Bats Blood – The Legendary Wine from Transylvania

London, UK — July 12th, 2011 — Bats Blood Merlot is the excitingly delicious creation of Angelika von Klein under the tutelage of her mysterious Master from the historical region of Transylvania. This rich, dark red wine intrigues on its own, but is even more exotic and compelling in its unique miniature black coffin gift packaging!

Appealing especially to consumers with an affinity to the gothic, the romantic, and possibly even the macabre, this wine entices both wine lovers and those new to wine who also have a dark thirst for adventure and fun, an appreciation of evening romance, and an awareness of history and folklore.

Bats Blood makes the ideal gift for followers of the vampire genre, goths, Halloween aficionados, fans of Dracula, Twilight and The Historian, and anyone who relishes horror, steampunk, even Batman tales. On a larger scale, it’s also a terrific gift for a host to share at a dinner party, It is a perfect ice-breaker that is guaranteed to get the conversation and the wine flowing. Bats Blood is the ideal accompaniment to a costume ball and is a must-have at any Halloween party.

Angelika was inspired to launch Bats Blood through her affiliation with the goth community. A goth for decades, she regularly participates in gothic festivals such as the Whitby Goth Festival in the UK and the Leipzig Wave in Germany as well as steampunk festivals in the USA. She and her husband, a distinguished gentleman in the drinks industry who’s acquainted with wine producers in Romania, live in a remote gothic styled home—friends say it is reminiscent of The Addams Family house—that receives bats as frequent visitors. Bats Blood is the almost natural outcome of her love and familiarity with the romantic gothic genre and her husband’s passion for wines and er… spirits.

Angelika’s devotion for the product is contagious. She gushes, “The Master and ourselves are directing one of the most exciting product launches in the wine and spirits category for many years; some people may smile when they first hear the name – but Bats Blood is definitely no joking matter. The wine is magnificent and nothing has been spared in producing packaging that befits the brand and our wonderful customers. From the handmade wooden coffins to the silver block printing on the labels and from the branded corks to the elegant bottles, no pennies have been pinched and no bats or any other animals have been harmed. We are engaging with consumers – possibly like no other wine brand has ever done before. We recently displayed Bats Blood at the London International Wine Fair and the response we got from consumers was quite overwhelming.”

The first run of Bats Blood sold out before an official announcement could be made. Consumers have consistently remarked on both the elegance of the packaging and the high quality of the vintage, which exceeded their expectations. The wine is now being formally launched in a larger but still limited run. It is also available for preorder for Halloween.

Bats Blood is available in stores only as a gift pack. Single bottles are being made available to a selection of leading bars and restaurants.

About Bats Blood:

Plans for Bats Blood distribution began at the turn of the century when Angelika von Klein decided, with the devoted support of her husband and their winery partners, to create a wine that could be elegantly gothic, a little bit edgy but always romantic. Angelika, like the Master, seeks to ensure this wine is memorable due not only to its unusual name and packaging, but also to its unique appeal and exceptional quality.

Bats Blood results from harvesting, fermenting, and bottling Merlot wine grapes using centuries-old traditions in the heart of Transylvania. The bottles are shipped from the vineyards in Romania to Nottingham, UK for packaging that was inspired by Angelika’s acquaintance with a funeral director. True hand craftsmen of Gotham (yes – the original Gotham that became the inspiration behind Batman’s home town) shape, assemble and paint wooden boxes into miniature black coffins. The distinctive gift packs are completed by placing each bottle into a coffin lined with cerise and sealing it with a transparent acrylic lid in order to display the classic Gothic face of the label. Bats Blood is distributed in the UK through 88 Signals Ltd., an early stage brand development company based in London,. Individual orders and orders for special events may be placed online at www.batsblood.com.

Consumer reaction can be seen through Facebook at www.facebook.com/batsblood

Contact for more information: ian@batsblood.com

0207-193 6672

Constellation expects that net proceeds will be used to reduce borrowings. Any after-tax gain or loss recognized in connection with this transaction will be excluded from the company’s comparable basis diluted earnings per share. The impact of this transaction is expected to be neutral to ongoing reported basis and comparable basis diluted EPS for fiscal 2011 and neutral to slightly dilutive for fiscal 2012.

