France Facing Smallest Harvest Since 1945!

'In places where we thought there would be a little less, there's a lot less,' 'said Jerome Despey, head of governmental wine advisory board. However, Despey said that the maturity and good health of the grapes pointed to a year that 'will stand out for quality'

Severe spring frosts in April wiped out entire crops of young buds in vineyards in France, including Champagne, Burgundy and the Loire Valley.

The grape harvest began in southeast France two weeks earlier than usual, with Despey predicting a whopping 40% deficit in output from Bordeaux, the country's largest wine region. Production from Bordeaux may fall to around 300 million litres of wine, compared with the annual average of 540 million litres. 

Herve Grandeau, chairman of the federation of Fine Wines of Bordeaux, has estimated that Bordeaux 2017 prices could rise by 10% - 20% as a result of Aprils frosts.

Big Beer Fools Consumers Over 'Craft'

Big beer companies are not only trying to dominate the independent brewing sector, but are also 'fooling customers' into thinking that they are still consuming 'independent' or 'craft beer' says the editor of CAMRA's good beer guide, Roger Protz.

His comments follow a swathe of takeovers by big beer companies in the UK of once small, independently owned breweries. 'First big beer buys up a swathe of independent breweries. Now it's attempting to control the natural ingredients used to make beer,' said protz.

Big beer is on the march, and we risk losing our wealth of choice to merely the illusion of it! Not only are consumers being mislead, but these global brewers are changing the very character of the beers they buy with cost effective replacements in ingredients and driving genuine independents out of business.

Clever marketing tactics and fewer labeling restrictions means global brewers able to market these beers as locally produced even when they are no longer made by the original brewers. Recently, the society of independent brewers set up an accreditation scheme to help inform consumers about what they are drinking!

'it is vitally important that beer drinkers are not misled and are able to easily differentiate between beers produced by the global brewers and those by independant British breweries,' said Protz.