Wine Grape Growers’ Australia Executive Director Mark McKenzie said in October 2009 that a large percentage of the grape growing and winemaking community was in severe financial stress. “We have at least 20,000 ha of vineyards more than we need,” Mr McKenzie was reported as saying. The wine industry needs to cut at least 10 percent of Australia’s 177,000 ha of vineyards from production, he said.

Mr Murray, who has headed Lion Nathan for more than five years, will report to a board of three Kirin directors and three independent local directors, including Chairman Geoff Ricketts. Mr Murray, who will be the seventh director, says that he wants the new subsidiary to retain a public company-style operation and he hopes that it will “go forward using his partnership principles”.

If the deal goes through, it will have big implications for corporate Japan. As The Economist observes, the Kirin-Suntory talks are notable because they underscore a new appreciation that success in Japan is no longer enough, that firms need to compete on a global scale, and thus need to be bigger.

According to media reports, Kirin is aiming to achieve sales of JPY 2.13 trillion, excluding liquor tax (USD 23 billion) and operating income of JPY 188 billion (USD 2 billion) by 2012. Kirin is already the biggest Japanese food and beverage firm but the targets, especially for the bottom line, are challenging. Estimated sales for 2009 stand at JPY 1.93 trillion (excluding liquor tax) and operating income is expected to be JPY 125 billion.

Lion Nathan already brew Beck’s under licence from InBev and have enjoyed a 20-year association with the world’s major brewer, originally through the German-owned Beck’s.

Lion Nathan’s interim dividend of AUD 0.22 a share in June meant the original AUD 12.22 bid, including dividend, reduced the offer to AUD 12 a share, it was reported.

On 31 August, twelve of Australia’s most famous names in wine, many of whom have been in the business for several generations already, launched their alliance AFFW which will work to engage consumers, retailers, restaurateurs and industry members across the globe about the real character and characters of Australian wine.

A monster cocktail served by a popular restaurant chain should join the list of banned drinks and promotions, the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) has warned. A 13.6-shot cocktail at the Taco Bill chain of restaurants (Melbourne) has become the latest target for critics who warn it’s a clear breach of responsible service guidelines. “Clearly, any container of alcohol sold for consumption on this premises that includes over 13 standard shots is completely unacceptable and the licensees should be immediately dealt with,” AHA chief executive Brian Kearney was quoted as saying.

In Vietnam trends show that consumptions of soft drinks, beers, coffees and milk products are steadily growing (6 percent in 2008, forecasted 5 percent in 2009 and 9.3 percent in 2010). (Business Monitor International, “Vietnam Food and Drink report Q1 2009”, published on 11th February 09). This attractive investment opportunity is mainly driven by a growing population, an overall improving standard of living and a rising health-conscious consumption.

Import clearance figures for full-strength beers (to March 2009) showed a total of 972,140 hl, of which beers from Mexico – mainly Corona Extra – accounted for over 400,000 hl (= 41 percent). Beers from the Netherlands and USA both showed about 11 percent with Germany about 8.5 percent, according to the monitoring service of the Liquor Merchants of Australia.