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Harpers Round Table: Selling Lebanon

Published:  20 February, 2023

Lebanon has moved on from being a ‘Bordeaux tribute act’ to encompass myriad styles and varieties suited to its diverse terrain and should now be selling its differences to the world.

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Soapbox: Is alcohol in Scotland an endangered species?

Published:  14 February, 2023

Luvians manager Archie McDiarmid fears for the future of the alcohol industry in Scotland if government proposals go ahead

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Tim Atkin MW: ‘Fine wine’ is outdated

Published:  09 February, 2023

It was a noble, if ultimately inconclusive exercise. Maybe that’s true of anything that involves an indigestible dose of subjectivity. But you can’t fault Areni Global for attempting to define and “rethink” the fine wine market, no less. In a recent white paper, accompanied by an entertaining panel debate and tasting at Sotheby’s in London, the impressive think tank set out to analyse what its chair, Nicole Rolet, calls the “fine wine ecosystem”. Ambitious, as I said.

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Inflation puts the boot in World Cup boost

Published:  15 December, 2022

The UK hospitality trade rode a wave of World Cup fever in November, when sales were above a still somewhat Covid-dampened environment at the end of 2021. However, with inflation biting hard and more disruption on the way over Christmas 2023, operators could be set for a challenging end-of-year run.

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Talking heads: Dynamic France

Published:  24 November, 2022

Jo Gilbert caught up with some of the UK’s leading French wine importers to ask the burning question: what is France doing well currently – and why?

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Five minutes with rosé expert, Elizabeth Gabay MW

Published:  11 October, 2022

As her latest book, Rosés of Southern France, hits the shelves, Elizabeth Gabay explains to Andrew Catchpole why we should all take the pink category more seriously.

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Guy Woodward: Intercontinental blends challenge the sanctity of terroir

Published:  06 September, 2022

Earlier this year, Penfolds announced its ambition to essay “a strategic shift from fine wine brand to global luxury icon”. The brand’s new marketing campaign, it said, encapsulated Penfolds’ “innovative spirit and desire to push the boundaries through self-belief”.

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Tim Atkin MW: Women score in wine, too

Published:  05 August, 2022

You’ve come a long way, baby. Watching the final of the Euro 2022 women’s football tournament, I was reminded of this advertising slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes, of all things, from the late 1960s. The brand tapped into the zeitgeist at a time when feminism and women’s rights were finally attracting the attention and wider support they deserved. The importance of sport should not be overstated, but England’s victory felt significant, not just as a one-off game, but in a wider social context.

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Jerry Lockspeiser: Lessons from the Tory leadership – are we heading into disaster?

Published:  21 July, 2022

Oh dear, perhaps it was always too much to hope for. The embarrassment of the country being led by a self-serving clown has finally timed out, but the opportunity for serious politics to be rehabilitated looks certain to be missed.

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Guy Woodward: Wine's 'social experts'

Published:  10 May, 2022

“The people of this country have had enough of experts,” said Brexit cheerleader Michael Gove in the lead-up to that fateful vote. Disdaining the leaders of the US, China, India, Australia and every EU country, as well as the heads of the Bank of England, the IMF, IFS, CBI and the NHS – all of whom he branded as “distant” and “elitist” – Gove argued that fans of Brexit knew best when it came to the economy.

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Global wine exports reach record high

Published:  03 May, 2022

This year 2021 saw a partial recovery of global consumption after the doldrums of 2020, the OIV said in its latest update. However, 2022’s outlook is looking increasingly uncertain due to the turbulence posed by the global supply chain crisis, the war in Ukraine and mounting energy prices.

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Sotheby’s to offer inaugural sale of fine and rare wine from Napa Valley

Published:  02 February, 2022

In a landmark event, Sotheby’s is to auction a collection of rare bottles from the Napa Valley wine region, organised in partnership with Napa Valley Vintners.

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Winner of the UKBG's National Cocktail Competition announced

Published:  25 January, 2022

Matteo Basso, head bartender at the Malt Lounge and Bar in London, has won the UK Bartenders Guild’s National Cocktail Competition 2022.

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Headline heroes: Wakefield Wines

Published:  25 January, 2022

Having recently signed up to the exemplary Science Based Targets initiative, Wakefield Wines is a beacon on the path to sustainability.

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Champagne visionary Claude Taittinger dies

Published:  10 January, 2022

One of Champagne's most important pioneers passed away last week, aged 94.

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Connected packaging revs up

Published:  07 January, 2022

At any one time, there are an average of seven trillion pieces of packaging in the world. The opportunities offered by technology to engage with consumers via the bottle are only just getting started, says Jo Gilbert.

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Simpsons’ Wine Estate expands portfolio

Published:  22 November, 2021

Leading sparkling wine producer Simpsons' Wine Estates has released a new range of premium still wines – the Q Class.

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New Pix wine platform on global ‘matchmaking mission’

Published:  29 September, 2021

An ambitious new wine discovery platform is soon to launch with the aim of becoming the “biggest wine platform in the world,” according to its creators.

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Sud de France: Incredible white diversity on display

Published:  13 September, 2021

Tim Atkin MW has paid homage to huge breadth of white wine available across the Languedoc-Roussillon and the South West, even comparing its diversity to a South American wine cousin.

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Tim Atkin MW: What makes wine worthy?

Published:  05 August, 2021

Are some Olympic sports more serious than others? To listen to purists, harrumphing about the inclusion of skateboarding, surfing and BMX freestyle in the Tokyo games, you’d conclude that there’s an established hierarchy. Those that take place on the track sit at the top, partly because of Olympic history perhaps, dating back to 776BC and Korobois’ triumph in the 190-metre stadion sprint. These are closely followed by field events, swimming and gymnastics, all of which are deemed to be “proper” disciplines. It’s no coincidence that Aussies love to mock Team GB’s prowess at “sitting down sports”.

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