The scorching late summer sun of northern Portugal is ripening the black, super-sweet grapes that will go to make what European Union rules say is the only wine that can be called port.

Wine making has for several centuries been a way of life for many families here in the picturesque valley of the River Douro. It's a tradition the EU regulations are designed to protect.

"If it wasn't for wine, the Douro region would be on its knees," says 59-year-old Jose Pereira, a foreman for the Rozes port wine producer, as behind him two dozen local people pick the first grapes of the annual harvest. "Wine is our wealth."

For these workers and the local port wine producers, just like the makers of French champagne, Greek feta cheese or Italy's Parma ham, the EU's name-protection laws help ensure their livelihood by shielding them from industrial-scale, lower-cost copycats.

But port wine's second-largest export market is the United Kingdom, and the impending British exit from the EU is throwing port's almost 50 million euros' (58 million US dollars) worth of annual business there into doubt.

That's because London conspicuously isn't saying whether after leaving the EU next year it will keep the bloc's name protection rules. It could, for example, choose to let in rival port producers from the British Commonwealth, such as South Africa and Australia, as it casts around for post-Brexit trade deals.

Authorities in the United States have long fought against the EU's Geographical Identification (GI) laws, saying they amount to trade barriers - an argument that is not lost on the British government as it eyes closer business ties with Washington.

Product name protection is not a minor issue.

Last week, the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier singled it out as one of the three main outstanding questions, alongside a possible future border in Ireland and working out the post-Brexit EU-UK relationship.

Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer in intellectual property law at City, University of London, says Geographical Identification laws are "a very sensitive issue which could jeopardize the whole Brexit negotiations."

He reckons the British government, aware that the UK is a major market for the more than 3,000 EU-protected items, is using the issue as "a bargaining chip" to win advantages in other areas of the negotiations.

EU protected names are prized by businesses. The labelling comes with strict regulations on production and is regarded as a quality guarantee that helps branding and sales.

The EU says the scheme seeks to protect local economies and cultures against misuse of names or imitations.

The policy has been a flashpoint before, being a factor in holding up a trade deal between the EU and the United States, where Geographical Identification rules fall under trademark law and where feta and parmesan, for example, are considered generic names.

Portugal's port wine industry offers a look into how a protected name earns its special status and what's at stake for families and businesses in the Brexit talks.

The Douro Valley has an abundance of arresting landscapes along an almost 200-kilometre (120-mile) stretch, reaching from the Atlantic almost into Spain. The spectacular scenery places it on a par with other outstanding European wine regions, such as the Rhine Valley in Germany or France's Loire.

The valley's steep and stony slopes are scored with contours of green vines that ripple back from the river in corrugated lines. Terraces of ancient walls, hand-built in local brown slate, hold gravity at bay. The quiet landscape is punctuated with ridgetop clusters of whitewashed houses and port wine estates called 'quintas.'

Several factors, producers say, make this a singular place: it has weather extremes, with summer bringing heat well above 30 degrees Celsius and winter bringing snow and ice; grape varieties such as Touriga nacional, Tinta roriz and Barroca are unique to Portugal; the poor, bone-dry soil means fewer grapes but a high concentration of sugar; and the slopes, up to 600 metres (2,000 feet) high, offer varying angles of exposure to the sun.

Tractors and trucks have replaced the mules and oxen of yore, but plenty has remained unchanged - including grape-treading in a knee-high granite tank called a 'lagar,' which remains common.

Port is the queen of Portuguese wines. A bottle of 19th-century vintage port, which is the top of the range, can fetch more than 3,000 euros (3,500 US dollars) at auction.

It is a fortified wine, made by adding grape spirit to halt the fermentation and keep the grapes' natural sweetness. It allows wine makers to produce deep, delicately textured wines admired around the world.

It is an ironic twist of Brexit that Britishness runs through the history of Portugal's port wine trade like marbling.

The port business was largely created by, and flourished because of, the British. The port companies, or 'houses,' are called Taylor's, Croft's, Churchill's, Warre's, Sandeman, and Symington, among others.

Taylor's, for example, was established in the Douro Valley in 1744 by Bartholomew Bearsley. After him came, among other bosses, Joseph Taylor, John Fladgate, Frank Yeatman and Alistair Robertson, whose son-in-law Adrian Bridge is now the Managing Director.

Bridge's office is in Vila Nova da Gaia, on the coast by the city of Porto, where the port companies have traditionally brought their wines for aging and shipping.

Standing amid hundreds of centuries-old barrels piled in rows in a musky cellar with granite walls and a wooden roof, Bridge notes that Brexit is already hurting business as the British pound's drop in value against the euro has pushed up port's price on UK shelves.

Taylor's sells port to 105 countries around the world, but Britain is far and away the most important he says, though plans are afoot to expand port's presence in other markets.

He adds, with typical British understatement, that he expects Brexit to "require some degree of readjustment."

Raymond Reynolds, owner of Raymond Reynolds Ltd, a specialist UK Wine importer is not too worried about geographical denominations, which he believes are superceded by historic links between suppliers and buyers.

"They are trusted in terms of their quality and through to retailers and consumers that works as well," he says, adding "the only problem with Brexit is the uncertainty."

Britain and the EU have not yet finalised their divorce agreement, stirring fears among businesses of disruption to trade.

Douro Valley, Portugal - 12 September, 2018

1. Pan of Douro River near Pinhao, Douro Valley

2. Wide of slope with green vines

3. Mid of Ferreira port wine slope

4. Mid of Alves de Sousa port wine slope

5. Wide of protected landscape with sign

6. Close of sign reading (Portuguese) "Douro Wine Valley, World Heritage"

7. Change of focus from slope to vine leaf

8. Workers arriving to harvest

9. Tilt up from bucket to workers going up the hill

10. Close of bucket with grapes

11. Mid of workers

12. Close of worker cutting vines

13. Close of bucket filled with grapes

14. Tilt down from sun to workers walking

15. Set up shot for Jose Pereira, foreman of Rozes port wine producer

16. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Jose Pereira, foreman of Rozes port wine producer:

"If it wasn't for wine there would be a crisis, both for our employers and for us. Without the wine the Douro region would be on its knees. Wine is our wealth."

17. Tractor carrying grapes up hill

18. Wide of Quinta da Gricha entrance

19. Workers receiving and processing grapes from the harvest for Churchill's port wine production house

20. Various of grapes being processed

21. Tilt down of Rozes wine barrels

22. Wide of old bottles of port wine

23. Change of focus between vintage port wine bottles

24. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Luciano Madureira, oenologist, Rozes port wine production:

"Port wine is good because it's from here, from this region. This is a unique region, where people are very important, the climate, the soil – which is not very rich, eager to produce more but that can't give more than what it already gives. We are in the mountains so what we do is always in small scale but with extraordinary quality."

Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal - 11 September, 2018

25. Entrance to Taylor's port wine cellars house

26. Close of Taylor's symbol

27. Wide of wine barrels at cellar

28. Set up shots for Taylor's managing director Adrian Bridge

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Bridge, Managing Director, Taylor's port wine house:

"Well, I think that clearly when we are selling a product like Port - which we have done for hundreds of years – we have seen many disruptions, of war and pestilence over the centuries and perhaps if one puts the context of Brexit in these terms of an unfortunate blip that may cause some problems and probably requires some degree of readjustment, I think that would be fair."

30. Wide of royal warrant of appointment

31. Close of royal warrant of appointment reading (English) "By appointment to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II suppliers of Port Wine, Taylor's Port Portugal"

London, UK - 14 September, 2018

32. Various set up shots of Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer in intellectual property law at City, University of London

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Enrico Bonadio, Senior Lecturer in intellectual property law at City, University of London:

"I don't think the Europeans will accept, the EU will accept a Brexit deal which does not protect feta cheese, Parmesan cheese or champagne wine also because the entire final Brexit deal will need to be ratified by national parliaments, 27 national parliaments. Can we imagine the Greek parliament or the Italian parliament or the French parliament having to ratify a final Brexit deal that does not strongly protect feta, parmesan or champagne? It will be difficult. That's why a deadlock on this issue could jeopardize the entire Brexit deal."

London, UK - 19 September, 2018

34. Wide shot of the Raymond Reynolds stall at "The Dirty Dozen" wine and spirits tasting event in Glazier Hall, London

35. Attendee tasting a wine

36. Pan up from bottles of Niepoort port wine to wine tasters

37. Close up of wine being poured

38. Shot of Raymond Reynolds pouring some Niepoort Bioma port

39. Cutaway corks

40. SOUNDBITE: (English) Raymond Reynolds, Owner of Raymond Reynolds Ltd, a specialist UK Wine importer:

"I don't have any fear in that sense (of Geographical Identification ending after Brexit) because you know your sources of supply, we work with our growers, there is a historic link. They are trusted in terms of their quality and through to retailers and consumers that works as well so the only problem with Brexit is the uncertainty."

41. Tilt up of bottle of port

42. Various of Raymond Reynolds with customers

LEADIN:

British food and drink producers are feeling the strains of Brexit at The International Food and Drink Event (IFE) in London.

The UK government announced today (Monday 20 March) that it will trigger Article 50 on March 29, which will formally begin the Brexit process.

With the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the negotiations, many producers are considering expansion into new markets, particularly the United States.

STORYLINE:

Things are sizzling in London at IFE, the UK's largest food and drink trade show, with more than 29,000 visitors expected to attend.

The show brings together over 1,350 food producers from around the world - like this beefsteak from Poland.

Or these kebabs from Turkey...

Giant onions from Spain...

Or how about a mouthful of Chinese seaweed salad?

But by far the largest contingent at the event is from the UK, which is acting as the show's partner country for the first time.

This year's show features more than 700 British food and drink producers and gives them a shop window for the international buyers in attendance.

But uncertainty over Brexit is overshadowing the event, with Article 50 expected to be triggered on March 29.

Many exhibitors are small to mid scale food and drink producers who are concerned about how a break from the European Union will impact their growing businesses.

For those north of the border in Scotland, the situation is particularly uncertain, with calls from the Scottish National Party for a second vote on independence.

Callum MacInnes is a cheese maker and founder of Island Smokery on the far northerly Orkney Islands.

He's been producing smoked cheeses and butters for a high-end market for over ten years; his products can be found at hotels including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

MacInnes produces 40 tonnes of cheese every year and is currently moving to a larger factory to grow his business, but now he has to contend with more instability.

"It (Brexit and a second Scottish vote on independence) is alarming because we've no idea. Basically it's just more turmoil," he says.

"I mean, you have turmoil in a political situation, when people are uncertain, people don't spend, they always wait to see.

"So between another referendum and Brexit we're really between a rock and a hard place at the minute because nobody knows how it's going to pan out."

But MacInnes tries to remain positive about the political situation in Scotland and sees the benefit of new trade with the US.

With the fall in value of the pound against the dollar he has discovered his high-end cheeses and butters are suddenly much more affordable for Americans looking to invest in high-quality food.

He's just shipped his first export to the US after a positive trade event saw orders flooding in.

"It was specialist for a long time, it was maybe too expensive for the man on the street but because of the way the pound and the dollar has gone, it's now accessible to everyone," he says.

Just down the road in Orkney is one of the newest producers at the show; Kirkjuvagr gin has only been available since last August.

The company started in February, but by the time the first bottle rolled off the production line the Brexit vote had already been decided.

For Stephen Kemp, the director of Orkney Distilling Ltd., it spells trouble for his young company.

"I think Brexit doesn't necessarily spell a lot that's good right now, not for us, not out on the periphery of Britain in the north," he says.

"We very much rely on the British market and also being able to use Britain as a springboard to go to other markets round the world."

Kemp has many advantages basing his gin company in Orkney - for example, the Angelica root (one of the key botanicals used to flavour gin) grows naturally on the Scottish island.

But despite the positive reactions he's getting for his gin, Kemp says there could be difficulties ahead if the impact of Brexit on small businesses like his is not taken into consideration in the negotiations.

"It's sad to think that small producers like us will be penalised because there's been no indication how the support mechanism might work for the industries and for young companies like us," he says.

Welsh producers like the Celtic Pie Co. are also exhibiting at the show.

Like the Scots, many are also finding the prospect of Brexit negotiations a bit too salty.

Jessica Lea-Wilson is with Halen Mon Sea Salt co. from Anglesey, an island off the north coast of Wales.

Halen Mon has been hand harvesting high-end salt products from the waters around the island for the last 21 years.

A 100g packet of Anglesey sea-salt starts from around 4 British pounds (approx. $5 USD) and is called a finishing salt, added at the end of a dish rather than as a cooking ingredient.

