‘Better for me’ drinks and ‘borderless wine’ among top innovative trends for 2023

Harpers caught up with some of the leading experts in the trade to share their top predictions for 2023.

Cult Wines posts more positive outlook for Burgundy and Champagne

Fine wine investment platform, Cult Wines, closed 2022 with a ‘positive end to the year’, the company has revealed, with its Cult Wines Global Index concluding the 12 months with a 20.54% gain.

50 Best Indies 2023 ranking: 20-12 revealed

This week marks the launch of our 50 Best Indies 2023, where we are celebrating the best businesses working in the UK’s thriving drinks merchant scene.

Sud de France – register now

Registrations are now open for the Sud de France Top 100 Discovery tasting – Part II – where members of the trade are invited to meet producers and winemakers.

Affordable Burgundy leads the charge for fine wine

Burgundy emerged as the dominant force in fine wine investment for September, Winecap has revealed in the latest analysis of its fine wine index, Wine Track, as the region grows its reputation as the leading investment area for price performance on the secondary market.

Everything is all white at Aldi

Aldi has lifted the lid on its most popular whites this summer, as consumers looked to slake their thirst in the record-breaking British sunshine.

London bars win big at US ‘Tales’

Some of London’s top bars have made a splash at Tales of the Cocktail’s annual Spirited Awards, where they picked up five of the eight international awards – including the gong for the World’s Best Bar.

Looking ahead: Elise Mérigaud, La Dame de Pic

With the first half of 2022 already history, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, ongoing trends and opportunities.

Premium wine sales on the rise

Michelle Perrett dives into Liberty Wines’ latest on-trade focused report, rounding up the top takeaways. 

English sparkling triumphs at Vivino Community Awards

Vivino’s 2021 Community Awards has revealed some fascinating insights into the preferences of consumers worldwide, including the enormous popularity of English fizz in the UK.

Ribera del Duero breaks score barrier

The fifth annual Ribera del Duero Top 100 Selection has confirmed the awesome potential of the region, with every wine featured scoring a remarkable 94 points or more for the first time ever.

Spain's driving forces

Spain’s leading brands are showing that ‘big’ can be an innovative force for moving the category forward. Jo Gilbert catches up with the country’s top names.

Ribera del Duero Top 100 Tasting to be hosted by Tim Atkin MW

Tim Atkin MW and Harpers columnist is to host his annual Ribera del Duero Top 100 Tasting, which will showcase the best wines from the region in 2021.

Discovering the charms of Roussillon

As the home of France’s fortified sweet wines, with a dazzling array of soils and microclimates forming a vinous bridge between France and Spain, the Roussillon deserves to be recognised as a distinct region with its own unique identify. Jo Gilbert discovers a region ready to stand on its own two feet. In partnership with Wines of Roussillon. 

Tim Atkin MW: What makes wine worthy?

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”.

Sainsbury’s and Vivino partner for wine-aisle recommendations

Sainsbury’s has launched an in-store and online wine ratings partnership with Vivino to offer “honest peer-reviews” as research shows that wine is the top category that consumers rely on for recommendations, beating milestone life decisions such as mortgages and new job opportunities.

Trivento takes the top spot for Argentine wine

Concha y Toro's Trivento is celebrating becoming the leading Argentine wine brand in the world, with sales of over US$256.2m a year according to a new report from the IWSR.

Harpers to host webinar on the potential of organic

A line-up of top buyers in the wine market will be attending a free-to-attend webinar looking at how to unlock the full potential of organic sales.

Long Read: Accolade shakes up its global fine wine strategy

Last call for 50 Best Indies 2021 nominations

The chance to nominate your choices for the best in the business of indie drinks retailing remains open until midnight on Friday 14 May.