The company reported that all group brands did well in the third quarter, with Asia and Europe as the growth drivers. Organic sales of cognac grew 8.6%, liqueur/spirits were up 2.8% and champagne jumped 15.6%. Partner brands grew 6% in all.“Consumer demand [of cognac] in the US remained good in a business environment marked by … Continue reading “Champagne and Cognac Fair Well for Remy”

Much like spirits, the wine industry looks like it’s headed for an interesting year. Strange industry trends tend to erupt when the economy is questionable, and wine is no exception. One trend that’s emerging is climbing import prices. This of course can be good news for domestic wines but not so great for importers, particularly … Continue reading “Imported Wines Face Big Headaches”

Since September, the rate of spirits growth has declined steadily each month. In the four weeks to Oct. 7, dollar value of spirits increased 4.4%. In the four weeks to Nov. 4 and Dec. 2, dollar sales were up 3.4% and 2.8%, respectively, according to IRI scan data.In the long-term, however, the rate of spirits … Continue reading “Somber Spirits Head for an Unpredictable Year”

EXPENSIVE WINE INCREASES CONSUMERS’ ENJOYMENT Researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that pricier wine increases a person’s enjoyment of the wine. Antonio Rangel, associate professor of economics, led a research team to test how marketing shapes consumers’ perceptions, according to an AP article in Theage.com. The findings come to us during an interesting … Continue reading “What’s New in Wine & Spirits”

Future Brands president and CEO Steve Bellini will be leaving the company to pursue personal interests, the company said today. Steve has agreed with the Future Brands Board to accept a transition role working with Chairman Kevin Fennessey until February 29th. The company will be taking steps during this period to prepare for a CEO … Continue reading “FUTURE BRANDS CEO BIDS ADIEU”

There has been a lot of back and forth between online retailers and wine wholesalers in the past week, so we sat down with Tom Wark, executive director of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA) and Craig Wolf, ceo of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) separately to get to the bottom of … Continue reading “Three Tier Battles – A Talk with Tom Wark and Craig Wolf”

Constellation announced yesterday it was downsizing its company from 4 units to 3 units – namely, Vintas, Icon Estates and Centerra Wine Company – to make room for its newly acquired wine profile ($885 million) from Fortune Brands. Vintas is the newest addition and will house the company’s premium and super-premium U.S. wines. In other … Continue reading “More Details on Constellation”

Constellation announced its new organizational structure today after acquiring Fortune’s wine portfolio in December. Under the new structure, Constellation Wines U.S. will have three business units – Vintas, Icon Estates and Centerra Wine Company. VINTAS. Vintas is a new business unit that will focus primarily on premium and super premium wine. Its brands will include … Continue reading “Constellation Splits into Three Businesses”

In Constellation’s third quarter conference call today, the company said it has acquired the remaining 50% equity stake in its Planet 10 Spirits j-v. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Effen vodka is Planet 10’s leading brand and increased 55% in volume during the 52-week period, according to IRI data.SPIRITS. Speaking of spirits, Svedka … Continue reading “Constellation Fully Acquires Effen Vodka”

B-F today announced it is ending its U.S. deal to sell Appleton and other rums made by Jamaica’s Wray & Nephew Group. B-F’s deal with Wray & Nephew will end in April unless the rum distiller finds a new import partner soonerIn addition, B-F is also ending its arrangement with Distell Group Limited of South … Continue reading “B-F TERMINATES DEAL WITH APPLETON RUM”

Wholesalers and retailers are both determined to win the legislative fight, but the questions remains, is there an end in sight? Or will Granholm wrangling go on forever? The LA Times featured an article in today’s publication highlighting the dispute between wine and spirits wholesalers and retailers that want to ship directly to out-of-state consumers. … Continue reading “Wholesalers VS. Retailers: He Said, She Said”

WSWA sent out a press release “applauding” efforts by Wine.com CEO Richard Bergsund “to call attention to the problem of unregulated, illegal interstate shipments of alcohol to consumers.”According to the trade group, Bergsund has been notifying officials of instances where he claims online retailers have openly cut corners and defied state regulations for alcohol delivery, … Continue reading “Trade Groups Duke It Out”

First Consolidation of 2008The first big consolidation of 2008, folks, and we’re guessing there’s a lot more where that came from. Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC) has joined with The Capital Group of South Carolina to create RNDC of South Carolina, a 50/50 joint-venture. The new company is based in Columbia, S.C.Former president of Capital … Continue reading “RNDC forms New J-V in South Carolina”

to review the proposals released by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). As we mentioned yesterday, the UK government has issued proposed changes to Scotch whisky legislation. In all, the government hopes to repeal earlier laws and replace them with the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2008. Similar to laws that protect … Continue reading “SCOTCH PRODUCERS HAVE UNTIL MARCH 25”

to be their exclusive vodka partner in 2008. Owned by McCormick Distilling, 360 Vodka will sponsor several of Ford Models’ high profile events, including the Ford Models Super Model of the World Grand Finale event and after-party held in New York City on January 16th. You are unauthorized to view this page. Username Password Remember … Continue reading “360 VODKA HAS PARTNERED WITH FORD MODELS”