• Hamburg Reminder
• Sierre SWOT Analysis
• Women and Wine – US Research Shows Women are Top Wine Consumer
• Profits up for IWCA Member in Germany
• Wine Now the Most Popular Alcoholic Drink in the US – and That Includes the Younger Generation
• New World Vinexpo on the Cards?
• Quote for the Week

Comments and feed back will be welcomed as will links to other sites and news venues. IWCA membership is open to wine marketers specialising in distance selling and associate membership is available to other parties involved in the direct marketing industry.

Barry Sutton

Contact for further information: Barry Sutton, Executive Secretary, Tel +44 (0) 1923 210508, Fax +44 (0) 1923 210508
E mail : info@internationalwineclubs.com

A reminder to all IWCA Members that your hotel bookings should be sent to the Hotel Hafen in Hamburg by 2nd September. Rooms cannot otherwise be guaranteed. An email to this effect will be sent out shortly.

Attached please find the SWOT Analysis which came out of the IWCA Workshop held in Sierre, Switzerland earlier this year. Hopefully this will be of interest to members and can provide a basis for future IWCA projects and activities.

Recent research has shown that women are buying over 70% of wine sold in the US, which means that 2 out of 3 wine drinkers are female. They also purchase 60% of the higher end wines (wines that cost more than $15). Wine author Leslie Sbrocco explains that “Women are adventurous when it comes to buying wine and are willing to try new varietals, regions and producers if they offer top quality and value.”

A Congratulations to member Hawesko Holdings who have seen a rise in first half operating profits. Even though combined turnover was slightly down from €123.5m at €123 m, the operating profits rose to €3.2 m from €2.9 for the same period the previous year.
Hawesko has reaffirmed its targets for the year to exceed 2004 turnover and earnings pre tax and interest.

According to a recent poll, wine and beer have tied for first position as the most popular alcoholic drink in the US. According to Michael Bella, chairman of Beverage Marketing Corp in New York, this is due to advertising, demographics and the fact that “people are looking for more sophisticated products.”

It is certainly true that over the past ten years, wine consumption has risen in the US whilst declining in Europe. In the US, there has been a 32% increase in weekly consumers. Even more surprising according to John Gillespie, the president of the Wine Marketing Council, is that 39% of “millenials” – that is people of 28 or younger – are now “core wine consumers”. Not only is this a higher percentage than amongst older consumer groups, but there are also more men drinking wine, up to 51%. This puts paid to the old stereotype of it being more of a female beverage. (FortWayne.com and latimes.com)

A New World wine show, Vinexpo-style, could be on the cards as early as 2007. Wines of South Africa (WOSA) apparently initiated the idea, and there is a strong likelihood that New World wine producers and bodies would be keen to make this idea a reality. It makes sense as pointed out by Michael Cox, UK director of Wines of Chile. He spoke to Harpers and pointed out that the southern hemisphere could do with a wine fair that: “takes place at a time that suits the southern hemisphere – i.e. September/October, is not Franco-centric… and is attractive to the trade from all countries”.

And Paul Henry, UK & Ireland director of Wines Australia, was quick to add that “in a market driven by the New World, in terms of consumption, it’s difficult to position a biennial show as truly representative if it doesn’t represent that movement.” (Harpers, 1 July)

The great evil of wine is that it first seizes the feet; it is a crafty wrestler.

Attributed to Titus Maccius, 190 BC.