The company also announced that effective March 1, Jay Wright, president of Constellation Wines North America, will assume responsibility for Constellation New Zealand in addition to leading Constellation Wines U.S. and Vincor Canada, Constellation’s Canadian operations.

As if making the oldest known leather shoe wasn‘t enough, a prehistoric people in what‘s now Armenia also built the world’s oldest known winery, a new study says.

Undertaken at a burial site, their winemaking may have been dedicated to the dead—and it likely required the removal of any fancy footwear.

Near the village of Areni, in the same cave where a stunningly preserved, 5,500-year-old leather moccasin was recently found, archaeologists have unearthed a wine press for stomping grapes, fermentation and storage vessels, drinking cups, and withered grape vines, skins, and seeds, the study says.

“This is the earliest, most reliable evidence of wine production,” said archaeologist Gregory Areshian of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

“For the first time, we have a complete archaeological picture of wine production dating back 6,100 years,” he said.

The prehistoric winemaking equipment was first detected in 2007, when excavations co-directed by Areshian and Armenian archaeologist Boris Gasparyan began at the Areni-1 cave complex.

In September 2010 archaeologists completed excavations of a large, 2-foot-deep (60-centimeter-deep) vat buried next to a shallow, 3.5-foot-long (1-meter-long) basin made of hard-packed clay with elevated edges.

The installation suggests the Copper Age vintners pressed their wine the old-fashioned way, using their feet, Areshian said.

Juice from the trampled grapes drained into the vat, where it was left to ferment, he explained.

The wine was then stored in jars—the cool, dry conditions of the cave would have made a perfect wine cellar, according to Areshian, who co-authored the new study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Wine Traces

To test whether the vat and jars in the Armenian cave had held wine, the team chemically analyzed pottery shards—which had been radiocarbon-dated to between 4100 B.C. and 4000 B.C.—for telltale residues.

The chemical tests revealed traces of malvidin, the plant pigment largely responsible for red wine’s color.

“Malvidin is the best chemical indicator of the presence of wine we know of so far,” Areshian said.

Ancient-wine expert Patrick E. McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia, agrees the evidence argues convincingly for a winemaking facility.

One thing that would make the claim a bit stronger, though, said McGovern, who wasn’t involved in the study, is the presence of tartaric acid, another chemical indicator of grapes. Malvidin, he said, might have come from other local fruits, such as pomegranates.

Combined with the malvidin and radiocarbon evidence, traces of tartaric acid “would then substantiate that the facility is the earliest yet found,” he said.

“Later, we know that small treading vats for stomping out the grapes and running the juice into underground jars are used all over the Near East and throughout the Mediterranean,” he added.

(Related: “Ancient Christian ‘Holy Wine’ Factory Found in Egypt.”)

Winery Discovery Backed Up by DNA?

McGovern called the discovery “important and unique, because it indicates large-scale wine production, which would imply, I think, that the grape had already been domesticated.”

As domesticated vines yield much more fruit than wild varieties, larger facilities would have been needed to process the grapes.

McGovern has uncovered chemical and archaeological evidence of wine, but not of a winery, in northern Iran dating back some 7,000 years—around a thousand years earlier than the new find.

But the apparent discovery that winemaking using domesticated grapevines emerged in what’s now Armenia appears to dovetail with previous DNA studies of cultivated grape varieties, McGovern said. Those studies had pointed to the mountains of Armenia, Georgia, and neighboring countries as the birthplace of viticulture.

McGovern—whose book Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages traces the origins of wine—said the Areni grape perhaps produced a taste similar to that of ancient Georgian varieties that appear to be ancestors of the Pinot Noir grape, which results in a dry red.

To preserve the wine, however, tree resin would probably have been added, he speculated, so the end result may actually have been more like a Greek retsina, which is still made with tree resin.

In studying ancient alcohol, he added, “our chemical analyses have shown tree resin in many wine samples.”