The largest market for the Welsh company is in Spain, so a retreat from the EU is of real concern - particularly because it could mean losing its EU protected designation of origin status.

This could mean salt producers in other parts of the world could use the Anglesey name to promote their own salts.

"The protected designation of origin, this little symbol here, protected food names like Champagne or Parma ham or Melton Mowbray pork pies, this legislation is in place to protect our brands, make sure that they're not imitated and we're not quite sure what's going to happen when we leave the EU when it comes to that and that's really important to our business," says Lea-Wilson.

"So we're trying to highlight that and bring it to the government's attention."

Like many British producers at IFE, Lea-Wilson is already looking to new markets and also like many British producers she sees the US as a key growth area.

"We already have a growing market in the US and we're trying to see it as a positive thing that it might grow and that might be an opportunity for us, especially in terms of currency rates at the moment it's quite an attractive option for a lot of US buyers," she says.

Exhibitors are feeling the uncertainty, but remaining positive about the future.

Show director Soraya Gadelrab thinks there's a lot to be confident about in the British food industry.

"At the moment trading conditions are uncertain for some people and I think a big international trade show like this gives the UK suppliers an opportunity to say; 'Here we are, we're open for business.' But on top of that it shows new markets who perhaps haven't done a lot of imports from the UK previously, that we have such a plethora of on trend products to come and look at, but also it gives those buyers an opportunity to meet the suppliers face-to-face, talk to them and start talking to them about real genuine business," she says.

London attracts top chefs from around the world, who come to cook in the capital.

Peruvian chef Robert Ortiz from Lima restaurant in London is demonstrating his skills at the show.

Here he puts together a tiradito dish with raw scallops and spicy Peruvian yellow chillies.

IFE runs from 19-22 March at London's ExCel exhibition centre.

London, UK - 19 March 2017

1. Close of Polish beef steak frying on grill

2. Mid of chef speaking with show visitors

3. Close of steak being turned

4. Mid of chef serving visitors steak

5. Close of cooked steak

6. Wide of Turkish kebab

7. Close of kebab being shaved

8. Close of kebab cooking

9. Close of giant Spanish onion being placed on top of can

10. Various of Palestinian stand with dates

11. Close of bowl of seaweed salad from China

12. Various of man eating seaweed salad

13. Low shot of Callum MacInnes cutting Orkney smoked cheese

14. Close of cheese being cut

15. Close of Scottish flag of St Andrew

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Callum MacInnes, Founder of Island Smokery:

"It (Brexit and a second Scottish vote on independence) is alarming because we've no idea. Basically it's just more turmoil. I mean, you have turmoil in a political situation, when people are uncertain, people don't spend, they always wait to see. So between another referendum and Brexit we're really between a rock and a hard place at the minute because nobody knows how it's going to pan out."

17. Mid of MacInnes taking cheese from fridge

18. Close of smoked cheese being cut

19. Mid of MacInnes cutting cheese

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Callum MacInnes, Founder of Island Smokery:

"It was specialist for a long time, it was maybe too expensive for the man on the street but because of the way the pound and the dollar has gone, it's now accessible to everyone."

21. Close tilt down of Kirkjuvagr gin from Orkney, Scotland

22. Mid of Stephen Kemp of Kirkjuvagr talking with visitors

23. Close tilt up of show visitor sampling gin

24. Close of tap filling glass with gin

25. Various of Stephen Kemp drinking gin

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Kemp, Director of Orkney Distilling Ltd.:

"I think Brexit doesn't necessarily spell a lot that's good right now, not for us, not out on the periphery of Britain in the north. We very much rely on the British market, we rely also on being able to use Britain as a springboard to go to other markets round the world."

27. Close of jar containing Angelica root - a key ingredient in gin

28. Close of Angelica in hand

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Kemp, Director of Orkney Distilling Ltd.:

"It's sad to think that small producers like us I think will be penalised because there's been no indication of how the support mechanism might work for the industries and for young companies like us."

30. Mid pan right of sign reading: (Welsh/English) "Cymru/Wales"

31. Various of chef at the Celtic Pie Co. slicing steak and ale pie

32. Wide of Jessica Lea-Wilson from Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt co.

33. Close of Lea-Wilson

34. Close of bowl of sea salt

35. Mid of Lea-Wilson pouring salt into her hand

36. Close of salt in her hand

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Lea-Wilson, Brand Manager, Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt co.:

"The protected designation of origin, this little symbol here, protected food names like Champagne or Parma ham or Melton Mowbray pork pies, this legislation is in place to protect our brands, make sure that they're not imitated and we're not quite sure what's going to happen when we leave the EU when it comes to that and that's really important to our business. So we're trying to highlight that and bring it to the government's attention."

38. Extreme close of salt crystals in hand

39. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Lea-Wilson, Brand Manager, Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt co.:

"We already have a growing market in the US and we're trying to see it as a positive thing that it might grow and that might be an opportunity for us, especially in terms of currency rates at the moment it's quite an attractive option for a lot of US buyers."

40. Various setup shots of event director Soraya Gadelrab speaking to exhibitor

41. SOUNDBITE (English) Soraya Gadelrab, Show Director, the International Food and Drink Event:

"At the moment trading conditions are uncertain for some people and I think a big international trade show like this gives the UK suppliers an opportunity to say; 'Here we are, we're open for business.' But on top of that it shows new markets who perhaps haven't done a lot of imports from the UK previously, that we have such a plethora of on trend products to come and look at, but also it gives those buyers an opportunity to meet the suppliers face-to-face, talk to them and start talking about real genuine business."

42. Various of Robert Ortiz, chef from Lima restaurant in London, demonstrating Peruvian cooking onstage

LEADIN:

British food and drink producers are feeling the strains of Brexit at The International Food and Drink Event (IFE) in London.

The UK government announced today (Monday 20 March) that it will trigger Article 50 on March 29, which will formally begin the Brexit process.

With the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the negotiations, many producers are considering expansion into new markets, particularly the United States.

STORYLINE:

Things are sizzling in London at IFE, the UK's largest food and drink trade show, with more than 29,000 visitors expected to attend.

The show brings together over 1,350 food producers from around the world - like this beefsteak from Poland.

Or these kebabs from Turkey...

Giant onions from Spain...

Or how about a mouthful of Chinese seaweed salad?

But by far the largest contingent at the event is from the UK, which is acting as the show's partner country for the first time.

This year's show features more than 700 British food and drink producers and gives them a shop window for the international buyers in attendance.

But uncertainty over Brexit is overshadowing the event, with Article 50 expected to be triggered on March 29.

Many exhibitors are small to mid scale food and drink producers who are concerned about how a break from the European Union will impact their growing businesses.

For those north of the border in Scotland, the situation is particularly uncertain, with calls from the Scottish National Party for a second vote on independence.

Callum MacInnes is a cheese maker and founder of Island Smokery on the far northerly Orkney Islands.

He's been producing smoked cheeses and butters for a high-end market for over ten years; his products can be found at hotels including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

MacInnes produces 40 tonnes of cheese every year and is currently moving to a larger factory to grow his business, but now he has to contend with more instability.

"It (Brexit and a second Scottish vote on independence) is alarming because we've no idea. Basically it's just more turmoil," he says.

"I mean, you have turmoil in a political situation, when people are uncertain, people don't spend, they always wait to see.

"So between another referendum and Brexit we're really between a rock and a hard place at the minute because nobody knows how it's going to pan out."

But MacInnes tries to remain positive about the political situation in Scotland and sees the benefit of new trade with the US.

With the fall in value of the pound against the dollar he has discovered his high-end cheeses and butters are suddenly much more affordable for Americans looking to invest in high-quality food.

He's just shipped his first export to the US after a positive trade event saw orders flooding in.

"It was specialist for a long time, it was maybe too expensive for the man on the street but because of the way the pound and the dollar has gone, it's now accessible to everyone," he says.

Just down the road in Orkney is one of the newest producers at the show; Kirkjuvagr gin has only been available since last August.

The company started in February, but by the time the first bottle rolled off the production line the Brexit vote had already been decided.

For Stephen Kemp, the director of Orkney Distilling Ltd., it spells trouble for his young company.

"I think Brexit doesn't necessarily spell a lot that's good right now, not for us, not out on the periphery of Britain in the north," he says.

"We very much rely on the British market and also being able to use Britain as a springboard to go to other markets round the world."

Kemp has many advantages basing his gin company in Orkney - for example, the Angelica root (one of the key botanicals used to flavour gin) grows naturally on the Scottish island.

But despite the positive reactions he's getting for his gin, Kemp says there could be difficulties ahead if the impact of Brexit on small businesses like his is not taken into consideration in the negotiations.

"It's sad to think that small producers like us will be penalised because there's been no indication how the support mechanism might work for the industries and for young companies like us," he says.

Welsh producers like the Celtic Pie Co. are also exhibiting at the show.

Like the Scots, many are also finding the prospect of Brexit negotiations a bit too salty.

Jessica Lea-Wilson is with Halen Mon Sea Salt co. from Anglesey, an island off the north coast of Wales.

Halen Mon has been hand harvesting high-end salt products from the waters around the island for the last 21 years.

A 100g packet of Anglesey sea-salt starts from around 4 British pounds (approx. $5 USD) and is called a finishing salt, added at the end of a dish rather than as a cooking ingredient.

The largest market for the Welsh company is in Spain, so a retreat from the EU is of real concern - particularly because it could mean losing its EU protected designation of origin status.

This could mean salt producers in other parts of the world could use the Anglesey name to promote their own salts.

"The protected designation of origin, this little symbol here, protected food names like Champagne or Parma ham or Melton Mowbray pork pies, this legislation is in place to protect our brands, make sure that they're not imitated and we're not quite sure what's going to happen when we leave the EU when it comes to that and that's really important to our business," says Lea-Wilson.

"So we're trying to highlight that and bring it to the government's attention."

Like many British producers at IFE, Lea-Wilson is already looking to new markets and also like many British producers she sees the US as a key growth area.

"We already have a growing market in the US and we're trying to see it as a positive thing that it might grow and that might be an opportunity for us, especially in terms of currency rates at the moment it's quite an attractive option for a lot of US buyers," she says.

Exhibitors are feeling the uncertainty, but remaining positive about the future.

Show director Soraya Gadelrab thinks there's a lot to be confident about in the British food industry.

"At the moment trading conditions are uncertain for some people and I think a big international trade show like this gives the UK suppliers an opportunity to say; 'Here we are, we're open for business.' But on top of that it shows new markets who perhaps haven't done a lot of imports from the UK previously, that we have such a plethora of on trend products to come and look at, but also it gives those buyers an opportunity to meet the suppliers face-to-face, talk to them and start talking to them about real genuine business," she says.

London attracts top chefs from around the world, who come to cook in the capital.

Peruvian chef Robert Ortiz from Lima restaurant in London is demonstrating his skills at the show.

Here he puts together a tiradito dish with raw scallops and spicy Peruvian yellow chillies.

IFE runs from 19-22 March at London's ExCel exhibition centre.

London, UK - 19 March 2017

1. Close of Polish beef steak frying on grill

2. Mid of chef speaking with show visitors

3. Close of steak being turned

4. Mid of chef serving visitors steak

5. Close of cooked steak

6. Wide of Turkish kebab

7. Close of kebab being shaved

8. Close of kebab cooking

9. Close of giant Spanish onion being placed on top of can

10. Various of Palestinian stand with dates

11. Close of bowl of seaweed salad from China

12. Various of man eating seaweed salad

13. Low shot of Callum MacInnes cutting Orkney smoked cheese

14. Close of cheese being cut

15. Close of Scottish flag of St Andrew

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Callum MacInnes, Founder of Island Smokery:

"It (Brexit and a second Scottish vote on independence) is alarming because we've no idea. Basically it's just more turmoil. I mean, you have turmoil in a political situation, when people are uncertain, people don't spend, they always wait to see. So between another referendum and Brexit we're really between a rock and a hard place at the minute because nobody knows how it's going to pan out."

17. Mid of MacInnes taking cheese from fridge

18. Close of smoked cheese being cut

19. Mid of MacInnes cutting cheese

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Callum MacInnes, Founder of Island Smokery:

"It was specialist for a long time, it was maybe too expensive for the man on the street but because of the way the pound and the dollar has gone, it's now accessible to everyone."

21. Close tilt down of Kirkjuvagr gin from Orkney, Scotland

22. Mid of Stephen Kemp of Kirkjuvagr talking with visitors

23. Close tilt up of show visitor sampling gin

24. Close of tap filling glass with gin

25. Various of Stephen Kemp drinking gin

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Kemp, Director of Orkney Distilling Ltd.:

"I think Brexit doesn't necessarily spell a lot that's good right now, not for us, not out on the periphery of Britain in the north. We very much rely on the British market, we rely also on being able to use Britain as a springboard to go to other markets round the world."

