News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Sherry introduces UK summer campaign ‘A Splash of Andalusia’

Published: 15 April, 2026

This summer, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry & Manzanilla are launching a UK-wide campaign, A Splash of Andalusia.

SWA appoints former government ambassador Ian Duddy as international director

Published: 15 April, 2026

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced the appointment of former UK ambassador Ian Duddy (pictured) as its next international director.

Cocktail festival to return to Brighton with 50 bars announced

Published: 15 April, 2026

Brighton Cocktail Festival has announced that it is returning for its second year of city-wide celebrations, running from 18 to 27 September.

Declarations continue as Symington announces 2024 vintage ports

Published: 15 April, 2026

Symington Family Estates is the next major port producer to unveil its 2024 vintage ports. This includes declarations for Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s and Cockburn’s.

On-trade outlook: Spring visits up but volumes down

Published: 14 April, 2026

New on-trade data for March 2026 from market intelligence company The Oxford Partnership shows improving average occupancy and dwell time year on year compared to March last year. In terms of the former this rose +1.1% to 65.4%, while the latter saw visit length rise +3.4% to 153 minutes.

WineGB appoints new head of partnerships role

Published: 14 April, 2026

WineGB has announced the appointment of Neil Walker to its new head of partnerships role, where he will support the organisation’s pursuit of partner growth.

Kopke declares 2024 vintage port

Published: 13 April, 2026

Kopke Group has declared two 2024 vintage ports from across its estates: Kopke Vintage 2024 and Burmester Vintage 2024.

Low & no survey launched to let industry inform policy

Published: 13 April, 2026

Alcohol-free social impact business Club Soda has launched what it claims is the first ‘benchmarking’ survey of the low, no and mid-strength sector, aimed at gathering data to inform government policymaking. The survey is open to low & no brands, to ensure that they get a voice.

Beer drinkers want to see more indie brewers on offer

Published: 13 April, 2026

A new survey from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) and YouGov has revealed that eight-out-of-ten beer drinkers want to see more small breweries on offer alongside ‘global brands’.

‘Taste of England’ competition introduced by Chapel Down

Published: 13 April, 2026

Leading English wine producer Chapel Down has launched the ‘Taste of England’, a competition aimed at celebrating the next generation of English chefs.

Indie Beer Week 2026 begins with backing of 700 breweries

Published: 10 April, 2026

Indie Beer Week 2026 has begun today (10 April), promoting “independent pubs, beer and people” in a string of events across the UK.

Scotch brand aims for ‘deep sea’ cask maturation experiment

Published: 10 April, 2026

Scotch whisky producer Domhayn is launching a fundraising campaign to carry out an experiment exposing a spirit-filled cask to “deep sea” pressures – equivalent to 1,000 fathoms or 1,830m below sea level.

Frugalpac launches second-generation bottling machine

Published: 10 April, 2026

British paper bottle company Frugalpac has announced the release of the Frugal Bottle Assembly Machine 2 (FBAM-2), which significantly increases the speed of its bottle production.

Georgia introduces new national viticultural framework

Published: 09 April, 2026

The National Wine Agency of Georgia (NWA) has approved a new national framework. The new guidelines mean that all new commercial vineyards will require NWA approval.

Graft Wine adds Champagne Pertois-Moriset to its portfolio

Published: 09 April, 2026

Independent importer Graft Wine has announced the addition of third-generation family grower Champagne Pertois-Moriset to its portfolio.

Wealth managers detail drastic rise in fine wine investment among clients

Published: 08 April, 2026

New analysis from fine wine trading platform WineCap’s 2026 Wealth Report, which surveys top UK wealth managers, reveals that high net worth (HNW) individuals are committing a far greater proportion of their portfolio to fine wine compared to last year.

Wines of South Africa restructures UK office

Published: 08 April, 2026

Wines of South Africa (WoSA) has announced the redundancies of both of the current roles at its UK office, as part of a restructure of its operations. Jo Wehring, market manager UK & Europe and Claudia Pritchard, PR & digital manager will both be leaving the organisation after the completion of their notice periods – at the end of May and April respectively.