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Virgin Wines Web Upgrade

November 17, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Europe’s largest online wine retailer Virgin Wines is upgrading computer systems to improve security and ensure constant availability of its web site.

Site security is a concern of all online retailers of course and is not restricted to online wine retailers. Virgin Wines IT director, Stuart Hunt says

The security of customer data is the most important part of our business, ahead of selling wine, because people need to be confident when putting credit card details online.

Selling wine online is what Virgin Wines needs to do of course – they have no high street presence. They appear to know how to do that though because they sell more than 300,000 cases of wine over the internet each year.

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Majestics Profits Up

November 17, 2006 By Leave a Comment

The high street and online wine retailer Majestic Wine has recently announced a 17% increase in the first half the year.

I read with interest that the average spend per transaction at Majestic has continued to rise – up to £121 compared to £115 the year before. The average price of a bottle of still wine in now £5.66 against £5.54 a year earlier.

Online sales grew too with an increase in orders placed via the Majestic’s website up 43%. Online wine sales now represent 6.4% of Majestic’s UK retail sales.

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Banrock Station

October 23, 2006 By Leave a Comment

Just come across an ad in the Sunday paper (I’m a little behind with my reading!) for the Australian wine producer Banrock Station.

Apparently, Banrock Station contribute to conservation projects all over the world. Here in the UK they have a partnership with the Eden Project in Cornwall. The funding is used to develop an eco-friendly garden that showcases “practical gardening ideas that can be easily re-created in your own home to help protect and sustain the environment” – apparently.

A number of these wine merchants stock Banrock Station wines.

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Bottled Wine – Cork or Screwcap?

October 2, 2006 By 1 Comment

Wine drinkers all discuss one issue probably more than any other – the choice between cork and screwcap. Whilst traditionalists love cork, a method that has served the wine industry for hundreds of years, the modernists (for want of a better phrase) prefer screwcaps for their convenience and the supposed benefit of there being no taint.

Well, at this years International Wine Challenge, tasters discovered that while cork taint is on the decline, screwcap taint is actually a bigger problem than has previously been perceived. A blind tasting of more than 9000 wines showed that 4.4% of the corked wine had been tainted and 2.2% of the screwcapped wine had been damaged. Apparently, damaged screwcapped wine has a build-up of sulphides which gives wine an eggy or oniony taste.

My own preference? Well actually I’m undecided. Cork does have that feel but screwcapped is far easier to open and are far more convenient. I’ll just have to keep drinking both until I make my mind up.

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