27. Close of jar containing Angelica root - a key ingredient in gin

28. Close of Angelica in hand

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Kemp, Director of Orkney Distilling Ltd.:

"It's sad to think that small producers like us I think will be penalised because there's been no indication of how the support mechanism might work for the industries and for young companies like us."

30. Mid pan right of sign reading: (Welsh/English) "Cymru/Wales"

31. Various of chef at the Celtic Pie Co. slicing steak and ale pie

32. Wide of Jessica Lea-Wilson from Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt co.

33. Close of Lea-Wilson

34. Close of bowl of sea salt

35. Mid of Lea-Wilson pouring salt into her hand

36. Close of salt in her hand

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Lea-Wilson, Brand Manager, Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt co.:

"The protected designation of origin, this little symbol here, protected food names like Champagne or Parma ham or Melton Mowbray pork pies, this legislation is in place to protect our brands, make sure that they're not imitated and we're not quite sure what's going to happen when we leave the EU when it comes to that and that's really important to our business. So we're trying to highlight that and bring it to the government's attention."

38. Extreme close of salt crystals in hand

39. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Lea-Wilson, Brand Manager, Halen Mon Anglesey Sea Salt co.:

"We already have a growing market in the US and we're trying to see it as a positive thing that it might grow and that might be an opportunity for us, especially in terms of currency rates at the moment it's quite an attractive option for a lot of US buyers."

40. Various setup shots of event director Soraya Gadelrab speaking to exhibitor

41. SOUNDBITE (English) Soraya Gadelrab, Show Director, the International Food and Drink Event:

"At the moment trading conditions are uncertain for some people and I think a big international trade show like this gives the UK suppliers an opportunity to say; 'Here we are, we're open for business.' But on top of that it shows new markets who perhaps haven't done a lot of imports from the UK previously, that we have such a plethora of on trend products to come and look at, but also it gives those buyers an opportunity to meet the suppliers face-to-face, talk to them and start talking about real genuine business."

42. Various of Robert Ortiz, chef from Lima restaurant in London, demonstrating Peruvian cooking onstage

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4038463

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4038463

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

AP Television

London - 27 May 2016

1. Close of wine glasses

2. Bartender pouring sparkling wine

3. Tilt down on central courtyard at Devonshire Square, the hub for London Wine Week

4. Group of friends enjoying English sparkling wine

5. Men playing table tennis

6. Sign reading (English) "London Wine Week"

7. Set up shot of Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

"What's unique about it? It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved whether that's with offers, special menus or ticketed events across the week."

9. Two women with wine flight selection

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

(Responding to the question Do you think a Brexit will affect the wine industry negatively?)

"I wouldn't have said so, because I mean, I think, you know, wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

11. Sign reading (English) "Pop into our pop up wine bars"

12. Various of Portuguese wine pop up

13. Mid of graduate trainees in insurance Oscar Stenpom and Anna Rogers

14. Flight of Portuguese wines

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers, Insurance Graduate Trainees:

(Responding to question Do you think a Brexit will mean it will be more difficult for people to access quality wine?)

Stenbom: "Yes,"

Rogers: "I guess so, I mean if it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be."

Stenbom: "It would also be more difficult to know what you're drinking, because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

16. Pull focus of Spanish wine labels

17. Vintage bottles of fortified wine

18. Side view of Spanish wine bottles

19. Set up shot of Bettina Lemm with wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (which represents the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero, but I think that we're still establishing ourselves. A lot of people know some big names from the region, and we're just trying to bring attention to some other grape producers who might not yet have the same recognition."

21. Close of wine labels

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (who represent the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

(Responding to the question are you worried about the possibility of a Brexit affecting your export market?)

"I think at the moment we're pretty confident, as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment."

23. Pan from mediaeval knight sculpture to pop up courtyard

24. Mid of Provence wines pop up

25. Establisher shot of Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes Wine Club

26. Close of Harrow eyeing the wine

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"There's been a real rise in wine clubs in London and the UK generally of late, and I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people."

28. Mid of woman laughing over a glass of wine

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and then bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up."

30. Woman at table with wine

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least - and even the whites, and to an extent the reds are really coming up. So I have to say it - sorry Al Gore - global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

32. Various of English rose and white sparkling wines

33. Vermouth being poured into a glass

34. Various of "Regal Rogue" Vermouth bottle

35. Tilt up of Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth, and his produce

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth:

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort."

37. Crowd of London Wine Week attendees at the Vermouth Bar

38. Mid of vermouth cocktails being made

39. Focus pull of sign reading (English) "Drink Up"

LENGTH: 6:02

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

LEAD IN:

UK wine industry experts are eyeing the upcoming vote on whether to leave the European Union with mixed feelings.

With producers and suppliers heavily reliant on pan-European trade, many remain unsure how Brexit will impact upon business.

STORY-LINE:

Sparkling wine on a summer's day in the English capital.

Glistening flutes and bottles in abundance, and a crowd of happy lunchtime drinkers add to the atmosphere of excitement and discovery, along with an impromptu game of ping pong.

It must be London Wine Week.

This is the third year of the festival, and this year is the most popular to date.

Festival director Emma Murphy says "It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved" .

But although these flutes of fizz are English sparkling wine, much of the wine the festival goers here are tasting is from EU member states such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.

The June 23 referendum on whether to quit the European Union is fast approaching. So is this something the industry should fear?

"I wouldn't have said so," says Murphy.

"Wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

At the festival hub on London's Devonshire Square, there are pop-up bars featuring wines from across Europe.

These two young graduate trainees are enjoying wines from Portugal, and with their festival wristband, it costs them just five British Pounds for a flight of three.

Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers both agree that things may well be different if Britain leaves the union.

"If it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be," says Anna, while Oscar is concerned about regulation and labelling:

"It would also be more difficult to know what you are drinking because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

The New Street wine shop has been taken over by the wine festival. They sell wines from all over the world but today they are holding a tasting featuring wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain.

Most wine drinkers know about the region of Rioja, but Bettina Lemm is informing these festival goers about the region she represents.

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero but I think that we're still establishing ourselves."

But if the UK is an important export market, is Brexit going to throw the proverbial spanner into the works? Lemm doesn't seem too worried "I think at the moment we're pretty confident as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment," she says.

Wine used to have a rather old fashioned reputation and a comparatively elderly demographic, but this has changed enormously in recent years.

The prevalence of wine clubs popping up in the UK is an indicator of wine's increasing popularity.

Tom Harrow of Honest Grapes explains why this is "I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people," he says.

With 125 venues across the metropolis taking part in this festival, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy it with friends.

But with such enthusiasm for wine spreading across the country, June 23 could bring disruption, according to Harrow "It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up" .

However, the future might be bright in other, unexpected ways.

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least," says Harrow, and with apologies to climate change icon Al Gore, he adds that "global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

Reports by the WSTA (Wine and Spirit Trade Association) suggest there is still some way to go as the UK comes in at number six on the list of sales of sparkling wine by origin - but it's rising year on year.

600 million bottles of wine are bottled in the UK.

This makes the UK wine market the sixth largest in the world, generating 173 billion British pounds of economic activity, according to the WSTA. 10 billion British pounds are made through sales.

Also being showcased here is one of the new kids on the alcohol block, Regal Rogue Vermouth.

According to brand founder Mark Ward, vermouth, by definition, is 75 percent wine. It must have wormwood and it must have an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 15 to 24 percent. These three things have to be in place for a producer to put vermouth on the bottle or it flouts recent EU regulations.

Ward, who was brought up in hospitality, began the project in Australia where he worked closely with top Australian chefs who introduced him to indigenous herbs and spices.

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort." he says.

Ward is attempting to educate the wine drinking market which, he believes, is mostly unaware of the fact that vermouth is fundamentally a wine.

This can only be helped by a new pop up for 2016, the Vermouth Bar.

The parent company of London Wine Week is the aptly named "Drink Up London", and they're already preparing for the 2017 event - Brexit or no Brexit.

AP Television

London - 27 May 2016

1. Close of wine glasses

2. Bartender pouring sparkling wine

3. Tilt down on central courtyard at Devonshire Square, the hub for London Wine Week

4. Group of friends enjoying English sparkling wine

5. Men playing table tennis

6. Sign reading (English) "London Wine Week"

7. Set up shot of Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

"What's unique about it? It's the largest self-guided wine tasting that there is across London. It's kind of the only event of its kind that we have over here. So we work with 125 bars, restaurants, independent merchants who all get involved whether that's with offers, special menus or ticketed events across the week."

9. Two women with wine flight selection

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Emma Murphy, director of London Wine Week

(Responding to the question Do you think a Brexit will affect the wine industry negatively?)

"I wouldn't have said so, because I mean, I think, you know, wine trade has been going for long enough, even long before the euro, so I wouldn't have thought that would make much difference to be honest with you. Hopefully not anyway."

11. Sign reading (English) "Pop into our pop up wine bars"

12. Various of Portuguese wine pop up

13. Mid of graduate trainees in insurance Oscar Stenpom and Anna Rogers

14. Flight of Portuguese wines

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Oscar Stenbom and Anna Rogers, Insurance Graduate Trainees:

(Responding to question Do you think a Brexit will mean it will be more difficult for people to access quality wine?)

Stenbom: "Yes,"

Rogers: "I guess so, I mean if it's more expensive for them to send the wine here, if there's more tariffs, then yeah I guess it would be."

Stenbom: "It would also be more difficult to know what you're drinking, because there won't be as many restrictions on labelling the wine based on where it's actually from and the grape it's actually come from."

16. Pull focus of Spanish wine labels

17. Vintage bottles of fortified wine

18. Side view of Spanish wine bottles

19. Set up shot of Bettina Lemm with wines from Ribera del Duero in northern Spain

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (which represents the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

"I think they (wines of Ribera del Duero) are still an emerging market, especially in the UK. The UK is an important market for Ribera del Duero, it's the seventh-largest export market for Ribera del Duero, but I think that we're still establishing ourselves. A lot of people know some big names from the region, and we're just trying to bring attention to some other grape producers who might not yet have the same recognition."

21. Close of wine labels

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Bettina Lemm, Westbury Communications (who represent the Ribera del Duero region in the UK):

(Responding to the question are you worried about the possibility of a Brexit affecting your export market?)

"I think at the moment we're pretty confident, as we've seen year to year that exports have grown. I think that's going to continue and I don't think it's a worry that we have at the moment."

23. Pan from mediaeval knight sculpture to pop up courtyard

24. Mid of Provence wines pop up

25. Establisher shot of Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes Wine Club

26. Close of Harrow eyeing the wine

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"There's been a real rise in wine clubs in London and the UK generally of late, and I think this is because people want to engage more with what's in the bottle. It's not just liquid, they want to know the stories behind it, they want to meet the people involved. And there's the sociable aspect, you know wine is fundamentally something which we do with other people."

28. Mid of woman laughing over a glass of wine

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"It's fair to say that we're a bit concerned about the possibilities of Brexit, I think the rising price of the euro against the pound will have a serious effect on quality wine. At the moment more than 60 percent of wine that comes into the UK is shipped in massive great tankers and then bottled over here and that's not something we get involved with. But that becomes the only affordable way if the pound plummets against the euro. So I think that it won't be a good thing initially for the wine consumer because the prices of these small artisan wines will go up."

30. Woman at table with wine

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Harrow, wine director of Honest Grapes:

"All the English wine makers that I speak to say we are half a degree away from being a perfect climate for sparkling wines at least - and even the whites, and to an extent the reds are really coming up. So I have to say it - sorry Al Gore - global warming is a good thing for the UK sparkling wine trade."

32. Various of English rose and white sparkling wines

33. Vermouth being poured into a glass

34. Various of "Regal Rogue" Vermouth bottle

35. Tilt up of Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth, and his produce

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue vermouth:

"It seemed like a really obvious thing to do, marrying the herbs and spices with this abundance of Australian wine to create a New World style of vermouth. And you know the tradition of vermouth is really led by the European markets. You know, Italian, French, now Spanish - but now there are vermouths coming out of America, the UK, Germany and obviously Australia. So pretty much anywhere where you find wine now, you will find a vermouth of some sort."

37. Crowd of London Wine Week attendees at the Vermouth Bar

38. Mid of vermouth cocktails being made

39. Focus pull of sign reading (English) "Drink Up"

LENGTH: 6:02

LEAD IN:

Fine food and drink professionals in the UK say the industry is rapidly recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with some businesses doing even better after adapting during the pandemic.

