The week’s top 10 most read

We round up the week’s most read articles on the drinks business including a whisky bottle discovered in a warship’s mast after 35 years and the return of an unusual cocktail garnish.

Click through to view this week’s top 10 articles. 

10. Spanish vineyards in danger from drought

Half of the territories in Spain have now been put on a state of alert as soaring temperatures wreak havoc across vineyards and olive groves. Rainfall is currently at less than half the historic average in Spain while reservoirs across the country are currently standing at 56% – their lowest level for this time of year since 1995.

To read the full article, please click here. 

9. Amazon debuts wine range from Oregon

After recently buying Whole Foods for £10.7 billion, Amazon has now launched its own range range called ‘Next’. The wines in the three-strong ‘Next’ range were made by King Vintners, a subsidiary of Oregon’s King Estate Winery, and launched exclusively on Amazon.

To read the full article, please click here. 

8. Hong Kong’s Links Concept co-owner dies

This week, dbHK reported that Patricio Cristian de la Fuente Saez, managing director and co-owner of Links Concept, a leading wine and spirits company in Hong Kong, passed away at the age of 44 this week. De la Fuente Saez died on 4 July after battling cancer for 18 months.

To read the full article, please click here. 

7. Top 10 most fattening beers

We round up 10 of the most fattening beers on the market – you may also be interested in our article on 10 of the least fattening beers. 

To read the full article, please click here. 

6. Harrods to invest millions in new wine rooms

Last week, the drinks business exclusively revealed luxury department store Harrods is to open a new ‘multi-million pound’ wine and spirits area in spring next year. This is in direct contrast to reports, published at the end of last year, stating that Harrods would closing its wine and spirits department.

To read the full article, please click here. 

5. Michelin acquires a 40% stake in Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

The French tyre maker and restaurant guide publisher, Michelin, has acquired a 40% stake in US critic Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate for an undisclosed sum.

To read the full article, please click here. 

4. Top 10 Scotch whisky brands 

Take a look at the top 10 best-selling global Scotch whisky brands ranked according to the number of nine-litre cases sold annually.

To read the full article, please click here. 

3. John Kapon: the ‘ghost’ of Kurniawan is behind us 

John Kapon (Photo: Helayne Seidman)

John Kapon, chairman of the American auction house Acker Merrall & Condit, told dbHK that he is eager to move on from the Rudy Kurniawan trial with a renewed focus on Asia, claiming that ‘old ghosts’ are behind him. Rudy Kurniawan was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison for committing multiple counts of wine fraud. He was ordered to pay $28.4 million in restitution to his victims, and another $20 million as part of a forfeiture agreement. Some of Kurniawan’s wines were sold through Acker.

To read the full interview, please click here. 

2. Moët Hennessy wins counterfeit case against Acker in Hong Kong

Just days after the publication of dbHK‘s interview with John Kapon, in which he claimed that Acker was “No.1 in Asia since 2008,” Moët Hennessy announced that it had won its court case against the wine auction house concerning a counterfeit bottle of Krug Collection 1947, presented by Acker in its sales catalogue in Hong Kong in September 2012.

To read the full article, please click here. 

1. Duck & Waffle launches single ingredient cocktails 

The announcement of Duck & Waffle’s new cocktail menu nabbed the top spot this week. Closed-loop cocktail pioneer Rich Woods has created a range of single ingredient cocktails, known as ‘Origins,’ made with every part of the ingredient.

Ingredients include tomato skins, red pepper stalks and spent coffee grinds. To read the full article, please click here.