Nicki Minaj backs Moscato brand (by Lucy Shaw)

American rapper Nicki Minaj.

 

Outspoken American rapper Nicki Minaj is the latest to profit from the ‘Moscato madness’ boom in the US, having become part owner of Moscato brand Myx Fusions.

The songwriter and TV star, known for her outlandish outfits, has been made the face of the brand, which specialises in fruit-infused single serve Moscato.

“I’m so excited to team with Myx. I have no doubt that it will be number one.

“It’s a great tasting product that people will love. It’s not even a hard sell. Myx Fusions gives us an opportunity to revolutionise the wine industry,” she said.

Priced at $4 bottle, Myx Fusions is currently available in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and there are plans to roll out the Moscato across the US.
The Myx Fusions range
“The collaboration between Nicki Minaj and Myx Fusions is a game changer,” said Mona Scott-Young, chief marketing officer for the brand.

Read on …

Top 10 biggest Champagne brands (by thedrinksbusiness.com)

The drinks business has compiled a list of the current top 10 Champagne brands by global volume sales.

While there are few dramatic changes to this year’s rankings – the slide by Piper Heidsieck was widely forecasted as a result of the brand’s recent repositioning – what does stand out is the decline in sales seen by so many of these major players in the Champagne category.

For many consumers, especially in more traditional markets, Champagne stands firm as the ultimate celebratory drink. However, this slide in sales appears to be the result of two aligning forces: ongoing economic difficulties in some of the category’s biggest markets and the growing competition Champagne faces from an increasingly ambitious sparkling wine market.

Read on to find out which brands are dominating today’s Champagne market.

Read on …

Porn stars & their favourite drinks (by Andy Young)

Jesse Jane do Tequila & beer!

From Ron Jeremy’s love of rum to Jenna Jameson’s obsession with Irish whiskey, we reveal porn stars’ favourite drinks.
When the Ron de Jeremy rum launched in 2011, one reviewer said: “I honestly don’t think that there has been a rum – or any product for that matter – that I have had more people ask me for my opinion on in hushed tones than Ron de Jeremy.”

And that is, perhaps, no great shock. The marketers of the rum have adopted a rather tongue-in-cheek campaign, with the saying: “Long and smooth, it’s perfect naked” and it’s no surprise to see Jeremy surrounded by beautiful girls as he talks about the rum. There is even a Ron de Jeremy calendar available.

But Jeremy is not the only adult star to have crossed into the adult world of drinks, Jenna Jameson, once considered the “Queen of porn”, has also released a selection of wines after buying a vineyard in California.

In many of the interviews that these adult movie stars give they are often asked what is their favourite drink, possibly because many people think that you must be drunk to take part in such a film. Although one XXX-rated star, Tera Patrick, dismissed this when asked recently what is the biggest misconception about porn stars, she replied: “That we’re easy to hit on and that everyone’s on drugs – that’s insane. And that we’re all dumb. Some people in porn are so bright. Ron Jeremy, for example, is a special education schoolteacher. I’m a trained nurse.”

Well, that’s OK then. So with misconceptions firmly squashed, let’s take a look at the favourite drinks of some of these adult movie stars.

 

Read on …

Pinot Meunier and porcelain for Cattier (by thedrinksbusiness.com)

Celebrities, like Rihanna, is a big fan of the Cattier’s Armand de Brignac label.

 

Speaking to the drinks business last week, Cattier’s commercial director Philippe Bienvenu said that the house would definitely be bottling a single vineyard varietal Pinot Meunier from the 2012 vintage.

As previously reported by db, the Champagne will be bottled under Cattier’s Armand de Brignac label, famous for its gold packaging, high prices, large formats, and association with celebrities, most notably American rapper Jay-Z.

The grapes for the upcoming Champagne come from a 1.1 hectare walled vineyard called Clos Yons, situated between Chigny-les-Roses and Rilly-la-Montagne, which is planted exclusively with Pinot Meunier.
Read on …

 

Celebrities and their favourite drink (by thedrinksbusiness.com)

Kim Kardashian.

 

From Kim Kardashian to Queen Elizabeth II, here’s a look at the favourite drinks of some of the world’s most famous people.
Whether it is a white Russian or glass of Sapporo, celebrities enjoy some very different drinks. Who do you think enjoys a gin and Dubonnet with a slice of lemon with the pips removed? Can you guess who lists a pomegranate Martini as their favourite drink?

This is a slightly more cheery list than our rogue’s gallery of despots and their drinks, which we featured recently.

Read on …

Top 10 beers for summer sport (by Richard Ross)

 

Drinking beer and watching sport go together like hot dogs and mustard, so we’ve chosen the top brews to cheer your team.

Beer is the go-to drink for a summer watching sport. Whether it’s the start of the new football season, a glance at motor racing, or the wall-to-wall sportsfest that was the Olympics, there’s a beer for everything.

We trace the best brews and weave our way from Canadian ice hockey to NASCAR racing, South African vuvuzelas to Brazilian samba, and even a spot of beer advice from Shane Warne.
Read on …

Also read:

• How Brazil’s favourite beer arrived from Scotland (by Martin Cornell)
• Study finds beer has anti-virus powers (by Andy Young)
• Got a cold? Have a beer (by thedrinksbusiness.com)

2013′s sexiest alcohol calendars (by thedrinksbusiness.com)

Tanduay Rhum

 

Here at db towers, we’ve recently noticed a decidedly raunchy theme with a number of 2013 calendars from various companies in the drinks industry.
From Campari’s pictures of Penelope Cruz to Snow Queen’s erotic calendar, that was reported in the Spirits Business recently, there are a number of sexy calendars on sale now.

We did find it hard to find many calendars featuring sexy men, but that might be because of the advertising restrictions, which we reported in our raunchiest adverts feature.
Read on …

 

Also read:

• If that’s interesting, how about these? (by thedrinksbusiness.com)