News

October 5, 2010

Costco Wholesale Corp., the Washington State retailer behind I-1100, is "seeking the total disbanding of the three tier system," Mitch Watkins, the outgoing chairman of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, told NBWA's 73d Annual Convention yesterday.

 

ST. HELENA, Calif. -- Many of America's high-end wineries are reeling from the economic downturn, as even wealthy drinkers slash spending on fine wines.

The slump comes as Americans continue to drink more wine overall. Recession-weary consumers, however, are buying more mid- and low-priced wines, causing a sharp falloff in sales of wines priced at $25 a bottle and higher.

Winemaker, philosopher, ballet dancer, social critic, craftsman, frontiersman, resource conservationist, skydiver, musicologist, writer, surfer, Scottish Presbyterian and devoted husband and father " Don Blackburn died after a valiant battle with cancer in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, April 23 at 54 years of age.

The US House of Representatives on Friday reversed its vote earlier last week and approved a landmark $700 billion financial bailout bill, which includes a two-year extension of the rum tax formula worth an additional $40 million for the US Virgin Islands government.

The revised bill, which cleared the Senate on Wednesday, was signed by President 90 minutes later, immediately enacting it into law.

Preiss Imports, a foremost specialist beverage alcohol importer, announced today that spirits industry veterans Anthony P. Foglio and Keith Greggor have taken a majority position in the company for an undisclosed sum.

Henry Preiss, the founder, will retain a significant interest and continue as President and CEO. The company imports hundreds of top-quality spirits, from around the world, as well as impressive niche brands of beer and wine.

Alison Light and her husband fell in love with several small California wineries this summer while celebrating their wedding anniversary. But when Ms. Light tried to have bottles shipped to her Norfolk, Mass., home, she was miffed to discover that her state effectively barred most such shipments.

Ask Joseph E. Gallo how his family winery became one of the world's largest, and he instantly credits luck. But give him a few minutes, and he'll go on to explain how generations of hard work, meticulous planning and insistence on excellence fostered success.

Tom Wark, at Fermentation, alerted us yesterday to the British newpaper Telegraph's article on "unauthentic ingredients" in wine in the form of oak chips, but this was only the visible tip of a gigantic iceberg roiling the waters in Great Britain over the use of additives, and about to spill over bigtime to our shores.

The Glenmorangie Company has lined up the sale of its Glen Moray distillery in Scotland to French spirits company La Martiniquaise.
The Scottish company, owned by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), confirmed today (16 September) that it has signed a heads of terms agreement for the divestment of the Elgin-based distillery as well as the Glen Moray single malt Scotch whisky brand to the French firm. When contacted by just-drinks today, a spokesperson for Glenmorangie declined to give a figure for sale, saying only that it was "a fair amount".

Published January 1, 2008

Shares of Anheuser-Busch (BUD - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) popped on word of mounting beer shipments this year.

The St. Louis-based company, best known for its Budweiser brand, reported that it shipped 104.4 million barrels of beer to wholesalers in all of 2007 -- up 2.1 million barrels, or 2%, from 2006 numbers. This is in large part due to acquired and import brands, which Anheuser said provided 170 basis points of growth.

The buying wholesalers, in turn, enjoyed a 1.3% sales increase to retailers in 2007.