Free-marketing

Everybody’s talking about creating jobs, but marketing departments, ever busy, are actually doing something about it. . .
       The Co-Op supermarket chain has introduced a new flavour of crisps (chips, to my American friends), just what a discerning world has been waiting for: Sea Salt and Chardonnay Wine Vinegar.
       Constellation, formerly one of the world’s largest wine businesses, has sold off most of its portfolio, including Australian brands like Hardys and U.S. brands like Paul Masson, Echo Falls, Robert Mondavi, and Ravenswood. The sort-of new company has been renamed Accolade, a name that “reflects our global mission,” say the new owners, who have just launched Echo Falls Spritz, a mix of wine and sparkling water, in cans; there are two flavours so far, Zinfandel and Pinot Grigio.
       Bordeaux is to re-claim the word “claret,” long a British generic term for red Bordeaux wine, and use it for lesser wines, or as a spokesman said, “To re-invigorate the everyday drinking category of Bordeaux.” (Translation: To sell the cheap stuff that even the Chinese aren’t buying.)