Merrydown has released a 6% abv medium cider in 50cl bottles in a bid to broaden the appeal of the brand.

Carlsberg is investing £6 million in a TV ad campaign and social media drive for the San Miguel Fresca lager it released to take on the might of Corona and Sol.

Wines of Brazil aims to increase UK exports by 300% in the next three years.

Piper- Heidsieck’s new brand ambassador has pledged to travel across the UK to educate the trade about its wines and the Champagne category in general as supplier First Drinks ramps up its investment in the brand.

An Oscar-winning cinematographer has been drafted in to add style to the upcoming TV ad from Stella Artois Cidre.

New supplier Blends is on a mission to make Uruguay the next big country in the UK wine market by pushing wines from its 200ha vineyard in Maldonaldo into the off-trade.

The Winery Exchange has released a range of 5.5% abv wine-based RTDs into the off-trade.

Heineken has added a Dark Fruit flavor variant to the Strongbow line-up and it will be exclusive to the off-trade from June.

The average cost of a bottle of wine has risen to its highest-ever figure of £5.11 on the back of escalating taxation – but there are signs consumers are still prepared to trade up, according to new Nielsen data.

The Co-operative Group’s new wine boss plans to move away from discounts and overhaul its own-label range.

Oddbins is set to undergo its first overhaul in 17 years with a new look across stores as its owner pledges to make the chain profitable by 2015.

Tesco has launched a website that allows customers to buy cases of wine at discount prices through an emerging e-commerce model called co-buying.

Suppliers have reignited the debate over the approach taken by retailers’ buying teams with calls for them to spend more time in-store and less at head office or visiting wineries abroad.

Australian Vintage has vowed to put Aussie Riesling in the spotlight in a bid to revive the varietal on the back of its successful repositioning of Semillion.

Selfridges promises its customers “an Aladdin’s cave of new, boutique, exclusive one-off products and gifts” after opening a new wine store.

Westons Cider has introduced a price-marked pack for Stowford Press to build on volume growth of 69% in the off-trade (IRI Volume MAT to April 27, 2013).

Sainsbury’s has upped the ante in the own-label wine battleground with the launch of the next phase of its Winemakers’ Selection range.

Wine Australia’s chief executive Andrew Cheesman has resigned to “pursue other opportunities within the wine sector”.

C&C has reported a small decrease in net revenue for the business year to the end of February 2013 but operating profit rose 2.4 per cent.