The news that Yves Bénard is the front-runner for the top job at the INAO is good news for reformers in the French wine industry.

The post COMMENT: INAO change raises French reform hopes appeared first on Just Drinks.

This week, The Coca-Cola Co. snapped up niche US firm Fuze Beverage. The acquisition signals a realisation from Coca-Cola Co. that it needs to bolster its presence outside the carbonates market in the US. Dean Best reports.

The post COMMENT: Coca-Cola Co. lights a Fuze appeared first on Just Drinks.

The vodka sector’s capacity for growth, particularly in the US, appears unbounded, and the big spirits players are all keen to gain full advantage. Major companies have recently swooped for the Svedka and 42 Below brands but, writes Patience Gould, the real fun will begin if and when the star Swedish brand Absolut comes up for sale.

The post Pot of Gould – The voddy brandwagon rolls on appeared first on Just Drinks.

In her first monthly column for just-drinks, renowned spirits journalist Patience Gould looks ahead to what 2007 has in store for the major international spirits producers.

The post Pot of Gould – Premium possibilities beckon for gin appeared first on Just Drinks.

The century-old rivalry between Anheuser-Busch and Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar took an unexpected twist earlier this week when the two brewers signed an import deal for the US market. However, despite the apparent thaw in relations, it will be A-B’s other agreements in the US that will have a greater impact on its business. Dean Best reports.

The post Budvar deal a drop in the ocean for A-B appeared first on Just Drinks.

The fact that bad news travels faster than good, and is certainly more likely to make the headlines, is not lost on UK soft drinks companies, so it is somewhat surprising that the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) is only just getting around to appointing a media manager. Annette Farr welcomes the move.

The post The View from A Farr – Speaking up for soft drinks appeared first on Just Drinks.

The use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as a sweetening agent in food and drink has become a hot potato in the US. Some scientists blame HFCS for rising obesity levels while others suggest that describing it as ‘all natural’ is misleading. But Annette Farr argues that making a scapegoat of one type of refined carbohydrate is rather missing the point.

The post The View from A Farr – A carbohydrate conundrum appeared first on Just Drinks.

Chris Losh sees the current plight of Evans & Tate, which recently rebuffed a takeover bid by the smaller, US-listed Australian wine producer Yarraman Winery, as symptomatic of the problems facing the Australian wine industry.

The post Comment – E&T endemic of Australian malaise appeared first on Just Drinks.

Bacardi has been engaged in a legal battle with Pernod Ricard over the rights to the Havana Club trademark for years. But Patience Gould believes the US-based spirits giant is shooting itself in the foot, appearing to be a corporate bully while drawing attention to the primary characteristic that sets Havana Club apart from its own world-beating brand - its Cuban origin.

The post Pot of Gould – Bacardi and Pernod duke it out in Havana appeared first on Just Drinks.

Coca-Cola has decided to refer to carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) as ‘sparkling beverages’ in all its communications, at a time when major soft drinks producers are looking to address the unhealthy image and declining sales of fizzy drinks with healthier product launches. Annette Farr assesses their chances of success.

The post The View from A Farr – Sparkling comeback appeared first on Just Drinks.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been the fiercest of competitors for decades but the fact that their rivalry now extends to ‘outgreening’ one another could be good news for the environment, writes Annette Farr.

The post View from A Farr – Coke and Pepsi see green appeared first on Just Drinks.

The recent takeover of Whyte & Mackay by the Indian UB Group is hardly the first time the Glasgow-based Scotch whisky producer has changed hands over the past 20 years or so. Patience Gould, who has seen all the various owners come and go, runs an eye over the latest deal and assesses what it has to offer both Whyte & Mackay and the Scotch whisky sector as a whole.

The post Pot of Gould – Mallya’s Scottish prize appeared first on Just Drinks.

Bringing together the great and the good of the world’s whisky distillers, The World Whiskies Conference – which ran this week in Glasgow – saw just-drinks out in force. Chris Brook-Carter looks back at the two-day event, which saw both fur and sparks fly.

The post Review – World Whiskies Conference 2007 appeared first on Just Drinks.

The announcement that Cadbury Schweppes is looking to split its beverage operations in the US from its confectionery unit may be music to its investors' ears, but where will a potential buyer come from? Dean Best looks at the move, and weighs up what the coming year has in store for Cadbury Schweppes.

The post ANALYSIS – Cadbury Schweppes – Drinks in the sun appeared first on Just Drinks.

The announcement yesterday (22 June) that the European Commission is opening dialogue on reforming the continent’s wine sector may be a desperate measure for desperate times, but it’s clear to all that something – anything – must be done.

The post Last chance for wine industry as EU sets out stall appeared first on Just Drinks.

It is the results season, so attention is focused on the major public drinks corporations as they give their shareholders the good or bad news. But Patience Gould believes that in an industry where taking a long-term view is vital, private companies have an important advantage over their publicly-owned counterparts.

The post Pot of Gould – Private patience appeared first on Just Drinks.

Anti-social behaviour linked to alcohol abuse has once again grabbed the headlines in the UK. But Chris Losh believes that, while the industry has made great strides with regard to social responsibility, the Government has been more focused on courting public opinion than on finding long-term solutions to serious health and social problems.

The post COMMENT: Action not reaction in UK appeared first on Just Drinks.

Following the recent floods in the UK, bottled water companies provided emergency supplies when mains water services broke down. Their largely unsung actions gave the companies a chance to demonstrate their social responsibility, writes Annette Farr, at a time when the erratic weather patterns have focused public attention on environmental concerns and climate change.

The post The View from A Farr – Water hero! appeared first on Just Drinks.

It takes a brave man to question the assumptions of a business that, to all intents and purposes, is riding the crest of a wave, but that is what happened in Scotland this month, Chris Brook-Carter reports.

The post COMMENT: Is brand ‘Scotch’ due a makeover? appeared first on Just Drinks.