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An internal Heineken document told hospitality customers that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs can reduce the desire to drink, putting pressure on beer and cider sales through effects like fullness, according to U.S. News & World Report. The outlet identified Heineken as the world's second-largest brewer after AB InBev.
U.S. News & World Report |
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Napa County lost 65 winery licenses in the week ending Oct. 12, the third straight October drop, leaving the count 180 below its 2025 peak, with most of the lapsed licenses belonging to brands founded since 2020. Growers faced a short crop against costs that did not shrink, plus pressure from fuel, vine disease and fewer overseas visitors; one winery owner called this year's short crop a godsend.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Breakthru Beverage drivers in Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Tampa, Pensacola and Midway, Florida voted to stay with the Teamsters, defeating a decertification petition that was filed with help from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and recently closed. The nearly 150 drivers first unionized in a 91-to-54 vote in 2024, struck for four months, and won a contract the union says delivered wage increases and improved paid leave, after Breakthru paid union-avoidance consultants more than $375,000, per federal disclosure reports.
Orlando Weekly |
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The Irish Liquor Lawyer contributed to a Wine Searcher piece by Blake Gray on the Supreme Court's denial of cert in the Ohio case, which leaves it at odds with a contrary Michigan decision in the same circuit. The article examines what that conflicting outcome could mean.
Irish Liquor Lawyer |
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Mark Anthony and Diageo picked up growth to start the final quarter of 2026, even as top beer vendors posted mixed results, per Brewbound. Most beer segments recorded improved trends as the quarter began this month.
Brewbound |
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U.S. wine sales have dropped below 300 million cases, leaving California producers from Napa to the Central Valley saddled with debt and excess inventory, Vinetur reports. The slump is driving more wineries into bankruptcy.
Vinetur |
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Constellation Brands spent the past six months pushing extra beer into its distribution network to rebuild inventories it had cut too far last year, raising shipments 3.7% even as demand at stores lagged.
Vinetur |
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UNFI is pushing alcohol-free beverages as a holiday play after the category hit $23.4 million in sales over the 2025 holiday period, up $6.9 million year over year, with January reaching $23.8 million on Dry January demand. Walmart is working with Recess to build a dedicated "Mood & Mind" functional beverage set in more than 1,000 stores, anchored by Recess Mood singles and four-packs including a new Pink Lemonade 12-ounce single.
theshelbyreport |
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VIVESCIA's malting division Malteurop has acquired the Chunlei Malting Co. plant near Yancheng in Jiangsu province, a deal finalized this summer that adds 220,000 tonnes of annual malt capacity, enough for 2 billion liters of beer. Malteurop, which opened its first Chinese site in Baoding 30 years ago, says it is the only foreign commercial malt producer in China.
PR Newswire (Wine & Spirits) |
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India could overtake other markets to become the world's largest Scotch whisky market, per NDTV, following the UK free trade agreement. The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies said state taxes, distribution costs and margins will determine what consumers eventually pay.
NDTV |
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Southern Glazer's added VDKLYTE, a ready-to-drink vodka ade, to its portfolio, joining a growing field of hard sports drink entrants. The brand comes from Mac Beverage Brands, the THC beverage developer behind Pamos THC Spirits and Cocktails, Maniball Peanut Butter Tequila, and Lolli THC Soda.
Brewbound |
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Constellation's The Prisoner, which closed 2025 at 241,000 cases per Impact Databank, grew Circana-channel sales 26% through the first half of 2026. The brand released the fourth vintage of Corrections, a $100 Syrah at 15.5% abv with a label by artist Omari Booker, directing 5% of sales plus an additional $75,000 to The Center for Art & Advocacy.
Shanken News Daily |
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Carlsberg A/S could publicly file for an IPO of its India business as early as this week, raising up to $700 million entirely through a secondary share sale by the Danish brewer, Bloomberg reported. The company confidentially submitted draft documents in July and is working with Kotak Mahindra Capital, JPMorgan and Citigroup; roadshows are expected next week, with a launch as early as December.
india.entrepreneur.com |
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Cider and non-alcoholic beverages kept growing in NIQ's October off-premise scan data, which the firm tied to the start of October drinking occasions.