Ancient Drinking Rituals

While the identities of the ancient, moccasin-clad wine quaffers remain a mystery, their drinking culture likely involved ceremonies in honor of the dead, UCLA’s Areshian believes.

“Twenty burials have been identified around the wine-pressing installation. There was a cemetery, and the wine production in the cave was related to this ritualistic aspect,” Areshian speculated.

Significantly, drinking cups have been found inside and around the graves.

McGovern, the ancient-wine expert, said later examples of ancient alcohol-related funerary rituals have been found throughout the world.

In ancient Egypt, for example, “you have illustrations inside the tombs showing how many jars of beer and wine from the Nile Delta are to be provided to the dead,” McGovern said. (Also see “Scorpion King’s Wines—Egypt’s Oldest—Spiked With Meds.”)

“I guess a cave is secluded, so it’s good for a cemetery, but it’s also good for making wine,” he added. “And then you have the wine right there, so you can keep the ancestors happy.”

Future work planned at Areni will further investigate links between the burials and winemaking, study leader Areshian said.

Winemaking as Revolution

The discovery is important, the study team says, because winemaking is seen as a significant social and technological innovation among prehistoric societies.

Vine growing, for instance, heralded the emergence of new, sophisticated forms of agriculture, Areshian said.

“They had to learn and understand the cycles of growth of the plant,” he said. “They had to understand how much water was needed, how to prevent fungi from damaging the harvest, and how to deal with flies that live on the grapes.

“The site gives us a new insight into the earliest phase of horticulture—how they grew the first orchards and vineyards,” he added.

University of Pennsylvania archaeologist Naomi Miller commented that “from a nutritional and culinary perspective, wine expands the food supply by harnessing the otherwise sour and unpalatable wild grape.

“From a social perspective, for good and ill,” Miller said, “alcoholic beverages change the way we interact with each other in society.”

James Owen

for National Geographic News

Fosters Full Year Results

• Net profit (pre material items and SGARA) $711.3 million

• Earnings per share (pre material items and SGARA) 36.9 cents

• Material items loss after tax of $1,162.7 million, SGARA loss after tax of $13.0 million

• Net loss (post material items and SGARA) $464.4 million

• Operating cash flow pre interest and tax $1,371.5 million

• Net debt down $426.8 million to $2.2 billion

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ, ASX: CBR), the world’s leading wine company, announced today that it has taken steps to delist from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) by the end of fiscal year 2011, (Feb. 28, 2011). The company made the decision due to the securities being thinly traded in Australia, coupled with the additional complexity of administration and compliance associated with this listing.

The ASX delisting effort is not a share buyback and does not have an impact on the company’s securities listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, the delisting process does not impact the company’s Australian business operations.

About Constellation Brands

Constellation Brands is the world’s leading wine company that achieves success through an unmatched knowledge of wine consumers, storied brands that suit varied lives and tastes, and talented employees worldwide. With a broad portfolio of widely admired premium products across the wine, beer and spirits categories, Constellation’s brand portfolio includes Robert Mondavi, Hardys, Clos du Bois, Blackstone, Arbor Mist, Estancia, Ravenswood, Jackson-Triggs, Kim Crawford, Corona Extra, Black Velvet Canadian Whisky and SVEDKA Vodka.

Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ and STZ.B; ASX: CBR) is an S&P 500 Index and Fortune 1000(R) company with more than 100 brands in our portfolio, sales in about 150 countries and operations at more than 40 facilities. The company believes that industry leadership involves a commitment to our brands, to the trade, to the land, to investors and to different people around the world who turn to our products when celebrating big moments or enjoying quiet ones. We express this commitment through our vision: to elevate life with every glass raised. To learn more about Constellation, visit the company’s web site at www.cbrands.com.

SOURCE Constellation Brands, Inc.

Other wine trophies (excluding two exhibitor trophies) include:

To view all of Foster’s trophy and gold medal winners, please view the full media release:

Matthew Clark is showcasing 150 new wines in its 2010 wine list.

