Highlights – first half
* Sales: € 515.7 million (+16.7%, organic growth +8.7%)
* Contribution after A&P: € 209.5 million (+18.5%, organic growth +10.4%, 40.6% of sales)
* EBITDA before one-offs: € 128.6 million (+17.9%, organic growth +13.7%, 24.9% of sales)
* EBIT before one-offs: €116.0 million (+17.9%, organic growth +14.0%, 22.5% of sales)
* Group’s net profit: € 69.3 million (+15.2%)

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ, ASX: CBR), the world’s leading wine company, recently announced that it has taken steps to delist from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) by the end of fiscal year 2011, (Feb. 28, 2011). The company made the decision due to the securities being thinly traded in Australia, coupled with the additional complexity of administration and compliance associated with this listing.

The Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS) is seeking nominations from employers and staff in the industry for its front-of-house Annual Awards Excellence, being held at London’s Innholder’s Hall on 22 October 2010.

Article on winespectator.com

Pepperwood Grove Wines Now Available in 3L Box – The BIG GREEN BOX offers all the convenience of a 3L bag-in-box, produced by a company with a long track record of producing great wine at reasonable prices.

Wine and Spirits Industry Veteran Receives Well Earned Promotion: an industry veteran who brings 29 years of experience in operations, strategic planning, and commercial financial reporting to Don Sebastiani & Sons.

CIVA (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace), the regional trade body for Alsace Wines, is delighted to announce that it has joined forces with well-known and respected journalist Joanna Simon who is writing a regular monthly column for the new Alsace Wines website (www.alsacewines.co.uk).

The Academy of Food & Wine has named the five teams through to the final of the 2010 Gastronomy Team of the Year, held in association with Discover the Origin.

The congress becomes a trade fair – drink technology India (dti), which takes place between 18 and 20 November 2010 in the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, is being held for the first time as a trade fair with accompanying forum for exhibitors´ presentations. Preparations for this event are already well under way. Around 80 exhibitors from approximately 12 countries will be presenting beverage and liquid-food technology here, primarily for the Indian market.

The Who’s Who Industry Directory of Suppliers, Importers and Marketers now includes beer

Constellation Brands, Inc. has posted a new annual report to its Investor Relations website.

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible and progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and is the most common cause of dementia among older people. Although it is not known how the Alzheimer’s disease process is initiated , damage to the brain begins quietly over many years before problems are evident. It is suspected that causes include genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors and it known that Alzheimer’s is more common among people with lower levels of education, those with a history …

On the heels of a strong fiscal 2010, Brown-Forman (NYSE:BFB) (NYSE:BFA) anticipates delivering continued growth in fiscal 2011. Paul Varga, the company’s chief executive officer stated, “I am proud of what the company accomplished this year. Reported operating income grew 7% for the year. Diluted earnings per share grew 5% to $3.02, driven by what we believe to be top-tier underlying1 operating income growth of 6% in some of the most challenging economic, consumer, and competitive conditions in memory. Despite the challenging environment, our year-over-year underlying gross profit and operating …

Stylish Michelin star gastro-restaurant CÉPAGE completes its premier one-stop offerings to patrons with the June 11 opening of wine merchant and retailer Vinum Fine Wines.