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News
Releases
To see the full
News Release, click on the release headline...
January 02, 2007
YOUR FAVOURITE WINES, UK TAX FREE
If you holiday in France, you probably have a favourite local vineyard and a supply of wine back home. But what happens when your favourite tipple runs out...
November 23, 2006
COURT BLOCKS TAX FREE IMPORTS FROM HOME
The European Court has overturned its advocate general's decision that wine lovers should be able to buy wine from any EU member country and have it delivered to their homes, paying just the tax in the country of origin. So a personal visit across the Channel remains the only way to buy wine at low French tax rates...
March 24, 2006
WHY NOT INVITE THE CHANCELLOR TO SHARE YOUR WINE?
If you are a wine lover paying a typical average £5 a bottle, you may as well invite Gordon Brown to help you drink it. Because with the latest increase in duty plus Vat, he is taking almost half your fiver...
14 March 2006
NEVER MIND THE RUGBY, THE WINE'S A WINNER!
While England's performance on the rugby pitch may leave something to be desired, there is one traditionally French activity where we are beating them at their own game – wine making...
February 22, 2006
WINE, WOMEN AND GOOD TASTE
When it comes to good taste in wine, it seems women have the men beaten hands down...
27 April 2005
FRENCH WINEMAKERS MAY ABANDON STANDARDS
The wine industry of France appears to have given up the fight against New World competition as its governing bodies consider abandoning the standards which set the benchmark for winemakers the world over...
Thursday December 2, 2004
Vintage Confusion
French wine growers once again find themselves in a state of total confusion
as the 2004 vintage is laid down. Vineyard owners who recently pulled
out of governing body ONIVINS, now see conflicting arguments over how
best to recover their falling exports and domestic sales...
Thursday
7 October, 2004
Speeding Drivers
Face Jail
Speeding
drivers face jail in France under a new tariff of on-the-spot fines and
dramatically increasing penalties for speeding.
Monday
24 May, 2004
New French Revolution
Talk
of another 'Revolution' is rumbling through the vineyards of France after
the wine industry governing bodies put their names to proposals which
could end years of tradition and quality control.
Wednesday
28 April, 2004
Has
the French wine industry gone crazy?
Some
traditional French wines could disappear under new proposals for the restructuring
of the industry's control systems. Following the recent INAO proposals
to change the French AOC system, Bordeaux's CIVB is already tightening
the rules regarding the tasting and classification of all Bordeaux wines
and producers in Cahors are being told to produced 'dumbed down' wine
for the mass market.
Wednesday
21 April, 2004
'If
it ain't broke, don't fix it'
The
recent announcement that INAO's President Rene Renou is advocating a change
to France's long establish AOC system for control of wine production has
provoked a furious backlash from wine producers and others in the industry.
Thursday
February 5, 2004
UK System Fails Road
Safety
Front
page headlines claiming drivers face a UK ban for speeding in France have
been condemned as 'emotive scaremongering' brought about failings in the
British system.
Friday
January 9, 2004
Radar
Detector Ban
If
you use a radar detector to avoid speed cameras, leave it at home if you
visit France. Anyone caught with the device will be banned from driving
and have it confiscated on the spot.
Monday
17 November 2003
Celebrate
in Style
Locals
in the small French village of Glizé will be celebrating in style
this week as wine bars and restaurants in the UK pour the first glasses
of this year's Beaujolais nouveau. Glizé is where nouveau was born
as a marketing gimmick to boost flagging sales in Paris during the sixties.
Wednesday
29 October 2003
20%
Off Channel Ferry Fares
Wine
lovers heading for France can save 20% off their ferry fares thanks to
a new arrangement between Hoverspeed and wine and travel website, winedrive.com.
Thursday
16th October, 2003
British
Winegrowers Win French Praise
British
vineyard owners have scooped top awards in France for the second time
this year.
Tuesday
9th September, 2003
Huge
Fines For Drivers and Property Owners
British
motorists are being hit by increasing law enforcement in France as local
authorities attempt to raise revenue to compensate for falling Government
funding.
Monday
18 August 2003
It
Does Exactly What It Says On The Bottle
Despite
severe weather, French winegrowers could be heading for one of their finest
vintages in 60 years. The extreme weather across the country has forced
an early harvest with Beaujolais already under way a month early. The
Bourgogne region looks set to begin its vendange, or harvest, on September
5th, while other wine regions are becoming impatient for their
organising committees to make a quick decision.
Monday 7th July
2003
The
Thinking Person's Booze Cruise
Few holidaymakers heading
for France this summer will return without at least some bargain bottles
of wine. But while most will buy from the supermarket or wine warehouse
before boarding the ferry home, there is way to get a even better bargain,
while buying something just that bit special.
Wednesday July 2, 2003
Truckload
of Problems
Holidaymakers driving
through France this summer are being warned to steer clear of foreign
trucks following a series of major accidents. The latest incident, on
a holiday route near Bordeaux, involved eight Portuguese trucks. According
to an English lorry driver, one had its cab sliced through by its load
of sheet steel.
