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[hectorp] 21/11/2009 12:45

Article in todays guardian Money pages on wine investment, a 1970's wine is one of the ebst investments of the last 30 years , but on average, returns this decade have been around 136 percent ( ie as its 2009, about 14-15% P/A)
Interestingly that is almost the same as gold since 2002.
So I must get round to laying down a case or maybe two, around £3 K each for a very good wine I believe, I'd have a 6-8 year timescale only however. I'd need it stored, I dont want it at home.
H.

[isis] 19/11/2009 06:59

Drink half a dozen beers every day and have a healthier heart
Teetotallers more likely to have heart attack than drinkers, study shows

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Thursday, 19 November 2009

Moderate drinkers have a 54 per cent lower risk of a heart attack according to research




Drinking a bottle of wine a day, or half a dozen beers, cuts the risk of heart disease by more than half in men, it has been shown.

In one of the largest studies of the link between alcohol and heart disease, researchers have found that the protective effects of a daily tipple are not limited to those who drink moderately but also extend to those who consume at what are conventionally considered to be dangerously high levels.

The researchers, who are from the public health department of the Basque government in San Sebastian, a region with one of the highest drinking rates in Europe, warned that alcohol caused millions of deaths a year around the world from other causes and their findings should not be taken as a licence to drink to oblivion. British scientists said the study, published in the journal Heart, was "flawed".

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The research was conducted among 15,000 men and 26,000 women aged from 29 to 69 who were followed for 10 years.

The results showed that those who drank a little – a glass of wine or a bottle of beer every other day – had a 35 per cent lower risk of a heart attack than those who never drank. Moderate drinkers, consuming up to a couple of glasses of wine a day or a couple of pints of ordinary bitter, had a 54 per cent lower risk.

The surprise was that heavy drinkers consuming up to a bottle of wine or six pints of ordinary bitter had a similar 50 per cent reduction in risk of a heart attack to moderate drinkers. Those drinking at even higher levels were still half as likely to suffer a heart attack as the teetotallers.

Larraitz Arriola, who led the study, said alcohol caused 1.8 million deaths a year around the world and 55,000 deaths among young people under 30 in Europe alone. "The first thing to say about our research is that alcohol is very harmful. If you drink heavily, you should drink moderately. The more you drink, the worse off you will be." The researchers only looked at the effect of alcohol on the heart and confirmed what 30 years of studies have shown – that it is protective. The effect was independent of the form in which the alcohol was taken, as beer, wine or spirits. However, people who only drank wine had slightly less protection.

Spain is the world's third-largest wine producer and ninth-largest beer producer, and is ranked sixth in the world in terms of alcohol consumption. Average total alcohol consumption in San Sebastian is 41.4 grams per head a day, equivalent to half a bottle of wine, three 330ml bottles of strong (5 per cent) lager or just under a quarter bottle of whisky.

British specialists said the protective effect of alcohol on the heart is only seen in men over 40. Robert Sutton, professor of surgery at the University of Liverpool, said: "This study suffers from several flaws, so cannot be taken to suggest that high levels of alcohol intake can improve health. Most importantly, all other alcohol-related diseases were completely ignored so that it is a highly biased view of the effects of alcohol."

[waldron] 11/11/2009 07:22

From The Times November 10, 2009

British households pour away £470 million of wine every yearValerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
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British households are pouring £470 million worth of wine down the plughole every year.

The figure has been collated for the Waste & Resource Action Programme (Wrap), advisers to the Government, which is urging people to freeze leftover wine and use it in cooking sauces and casseroles as part of the campaign to cut the nation's carbon footprint.

Latest data shows that 1.8 million tonnes of food and drink from households end up in sewers, of which some 1.5 million tonnes of waste, valued at £2.7 billion, could have been avoided through better storage or planning.

It seems that most people cannot be bothered to finish off bottles or cartons of drink and tip the remainder down the sink instead of storing it in the fridge.

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Waste by Tristram Stuart
According to diaries kept by 319 households across the country the most wasted drink is milk, followed by fizzy soft drinks and then fruit juices and smoothies. Together they account for almost half of all avoidable waste by households.

Even making a cup of tea is producing lots of waste. Households admit to throwing whole pots of tea away. Avoiding this would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 4.6 million tonnes.

Some of the waste is through drinks going off or past their "use by" dates, but a large part is from juice or alcohol being poured into a glass and left unfinished, and the dregs then being discarded.

