Ex-McWilliam’s Wines employee, Bernadette Knight has reached new heights, joining Champagne brand, Armand De Brignac as Global Chief Marketing Officer in New York this week. A native of Australia, Knight’s experience spans more than a decade in the luxury wine and spirits industry, working with champagne brands such as Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Ruinart and Taittinger. Most recently the U.S Director for Hennessy Cognac at LVMH, Knight’s appointment emphasizes Armand de Brignac’s deep commitment ...

Accolade Wines has sold its 50% shareholding in Matthew Clark to Conviviality Retail Plc. in the UK for £100 million. Conviviality is one of the UK’s largest franchised off-licence and convenience chains. Matthew Clark - the UK’s largest independent drinks distributor - is a joint venture between Accolade Wines and Punch Taverns. The deal will therefore also see Punch Taverns sell its shareholdings to Conviviality. Accolade has however, signed a 10-year ...

The results from the annual VIC100 Wine Awards for 2015 are now available. Held each year to highlight the top 100 wines produced in Victoria, each year the awards also select one wine as the region’s best. Unable to choose just one wine this year however, the prestigious VIC ONE trophy was jointly awarded. “It was our intention to decide on one winner, a single VIC ONE wine, yet with ...

In 2014, Daniel Huntley registered to be an U.G.L.Y. Bartender for the first time. Determined to demonstrate just how far he could take U.G.L.Y., Daniel came up with an U.G.L.Y. Fundraiser, which he entitled The U.G.L.Y. Bucket List. Patrons paid for the privilege of nominating activities that Daniel had to undertake in the last week of U.G.L.Y., and Daniel, along with supportive and foolishly generous friend Dean have to complete on challenge ...

This year’s BACARDÍ Legacy Global Cocktail Competition is now well underway and the top three Australian bartenders making their way through to the finals have been chosen. Selected from 15 other competitors in the semi-finals, Andrew Bennett from The Classroom, WA; Peter Hollands from Gresham Bar, QLD; and Igor Pachi from Assembly Bar in NSW are now Australia’s finalists. Contestants presented their legacy cocktail and BACARDÍ Daiquiri to legends Steve ...

17 businesses, including the Australian Hotels Association, Australian Retailers Association, Master Grocers Association and the National Farmers’ Federation have rallied together to make an amendment to the Competition and Consumer Act. Representing more than 500,000 businesses and three million employees, the 17 are hoping to see a change to Section 46 of the Act that they say, will make for healthier competition in Australia. Specifically, the group are wanting section ...

Michito Kaneko from Japan has been crowned as Diageo Reserve WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year 2015. After a grueling week of competition, Michito took out the title in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday (September 5), coming out on top from the original 54 contenders. “When I heard my name, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – I was in total shock,” Michito said after the announcement. “I’m very ...

Asahi Super Dry’s latest integrated campaign has launched across Australia. The second TVC to be released by the brand in Australia, ‘Above All Else’ represents the brand’s largest investment to date, following the beer’s recent growth across international markets. Running until the end of 2015, the new campaign promotes the beer’s standard for quality and taste as Japan’s first dry beer. “Above All Else is a celebration of Asahi Super Dry”, Michael Vousden, Senior Category ...

Only to be released in exceptional years, the Evans & Tate Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 was presented to the industry this month, and it’s lived up to its billing. Senior Winemaker Matthew Byrne set out to make an exceptional wine celebrating the noble grape variety and the relationship it enjoys with the Margaret River region and, in particular, the Evans & Tate winemaking style evolved over 40 years. “We wanted to ...

After three gruelling days of challenges, the WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year top six finalists for 2015 have been announced. Starting with a field of the world’s best 54 bartenders, the numbers have been whittled down to just six, with Australia’s Jack Sotti taking one of the coveted spots. Sotti secured his spot by delivering the competition’s first levitating cocktail during the Retro, Disco, Future challenge with his Bulleit Rye creation, the ‘Stealth ...