However while demand is high, issues such as Brexit, labour shortages and backlogs at ports mean getting supplies in and out of the country remains a challenge.

STORY-LINE:

The Specialty and Fine Food Fair is back at London's Kensington Olympia, after it - along with most large events - was put on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Attending are members of an industry hit particularly hard by the pandemic, especially those working in the hospitality sector.

One such company is Dylan's, a successful restaurant chain in North Wales.

Forced to close during repeated national lockdowns in the UK, its owners started making Dylan's meals which could be packaged and eaten by customers at home.

"It hit us really hard at first obviously, like all restaurant businesses, we had no business. So it made us think on our feet and rather than sitting at home doing nothing, we decided to develop into a retail range," explains one of the directors of Dylan's, Robin Hodgson.

"So what we decided to do was take our restaurant meals, package them up, make them with the same quality that we would do for our customers inside the restaurant, package them so that people could take them home and eat those same quality meals in their own houses. And it's been a tremendous success."

The UK is currently experiencing food and drink supply chain disruption with a range of issues such Brexit and backlogs related to COVID-19 contributing.

Some supermarket shelves are empty and online shopping is frequently plagued with shortages.

Aware of this, Dylan's decided to capitalise on a feature which has always made it popular - sourcing local materials.

"The big problem with Brexit that kind of snuck in at the same time was that we had problems with the supply chain," explains Hodgson.

"And the big ethos of Dylan's was to try and use as much locally sourced produce as we can. And that's what we've done with our retail range here. So what we do is we try and find the local products and make those into the sauces, into the ready meals that we have now."

Pivoting the business and thinking ahead of the supply chain issue has led to success for Dylan's.

"We've had the best summer that we've ever had," says Hodgson.

Another company whose product is in popular demand is New English Teas.

However their products are packed in India and Sri Lanka and international logistics to get the tea back to the UK are becoming more complex.

"Selling the products has become the easy part, actually getting the product to the customer has been the challenge," explains the company's Sales Director, Adrian Woodley.

Woodley says there's currently a lack of vessels and container space, with the impact of COVID-19 is still being felt at the ports:

"I know ports have been hit certainly globally around the world with the impact of Covid, and the availability of staff to work in the ports. But also some ports are getting very much overrun now because where ports have closed because of Covid outbreaks, products are then being skipped to other ports and that then gets backed up. And skipping ports, vessels that we're shipping to Hong Kong for instance, the products are being diverted because they're not prepared to wait to go into northern China. So again you've got delay after delay."

With many changes to customs and border rules following Brexit, exporting products from the UK to Europe is now more complex and prone to delays.

La Tua Pasta is a high-end restaurant supplier in the UK and also exports to Paris. They survived the worst of the pandemic by creating a website and selling fresh pasta directly to homes.

"We thought we had one mountain to climb which is Covid, then it turns out that there was a second mountain which was Brexit," explains Patricia Adrian-Hanson, Creative Director at La Tua Pasta.

Like many others at the fair, Adrian-Hanson says transport logistics are now the company's greatest challenge - particularly when it comes to exporting fresh pasta to Europe, which also requires certification from a vet (Official Veterinarian) because it contains animal products:

"We have a truck that goes to Paris every Saturday and we always dread that Saturday phone call, from our customs agent telling us that the truck is stuck because there is a box that wasn't checked on the 60 page document that the English vet had to fill out, or the French vet had a problem. Or the French vet was on holiday and the new vet that was standing in didn't agree with how things should be done, or had a different opinion etc."

Adrian-Hanson says we're still living in a world of uncertainty and that she is always very nervous about whether the truck will clear the border and make it to the customer in time to still be fresh.

Another company at the fair which says Brexit and labour shortages have created challenges is the Devon Distillery, particularly when it comes to importing the bottles for their products.

However since they also run a gin and a rum school and consider themselves a hospitality company they say a culture change - which has seen more people wishing to work from home since lockdown - is creating staffing shortages too:

"People come in, they design their own gin, their own rum, they put a label on their bottle, it's a very fun thing to do," says Kate Le Maux, Head of Operations at Devon Distillery.

"But it's definitely hospitality based and just trying to get the staff for that, I mean these days have changed so significantly and we're finding that although it's still a very fun job there are less and less people who are looking for that kind of work. So we are struggling and we are currently on a recruitment drive at the moment. So yeah it is difficult."

The Specialty and Fine Food Fair is the UK's leading showcase of artisanal food and drink and is at London's Kensington Olympia from 6th to 7th September 2021.

London, UK - 6 September 2021

1. Bartender doing tricks with bottle at 'Inspiration Bar' at Speciality and Fine Food Fair 2021 at Kensington Olympia

2. Bartender explaining to visitor how their bar works

3. Close of signage for Speciality and Fine Food Fair

4. Tilt down exhibition space at Kensington Olympia

5. Crowds climbing stairs in exhibition space

6. Jars and bottles on display at Dylan's stand

7. Tilt up jars and bottles

8. Robin Hodgson, one of the directors of Dylan's talking to visitor about how their company pivoted during the pandemic

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Robin Hodgson, Co-Director, Dylan's

"I mean it hit us really hard at first obviously, like all restaurant businesses, we had no business. So it made us think on our feet and rather than sitting at home doing nothing, we decided to develop into a retail range. So what we decided to do was take our restaurant meals, package them up, make them with the same quality that we would do for our customers inside the restaurant, package them so that people could take them home and eat those same quality meals in their own houses. And it's been a tremendous success."

10. Hodgson showing visitor their ready meals

11. Pan across ready meals in fridge

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Robin Hodgson, Co-Director, Dylan's

"The big problem with Brexit that kind of snuck in at the same time was that we had problems with the supply chain. And the big ethos of Dylan's was to try and use as much locally sourced produce as we can. And that's what we've done with our retail range here. So what we do is we try and find the local products and make those into the sauces, into the ready meals that we have now."

13. Pull focus from Dylan's chutney to crackers

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Robin Hodgson, Co-Director, Dylan's

"Covid's made us think in different angles and in different directions and it's pushed our business. We've had the best summer that we've ever had and we've got another side to the business that we never had before. So yeah it's been hard but it's pushed us and we're making it work."

15. Various of exhibitor stirring a curry

16. Wide of New English Teas stand

17. Close of tins of tea with pictures of the British royal family

18. Tilt up tins of New English Teas

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Woodley, Sales Director, New English Teas

"So our product is tea, as you can see, provided in very beautifully designed tins that are embossed and printed. Our products are then packed in Sri Lanka or India. Probably the biggest challenge of the last 12 months has been logistics. So selling the products has become the easy part, actually getting the product to the customer has been the challenge."

20. Close of tins of English Fine Tea

21. Wide of New English Teas products

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Woodley, Sales Director, New English Teas

"From a production point of view our factories are running at high capacity, so they are managing to produce the products. I know ports have been hit certainly globally around the world with the impact of Covid, and the availability of staff to work in the ports. But also some ports are getting very much overrun now because where ports have closed because of Covid outbreaks, products are then being skipped to other ports and that then gets backed up. And skipping ports, vessels that we're shipping to Hong Kong for instance, the products are being diverted because they're not prepared to wait to go into northern China. So again you've got delay after delay."

23. Woman trying chocolate at stand

24. Close of chocolate products

25. Various of chef at La Tua Pasta stand, serving pasta to visitors

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Patricia Adrian-Hanson, Creative Director, La Tua Pasta

"We thought we had one mountain to climb which is Covid, then it turns out that there was a second mountain which was Brexit, which was also terrible, and now we have the best mountain, which is demand, demand is back up and above where it was before Covid, which is wonderful except that whereas before we had too much of everything and we couldn't get it out to consumers fast enough, now we are scrambling to make sure that we have all of our suppliers in place, all of our logistics in place, in order to be able to service our client in the same timely manner with as much customer service as we had before."

27. Tilt across La Tua Pasta products on display

28. Tilt up from table of products to chef in background

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Patricia Adrian-Hanson, Creative Director, La Tua Pasta

"We have a truck that goes to Paris every Saturday and we always dread that Saturday phone call, from our customs agent telling us that the truck is stuck because there is a box that wasn't checked on the 60 page document that the English vet had to fill out, or the French vet had a problem. Or the French vet was on holiday and the new vet that was standing in didn't agree with how things should be done, or had a different opinion etc. So we are still living in the world of uncertainty, and because we have a fresh food product we are always very, very nervous about whether or not it will actually clear the border and make it to our customer who wants it of course on time and fresh."

30. Green VW van at drinks stand

31. Close of bottles of Hattiers Rum

32. Kate Le Maux, Head of Operations at Devon Distillery in front of stand

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Le Maux, Head of Operations, Devon Distillery

"So Brexit, you know, importing things… so our bottles, and we get through quite a lot of bottles as a distillery, that's one of the things that's really been difficult for us. So it's a combination of things, so Brexit changes or rules, drivers, Covid tests, just trying to get things in has been… yeah! So our lead times have gone from a couple of weeks to months and that has had a huge effect on how the business operates."

34. Tilt up from bottles to distillery equipment on VW van

35. SOUNDBITE (English) Kate Le Maux, Head of Operations, Devon Distillery

"We have a gin school and a rum school and that is very much hospitality, customer facing. People come in, they design their own gin, their own rum, they put a label on their bottle, it's a very fun thing to do. But it's definitely hospitality based and just trying to get the staff for that, I mean these days have changed so significantly and we're finding that although it's still a very fun job there are less and less people who are looking for that kind of work. So we are struggling and we are currently on a recruitment drive at the moment. So yeah it is difficult."

36. Back of VW van reading (English) "Still on the Move"

LEAD IN:

With Brexit uncertainty and US sanctions hitting the industry, it's a tough time for Spanish wine makers.

But while many fear the UK and US import markets could collapse, they are also turning their attentions to the east and growing markets in Asia - where wine is increasingly becoming a favoured tipple.

STORY-LINE:

Over 2,000 different Spanish wines are being uncorked, poured, sniffed, swirled and tasted at Madrid's two-day International Wine Fair.

But despite the constant clink of glasses, the Spanish wine industry is going through a period of deep uncertainty due to Brexit and new US sanctions that are hitting the industry hard.

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?'" says Beatriz Garcia, commercial director of AvanteSelecta winery.

"There is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

AvanteSelecta is Spain´s leading wine group, producing over 2.5 million bottles annually with strong commercial relationships with the US and UK.

In the continued absence of an exit deal between the UK and the EU, the threat of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal still looms.

That spells bad news for the Spanish wine market that relies heavily on UK consumption.

According to data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OEMV), the UK counts for a third of all international sales of Rioja.

As a whole, the export market to the UK is worth 333 million euros.

Alberto Saldon is from the Zamora Company winery that owns La Rioja based wine producers Ramon Bilbao.  

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs," he says.

"For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

The fizz is also waning in the Catalan region, famous for its sparkling white wine Cava.

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good," says Toni De la Rosa Torello, the director of Torello winery.

"The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically.

"In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

But Spanish producers have been trying to take some steps to soften the blow of Brexit if and when it falls.

At the beginning of 2019, in order to ensure that British lovers of Spanish wine do not run out, many producers increased their stock of bottles in the UK.

Winemakers are also taking advice on the prospect of having to change labelling and how to deal with a potential collapse of the British pound.

In addition, exporters are working with the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) that is talking to other EU wine associations about getting an agreement with the UK government on tariffs, certificates of origin and labelling.

"These uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view," says the general manager of the FEV, José Luis Benitez.

"More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need.

"We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

At the same time, Spain is among the four countries affected by new U.S. tariffs on European food, wine and other goods in response to illegal EU subsidies to plane maker Airbus.

The U.S. put tariffs worth $7.5 billion on EU goods like wine, cheese and olive oil, following a green light from the World Trade Organisation in a case involving illegal EU subsidies for Airbus.

The tariffs, which took effect on October 18, are ten percent for EU aircraft and 25 percent for everything else.

Spanish wine (fresh grapes, not sparkling), in less than two-litre bottles with less than 14 percent alcohol content, are target for a 25 percent duty.

In 2018, Spain exported 90 million litres of wine to the United States worth 325 million euros, according to the OEMV.

"Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality," explains Adolfo Gatell, general manager of the Peñin Spanish wines guide.

"On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help.

"So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

But there is still reason to celebrate.

Faced with this economic scenario, Spanish wineries are looking for solutions in other markets.

Thanks to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), many wineries are knocking on doors in Canada and Japan.

Asia - particularly China, Hong Kong and South Korea - are also hot tickets for Spanish producers.

With a middle-class increasingly thirsty for reds, whites and bubbly, Spanish wine producers are pinning hopes on the China market.