The analysis shows that the cost of waste food and liquid in the average household has risen to £50 a month, a significant increase on the £35 a month calculated in last year's report.

The amount of drink wasted in families with children is even higher, with an average cost of £56.60 a month, up from £50 a month last year.

Wrap, which previously campaigned against "buy one, get one free" promotions to cut down on food waste, is now anxious to find strategies to curb the amount of drinks being poured down the drain. It says that smaller cartons and greater use of half bottles and cans may help to reduce waste.

Richard Swannell, director of retail at Wrap, said: "There does not seem to be any incentive for people to save and store small quantities of liquid, whether it is milk or juice. They just tip it away.

"It is possible, too, with fizzy soft drinks and bottled water that people are allowing them to go flat."

In almost all cases of drinks waste, the research found that households served too much, or with liquids such as custard and soup, simply made too much.

"We need to encourage people to use up leftover liquids in the same ways as food. It is perfectly acceptable to freeze and reuse custard and soup," Mr Swannell said.

A Wrap spokeswoman said that the organisation was not suggesting that consumers should drink wine that had been defrosted, but said that leftovers could easily be used for cooking. Many cooks pour dregs from bottles into ice cube trays so they can easily freeze them for use in sauces.

Jasper Morris, master of wine at the leading merchants Berry Bros & Rudd, said: "If you know you're not going to drink a full bottle when you open it, the best thing is to decant half into a smaller container. You can keep a few half bottles for this purpose and just wash them over again."

He said that the decanting should be done as soon as the full bottle was opened and then it should be sealed with a screw cap to prevent oxygen getting into the wine.

"The wine should be fine for at least a week, if not longer. The other option is to keep a bottle and use it over two or three nights.

"The best thing is to stop up the bottle and keep it in the fridge, whether it's red or white. It slows down the process of the wine going off. If it's a red wine you just leave it to warm at room temperature for about ten minutes before drinking."

[waldron] 19/9/2009 19:37

French Winemakers See Strong 2009 Vintage, Financial Times Says

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By Ambereen Choudhury

Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- French winemakers are expecting strong sales in 2009 after a bumper crop, Financial Times reported, citing vintners around the country.

The grapes in regions including Bordeaux benefited from a harsh winter, which killed bugs, and a wet spring, the newspaper said. Prices of fine wines have also picked up since reaching a record in August last year, according to the FT.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ambereen Choudhury in London at [e-mail]

Last Updated: September 19, 2009 04:12 EDT

[ariane] 08/9/2009 15:15

Doctors want booze marketing ban
By Nick Triggle
Health reporter, BBC News

There should be a ban on all alcohol advertising, including sports and music sponsorship, doctors say.

The British Medical Association said the crackdown on marketing was needed along with an end to cut-price deals to stop the rising rates of consumption.

The industry spends £800m a year on promoting drinks - just a quarter of which goes on direct advertising.

Doctors said action was needed as alcohol was now one of the leading causes of early death and disability.

Only smoking and high blood pressure is responsible for a greater burden of disease, according to the World Health Organization.


ALCOHOL AND SPORT

Carling lager - Sponsors the football league cup in England and also has deals for shirt sponsorship of Celtic and Rangers in Scotland
John Smith's - Title sponsor of the Grand National plus other race days at the majority of UK racecourses
Magners Irish Cider - Sponsors two British rugby unions teams as well as Irish, Scottish and Welsh leagues
Johnnie Walker whisky - Sponsors of Formula One team McLaren

The cost to the NHS for treating injury and illness linked to drink has been estimated to be anything up to £3bn a year in the UK.

It comes as alcohol consumption has been rising rapidly in recent years with over a third of adults now drinking above the recommended amounts.

But the report said there was particular concern about the impact of marketing on young people.

The report points out that while the money spent on alcohol advertising - nearly £200m a year - remained significant, there had been a growth in more subtle types of marketing.

The alcohol industry had, in particular, become a major sponsor of sports events - second only to the finance sector in terms of overall funding.

But the report also highlighted merchandising, competitions and loyalty schemes as influential forms of marketing that needed to be tackled.

And as well as calling for the outright ban marketing and advertising, the BMA said there needed to be a reduction in licensing hours and tougher rules in place on price.

The doctors' body once again reiterated its call for minimum pricing to be introduced to help combat promotions such as happy hours and two-for-one purchases and higher levels of tax.

Price

Minimum pricing has already been proposed in Scotland, and the chief medical officers in all the other UK nations have signalled their approval for such a move.

