Premium Spirits Pick Up Globally”

Reports surfaced yesterday that Frank Pesce International Group put a $1 billion bid on SPI Group’s Stoli vodka. Shareholder Andrey Skurikhin (who WSD interviewed in June) said the offer was too low and Stoli was “no longer on the market,” although he asked how much Frank Pesce would be willing to pay, reports the UK-based … Continue reading “Stoli Rumors Resurface”

Seamus McBride, former president, North America of Colgate-Palmolive, is replacing Andreas Gembler as Bacardi’s new president and ceo, effective September 1. Rumors have swirled for several months that Bacardi had appointed headhunters to fine a replacement for Gembler, but it was believed Gembler would move to a senior executive role on the board. However, Bacardi … Continue reading “Andreas Gembler Retires”

It’s been rumored for sometime, and this morning Bacardi announced that Seamus McBride, 53, will replace Andreas Gembler, 65, as the company’s new president and chief executive officer effective September 1, 2008. McBride was elected by unanimous vote of the board of directors as part of a planned succession process, said the company.McBride comes from … Continue reading “Alert: Bacardi Names New CEO”