Brewbound |
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With tasting rooms and wine clubs making up 53 percent of the average winery's sales, per Silicon Valley Bank's 2026 report, producers are increasingly clashing with local zoning and permitting rules over tastings and events. In two recent cases, a court ordered Napa's Hoopes Vineyard to pay nearly $4 million over unpermitted activities (now on appeal), while a July 2025 federal ruling awarded Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula wineries nearly $50 million after finding local event restrictions unconstitutional (also appealed).
SevenFifty Daily |
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A Dutch court has told Heineken to pay €111 million ($125 million) to Macedonian Thrace Brewery over anticompetitive conduct by its Greek subsidiary, Athenian Brewery, between 1998 and 2014, with the sum covering €43 million in damages and €68 million in accrued interest. Heineken disputes the court's reasoning and the amount, calling MTB's claim unrealistic, and plans to appeal, per Reuters.
AOL |
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Beer and wine producers in Washington are contending with weaker demand after alcohol consumption fell to a record low, with lower-priced wine hit hardest. Breweries are testing non-alcoholic and mid-strength beers to hold on to sales.
Vinetur |
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Wine Industry Advisor's second Willamette Valley tour report says European investment in the region is accelerating, with notes on Résonance, Soos Creek and Domaine Rogue.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Russian winemakers are pushing to raise import duties on wine to 200%, according to Wine Industry Advisor.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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The United States' first paper bottle manufacturing facility, run by Monterey Wine Company in California, has reached its two-year mark, with the producer reporting repeat orders, retail adoption and international demand for its Frugal Bottles.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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Massachusetts lawmakers remain divided on giving municipalities control over liquor licenses, with the Senate's economic development bond bill including a local-control measure and House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz defending the current system, under which localities obtain more licenses through home rule petitions that require legislative sign-off. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's Oct. 13 report recommended granting municipalities more authority over on-premises licenses, calling the petition process "opaque, inconsistent, and unpredictable" and flagging a two-tier system in which 26 municipalities have local control while 302 are capped by a state quota formula.
Worcester Business Journal |
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Carlsberg has proposed a $65 million investment in its largest Asian brewery, the Phu Bai plant in Hue, Vietnam. The plan runs from 2026 to 2031 and covers modernization, digitalization, supply-chain upgrades, renewable energy use and food safety improvements.
Vinetur |
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Strucchi, the Piedmont vermouth and bitter liqueur producer founded in 2024, has partnered with Brooklyn importer PM Spirits for its first market outside Europe, starting in New York before broader national distribution. It enters with four SKUs: Vermouth di Torino Rosso (16% ABV), Bianco (16%), Dry (18%) and Bitter Rosso (27%), with Bitter Bianco to follow later.
Just Drinks |
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Diageo has selected Dentsu Creative to lead its U.S. trade and shopper marketing business following a competitive review, Adweek reports, consolidating work that previously sat across multiple agencies. The win expands a relationship between the two companies that spans more than 25 years; Dentsu declined to quantify the length or size of the engagement.
Adweek |
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Pernod Ricard India confirmed that officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence visited its premises in connection with a customs duty probe on Scotch whisky imports. The company said it is cooperating with authorities, is confident in its position, and is committed to transparency.
thehawk |
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Tennis player Rafa Nadal and Spain's Gil Family Estates have formed a new wine venture, Dominio del Liftado, built around the revival of old Monastrell vineyards and producing a wine called El Tenista.
Wine Industry Advisor |
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NOCA, which makes the Too Turnt Tea hard tea and Weekend Water boozy water lines, will refresh the packaging for both franchises in early 2027. The maker crossed 3 million lifetime cases in September.
BevNET |
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