But so far the Department of Health has resisted such calls, preferring to encourage the industry to sign up to voluntary codes to encourage responsible drinking.

However, it has signalled its intention to push through legislation to stop cut-price promotions if necessary.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of science and ethics, said: "The BMA is not anti-alcohol. As doctors our focus is to ensure that individuals drink sensible so they do not put their health and lives in danger."


THE ALCOHOL IMPACT

Excessive consumption is linked to 60 different medical conditions, including liver and brain damage, some cancers and other diseases such as stroke and heart disease
The cost to the NHS for treating injury and illness linked to alcohol is estimated at anything up to £3bn a year
But the costs to the wider economy are even greater with loss of productivity said to be more than £7bn a year

Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said the report put a "compelling case for change".

"Alcohol is now marketed as a staple part of our diet in the UK.

"The way it is advertised, positioned in stores and its sheer cheapness leads people into feeling that buying and consuming large amounts of alcohol regularly is just the same as life's essentials like bread and milk."

And Don Shenker, of Alcohol Concern, added: "There's no longer any doubt - the heavy marketing and promotion of alcohol, combined with low prices - are encouraging young people to drink at a level our health services are struggling to cope with."

But the Department of Health said its current approach was working, saying measures such as the £10m Know Your Limits public health campaign to encourage responsible drinking were having an impact.

A spokesman added: "We're working harder than ever to reduce alcohol harm - but it's not always right to legislate. We take all evidence into account and react proportionately."

Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said the measures proposed by the BMA would hit the pockets of millions of consumers and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of people working in the drinks industry, media, advertising and television.

He said: "Britain already has amongst the highest taxes on alcohol in Europe.

"It should be obvious by now that higher taxation and higher prices don't curb alcohol misuse.

"The drinks industry is funding a major campaign to change drinking patterns amongst young adults.

"We believe culture change is more likely to be achieved through long term education and tough enforcement."

Story from BBC NEWS:


Published: 2009/09/08 09:00:21 GMT

[bigbigdave] 01/9/2009 07:10

MAJESTIC ROLL OUT NEW SIX BOTTLE PURCHASE AFTER SUCCESSFUL TRIAL

[ariane] 13/7/2009 16:25

A few drinks 'cuts dementia risk'
Older people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol may have a lower risk of dementia, a US study suggests.

Researchers found people who consumed between eight and 14 alcoholic drinks a week had a 37% lower risk of the disease than the general population.

However, people who consumed more than 14 drinks a week were at twice the normal risk of developing dementia.

The Wake Forest University study was presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.


" Older people with memory problems should consider not drinking at all "
Rebecca Wood Alzheimer's Research Trust
The US researchers focused on 3,069 people aged 75 or older.

At the beginning of the six-year study, 2,587 participants had no signs of problems with their brain while 482 had mild cognitive impairment. During the study 523 new dementia cases emerged.

The researchers took account of factors such as smoking, depression and social activity, and found that one or two drinks a day was associated with a 37% lower risk of dementia among those who were cognitively normal at the start of the study.

However, among those who already had mild cognitive impairment alcohol intake was associated with faster cognitive decline.

Among the people in the study, four in ten did not drink alcohol, four in ten consumed up to seven drinks a week, one in ten consumed 8-14 drinks a week, and one in ten consumed more than 14 drinks a week.

Reason not clear

Why a moderate amount of alcohol seems to be good for the brain is not clear.

Lead researcher Dr Kaycee Sink said: "There are several possible ways in which moderate drinking might be associated with reduced risk of dementia.

"One is the same as the way we think moderate alcohol reduces the risk of heart disease, by beneficial effects on HDL cholesterol and blocking platelets.

"Additionally, animal studies have shown that low amounts of alcohol stimulate the release of acetylcholine, a chemical in the brain that is important in memory."

Dr Sink added: "We cannot recommend that older adults who don't drink start drinking alcohol based on this study.

"But it is reasonable to say that if you are already a light to moderate drinker, you may be at a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.

"However, if you already have memory or thinking problems, drinking alcohol may accelerate memory decline."

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "Although moderate alcohol intake does appear to reduce dementia risk, exceeding one to two drinks per day on a regular basis - becoming a heavy drinker - may double risk of developing dementia.

"On the basis of this study, older people with memory problems should consider not drinking at all.

"The best way to reduce dementia risk is to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and remain socially active."