The company, which won the Wine List 2009/10 of the Year award at the International Wine Challenge, hopes its 2010/11 list will prove to be even more of a success.

The latest list — which includes 1,180 wines from across the globe — has a range of new additions, but with a particular focus on Chile and Italy; two countries that showed the most sales growth in the UK on-trade last year, according to Matthew Clark.

“Chilean wines are ex-tremely versatile and offer great value for money,” said commercial director Ian Smith. “We are delighted to introduce Luis Felipe Edwards, Concha y Toro, Maycas del Limari and Cono Sur; comprehensive wine ranges which are exclusively available to the on-trade through Matthew Clark.

“The new entry-level Lor Romeros range offers four quality varietals at a great price, while the other wineries all offer a wealth of exciting aromatic grape varietals from cool climate regions.”

The company is also introducing a leading Italian producer on to its list this year, with wines that have “great ageing potential” and also a winery that offers 100% Sangiovese wines.

New additions from France include the Rare Vineyards range from LGI, which includes regional varietals such as a Malbec and Pinot Noir by Alain Grignon.

“This year’s list was designed to reflect our 200-year heritage,” said Smith. “We also scooped the Wine Educator of the year award at the International Wine Challenge.

“So we added a ‘knowledge’ section to this year’s list, which is full of help and advice,” she added.

For the on-trade, the company recommends pubs contact their account managers to seek help in navigating the 1,180 wines in the list in order to find the right selections for their venue.

The UK Chancellor George Osbourne has delivered the Conservative/Liberal Democrat’s first budget, in which he did not increase tax on cigarettes or alcohol.

However, VAT is to rise to 20% from 17.5%, from January 4 2011.

The trade has welcomed the move not to add more tax to alcohol and cigarettes and this is the first time the Government has frozen excise duty since 2001. Former government Labour’s plan to increase duty of cider by 10% above inflation will be scrapped from July. The Scotch Whisky Association urged the government to press ahead with a review of the excise duty system, which is supposed to happen during the last quarter of 2010.

Wine and Sprit Trade Association (WSTA) chief executive Jeremy Beadles said: “Today’s announcement provides some relief for a sector that has faced substantial tax increases in recent years and I welcome the Chancellor’s decision.

“Repeated tax hikes have produced less revenue for the Treasury and punished responsible drinkers, while failing to tackle the problem of binge-drinking.”

Brigid Simmonds, British Beer & Pub Association chief executive, agreed with Beadles. She said: “We applaud the Government’s decision to freeze beer tax and deliver on its promise made in the coalition agreement to not penalise pubs, responsible drinkers and important local industries.  This is a welcome relief for struggling pubs during difficult times.

“A beer tax freeze will also help the beer and pub sector’s ability to play its part in contributing to much needed economic growth and generating valuable private sector jobs.

“The VAT rise is a price to pay for tackling the deficit and bringing Britain’s balance sheet back in order.  This tax increase is not welcome, but is understandable and applies to everybody.  We hope this will be short-term pain for long-term gain.

“Once the nation’s finances are back on a more even keel, we look forward to VAT rates returning to more favourable levels.  We also look forward to the promised review of our alcohol tax system tax as an opportunity to rebalance our tax system to one that is more fair towards community pubs and our national drink – beer.”

The Scotch Whisky Association welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to freeze the excise duty on alcohol and to press ahead with a review of the system this autumn. But it said the VAT increase would ‘increase discrimination’ faced by the whisky industry.

According to the SWA, the current alcohol duty regime discriminates against Scotch whisky – the drink carries 37% more duty than the same amount of alcohol served as beer, 19% more duty than wine and 224% more duty than cider.

The SWA said that the VAT rise in January 2011 will increase the discrimination faced.

Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association said: “The Chancellor has made a sensible and welcome decision to freeze excise duty. He is also right to press on with an early review of the current excise duty system.

“We encourage the Government to look closely at taxing all drinks at the same rate according to alcohol content, coupled with a ban on below tax sales. We believe this route would help the Government address its concern over the pricing of alcohol, would secure greater social responsibility and would offer increased revenue.

