Corporate Bovine Manure

A Decanter news article had the headline "High alcohol wines on the way out: Marks & Spencer" which is most interesting. For those that may not be aware, Marks & Spencer is one of the foremost retailers in the UK.

According to the article, "The supermarket's wine technologist Sue Daniels told decanter.com, 'High alcohol wines have had their day. We will be trying to source more wines at 12% alcohol, rather than 14% in the future.'" It then goes on to state "David Gregory, head of technology at M&S, said, 'We are trying to anticipate tomorrow's problems. People want to drink responsibly.'

The move come as M&S undertakes a wholesale reorganisation of its business via 'Plan A', announced by CEO Stuart Rose last month. This is a 100-point plan to reduce the retailer's 'carbon footprint' and to become 'a leading retailer in ethical trading'."

Fascinating stuff.

I can only wonder if companies like this actually believe their own publicity and think that the public are gullible fools that will swallow their corporate doublespeak, hook line and sinker, without giving the matter a second thought. If we are to believe Marks & Spencer's comments, many of the New World producers, including Australia, are going to have a serious problem selling wine into the UK. Readers should bear in mind that the UK imports more wine from Australia than from anywhere else.

Australian wine is successful in the UK because it is well priced, and people actually like drinking the stuff. It has become popular due to its "sunshine in a bottle image" and France, to name just one country in some instances, is trying to emulate wines that are as ripe as ours, rather than producing thin and in some cases weedy wines that don't sell.

The article does mention the increase in alcohol levels in New World wines and states that according to the lobby group Alcohol in Moderation, the average level of alcohol in Australian red wine rose from 12.4%  to 14% over a 20 year period. Let's put this into perspective. The difference between consuming three glasses of wine at 12.4% versus three glasses of wine at 14% means that the consumer will effectively be drinking .39 of a glass extra of wine at the higher alcohol level.  Now in anybody's language, that is not a huge amount, it's less than half a glass.

I can only wonder if this story was released so that Marks & Spencer can be seen to be either politically correct, or to appease the Alcohol in Moderation lobby group. If Marks & Spencer seriously think that people will suddenly stopped buying Australian wine, as well as other high alcohol new world wines, purely and simply because Marks & Spencer thinks that their days are numbered, they are deluded. They don't decide what the public drink, the public does. Why aren't Marks & Spencer pushing for lower alcohol spirits?