Thursday 26 June 2003
Storm
Wrecks Vineyards
A violent thunderstorm
has wreaked havoc among the vineyards of the Gironde in the Bordeaux region
of France.
Thursday 26 June 2003
Brits
Take Risks In Bandit Country
Recent reports
of an English family being robbed while sleeping in their car has prompted
a warning to drivers not to 'push their luck' driving through France.
Thursday 12 June 2003
Vintage
Savings
Wine lovers can pay up to five times
less for their favourite tipple if they buy it direct from the vineyard
in France, with typical online prices in the UK up to 488% higher than
the vineyard price.
Thursday
June 5, 2003
Vintage
Year And Big Savings For Cost Conscious Wine Buyers
Tourists buying direct from French
vineyards can make big savings on their favourite tipple as the weather
creates what could be a vintage year for wine lovers.
Thursday
May 1, 2003
Beating
The French at Their Game
An
English vineyard owner has scooped three top awards for her wines at two
prestigious French wine festivals.
April
28, 2003
''WineSniffer'
Tracks Down Your Favourite Tipple
Looking
for the source of that wine you picked up in a French supermarket?
Trying
to find the vineyard producing a wine your friend or relative brought
back form their last trip across the Channel?
April
18, 2003
Disaster
For Champagne
Champagne growers
are suffering what could be one of the worst seasons for 10 years as central
Europe and the UK basks under mid-summer temperatures.
April
14, 2003
100 Vineyards
Welcome UK Tourists
One of the smallest vineyards in France has opened its doors to UK
tourists through wine a travel website, winedrive.com. Domaine les Combettes
brings the total vineyards listed to 100 offering more than 730 wines
from 150 appellations across all the main wine regions.
February
20, 2003
French
Vineyards in Tax Row
French
vineyards have been asked to stop paying taxes to their Government by
four of their own industry bodies. The appeal follows a crisis meeting
in Paris and shows the level of discontent in France's wine industry over
the Government's use of funds.
February
19, 2003
French
Revolution
The
French are revolting - this time over the bureaucracy stifling their wine
industry.
February
3, 2003
Crazy
Market and Outdated Practices
Lower
production standards in the New World and outdated commercial practices
in France are being blamed for UK sales of French wine falling behind
Australia for the first time.
January
29, 2003
Hearts of Oak
Oak is no longer 'flavour of the month' for winelovers because of
over-use in New World wines, say French vineyard owners.
January
2, 2003
Travel Planning for
Wine Lovers
Wine lovers heading for France this year are just a mouse click away
more than 1,100 pages of routes, town guides and traffic news, plus the
only on-line guide giving directions to vineyards.
November
7, 2002
Best Beaujolais
November 21 could see the release of the best Beaujolais Nouveau for
years, despite unseasonal bad weather threatening the harvest.
October
16, 2002
Nouveau down
the drain?
Wine growers in Beaujolais are hoping this year's vintage will be better
than 2001, when gallons of Nouveau were dumped because of poor sales.
Producers are keeping their thoughts on this year's wine to themselves,
but are confident that despite the recent bad weather, it should make
the traditional release date of November 21.
October
7, 2002
September
sun saves the grape
2002 will be an excellent year for lovers of Chardonnay despite the bad
weather which devastated some vineyards in southern France. September
sunshine has saved the grape harvest in Chablis, producing what could
be some of the best wine for more than twenty years.
September
16, 2002
400 wines
at the click of a mouse
Wine lovers heading for France to buy direct from vineyards can now
choose from some 400 wines before they leave home. On-line vineyard directory
WineDrive, has added the Alsace region to its lists from Bordeaux, the
Loire Valley, Champagne and Burgundy bringing the total number of vineyards
to 68.
September
4, 2002
French
fingers crossed for uncertain vintage
Extreme weather during August could spoil this years vintage for French
vineyards. Although they escaped the rain and floods which swept through
central Europe, heat, thunderstorms and strong south-westerly winds have
hit the wine producing regions.
July
11, 2202
French
Vineyards Turn to Nature
Production methods dating back centuries are being re-discovered as
French vineyards reject chemicals, preferring to let nature and local
wildlife control pests and encourage growth of quality grapes.
June
14, 2002
French
Vineyards Welcome UK Tourists
More than 60 family run vineyards in France have opened their doors
to tourists through a new UK website. Holidaymakers can take a virtual
tour of the vineyards before they leave home and choose from more than
120 wine appellations from Anjou to Valançay.
June
6, 2002
Uncork Bottled
History
Anyone planning a trip to France to buy wine direct from local vineyards,
can now choose wines on-line before leaving home. A unique new web service,
winedrive.com, allows wine lovers to take a virtual trip around some of
the best wine producers in France, choosing where to visit and how to
get there.
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