“Today’s announcement on corporation tax will also help Scotch Whisky play its part in growing the UK’s manufacturing and export sector.”

Chamarré was placed into receivership on Friday (11 June), according to an announcement to the Paris Stock Exchange.

The group’s shares ceased trading last month, following a series of sharp declines stretching back to November last year.

Chamarré was set up at the end of 2005 as a marketing vehicle for French wines and news of its demise will be a blow to the industry.

Blossom Hill is injecting £1m in to a summer campaign hinged around its sponsorship of Wimbledon.

The marketing initiative is designed to position Blossom Hill Rosé as the wine choice for alfresco summer drinking and dining, according to the company.

The campaign, which runs under the umbrella of “Summer Perfectly Served”, will tie in-outlet activities with a combination of print, broadcast and digital advertising, with a Wimbledon ticket giveaway as a key feature.

A limited edition “tennis ball” label design will also appear on White Zinfandel and White Grenache single varietals. These will be available from early June.

Earlier this year Blossom Hill signed up to be Official Wine of Wimbledon 2010 — its fourth year in this role.

“The sponsorship was confirmed on the back of impressive growth during the 2009 Championships, which saw sales uplifts of 56%, firmly securing Blossom Hill as the UK’s number one rosé brand,” said marketing manager, Liz Ashdown. “As a result of the success, the campaign investment has been up-weighted and extended beyond Wimbledon.”

Print advertising will concentrate on London free paper Metro, which will run a branded limited edition one-off Metro for the first time, with an exclusive 100,000 print run and Wimbledon theme. Blossom Hill will also run billboard advertising opposite Wimbledon train station, and a broadcast campaign will run over a two-week period with Heart FM. A digital campaign will run on Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, MSN and Facebook.

TV presenter Georgie Thompson has teamed up with Gallo rosé to “make football fabulous for women” this summer.

As part of the campaign Thompson will share tips on how to embrace the World Cup, as well as beauty and style secrets. She has also posed for a series of photographs wearing a gown made from over 100 football shirts.

“We are delighted to have Georgie partnering with Gallo rosé this summer,” said spokeswoman Susanne Buchmann. “Her background in football and fabulous style make her the perfect choice. The summer of football is a time when people get together with friends and celebrate in the warmer weather, making it a natural choice for a glass of Gallo rosé.”

The company will use the campaign to push its Gallo Rosito serve, which it launched back in March, a blend of wine, ginger ale, fruit and ice.

Moët Hennessy’s has launched a pink grapefruit maceration of its Belvedere vodka.

Belvedere Pink Grapefruit is distilled from whole pink grapefruits from Argentina and combined with fresh ginger and lemons, No sugars, glycerine or artificial additives are used in the production.

The launch of Belvedere Pink Grapefruit is coupled with a collaboration between Belvedere and designer Matthew Williamson, who has designed a limited edition summer kaftan.  Inspired by the pink grapefruit flavour, Williamson has created the kaftan from a sheer pink fabric and it will go on sale in his boutiques in London on 26 May.

The 40%abv product is to retail for £29.99.  It is also available in 70cl and 1L bottles for Duty Free only.

The organisers of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, which claims to be the region’s largest international wine and spirits exhibition, is claiming a 40% increase in visitors to the show which closed yesterday (May 27).

Held at the the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), approximately 12,000 people are said to have visited over the three days.

Occupying more than 8,500 square metres of the HKCEC, there were more than 880 exhibitors from 32 countries around the world, including China, Australia, US, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, Romania, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Chile and Greece. A number of countries were making their first appearance at exhibition that is in its fourth year.

Fifty-eight percent of visitors were from 25 Asian countries, led by China and followed by Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore. 42% of visitors were from Hong Kong and Macau.

The next Vinexpo exhibition will take place in Bordeaux, France from June 19 to 23^, 2011.

More info

Concha y Toro, South America’s leading wine producer, has become the official wine partner of Manchester United Football Club.

