#212 Weekly Update Smashing Bottles Sober Holidays Wine on the Tracks

From French grape growers staging bottle-smashing protests
outside Lidl to Singapore Airlines pouring Cristal in the skies,
this week’s update is packed with drama, innovation, and a
sprinkle of holiday sparkle.


Here’s what we’re covering:
Protests and blockades in France over Spanish wine imports
Major vineyard cuts by a top German producer
Italy’s cultural shift in wine consumption
Sober Christmas is trending
Brits are puzzled by wine terminology
Alcohol-free beer is booming in the EU
Luxury Champagne dinners on the UK’s poshest train
️ Singapore Airlines goes exclusive with Cristal
Pizza Hut introduces a tomato wine
NBA star enters the Napa wine scene


From cultural shifts to creative drinks marketing, this episode
has something for everyone. Don’t miss it! Let me know your
thoughts in the comments.





Alexander Gottschalk
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-gottschalk-641838223/)





Shownotes:


(00:00:00) Beaujolais Nouveau


Sandridge Barton New Release
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DChaSgRI0hT/?igsh=MW51ejR3Z3UxY2UxZg==


(00:02:32 ) Angry French grape growers smash bottles outside Lidl


https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/angry-french-grape-growers-smash-bottles-outside-lidl-544119/


(00:06:26) French Growers block motorway and hijack lorries
containing Spanish wine


https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/french-protests-growers-block-motorway-and-hijack-lorries-containing-spanish-wine-544630/


(00:08:02) Famous German producer reduces vineyards drastically


https://www.meininger.de/wein/erzeuger/markgraf-von-baden


(00:10:02) Italy sees a cultural shift in wine consumption


https://winenews.it/en/italians-are-not-giving-up-wine-but-changing-demographics-types-and-consumption-occasions_541842/


(00:12:08) Sober Christmas is getting real


https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2024/11/21-of-christmas-parties-will-be-alcohol-free-this-year/


(00:16:25) Brits are baffled by wine terminology


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14112205/wine-lovers-baffled-jargon-terminology-UK.html


(00:00:00) Alcohol-free beer is becoming more popular in the EU


https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/11/15/alcohol-free-beer-is-becoming-more-popular-in-the-eu-but-will-it-overtake-traditional-beer


My AF Beer Favorites: https://youtu.be/Etu8QmjB-us


(00:19:19) Luxury Champagne Christmas Dinner in UK's poshest
train 


https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/uks-poshest-train-coming-glasgow-30404695


(00:20:39 ) Singapore Airlines exclusively offering Roederer
Cristal from December


https://www.traveldailymedia.com/singapore-airlines-elevates-suites-and-first-class-experience-by-exclusively-offering-cristal-2015-champagne/


(00:21:46) Pizza Hut is introducing a tomato wine


https://fortune.com/2024/11/19/pizza-hut-tomato-wine/


(00:23:20) NBA star launches own Napa Red


https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/295098