Torres Sangre de Toro is one of the biggest foreign wines in China.

According to OEMV figures, in 2018, Spain exported 81 million litres of wine to China, worth 156 million euros.

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

1. Close of man sniffing and swirling glass of wine and drinking it

2. Mid of two women laughing while clinking glasses and drinking wine

3. Close of women swirling glasses of white wine

4. Mid of a man uncorking bottle of wine

5. Close of man pouring red wine into glass

6. Mid of two Asian men sniffing, swirling and tasting wine

7. Close of woman sniffing and tasting wine

8. Wide of wine fair floor

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Beatriz Garcia, Commercial Director of AvanteSelecta wine group:

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?' So, there is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

10. Tilt up of man uncorking bottle of wine

11. Wide of man pouring Rioja wine for visitors

12. Mid of visitors tasting Rioja wine

13. Close of man swirling glass of red wine

14. Close of glass of red wine being contrasted against white tablecloth

15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alberto Saldon, Spokesperson for Zamora Company winery:

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs. For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

16. Close of bottle of sparkling white wine known as Cava being uncorked

17. Close sparkling white wine known as Cava being poured

18. Mid of two men tasting Cava in front of bottles

19. Tilt up from glass of sparkling white wine known as Cava to woman smiling and clinking glass

20. Various of Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery, pouring and tasting sparkling wine

21. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery:

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good. The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically. In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

22. Close of white wine being swirled in wine glass

23. Close of man tasting and drinking white wine

24. Wide of wine tasting room

25. Close of man sniffing two different wines

26. Mid of visitors tasting rose wine

27. Close of man swirling glass of rose wine, sniffing it and tasting it

Madrid, Spain - 23 October 2019

28. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) José Luis Benitez, General Manager, Spanish Wine Federation (FEV):

"Actually, these uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view. More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need. We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

FILE: Mezalocha, Spain - 7 May 2018

29. Various aerial shots of vineyards of Pago Ayles Winery

30. Wide of workers cleaning vineyard in preparation for grape growing season

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

31. Close of red wine being poured into glasses

32. Mid of wine tasting room

33. Close of 2020 Peñin guidebook

34. Wide of wine fair floor

35. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Adolfo Gatell, General Manager, Peñin guide:

"The situation between what could happen with the United States and Brexit is much different. Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality. On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help. So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

36. Mid of Asian men tasting wine

37. Close of Asian men tasting wine

38. Wide of two Asian women tasting wine

39. Close of Asian man taking picture of red wine

40. Zoom out from close of glasses clinking to wide of men drinking wine

LEAD IN:

With Brexit uncertainty and US sanctions hitting the industry, it's a tough time for Spanish wine makers.

But while many fear the UK and US import markets could collapse, they are also turning their attentions to the east and growing markets in Asia - where wine is increasingly becoming a favoured tipple.

STORY-LINE:

Over 2,000 different Spanish wines are being uncorked, poured, sniffed, swirled and tasted at Madrid's two-day International Wine Fair.

But despite the constant clink of glasses, the Spanish wine industry is going through a period of deep uncertainty due to Brexit and new US sanctions that are hitting the industry hard.

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?'" says Beatriz Garcia, commercial director of AvanteSelecta winery.

"There is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

AvanteSelecta is Spain´s leading wine group, producing over 2.5 million bottles annually with strong commercial relationships with the US and UK.

In the continued absence of an exit deal between the UK and the EU, the threat of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal still looms.

That spells bad news for the Spanish wine market that relies heavily on UK consumption.

According to data from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OEMV), the UK counts for a third of all international sales of Rioja.

As a whole, the export market to the UK is worth 333 million euros.

Alberto Saldon is from the Zamora Company winery that owns La Rioja based wine producers Ramon Bilbao.  

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs," he says.

"For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

The fizz is also waning in the Catalan region, famous for its sparkling white wine Cava.

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good," says Toni De la Rosa Torello, the director of Torello winery.

"The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically.

"In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

But Spanish producers have been trying to take some steps to soften the blow of Brexit if and when it falls.

At the beginning of 2019, in order to ensure that British lovers of Spanish wine do not run out, many producers increased their stock of bottles in the UK.

Winemakers are also taking advice on the prospect of having to change labelling and how to deal with a potential collapse of the British pound.

In addition, exporters are working with the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV) that is talking to other EU wine associations about getting an agreement with the UK government on tariffs, certificates of origin and labelling.

"These uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view," says the general manager of the FEV, José Luis Benitez.

"More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need.

"We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

At the same time, Spain is among the four countries affected by new U.S. tariffs on European food, wine and other goods in response to illegal EU subsidies to plane maker Airbus.

The U.S. put tariffs worth $7.5 billion on EU goods like wine, cheese and olive oil, following a green light from the World Trade Organisation in a case involving illegal EU subsidies for Airbus.

The tariffs, which took effect on October 18, are ten percent for EU aircraft and 25 percent for everything else.

Spanish wine (fresh grapes, not sparkling), in less than two-litre bottles with less than 14 percent alcohol content, are target for a 25 percent duty.

In 2018, Spain exported 90 million litres of wine to the United States worth 325 million euros, according to the OEMV.

"Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality," explains Adolfo Gatell, general manager of the Peñin Spanish wines guide.

"On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help.

"So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

But there is still reason to celebrate.

Faced with this economic scenario, Spanish wineries are looking for solutions in other markets.

Thanks to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), many wineries are knocking on doors in Canada and Japan.

Asia - particularly China, Hong Kong and South Korea - are also hot tickets for Spanish producers.

With a middle-class increasingly thirsty for reds, whites and bubbly, Spanish wine producers are pinning hopes on the China market.

Torres Sangre de Toro is one of the biggest foreign wines in China.

According to OEMV figures, in 2018, Spain exported 81 million litres of wine to China, worth 156 million euros.

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

1. Close of man sniffing and swirling glass of wine and drinking it

2. Mid of two women laughing while clinking glasses and drinking wine

3. Close of women swirling glasses of white wine

4. Mid of a man uncorking bottle of wine

5. Close of man pouring red wine into glass

6. Mid of two Asian men sniffing, swirling and tasting wine

7. Close of woman sniffing and tasting wine

8. Wide of wine fair floor

9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Beatriz Garcia, Commercial Director of AvanteSelecta wine group:

"It is as if everyone had stopped, while saying: 'Well, what's coming now?' So, there is a general halt, even though those measures have not yet been applied. There is a feeling of confusion and total uncertainty."

10. Tilt up of man uncorking bottle of wine

11. Wide of man pouring Rioja wine for visitors

12. Mid of visitors tasting Rioja wine

13. Close of man swirling glass of red wine

14. Close of glass of red wine being contrasted against white tablecloth

15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alberto Saldon, Spokesperson for Zamora Company winery:

"The EU exit of the British market is going to be a blow to the Spanish agri-food industry, specifically for the wine sector in which we are, because exports will be charged with fees and tariffs. For a winery like ours, almost Rioja centenary, (the UK) it is a key and strategic market. We have to think what we are going to do to save this circumstance that we cannot control. Undoubtedly, it will affect our income statement."

16. Close of bottle of sparkling white wine known as Cava being uncorked

17. Close sparkling white wine known as Cava being poured

18. Mid of two men tasting Cava in front of bottles

19. Tilt up from glass of sparkling white wine known as Cava to woman smiling and clinking glass

20. Various of Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery, pouring and tasting sparkling wine

21. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Toni De la Rosa Torello, Director of Torello winery:

"Market turbulence, trade wars, they are never good. The Spanish agri-food sector is very powerful and every time there is a little earthquake, from the commercial point of view, we are worried, logically. In the last years, we have invested many efforts in export, (we have done) a great economic effort. And when something like this happens, something that your winery, the quality of your wine, you cannot control, then you get nervous."

22. Close of white wine being swirled in wine glass

23. Close of man tasting and drinking white wine

24. Wide of wine tasting room

25. Close of man sniffing two different wines

26. Mid of visitors tasting rose wine

27. Close of man swirling glass of rose wine, sniffing it and tasting it

Madrid, Spain - 23 October 2019

28. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) José Luis Benitez, General Manager, Spanish Wine Federation (FEV):

"Actually, these uncertainties are a question of what will happen from the practical point of view. More than the fall in sales, (these uncertainties are about) what will happen with the shipment, what wineries are going to need. We have always said that in a mature market (like the UK), which is a very good connoisseur of Spanish wine, the fall in sales could come from other causes: for example, by an economic recession that could be produced by Brexit. For example, by a depreciation of the pound that could make our wines more expensive."

FILE: Mezalocha, Spain - 7 May 2018

29. Various aerial shots of vineyards of Pago Ayles Winery

30. Wide of workers cleaning vineyard in preparation for grape growing season

Madrid, Spain - 28 October 2019

31. Close of red wine being poured into glasses

32. Mid of wine tasting room

33. Close of 2020 Peñin guidebook

34. Wide of wine fair floor

35. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Adolfo Gatell, General Manager, Peñin guide:

"The situation between what could happen with the United States and Brexit is much different. Brexit will be for all European wines, affecting the French, Italians, Germans, which are our great competitors worldwide, both in quantity and quality. On the other hand, the United States tariffs are only for the wines of those countries that participated in the Airbus project because it is a reprisal for the EU economic help. So, this will not affect other (competitor) countries, such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, Austria. Other countries that are not within the (Airbus project)."

36. Mid of Asian men tasting wine

37. Close of Asian men tasting wine

38. Wide of two Asian women tasting wine

39. Close of Asian man taking picture of red wine

40. Zoom out from close of glasses clinking to wide of men drinking wine

In Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, many described their fatigue and dismay with Brexit, even after a deal was reached on the eve of Christmas.

The Scottish National Party is expected to seek a mandate to hold a second Scottish independence referendum after the 2021 elections for the Scottish Parliament.

People in Scotland voted to remain in the European Union by a majority of over 60% in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

"I can remember life before we joined Europe and I can remember things getting better, in every way," said Jaime Taylor, a retired engineer.

Many Scots back Scottish independence from the United Kingdom Union as a possible way for the nation to get back into the EU.

Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal Thursday that should avert economic chaos on New Year's and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil.

Once ratified by both sides, the agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas after the U.K. breaks fully free of the EU on Jan. 1.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom - 24 December 2020

1. Close of Scottish flag hanging from an apartment window in Edinburgh

2. Wide of Edinburgh town centre Christmas lights

3. Close of Christmas lights

4. Wide of Christmas tree in Edinburgh town centre

5. Wide of the Scottish Parliament

6. Mid of Scottish flag, Union Flag and EU flags in front of Scottish Parliament

7. Mid of Scottish parliament sign with "Sorry we're closed" on it

8. Close of Scottish parliament sign

9. SOUNDBITE (English) James Craig, Maintenance worker:

"I don't know enough about it (the Brexit deal) but we are probably better having some kind of deal. But, whether the fishermen would agree with the deal that is on offer is another story. There could well be European boats in British waters for the next 10 years."

10. Wide of people in front of the Scottish parliament

11. SOUNDBITE (English) James Craig, Maintenance worker:

"My feeling is we'll be writing a wrong that was committed 300 years ago. That is it in a nutshell. (about Scottish independence)."

12. Wide of Alba Bistro (Alba is another name for Scotland)

13. Close of Scottish flags painted on Alba Bistro

14.  SOUNDBITE (English) James Armour, Project Manager for a clean technology firm:

"I think if I were to sum up my feelings about Brexit in one word, it would be fatigue. Maybe that is also because of everything that is going on with Covid. I mean I personally lived in Denmark for three years and I have a lot of affinity for Europe. And I loved that I could go and study there for free, being part of the European Union, which was really cool. I had a great experience and it is a shame I  guess that people in the future might not have that opportunity from Britain. But, I am fatigued because it has been going on for so long, it is happening now, the ball is rolling. I think we should just finish it. But, I do appreciate the people in Scotland, on the whole actually wanted to stay in the EU. So, I can see how that is difficult for us being up here and being part of the Union with the rest of the United Kingdom."

15. Wide of closed "Wee Scottish Pub"

16. Close up of "Wee Scottish Pub"

17. Wide of Grassmarket square in the middle of Edinburgh

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Pamela Tosh, Teacher:

"I think it makes me feel relieved,because over the past couple of weeks there has just been so much hype and misinformation in the media. And then I guess all the queues at Dover and the threat that we might have restrictions in terms of the food that we have. So, hopefully it would get rid of all of that and get rid of a lot of the uncertainty. But, personally I would prefer Scotland to be part of the Europe. So that is the way I am going to vote in future. I will vote for independence and for Scotland to be part of the European Union in the future."

