| Friday, 24th June 2005 |
| Bringing world news, views
and gossip to its members and all those interested in the selling of wine
direct to consumers. |
In this issue:
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. |
| Franciscan Estates Changes Name |
California based Franciscan Estates has changed its name to Icon Estates. CEO Jon Moramarco explained that since the addition of Robert Mondavi Winery and Ruffino the business felt that a new name was required to cover all the fine wineries now included in the portfolio. According to Moramarco, “Icon Estates is a portfolio of wineries, vineyards and estates that represents icons of the fine wine world.” The business includes Mondavi’s To Kalon Vineyard, Simi’s cellars and Ravenswood No Wimpy Wines. (just-drinks.com). |
| Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Risk Could Be Lowered by Alcohol Consumption |
| A recent study undertaken by the National Institute of Health in Maryland, USA indicated that there is a possibility that drinking alcohol could lower the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma by about 27%.The risk was lowest in the non-Hodgkin lymphoma type called Burkitt lymphoma. The research used data from nine studies obtained in the US, UK, Sweden and Italy and was obtained from 15,000 subjects. (just-drinks.com) |
| New Women’s Magazine on Wine Available from July |
A new wine magazine targeting women will be launched in July. Wine Adventure will be published bimonthly and aims to “enhance readers’ knowledge and enjoyment of wine, without taking the subject too seriously.” The focus will be on the “softer” side of wine with a wide variety of articles, food and wine combinations, wine and cooking schools and so forth. Women make up 53% of consumers buying top end wines ($15 and more per bottle) and, what’s more, 80% of women prefer wine to other alcoholic beverages. To find out more or to check out the online version, go to www.wamagazine.com |
| Less Wine Consumption in Italy and France |
Wine association Federvini has revealed that domestic per capita consumption in Italy in 2004 fell to an all-time low of 48.3 liters. Consumption the previous year was 50 liters, which represents a 2.8% drop in consumption in the home market. Fortunately, exports were up by 6.3% in value and 5.4% in volume. Even worse in France where 9% of consumers actually gave up wine completely in 2004. This according to the French newspaper Les Echos, which also states that this now means that only 40% of French consumers drink once a week while 38% never touch wine at all. This trend is attributed in part to anti-alcohol campaigns and the failure to attract younger consumers. |
| And Another IWCA Baby Due |
More babies on the horizon, this time it’s Virginie Baudry who we all had the pleasure of meeting in Sierre for the first time. Virginie works for Champagne Henriot and is expecting her baby later this year – she does hope to make it to Hamburg, but if she can’t, we will all understand. |
| Quote of the Week |
Bacchus, n. A convenient deity invented by the ancients as an excuse for getting drunk. Ambrose Bierce, The Enlarged Devil's Dictionary. |