The results conflict with those from a small study published in Neurology in 2007, which suggests people with mild cognitive impairment might slow their mental decline with up to one drink a day.

Story from BBC NEWS:


Published: 2009/07/13 09:10:07 GMT

[waldron] 12/7/2009 06:48

Majestic Plans New Stores on Higher Fine Wine Sales (Update1)
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By Rowenna Davis and David Merritt

July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Majestic Wine Plc, owner of the U.K.'s largest chain of wine warehouses, aims to open eight stores this fiscal year as fine wine sales increase, Chief Executive Officer Steve Lewis said.

The store openings are double the number in the last year, and will give Majestic 155 outlets, the CEO said in a telephone interview this week.

"We expect fine wine sales in Majestic stores to grow between 5 and 8 percent next year," Lewis said. Sales of fine wines, or bottles of 19.99 pounds ($33) and above, increased 8 percent in the twelve months through March, and now account for one third of Majestic's revenue, according to Lewis.

Majestic bought fine wine specialist Lay & Wheeler in March to expand its reach in the market as demand from corporate customers' declined. While businesses in the U.K. have curtailed spending on wine and champagne for parties and gifts in the recession, people in work have higher disposable incomes as commitments such as mortgage payments decrease, Lewis said.

"Companies like Majestic and Waitrose are beginning to educate customers who are becoming more savvy about their choices and more willing to explore," said Benedict Hunt, an analyst at Oriel Securities Ltd., which has a "buy" recommendation on Majestic stock. The rise in demand was "industry-led," Hunt said.

Majestic shares were unchanged at 193 pence in London trading, after earlier climbing 2.3 percent to 197.5 pence. The stock has advanced 76 percent this year, giving the Watford, England-based company a market value of 118.6 million pounds.

Overall sales are expected to "remain level" in this fiscal year as Majestic focuses on its private and restaurant customers to offset falling demand from business.

New World

Restaurant demand is adapting to worsening economic conditions, Lewis said, "Champagne is being replaced with sparkling wine and sales of old world wines are being replaced with new world wines from Australia and New Zealand".

New world wines took over French sales for the first time in 2009, Lewis said. "Within the next five years I expect new world wines to overtake old world sales at Majestic."

Net income in the 12 months through March fell 71 percent to 3.3 million pounds as Majestic took an impairment charge of 5.3 million pounds on its French unit, the company said in June. Sales increased 2.4 percent to 201.8 million pounds.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rowenna Davis in the London bureau on [e-mail]; David Merritt at [e-mail]

Last Updated: July 10, 2009 11:51 EDT

[isis] 06/7/2009 21:55

No more needs to be said.....

[bionicdog] 01/7/2009 08:10

In store as well. You could still use your doubled up clubcard vouchers in conjunction with this offer.

[isis] 30/6/2009 09:05

Tesco are doing 25% off all wines and champagne until Sunday July 5th.
Free next day delivery over £99- or delivery slot over £140.

Extra £10 off using this code XXHG9N

Lots of wines already sold out!

Have ordered mine already. :-))

[maxk] 08/6/2009 19:11

Only 40 bottles in two weeks?

Jeezus, are you trying to go tea-total bionic?


hic !

[grupo guitarlumber] 08/6/2009 18:28

European Commission Drops Proposal to Change Rose Wine Rules
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By Stuart Wallace

June 8 (Bloomberg) -- The European Commission dropped a proposal to allow the production of rose wines by blending whites and reds after protests by winemakers.

French roses typically are made by crushing red grapes and removing the skins from the juice after several days, instead of leaving them in contact throughout fermentation, as with red wines. The European Union's 27 member states are scheduled to vote on wine reform proposals later this month.

"It's become clear over recent weeks that a majority in our wine sector believe that ending the ban on blending could undermine the image of traditional rose," Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said in a statement today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Wallace in London at [e-mail]

Last Updated: June 8, 2009 06:43 EDT

[chutes01] 05/6/2009 00:11

Watch out EWG, share price rising, the excellent summer will increase crop size to help meet demand.16.5p - 18.5p, get some !!
All the best.

[bionicdog] 04/6/2009 20:50

I exchanged all of my Tesco clubcard vouchers for double the amount of wine vouchers. Previously you had to do it via the online wine club , now you can swap for instore vouchers. That's enough for about 40 bottles or 2 weeks worth!

[bigbigdave] 04/6/2009 15:21

25% off all wine at Waitrose for one week only.