19. Wide of Alba store

20. Close of Alba store

21.  SOUNDBITE (English) Jaime Taylor, Retired engineer:

"I hate Brexit. I think it is a completely retrograde step. I can remember life before we joined Europe and I can remember things getting better, in every way. I think the feeling of being part of a multinational, international, outwardly looking community has been absolutely fantastic. I have always been very excited about everything about being in Europe. And I have been miserable the last four years. I have been following it almost every second of every day. And it is a completely retrograde thing going backwards into an isolated.. Trying to shrink the size of Britain, really England trying to drag Scotland with it. "

22. Wide of Edinburgh Kilt Maker shop

23. Wide of a food stand in Edinburgh town centre called "French connection"

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Jaime Taylor, Retired engineer:

"It feels very much that it is time for the Union (the United Kingdom Union) to be dissolved. Most of us in Scotland would rather be part of the European Union than the British Union, well I am speaking for myself, but there is a definite feeling that way. And, we are stuck now with this Tory party that are governing Westminster."

25. Mid of Jaime cycling away

26. Wide of French restaurant next to an Italian restaurants in Edinburgh town centre

27. Close of a sign saying Petit Paris restaurant is closed

28. Wide of the Scottish parliament

Fears of "Brexit" are stark among the inhabitants of Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland and Belcoo in Northern Ireland, UK - two border villages that could be further separated if the United Kingdom opts to leave the European Union.

Only a gurgling stream separates the two villages, but Ireland's soft border could become a hard fact of life again if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the sovereignty-sharing bloc that has done much to blur the 95-year-old boundary.

Should a majority of British voters reject continued EU membership in the UK's June 23 referendum, Northern Ireland's nearly 500-kilometre (310-mile) frontier with the Irish Republic would become the only British land border with the 27-nation EU.

The closely intertwined residents of Belcoo in Northern Ireland and Blacklion barely 200 metres (218 yards) away in the republic would find themselves again in two diverging lands.

While some view that prospect as an opportunity, many more express dread at the thought.

Farmer Hugh Maguire, 60, whose Blacklion home rests barely inside the republic but whose nearby farm of sheep, cattle and hens lies in Northern Ireland, said he could not survive without EU subsidies.

Both communities are heavily dependent on EU funding. Agriculture is the top employer, and farms receive 329 euros (365 US dollars) per hectare of land from the EU's Single Farm Payment subsidy scheme in place since 2003, an annual payment exceeding 80,000 euros (90,000 US dollars) for Maguire's 241-hectare farm.

Few Northern Ireland farmers are confident that the British government, long a critic of EU farm subsidies, would maintain anything close to that level of state support.

Maguire estimates that EU payments provide two-thirds of his income while most of the rest requires open market access to livestock marts in the republic, where prices for spring lamb are stronger.

Behind the bar in 'Jack's Bar' in Belcoo in Northern Ireland, owner Paul Leonard and his son Stephen look likely to cancel each other's votes. The son favors staying in the EU, while the father is eyeing the exit.

Fears of "Brexit" are stark among the inhabitants of Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland and Belcoo in Northern Ireland, UK - two border villages that could be further separated if the United Kingdom opts to leave the European Union.

Only a gurgling stream separates the two villages, but Ireland's soft border could become a hard fact of life again if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, the sovereignty-sharing bloc that has done much to blur the 95-year-old boundary.

Should a majority of British voters reject continued EU membership in the UK's June 23 referendum, Northern Ireland's nearly 500-kilometre (310-mile) frontier with the Irish Republic would become the only British land border with the 27-nation EU.

The closely intertwined residents of Belcoo in Northern Ireland and Blacklion barely 200 metres (218 yards) away in the republic would find themselves again in two diverging lands.

While some view that prospect as an opportunity, many more express dread at the thought.

Farmer Hugh Maguire, 60, whose Blacklion home rests barely inside the republic but whose nearby farm of sheep, cattle and hens lies in Northern Ireland, said he could not survive without EU subsidies.

Both communities are heavily dependent on EU funding. Agriculture is the top employer, and farms receive 329 euros (365 US dollars) per hectare of land from the EU's Single Farm Payment subsidy scheme in place since 2003, an annual payment exceeding 80,000 euros (90,000 US dollars) for Maguire's 241-hectare farm.

Few Northern Ireland farmers are confident that the British government, long a critic of EU farm subsidies, would maintain anything close to that level of state support.

Maguire estimates that EU payments provide two-thirds of his income while most of the rest requires open market access to livestock marts in the republic, where prices for spring lamb are stronger.

Behind the bar in 'Jack's Bar' in Belcoo in Northern Ireland, owner Paul Leonard and his son Stephen look likely to cancel each other's votes. The son favors staying in the EU, while the father is eyeing the exit.

AP TELEVISION

Blacklion, Republic of Ireland - 24 May 2016

1. Farmer Hugh Maguire with a calf and cows on pasture

2. Close of calf

3. Sheep running on pasture

4. Maguire, pointing to horizon UPSOUND (English): "Right around the borderline of the mountain, right the way on, you can see parts of Southern Ireland."

5. Sheep grazing

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hugh Maguire, farmer:

"Probably 70 percent of my income is off it, 65 to 70 percent is from the EU (European Union). We couldn't survive only for the subsidies. There is no way we could survive, especially on this land that we're farming."

7. Maguire leaving farm through gate

AP TELEVISION

Belcoo, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) - 24 May 2016

8. Bridge leading from Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK) to Blacklion, Republic of Ireland, with sign reading (English and Gaelic) "Welcome to County Cavan"

9. Close of sign reading (English and Gaelic) "Blacklion" with speed limit in kilometres per hour

10. Bridge connecting Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK) and Blacklion, Republic of Ireland

AP TELEVISION

Blacklion, Republic of Ireland - 24 May 2016

11. Sign of "The Market House" tourist centre and gift shop

12. Tourist administrator Helena Corcoran talking to colleague in tourist centre

13. Leprechaun puppets for sale in tourist centre

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Helena Corcoran, tourist administrator and local resident:

"We've had so much tragedy and grief along the border area, that I just feel and hope that they will stay in. My fear is, I suppose, that this border will appear and will make everyday life difficult for everybody basically, because this is the main road from North to South, from Sligo, and we get a lot of traffic, a lot of tourists, and we've already suffered enough in this area, so we don't need to suffer anymore."

15. Mug for sale with images of Ireland and reading (English) "Greetings from Ireland"

AP TELEVISION

Blacklion, Republic of Ireland - 25 May 2016

16. Top shot of bridge connecting Blacklion, Republic of Ireland and Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK)

17. SOUNDBITE (English) John Paul Feeley, Cavan County councilman:

"Europe, and the structural funding and the peace funding have been hugely important in terms of giving areas like this the leg-up that they need to reach or to get into step with the rest of the country and progress economically."

AP TELEVISION

Belcoo, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) - 25 May 2016

18. Sign reading (English) Belcoo, with speed limit in miles per hour

19. Bartender Stephen Leonard carrying board out of pub "Jack's Bar"

20. Stephen Leonard serving guests inside pub

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Leonard, bartender:

"Behind the bar you hear both sides of the story, and you hear now a lot of things like there'll be borders back up, the police will be back out stopping and just all stuff like that, and I've never witnessed it, and I wouldn't like to witness it from what you've heard years ago."

22. Stephen Leonard talking to his father Paul Leonard

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Leonard, self-employed pub owner:

"It probably would possibly enhance the economy again, maybe we'd be freer to be able to do things without the regulation of Europe, you know, so it would. At the end of the day, before the UK market ever went down to the EU, they have always had a very strong economy, they were always well able to survive. They have an identity of their own."

24. Paul Leonard pouring beer and handing glass to his son UPSOUND (English): "Hey Stephen, that's for you."

25. Stephen Leonard drinking beer in pub

26. Pan from river to bridge between Blacklion, Republic of Ireland and Belcoo, Northern Ireland (UK)

As the United Kingdom and the European Union fought bitterly these past three years over the terms on which the island nation would leave the bloc, a dozen new Scotch Whisky distilleries opened in Scotland.

Despite concerns over the impact of Brexit on the scotch whisky industry – the EU is the largest single market for scotch whisky – Scottish distilleries seem unfazed by UK officially leaving the EU on Friday.

"Scottish whisky industry has proved itself to be a very robust industry," said David Brown, managing director at John Crabbie & Company, which recently revived a single malt distillery in Edinburgh.

"We will see what the politicians decide fairly soon we hope," he added. "But in the meantime, we are just getting on with producing scotch whisky because we know the demand globally, not just in Europe…is growing rapidly."

Scotland exported over 4 billion pounds (5.2 billion US dollars) worth of Scotch Whisky worldwide in 2018 according to the Scotch Whisky Association. The EU represents 30% of that market in value, followed by the United States which has 27%.

But demand in China, India and other markets in Asia is growing.

Added to this is a trend to drink less, but drink higher quality spirits. Single Malt scotch can be aged up to 50 years and sell for much more per bottle. In some economies drinking scotch whisky is also seen as a symbol status.

Still, being able to continue trading smoothly with geographically much closer European countries is vital to the industry.

"We have no desire to see tariffs being applied to say French wine and we would like to think that they have no desire to see tariffs applied to Scotch Whisky. So, as long as we all proceed on that basis, that should be fine," Brown said remaining positive about the future trading with the EU.

With Brexit out of the way whisky industry leaders have been pushing officials in the UK to renegotiate a 25% tariff imposed by the U.S. on EU luxury goods in October which slammed Scotch whisky. The move followed a dispute between the bloc and the Americans over subsidies given to Airbus and Boeing.

The heads of the Scotch Whisky Association and its American counterpart, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States called onto the end of the tariffs on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2018, Scotland exported over 1 billion UK pounds in scotch whisky to the US.

"It is worrying," admitted Graham Blaikie, treasurer of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.

"In Scotland, there are about 10-11,000 people employed in the whisky industry but a lot of the whisky distilleries are small communities tucked away in rural areas," he explained. "So with the politicians using it as political football, I hope they can put it at their feet and sort it and fix it."

Scotch whisky also attracts foreigners from across the globe. Around 2 million people visit the 130 Scottish distilleries annually, mostly tourists.

"I'd like to think that in this day and age with technology, people can cross the borders still very efficiently and without much hassle," said Blaikie who also owns a bar and grill serving 200 different whiskies.

"I certainly love it when tourists come in here."

Edinburgh – 30 January 2020

1. Various of distillation process to make scotch whisky

2. Distiller testing spirit

3. Close of spirit coming out of distillation process

4. Various of distiller working

5. Various of distillery

6. SOUNDBITE (English) David Brown, managing director at John Crabbie & Company, an Edinburgh-based scotch whisky company:

"Scottish whisky industry has proved itself to be a very robust industry, we go back a long time, making whisky is a long-term process and you have to plan a long way ahead. So, I think Scotch Whisky business will take all of this in its stride, we will see what the politicians decide fairly soon we hope. But in the meantime, we are just getting on with producing scotch whisky because we know the demand globally, not just in Europe, but globally, is enormous for scotch whisky and is growing rapidly."

7. Wide of distillery

8. SOUNDBITE (English) David Brown, managing director at John Crabbie & Company, an Edinburgh-based scotch whisky company:

"I think there are some concerns obviously when people start talking about tariffs, but I think a lot of common sense, certainly on the side of the producers both here and in Europe, that we hope will translate across to the politicians as well, that common sense will be applied. We have no desire to see tariffs being applied to say French wine and we would like to think that they have no desire to see tariffs applied to Scotch Whisky. So, as long as we all proceed on that basis, that should be fine."

9. Wide of Brown walking up to distillery

Whitecraig (outside Edinburgh) – 30 January 2020

10. Exterior of Mercat grill which serves 200 whiskies

11. Mid of Graham Blaikie, owner of Mercat grill and treasurer of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association pouring whisky at bar

12. Close of poster

13. Blaikie serving single malt whisky

14. Close of single malt whisky

15. Mid of various bottles

16. UPSOUND (English) "Here's a few for you to try, hopefully you'll enjoy something out of here, there is a whisky for everybody, we'll sip it normally, and then we'll just add a little bit of water without killing it. However, you can drink the whisky any way you want to do it, as long as you enjoy it and as long as you drink whisky. Slàinte! (Cheers in Scottish Gaelic)"

17. Wide of Blaikie working

18. Pull focus from Blaikie to map of Scotland

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Graham Blaikie, owner of Mercat grill and treasurer of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association:

"We'd hope that the government will start to negotiate with the United States to reduce the tariffs. It is worrying, in Scotland there are about 10-11,000 people employed in the whisky industry but a lot of the whisky distilleries are small communities tucked away in rural areas in Scotland and the actual communities are reliant on this. So with the politicians using it as political football, I hope they can put it at their feet and sort it and fix it."

