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Squeeze on vintner eases, Chinese palates soften 
While the big players write down the value of their wine portfolios, boutique winemakers are having better luck in Asia.


Drink to this: EU raises limits on duty-free items
New rules came into force on Monday that will allow shoppers from the European Union to buy more alcohol and other duty free products when they travel home.

Bubbling over
Tough times will see the bargain bubbly battle really hot up
ACCORDING to economists and financial types, the purchase of alcohol comes under the heading of the so-called "defensive sector". Seems we're pretty defensive about our booze; it's one of the last areas of discretionary spending we cut when facing hard times.
This has to be good news for wine retailers heading into what could be one of the gloomiest festive trading seasons in years.
The bad news is that while we might continue buying wine, some of us are looking so far down the shelf we're on our hands and knees. We're trading down. We're looking for good wines at fair prices and hopefully the odd gem that over-delivers on the price tag.


 In the eye of the bottle-holder
When Dan Philips of The Grateful Palate, a California-based wine importer and the guy behind the label, walks past a bottle of Luchador, it's usually on his way to the bank and he has a trolley load of cash trailing him. This is because wines such as Luchador, Bitch, Evil Incarnate and SUXX - all Australian and all red - are tearing up the wine charts with wine drinkers of a certain age in the United States. The reason? They get the contemporary and creative look he is trying to achieve.

 

 

 



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