Alcohol and Drugs History Society

7 New Emerging Wine Regions

Global warming is partly responsible for emerging grape growing regions according to an article by Simon Majumdar at AskMen.com - here is the link.

Noncommercial alcohol as a problem

The International Center for Alcohol Policies recently released a report, Noncommercial Alcohol in Three Regions, that looks at central and eastern Europe (such as Belarus and Ukraine), subsaharan Africa (such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe), and South Asia (such as Sri Lanka).  For more, see here.  The report defines noncommercial alcohol as "traditional beverages produced for home consumption or limited local trade and counterfeit or unregistered products." 

International coffee shop chain enters Ukraine

In November 2007 the first international coffee shop chain established itself in Ukraine. It was Australian-owned Gloria Jean's. For more, see here.

Baltic and ex-USSR attitudes toward alcohol (article)

Therese C. Reitan, "Democracy in a Battle: Attitudes toward Alcohol Regulation in the Post-Communist Baltic Sea Region," Journal of Baltic Studies 34/2 (Summer 2003): 131-158.

alcohol in contemporary Ukraine (dissertation)

Luba Magdenko, "Societies in Transition: Alcohol Misuse and Conrol Policy in Ukraine" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Toronto, 2005).

Ukraine launches vodka for women

A special brand of vodka being marketed for women has appeared on Ukraine's hard drinks market. The new La Femme vodka is based on unusual recipes using alcoholic fruit juice. Read more here.

Scottish and Newcastle defending its Russian beer market

The Scotsman reports (26 April 2005) that S&N shareholders will cheer once again on news that, where growth in beer sales is sluggish throughout Western Europe, in Russia, the Ukraine, the Baltic states and Kazakhstan the trend remains sharply upward. Leading the charge is BBH, the S&N joint venture with Carlsberg, described by one City analyst as "the only sexy part of their beer business." Baltic Beverages Holdings holds three of the top six brands in Russia, amounting to 34 per cent of total market share. Since its foundation in 1991, the Baltika brand has intertwined itself with Russia’s newly prosperous lifestyle. Find the full story here.

Smoking ban hits Gallaher's Irish sales

Rachel Stevenson reports for The Independent (3 March 2005) that Gallaher, which makes Silk Cut, Benson & Hedges and Mayfair cigarettes, has won market share in Eastern Europe during 2004 but has seen volumes drop nearly 10 per cent in Ireland, a year on from the smoking ban. Find the full story here.

Prohibition in Russia

Gertrude M. Greene's 1915 article, entitled "The Significance of Prohibition in Russia," can be found here.  The article is provided by the Ukraine's Center for Economic Initiatives.

Manitoba Liquor Commission Pulls Wine with Stalin Label

CBC News reports (9 February 2005) that the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association is applauding a move this week by the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission to pull some Ukrainian wine from its shelves after receiving complaints about the labels on the bottles.  The labels bear the image of former Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, with former U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt and Britain's former prime minister Winston Churchill. The full story can be found here.