20. Close of whisky

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Graham Blaikie, owner of Mercat grill and treasurer of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association:

"I'd like to think that in this day and age with technology, people can cross the borders still very efficiently and without much hassle. Again, we still like our holidays, we love the tourists in Scotland, I think the amount of tourist going to whisky distilleries is going up and up all the time. I certainly love it when tourists come in here. I just like to take the time out and explain to them about the whiskies and I'll let them try little bits."

22. Various of casks to be used for Scotch Whisky ageing

Bastian Heuser swirls the snifter of deep amber whisky before taking a sip, noting its sweet caramel flavour at first that then opens up with hints of spices, nuts and dried fruits.

It's not a single malt from a verdant Scottish glen, nor a sour mash bourbon from the hills of Tennessee - this is an award winning German rye whisky produced by the tiny Spreewood Distillery, nestled in a small town among the fields and forests of Brandenburg about an hour's drive from Berlin.

More and more micro operations like Spreewood have been opening up in recent years, focusing on small batches of quality whisky made from ingredients primarily locally sourced.

German whisky production has increased "massively", and already the number of distilleries outnumbers that of Scotland, according to Michaela Habbel, President of the German Whisky Distillers' Association.

However, "German whisky distilleries have still produced too little to really look at the global market for themselves" at this point in time, Habbel added.  

Indeed, the nascent whisky industry in Germany is dwarfed by others.

For example, Scotland's scotch whisky exports alone in 2017 were worth some 4.4 billion pounds (5.8 billion US dollars/5.1 billion euros), whereas Germany's entire production was worth 11.6 million euros (13.1 billion US dollars), according to government statistics.

With such a small overall production of about six million litres (about 1.6 million gallons) in 2017, German whisky is mostly sold on the domestic market.

But that doesn't mean that distillers like Heuser and Habbel aren't watching international politics, with whisky featuring prominently in two major issues at the moment - Brexit and US President Donald Trump's protectionist tariffs.

With 90 percent of Scotland's whisky exported, accounting for 20 percent of all British food and beverage exports, the Scotch Whisky Association - which spells "whisky" the European style without an "e" - is increasingly concerned about the looming Brexit decision to leave the European Union, especially if there is no deal on future trade relations.

Across the Atlantic, when Trump imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum, the EU retaliated last year targeting "typically American" products, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles and bourbon whisky.

With duties looming for Scotch and already on bourbon, Habbel sees opportunity for German distillers.

But if the whisky tariffs turn into a long-term issue, Heuster says it would be to nobody's benefit.

Right now Spreewood only exports small quantities of whisky to Britain but as it expands its stocks it's hoping to increase that, and is eyeing possible exports to the US down the road.

Despite being sold mostly domestically, German whiskys are gaining international recognition, with a single malt from Habbel's Hillock Park Distillery winning double gold and being named the best whisky in the world by the "World Spirits Award" in 2017.

Hillock Park is one of the oldest German distilleries producing whisky today, with Habbel's father starting small quantities in 1977.

She said the business grew out of the distillery's production of "korn" liquor - basically moonshine - to provide the daily 200 millilitres (about 7 ounces) ration for coal miners in the industrial Ruhr region.

Whisky can be made from many different grains, and has to be aged at least three years in either oak casks that have previously been used to mature other liquor, or virgin oak casks.

Malt whisky is made from malted barley and can only be called Scotch if produced in Scotland, according to EU regulations, and is predominantly matured in used oak casks - the German product is known as single malt.

Bourbon must contain at least 51 percent corn, and rye whisky predominantly rye grain, and both are typically aged in virgin oak barrels, sometimes charred for different flavours.

It's been growing slowly in market share as Germans move away from more traditional liquors like korn and fruit brandy, and now makes up about 10 percent of the market, according to the Association of the German Spirit Industry and Importers.

German distillers tend to focus on using the raw ingredients readily available in the area, making whisky from rye, wheat, spelt and other grains, Habbel says.

With his neatly cuffed selvage jeans and peaked woolen flat cap, Heuser's still clearly more big-city Berlin than small town Brandenburg, but he says part of the distillery's appeal is its serene setting and natural approach.

In addition to using grain from the nearby fields, it draws water from the river that flows through the town of just over 600 people, and its brand name - Stork Club - is a reference to the 200 pairs of the birds that nest in the area.

The whisky is aged in three different types of oak barrels, two from American oaks and one German, which are mixed together at the end of the aging process for a unique flavour that garnered it several awards and a recent 93 rating in Jim Murray's authoritative Whisky Bible - placing it among the top ranked considered "brilliant."

With 500 barrels currently aging and ongoing expansion of storage facilities to accommodate plans to double that this year, Spreewood is growing but Heuser says Scotland's got nothing to worry about just yet.

Schlepzig - 27 February 2019

1. Bastian Heuser, co-owner of Spreewood Distillery, sniffing whisky in barrel

2. Heuser opening whisky bottle and pouring into glass

3. Heuser sniffing whisky

4. Heuser walking over to shelf with whisky bottles

5. Whisky bottles

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Bastian Heuser, co-owner of Spreewood Distillery:

"Rye whisky was always something we really loved because we used to work in bars, made lots of cocktails with rye whisky. And so we said 'OK, that is going to be our focus'. We immediately stopped to do everything else, and basically are now Germany's first distillery that produces solely rye whisky."

7. Employees checking alcoholic strength of whisky

8. Device showing alcoholic strength of the whisky

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Bastian Heuser, co-owner of Spreewood Distillery:

"I think we are, how do you say, (like) a little fly on the back of an elephant. So it's nothing really to be worried from the Scottish side (in terms of competition)."

10. Exterior of Spreewood Distillery

11. Sign at Spreewood Distillery

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Bastian Heuser, co-owner of Spreewood Distillery:

"If Brexit will come, and we don't know of the outcome yet, we have to see: do the prices rise high, do they just do minor price arrangements? We don't know yet. So, it might be a chance in the domestic market, but it definitely will be hard on us on the export into the UK."

Sprockhoevel - 28 February 2019

13. Mash silo

14. Production of whisky

15. Mash in silo

16. Michaela Habbel, President of the German whisky Distillers' Association, talking to colleague

17. SOUNDBITE (German) Michaela Habbel, President of the German whisky Distillers' Association:

"We cannot quantify exactly when the number of German distillers exceeded that of Scotland. The first statistics on this subject were not collected until 2013/2014, and it was, therefore, only then that it was actually discovered that we had an incredible diversity of distilleries in Germany, which was much greater than that in Scotland."

18. Habbel checking rye bag

19. Buckets with mash

20. SOUNDBITE (German) Michaela Habbel, President of the German whisky Distillers' Association:

"Currently the German whisky distilleries have still produced too little to really look at the global market for themselves. At the moment what we see is that production increases massively in German distilleries and what the global market makes of us, we will probably see in the next two to three years."

21. Silos

22. SOUNDBITE (German) Michaela Habbel, President of the German whisky Distillers' Association:

"The political situation which we are currently facing - such as Brexit or the present government in the United States - does not scare German distillers off. At the moment we are still mostly trading nationally, but for the future we do not set any limits for ourselves."

23. Pan to Habbel smelling undistilled whisky

24. Various exteriors of Habbel Distillery

LEADIN

Food poverty has been rising in the UK, in the wake of years of economic austerity.

Now the Conservative government has called a snap-election on June 8, increasing uncertainty about future government policies.

Community activists in London are providing free meals and a food-sharing fridge to help low-income residents and reduce food waste.

STORYLINE

Cranberry and walnut cakes sell for a couple of pounds (2.5 USD) at the Ritzy Cinema cafe in Brixton, south London.

But many are often thrown away once they've reached their best before dates, contributing to food waste in the local community.

That's despite the fact that they are still perfectly good to eat and there are plenty of mouths that would want them.

But there's a new community effort to hold back the tide of discarded processed and fresh goods.

A group of 25 food activists people came up with the idea of starting a People's Fridge, in a shared workspace for start-ups, small businesses and social entrepreneurs, called Impact Hub Brixton.

The People's Fridge is a public fridge where local businesses and residents can leave spare, edible food for others.

And so employees at the Ritzy Cinema now bring their cafe's surplus cakes for people in the community to have for free, rather than sending it to landfill.

"We heard about it, a staff member had come down and heard about the project and it just seemed like a great idea," says Sarah Cook, the Ritzy Cinema's Marketing Manager.

"Businesses like ours, we waste a lot of food off, to then donate it to people in need and help support the community in Brixton, which we are a big part of, is kind of important to us."

Organisers held a crowdfunding campaign to get the fridge project started, raising more than £2,000 (2,556 USD).

Volunteers run the fridge to cut food waste, encourage food sharing and help tackle food poverty.

One of the co-founders, Rebecca Trevalyan, says after a couple of months of the fridge being open there's brisk activity.

"We're seeing lots of donations coming into the fridge, it has been certainly full over the last couple of weeks," Trevalyan says.

According to the founders, food waste is a big issue in the UK valued at around £17 billion (21bn USD) each year, with restaurants throwing away 900,000 tonnes of food annually.

"In terms of demand for it, and need for food, we know that increasing numbers of people are turning to food banks, unfortunately, and we know that food banks don't currently offer fresh food," Trevalyan says.

"There is therefore a gap for the fridge in providing that fresh source of food, but also being a smart way to deal with food surplus."

Trevalyan adds that it is not only the very poor who are in need of help.

"There are lots of people who are in work who are receiving an income but who still can't afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives.

"Here, from my experience, it certainly feels like there is demand and the demand is rising."

The fridge appears to be mutually beneficial.

"Food we've put on the shelves, or had put on the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of it being there," Trevalyan says.

The founders were inspired by similar fridges in Spain, Germany, and India as well as Somerset and Derbyshire in the UK. But this is the first time the concept has been brought to London.

They know that the fridge will not end the issue of food poverty, but it is one of a number of methods which can be used to combat the problem.

This is as UK welfare benefits have been cut over recent years.

According to the Trussell Trust, that runs food banks across the UK, it distributed more than 519,000 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis from April to September 2016. That's up from about 113,000 such parcels for the same period in 2012.

It says the primary reasons for food bank referral are benefit changes and delays and low incomes, issues some say are at risk further from a potentially weakened UK economy post Brexit.

Now that a general election in the UK has been called for 8 June, uncertainty is rife.

One organisation offering free meals in 34 locations across the country, has already seen greater pressure on its services in recent years.

"About a year and a half ago, a local drop in centre for elderly people closed down. It used to serve a hot meal everyday for people over the age of 50," says Alex Cameron, a volunteer at the charity Food Cycle in London's Marylebone.

"And with the closure of that, lots of people were left without a central place to come and meet. It was really damaging to the community actually,"

Food Cycle aims to relieve food poverty and provide a community for people to be a part of. It takes food surplus donations, primarily from supermarkets, and cooks meals for people to attend.

Since the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union in June 2016, the country has already seen price rises in imported food products, as the British sterling has fallen in value. Food prices are expected to grow by between 5 percent and 8 percent in 2017, according to the Food and Drink Federation.

Cameron says she has seen an impact already: "Well, I have to admit I've noticed that the price of the butter that we buy goes up.

"So as a charity we're going to have to start spending more on the extra food that we buy to compliment the food that's surplus.

"I also think that it will have a knock-on effect when basic ingredients and foods go up in price. These are the people that are most affected by that."

One analyst says further inflation and economic instability as the Brexit process completes could increase the already record number of people using free food sources.

"I think Brexit is going to have a negative impact on incomes across the whole spectrum, high-income earners and low-income earners. But the difference is that low-income earners have less room for manoeuvre," says Sarah Boumphrey, Director of Economies and Consumers at the market researchers Euromonitor.

The team behind the People's Fridge think that, if their project is successful, they can help others set up community fridges across the UK.

And, although they may not want it, conditions may be right for just that.

London, UK - 12 April 2017

1. Various two employees of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, delivering cakes to the People's Fridge

2. Can of soup and box of cranberry and walnut cakes in the People's Fridge

3. Tilt down fridge

4. Rack focus of sign on fridge reading (English) "I help cut food waste"

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Cook, Marketing Manager, Ritzy Cinema:

"We heard about it, a staff member had come down and heard about the project and it just seemed like a great idea. Businesses like ours, we waste a lot of food off, to then donate it to people who are in need and help support the community in Brixton, which we are a big part of, is kind of important to us."

