Thanks

Spencer

“Consumers are bypassing champagne in favour of cheaper sparkling wine, as Rémy Cointreau yesterday reported a 40 per cent fall in sales of its bubbly brands due to “difficult worldwide trading conditions.”

“France’s second-largest spirits group attributed the fall, which mainly affected its Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck champagne brands, to a drop in demand within France and also a drop at airports worldwide.”

Read the full story here
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/15c5cbc8-726b-11de-ba94-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

It will be interesting watch the decision making for food and wine. We have two extreme positions available for both categories.

One is the turf dominated by large global manufacturers of food and wine products. These are price and distribution driven. Rarely, touched by the human hand, except the whiteboard in the confernce room where they begin their journey.

The other is large as well, but more in numbers than scale. Throughout the world there is a very large community of true hands on, artisan or small producers of foods and wines. They are exactly the opposite.

For consumers, crafting identies, in this new economy their question is, who do I support with my dollars?

Those buying on price will often default to the global conglomerates. For those willing to know the origins of what they consume, will be willing to pay a little more and choose foods and wines from real people in real places.

http://uncorkedfinance.wordpress.com/