More Phylloxera Found in Australia
It has been reported that the vine pest, Phylloxera Vastatrix, now known as Grape Phylloxera, is increasing its foothold in Australia. It has now been found in Victoria and New South Wales and the area infested is growing. The deadly aphid has a complex life cycle, reproducing at an alarming rate and attacking the roots of the vines. In the late nineteenth century, the Phylloxera decimated most of the vines (including cognac) in Europe, forcing the growers to replant using Phylloxera-resistant rootstock from the US. Today, many other countries are still growing the vulnerable Vitis Vinifera vines on their own roots. Perhaps this is because of the cost of replanting but also, some believe that the quality of the grapes from grafted rootstock is not as good. It seems that soon, the rest of the world will have no choice but to follow Europe’s lead.
The Last Drop Distillers, recently bought by Sazerac, has released a limited run of a 1947 Hors d’Age Cognac. Distilled just after the end of World War II, just 186 bottles are in existence. Each bottle has been filled by hand, wax sealed and presented in a red leather case along with a 50ml miniature. The bottling also includes a certificate of authenticity, a leather-bound tasting booklet and a custom-made stopper. It is an attractive presentation but before you feel compelled to part with £3,200 for one, check out the competition first. 
Since Great Britain voted to leave the EU, about a year ago, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has had much to say about it. They are concerned that if frictionless borders are not put in place, laborious customs checks will severely delay the importation of wine and 
Much of the news from the Charente recently has been about the severe frosts that occurred at the end of April. The air temperature dropped to between -3 and -4°C on two consecutive mornings, affecting around 70% of the vineyards in the cognac growing region. The frost, which was the worst since 1991, damaged the young shoots emerging from the vines and is thought to have affected 40% of total production. A BNIC spokesman said that in a few cases this year’s grape harvest has been completely wiped out and some growers may find it difficult to recover. To help raise the production level of this depleted grape availability, the BNIC have allowed production levels to rise from 10hl to 12hl of pure spirit per hectare. However, some growers, who concentrate on the high quality of their vines, believe this is far more than their vines can produce. We shall wait and see but one consequence could be an increase in 
Chinese customs officials have recently uncovered more than US$29m of smuggled spirits and here is the story behind the news ….. More than twenty years ago, in our quest to find top quality Grande Champagne cognacs, we stumbled upon a cognac house called Menuet. You may have seen their cognacs on our web site, the 
Spirits sales accounted for more tax revenue than beer in 2016, the first time that this has happened. The latest figures from HMRC show that the Treasury took around £3.38 billion from spirit sales compared to £3.32 billion from the sale of beer. This is an increase of 7% over the 2015 figure and it occurred in the year when the Chancellor froze spirit duty, arguably allowing the industry to grow and invest. The UK has the 4th highest spirits duty rates in the EU so the duty increase announced earlier this year in 2017 is a major disappointment. Although the growth in 
New to our shelves for the summer is 
According to Craft Spirits and Beer, ‘Craft’ is a term used to describe 
On a recent trip to the Charente I took this picture of a rose bush at the end of a row of