December, 26, 2010 Chateau Lafite, thanks to a lucky 8, takes off in China

PARIS — When Chateau Lafite chief executive Christophe Salin set a modest price for the 2008 vintage in April 2009, the financial world was melting down. Today, a robust market led by China and a lucky "8" have pushed up prices on the grand cru by 590 percent. It was a smart move by Lafite t...

December, 25, 2010 Chinese Government Shuts Down Wineries After Adulterated Wines Exposed

Hebei Province shut down nearly 30 wineries on Friday after wines made there were exposed on television as not only adulterated, but also falsely labeled. The local government acted after a state television program on Thursday evening showed that some wines made in the province's Changli County c...

December, 24, 2010 White wine consumption in Bulgaria increases over the last year

Sofia. There is some decrease in the consumption of imported wine in Bulgaria, said Branimir Botev, chairperson of the Association of Producers, Importers and Traders of Spirit Drinks (APITSD), in an interview for FOCUS News Agency. In Botev’s words, the imported wine is usually in the higher pri...

December, 24, 2010 Rebranded Canadian Wines Clarify Content

Ontario—“Cellared in Canada” wines, the crux of a cause célèbre championed by wine aficionados and journalists, are virtually absent from store shelves this holiday season. This fall, Mississauga, Ontario-based Vincor Canada launched new labels for its wines made from blends of domestic and ...

December, 24, 2010 Australia's CHAMP sees global wine cycle near bottom

(Reuters) - Australia's CHAMP Private Equity firm said its $230 million purchase of Constellation Brands operations in Australia, Britain and South Africa comes near the cyclical low for the wine industry, and it sees strong upside for the business."At CHAMP we have dealt with these sorts of situati...

December, 23, 2010 Constellation Brands Sells Australian and UK Wine Business

Constellation Brands, the world’s leading premium wine company, has agreed to sell its Australian and UK business – Constellation Wines Australia and Europe – to Champ Private Equity of Sydney for A$290m (Eur220m). Constellation will retain a 20% interest in the business and receive cash proce...

December, 23, 2010 Pernod sells New Zealand wine brands

Pernod Ricard has sold Lindauer, its New Zealand wine brand, to Lion Nathan and Indevin. The deal is worth NZ$89 million - around €50 million - and has received clearance from regulators. Lion Nathan's portfolio already includes Wither Hills and a number of internationally-known spirits and RTDs. ...

December, 23, 2010 AUS: South Australia gets new wine region

The Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation (AWBC) has officially handed Mt Gambier geographic indication status. The industry body confirmed this week that Mt Gambier has entered Australia's GI register, making it South Australia's newest wine region. The move means that local winemakers will be ab...