Avenue Vine

After a period of independent research involving readers and advertisers, and consultations with Wilmington staff, it has been confirmed that a new-look UK-facing magazine, Wine & Spirit, will appear in February 2006. This magazine will follow on from Wine International and Wine & Spirit International and be a groundbreaking title reflecting the energy, imagination and personality of the drinks world.

Like fellow William Reed title Restaurant magazine, Wine & Spirit is aimed at the "professional and the passionate". It will have strong consumer appeal, but will also be required reading for anyone with a career in wines, spirits and beer.

William Reed is delighted to confirm that Catharine Lowe, formerly editor of Wine International, is part of the team and joins as consulting editor. Other roles are being confirmed in the coming weeks.

The new structure gives William Reed by far the broadest spread of any publisher in the sector, with publications aimed at all areas of the drinks trade. This competitive advantage will be used to give greater publicity to the International Wine Challenge and International Spirits Challenge – both events that will be managed by the company’s Events & Exhibitions division. Consumer marketing will also be a priority.

Graham Holter, currently editor of Off Licence News, will assume a group editor role spanning OLN, Wine & Spirit and Drinks InternationaI and will have day-to-day editorial control of Wine & Spirit. Holter said: 'We are confident that the new Wine & Spirit will have an appeal that spans the entire drinks sector. We’re not thinking of it as either a trade magazine or a consumer magazine – it will inform, entertain and stimulate readers with any level of interest in wine, spirits and beers.

"In Wine & Spirit International and Wine International we have an impeccable pedigree. But we are determined that Wine & Spirit will be even greater than the sum of its parts and bring something new to the table."

Wine & Spirit will have a better targeted circulation than any other drinks trade title, backed by an ABC figure.

Patience Gould continues to be editor of Drinks International, which also relocates to Crawley. Off Licence News will appoint a managing editor in due course.
Source: “New structure for William Reed drinks titles,” Wine International, December 8, 2005