Gustatory tomfoolery
17 Jan 2007 I am writing this five days before Christmas, and my mountebank of a postman (he insists on consistently delivering to me the mail of a neighbour whose house number is the same as mine) has just thrust into my hands, as... View issue Harpers, 12 January 2007
Consumers still poorly defined
17 Jan 2007 I have just spent several years studying the UK wine consumer for a PhD thesis, and one factor stands out clearly from this research: the wine trade does not know its consumer. ... View issue Harpers, 12 January 2007
Fling or real thing?
17 Jan 2007 As one year slides not particularly memorably into another, Italians are looking back on an age, now clearly on the wane, when the so-called ‘vitigni migliorativi’ (improving vine varieties) were something no self-respecting wine could be seen without in polite society.... View issue Harpers, 12 January 2007
News Analysis: V&S readies for market of eager global players
17 Jan 2007 Absolut vodka has come a long way since the brand launch in 1979. In the years to the end of 1988, Vin & Sprit, the state-owned Swedish company that owns Absolut, sold 100m bottles of the premium vodka. ... View issue Harpers, 12 January 2007
Harpers Leader: So much for a quiet start to 2007
17 Jan 2007 So, just back from the Christmas and New Year festivities and we are already looking at changes, restructuring and possible further consolidation in the industry. ... View issue Harpers, 12 January 2007
Wines in the Press
12 Dec 2006 ‘However much we talk dry, we clearly adore drinking sweet,’ says ANTHONY ROSE, and ‘few countries churn out affordable sweet wines quite as cheerfully and cheaply as Australia’. He’s thinking of 2005 Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora, 37.5cl (£4.79 to... MATTHEW JUKES’ selection of festive choices is, he says, ‘the easiest column of the year to write, as more effort has been put into perfecting sparkling wine than any other category of wine in the world over the past few years.... JANE MacQUITTY insists that people shouldn’t panic about whether they have enough wine for Christmas as ‘most merchants accept orders for guaranteed pre-Christmas deliveries as late as 15 December. For your nearest and dearest, a magnum of Champagne looks especially generous,... ‘I am invariably plunged into gloom at this time of year,’ says JONATHAN RAY, ‘but if I get our wine sorted out, it becomes a bit more bearable’. With smoked salmon on Christmas Eve, Ray suggests 2004 Tim Gramp Clare Valley... ‘We can’t get enough of sparkling wine at this time of year, but you should be suspicious of bargain-basement Champagne,’ says TIM ATKIN MW. ‘Its invariably acidic mouthwash.’ His choice of rosé Champagne is Delamotte Rosé NV (£23.97, Corney & Barrow),... ‘Instead of arranging wine by price, geography or the banal “dry and fruity” route, Christine Parkinson at London restaurant Hakkasan has come up with headings such as “Curious Vines: distinctive wines, unusual, often ancient, grape varieties. Not Chardonnay”.’ And it’s working,... ‘Tokaji is a wonderful wine to have to hand at Christmas,’ says JOANNA SIMON. 1995 Disznoko Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, 50cl (£21.49, Oddbins) is ‘rich yet tangy’; 1999/2000 Royal Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, 25cl (£8.99, Waitrose) has ‘apricots and spice in... ‘When it is good, white Burgundy is unrivalled and the most sensational treat,’ says JANCIS ROBINSON MW. ‘The 1999s, 2000s and 2002s are drinking particularly well now, although few of them are still commercially available. Even the 2003s are becoming difficult... It’s not always a good idea to give wine as a Christmas present, says SUSY ATKINS. ‘Uninspiring bottles include the very big brands and cheap supermarket own-labels. Instead choose a classic, traditional label which screams “special”’ – 2003 Campbells Rutherglen Muscat... JAMIE GOODE has chosen a few bottles ‘that offer something a bit out of the ordinary’. These alternatives include 2005 Viña Leyda Pinot Noir La Brisas Vineyard, Chile (£7.99, Oddbins). ‘I’m not opting for the usual red Burgundy, but instead going... View issue harpers 15 December 2006
Hidden truth, by Malcolm Gluck
07 Dec 2006 While the casual ignoramus or entrenched lefty critic believes that all advertising is based wholly on lies, this is not the whole truth. Only the advertising for alcohol – brewed, fermented or distilled – is wholly based on lies. This is... View issue Harpers, 8 December 2006
Harpers leader:EU ruling a relief for small firms
30 Nov 2006 Well, well, who’d have thought? The European Court of Justice overturns a recommendation to harmonise tax rates across the continent, which would have enabled consumers to buy alcohol and tobacco but avoid paying domestic import duty. It’s interesting to see how... View issue Harpers, 1 December 2006
Striking a balance
30 Nov 2006 BY Kate Colman, WSTA public affairs manager. 'To combat the supply of alcohol to under-18s, we first have to look at the issue of demand.' ... View issue Harpers, 1 December 2006
Oh, the savage irony
30 Nov 2006 by Max Allen Horror stories abound in Australia as global warming wreaks havoc on grape growers ... View issue Harpers, 1 December 2006