6. Pan right of street in Brixton to exterior of Ritzy Cinema

7. Various of people in the Ritzy Cinema bar and cafe eating and drinking

8. Various of person taking food from the People's Fridge

9. Set up shot of Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"Food we've put on the shelves, or we've had put on the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of it being there."

11. Various of onions and greens in the fridge

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"We're seeing lots of donations coming into the fridge, it has been certainly full over the last couple of weeks. In terms of demand for it, and need for food, we know that increasing numbers of people are turning to food banks unfortunately and we know that food banks don't currently offer fresh food. There is therefore a gap for the fridge in providing that fresh source of food, but also being a smart way to deal with food surplus."

13. People walking past fridge

14. Food items in the fridge

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"There are lots of people who are in work who are receiving an income, but who still can't afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives. Here, from my experience, it certainly feels like there is demand and the demand is rising."

16. Various of people eating at a dinner held by Food Cycle in a church in Marylebone

17. Maggie at the table with other diners

18. Maggie in front of a bowl of food

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Maggie (No last name given), Marylebone resident

"Oh, it helps you a lot really. If you are only on your pension. But yes, very, very good. It's good all round and they're lovely people here."

20. Volunteers preparing food in the kitchen

21. Volunteer Alex Cameron serving diners

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Cameron, volunteer:

"About a year and a half ago, a local drop in centre for elderly people closed down. It used to serve a hot meal everyday for people over the age of 50. And with the closure of that lots of people were left without a central place to come and meet. It was really damaging to the community actually."

23. Volunteer preparing food in the kitchen

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Cameron, volunteer:

"Well, I have to admit I've noticed that the price of the butter that we buy goes up. So as a charity we're going to have to start spending more on the extra food that we buy to compliment the food that's surplus. I also think that it will have a knock-on effect when basic ingredients and foods go up in price, these are the people that are most affected by that."

25. Various of woman eating

26. Set up shot of Sarah Boumphrey, Director, Economies and Consumers for market researchers Euromonitor

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Boumphrey, Director, Economies and Consumers for Euromonitor:

"I think Brexit is going to have a negative impact on incomes across the whole spectrum, high-income earners and low-income earners. But the difference is that low-income earners have less room for manoeuvre. They can't direct their spending elsewhere. They can't save less to help with higher food prices. So they have less of a security net."

28. A diner at Food Cycle

29. An empty bowl

30. Diners at Food Cycle

31. Various of a man taking food from the People's Fridge

+UPDATED EDIT AND SCRIPT+

FRA BEAUJOLAIS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only

LENGTH: 7:56

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Paris, France - 21 November 2019

1. Various shots of Bernard Roques-Bouges, owner of 'Au Petit Chavignol' brasserie pouring Beaujolais Nouveau wine from cask into glass and testing it

2. Close up Beaujolais Nouveau in glasses

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Saint-Jean-d'Ardieres, France - 12 November 2019

3. Close of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on conveyor belt inside wine producer warehouse

4. Wide of bottling production line

5. Tracking shot of bottle along conveyor belt and General Director of Vinescence wine production company, Jean-Paul Civeyrac, walking towards labelling machine

6. Various of machine sticking labels on bottles

7. Mid of Civeyrac holding up bottle, UPSOUND (French) "So it's 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau, then you have the batch name and this indication that the wine comes from an environment-friendly farm."

8. Wide of line of bottles down conveyor belt and employees packing them in cardboard boxes

9. Mid of bottles down conveyor belt with fresh label reading 'Nouveau'

10. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Paul Civeyrac, General Director of Vinescence wine production company:

"The market for Beaujolais Nouveau like the one you see here is a global market – the first market in the world being Japan. The French market is also very important but you'll find some around the world, from the United States to Northern Europe. Eastern Europe countries also drink a lot (of Beaujolais Nouveau)."

11. Pan of bottle with fresh label reading 'Beaujolais'

12. Mid of box packed with 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles down conveyor belt to stationing area

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Romaneche-Thorins, France - 12 November 2019

13. Mid of Georges Duboeuf logo on side of warehouse of largest Beaujolais Nouveau producer

14. Tracking shot of Duboeuf President Franck Duboeuf walking across warehouse to last stacks of Beaujolais Nouveau yet to be shipped to clients

15. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Duboeuf, President of Georges Duboeuf wine production company:

"This is the Beaujolais Nouveau that's being shipped to Boulogne and Calais (harbours on the Channel) to our client and then over here, we have another destination with our client (food industry wholesaler) Metro and it will be delivered to Paris."

16. Mid of Duboeuf looking at label on side of Beaujolais Nouveau shipment

17. Wide of Duboeuf standing outside wine shop with logo on façade

18. Pan of Duboeuf arranging bottles on table in front of him

19. Mid of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles on table with Duboeuf in foreground

20. Wide of showing bottle of rose

21. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Duboeuf, President of Duboeuf wine production company:

"It's clear that if we didn't have a presence with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, it could disappear from the (US) market altogether with such important competition and also because it's like a rendez-vous. If you miss the rendez-vous, it could, in following years, jeopardise what you've worked hard to build in 40 years. It was crucial that we save this campaign… in the future, it's the entire 2019 production, an entire region, an entire sector (that are threatened) and it's extremely complicated and worrying."

22. Close of 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles produced for French and export markets by Georges Duboeuf wines

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Villie-Morgon, France -12 November 2019

23. Close of Dominique Piron's 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau bottles

24. Wide of bottles sitting on top barrel with Piron in background leaning against stack of casks

25. Close of logo for Piron's winemaking company

26. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Piron, Winemaker and President of Beaujolais winemakers' association:

"Japan has lowered its taxes on imports but that doesn't mean they're buying more wine. China imports a lot of wine from Chile and Australia with no-tax deals between governments – that's unfair competition. Global wine trade is complicated nowadays especially at a time when competition is fierce. Globally, wine production is in overproduction and there's a tighter funnel when it comes to sales."

27. Mid of Piron during interview

28. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Piron, Winemaker and President of Beaujolais winemakers' association:

"We're lucky enough to see, in the past two or three years and with this new chapter that we're writing, Beaujolais sales on the increase, at a time when red wine consumption is going down globally in favour of Rose and white wines and with strong competition. Just an example: since the beginning of 2019 and up to the end of last August, the first 8 months of the year, French wine exports have fell by 2 percent. Three regions in France have seen theirs increase. The Loire valley with 4.5 percent, Burgundy at 5.5 percent and Beaujolais at 11 percent."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Chatillon, France - 13 November 2015

29. Wide of village of Chatillon, home to the Chasselay vineyard

30. Wide of Chasselay vineyard with view of Beaujolais hills

31. Wide of organic vines in row on Chasselay vineyard

32. Pull focus of vine branches

33. Wide of country road with sign showing direction to Chasselay 'Domaine'

34. Wide of Claire Chasselay wheeling boxes of Beaujolais Nouveau to back of van

35. Mid of Chasselay loading boxes into van

36. SOUNDBITE (French) Claire Chasselay, organic wine grower:

"Today, if you really want to make a living we have to stop selling our wines at a low price. We have to sell it at the right price and a price that generates a living wage for the winegrower but also the wine merchant and the restaurant owner. The right price. It's the same for all agricultural sectors. We're not asking to sell our bottles for 150 euros (166 US dollars) but an appropriate price. Consumers need to be – and I think they are – in a position to realise that they're ready to spend a little more for their wine or their meat or their cheese because they want to drink good quality products."

37. Wide of country road outside Chasselay family estate

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Paris, France - 21 November 2019

38. Various shots of customers inside brasserie during lunchtime cheering and drinking Beaujolais

39. SOUNDBITE (French) Thierry Bobot, Parisian

"For me it's very good. Maybe there is a better one, that's possible, but it's very very good, very pleasant, very light with a very fruity aftertaste. For me, it's perfect but will everybody like it?."

40. Various shots of people drinking Beaujolais

LEADIN:

Celebration is the mot du jour in France’s Beaujolais region, with winemakers and sellers uncorking the season’s Beaujolais Nouveau with feasting and fanfare.

But uncertainty is clouding this year’s festivities as the French wine industry finds itself increasingly squeezed by unfavorable geopolitics and turbulent markets.

STORYLINE:

The wait is over as one of the year's most anticipated wine events is underway.

Parisians are enjoying a taste of the newly released Beaujolais Nouveau, the famous French young red wine whose unveiling is keenly anticipated every year by wine lovers around the world.

The grapes making up the wine in these bottles were harvested by hand only a few weeks ago.

At the Vinescence wine production company, wine was bottled and labelled ready for the market place.

Beaujolais, a region spanning 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Lyon, has spent decades marketing its wines globally.

It now exports to more than 110 countries, according to statistics from Vinescence, which works with 310 winemakers in the area.

"The market for Beaujolais Nouveau like the one you see here is a global market – the first market in the world being Japan. The French market is also very important but you'll find some around the world, from the United States to Northern Europe. Eastern Europe countries also drink a lot (of Beaujolais Nouveau)," says the General Director of Vinescence, Jean-Paul Civeyrac.

An idiosyncratic wine known for its youth, rather than its age, Beaujolais Nouveau has seen particular success.

But considerable uncertainty is clouding this year's celebration, as the French wine industry finds itself increasingly squeezed by unfavourable geopolitics and turbulent markets.

New American tariffs are denting profits. Brexit still looms. Unrest in Hong Kong has shaken that market. And China is turning to Chilean and Argentine wines instead.

The Trump administration imposed the 25 percent import tax on most French still wines last month as part of a trade spat with the European Union over illegal subsidies for the aircraft giant Airbus.

Orders had already been placed, and places on planes or boats reserved, for this year's Beaujolais Nouveau by the time the tariffs took effect.

Producers said they struck up arrangements to shoulder part of the cost themselves — and distribute most of the rest along the supply chain — in order to retain their American clientele.

Franck Duboeuf, president of the largest Beaujolais Nouveau producer in the world, says the recent market developments are worrying.

"It's clear that if we didn't have a presence with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, it could disappear from the (US) market altogether with such important competition and also because it's like a rendez-vous. If you miss the rendez-vous, it could, in following years, jeopardise what you've worked hard to build in 40 years. It was crucial that we save this campaign… in the future, it's the entire 2019 production, an entire region, an entire sector (that are threatened) and it's extremely complicated and worrying," he says.

On top of the tariffs, uncertainty lingers around future trade with the United Kingdom, which is heading toward an early election December 12 that will determine the future of Brexit.

When and how Brexit takes shape could impact the wine trade down the line.

Changing tastes complicate the picture further.

The Japanese, who were buying a "tsunami" of Beaujolais a decade ago, seem to be losing their appetite for the wine, says the President of Beaujolais winemakers' association Dominique Piron.

Twelve years ago, French winemakers sold one bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau for every 12 inhabitants in Japan — a total of 12 million bottles per year, according to Piron. Now, Japan imports about half that number.

"Japan has lowered its taxes on imports but that doesn't mean they're buying more wine. China imports a lot of wine from Chile and Australia with no-tax deals between governments – that's unfair competition. Global wine trade is complicated nowadays especially at a time when competition is fierce. Globally, wine production is in overproduction and there's a tighter funnel when it comes to sales."

Other Beaujolais producers, like organic winemaker Claire Chasselay, are orienting their businesses toward local consumers instead.

The size of winemaking operations in the region has grown with global demand.

Fifteen years ago, 4,000 producers made wine here; now, that number stands at 2,000, according to Piron, as big producers have acquired smaller operations and expanded their reach.

The Chasselay family, which has run vineyards north of Chatillon since the 15th century, has sought to buck that trend.

Chasselay says her philosophy centres around returning to winemaking's roots: small-scale, without pesticides, and focused on producing wine for mainly domestic consumers to pair with good food and lively company.

But she insists that Beaujolais Nouveau producers should not be selling their wine cheaply.

"Today, if you really want to make a living we have to stop selling our wines at a low price. We have to sell it at the right price and a price that generates a living wage for the winegrower but also the wine merchant and the restaurant owner. The right price," she says.

The Chasselays decided two decades ago to stop spraying with chemicals their vines, pre-empting the preference for organic products that has gripped younger consumers in recent years and placed pressure on winemakers to adapt their growing techniques.

Though they exported 6,000 of the 22,500 bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau they sold this year, Chasselay prefers to see her wine on nearby shelves and tables.

This year's Beaujolais Nouveau in now in Paris ( 21 November) being enjoyed by customers in the 'Au Petit Chavignol' brasserie.

Wine lover Thierry Bobot says he is happy with this year's vintage: " For me it's very good. Maybe there is a better one, that's possible, but it's very very good, very pleasant, very light with a very fruity aftertaste. For me, it's perfect but will everybody like it?."

====

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.