The company says the agreement aims to raise awareness of Concha y Toro and its brands worldwide, with particular focus on the key markets of Asia, Latin America, Eastern and Northern Europe.

The partnership gives Concha y Toro the opportunity to align itself globally with probably the best known football team in the world.

Among the benefits for Concha y Toro will be digital board advertising at Old Trafford stadium during home games which are televised around the world, advertising space in the club’s own communications media and co-branded marketing communications. The alliance also allows Concha y Toro to have presence with its wines in the stadium’s lounges, boxes, bars as well as the possibility to invite its VIP customers to team games.

The official announcement of the partnership will take place in August 2010 at a press conference at Old Trafford at which the top executives from Concha y Toro will be joined by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and members of the team.

Giancarlo Bianchetti, marketing director of Global Brands said: “Our new partnership with Manchester United is absolutely aligned with Concha y Toro’s long-term strategy to increase awareness and penetration of our brands worldwide. We wanted to find a partner who shared our commitment to excellence and Manchester United Football Club has developed an immensely powerful global brand. We intend to activate the partnership in a variety of ways around the world, using strategies and tactics which best suit each market.”

Eduardo Guilisasti, CEO of Viña Concha y Toro said: “We are very proud to be the wine partner of Manchester United, a football club which shares many of our values. We are looking forward to making the most of our new alliance all around the world.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager of Manchester United is quoted as saying: “I’m delighted to be working with Concha y Toro. Like United, it’s a company with a lot of history that, while never afraid to change, has always kept hold of its roots. This is a partnership that unites the two great passions in Latin America: football and wine. I’m looking forward to it.”

Richard Arnold, United commercial director said: “We are proud to welcome Concha y Toro to our family of sponsors.  The quality of their products and the synergy of the brands, particularly Casillero del Diablo – mean that they are a natural partner for us to seek.  We are particularly excited to work with them to bring the partnership to life for our millions of fans around the world.”

Two English wines were awarded gold medals at the International Wine Challenge (IWC).

Camel Valley’s 2008 Pinot Noir Rosé Brut (£24.95) and Nyetimber’s 2001 Blanc de Blancs (£28.99) both scooped gold medals.

With 46 countries entering the competition, there was a 15% increase in the number of wines judged.

But the top three gold-winning countries remained the same as 2009 with France in first place with 75 gold medals, then Australia with 65 and Portugal with 35.

“Wines carrying the IWC logo and medal recognition enjoy significant commercial advantages,” said event director Chris Ashton.

“IWC award winners feature in the global media coverage generated by the competition, which enhances the wine’s credibility among consumers internationally and drives up sales.”

The medal winners will feature on the second version of IWC’s iPhone App.

The IWC’s trophy winners, selected from the gold medal winners, will be announced in June.

The Wemyss family has launched a small batch gin called Darnley’s View. Darnley’s View celebrates the meeting of Mary Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Darnley at the Wemyss family home, Wemyss Castle in Fife, in 1565.

Darnley’s View sits alongside the family’s spirits portfolio, centred around their range of malt whiskies, called Wemyss Malts.

The gin is distilled five times and contains six botanicals, including elderflower.

William Wemyss, managing director of Wemyss Malts & Darnley’s View said: “After a year of working on the concept of Darnley’s View, we are delighted to have successfully launched the brand last month at Prowein and subsequently have had high levels of interest from potential importers. We now look forward with confidence to developing the UK market for our gin.”

The Wemyss family also owns the wine estates of Domaine de Rimauresq Cru Classé in Cotes de Provence and Fonty’s Pool from Pemberton, Western Australia, as well as independent malt whisky bottler Wemyss Malts.

Australian wine brand Wolf Blass is to launch a sparkling rosé wine at the London International Wine Fair.

The launch is initially UK-focused and Wolf Blass Yellow Label sparkling rosé aims to capitalise on the growing popularity of sparkling and rosé wines.

The wine will retail for £9.99 and will partner Wolf Blass Yellow Label sparkling brut, which is already available.

Neil Barker, UK commercial director for Foster’s EMEA said: “We have crafted Wolf Blass sparkling rosé to meet all the current consumer trends to ensure that it drives sales and profitability across all retail channels. Branded sparkling wine is now a must stock for all retailers but especially during the key summer sales period.”

• Make regular sales calls to designated accounts to cultivate customer relations and satisfaction with service provided.
• Demonstrate consultative sales abilities through successful presentations of product, the promotion of new and existing portfolio items and the expansion of business.
• Exhibit discipline and resourcefulness to meet/exceed assigned monthly quotas and placement objectives.
• Participate in sales meetings, on-site training to remain educated in company policy and industry trends/developments.
• Research, organize and present sales reports/quota attainment results as required by District Manager in team or division meeting environment.
• Review customers’ credit status, collect monies owed for product and partner with Customer Assistance Department on a weekly basis to ensure accounts remain in good standing.
• Assist customers with inventory management responsibilities (product availability/new product placement and rotation of stock).
• Merchandise off-sale/retail accounts and reset shelf space, cold box and build displays to correspond with supplier promotions and incentive programs.
• Present self with integrity, professionalism and commitment to Southern Wine & Spirits salesperson responsibilities and policies.
• Work flexible hours which include early morning, evenings, and/or weekends. Additional hours required during the peak season of October, November and December.
• Perform other work related duties and special projects as assigned.

More info here

Berrys’ Fine Wine Reserve forms part of the exclusive range of services at the Hong Kong home of Alfred Dunhill.

Nicholas Pegna, managing director of BBR in Hong Kong, said he had been looking to open a second store and this collaboration offered the perfect opportunity.

Berrys’ Fine Wine Reserve presents a selection of the world’s most revered wines for sale as well as hosting a tasting area and 32 individual wine bins which will be offered to customers by invitation only.

Berrys’ will also provide range of wine related services including: fine wine investment advice; corporate wine tastings; fine wine sourcing; en primeur; a fine wine brokerage service; cellar plans; wedding lists and vineyard visits.

Berry Bros. & Rudd claimed to be Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant having traded from the same shop in London for more than 310 years. Today members of the Berry and Rudd families continue to own and manage the family-run wine merchant.

In 1999 Berrys’ launched a business that brought to Hong Kong the advantages of buying from its London office, and in 2003 opened its shop in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay’s The Lee Gardens.

The Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) has urged the Obama Administration to mark Alcohol Awareness Month by passing new alcohol labelling requirements to include basic dietary information on the labels of all beverage alcohol products.

Public health and consumer groups – including the Consumer Federation of America, the American Medical Women’s Association, and the National Consumers League – have been calling for the Federal Government’s Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to require a standardised serving facts label on all beer, wine and distilled spirits products that lists the serving size, calories per serving, alcohol content per serving, and the definition of a “standard drink.”

Peter Cressy, president of the Distilled Spirits Council, said: “The existing labelling rules for beer, wine and spirits are inconsistent and do not include basic information on all labels that would assist consumers in measuring and moderating their drinking.

“Any final label should serve consumer and public health objectives. The federal government’s current proposal fails this test.”

Cressy pointed out that under TTB’s current proposed serving facts label, companies would not be required to disclose the amount of alcohol per serving. The proposal would also prohibit a company from including on the label how much alcohol is in a standard drink, as defined by the US Government’s dietary guidelines for Americans, the basis for nutrition policy in the United States.

This standard drink information is used by federal and state agencies, including the Office of the Surgeon General, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and in state driver’s manuals.

According to Multi-Sponsor Surveys, a majority of adults polled agree that adding standard drink information and the amount of alcohol per serving on all beer, wine and spirits labels will help them follow the dietary guidelines on alcohol.

The Council joined the public health community in urging TTB to revise its current proposal so that: 

1.)  Serving sizes are 1.5 fluid ounces for 80-proof distilled spirits, 12 fluid ounces for regular beer, 5 fluid ounces of wine

2.) The amount of alcohol per serving is required to be disclosed in the “Serving Facts” panel; and

3.) The text in the panel states “a standard drink contains 0.6 fluid ounces of alcohol.”