The Interview: Louis-Fabrice Latour, Proprietor and wine buyer, Maison Louis Latour

Louis-Fabrice Latour, a member of the seventh generation of Burgundy ngociant Maison Louis Latour, is also its head, having taken over from his father (who is still the chairman of the board) in 1999. A fluent, idiomatic English speaker, he has spent more than two years of his life, off and on, in England and prefers to conduct interviews completely in English. He studied political science in Paris and, as is the Maison Louis Latour policy, has travelled the world to understand its wine markets and wine trends. He has recently been re-elected to a second three-year term as president of Burgundy's ngociants.

New range for Evans & Tate

Margaret River winery Evans & Tate, which has been in the midst of takeover talks, has launched its new X & Y range in the UK.

Predators stalk J Sainsbury

Britain's third-largest supermarket group, J Sainsbury, is on bid alert following the announcement from a consortium of private equity groups that they are in the early stages' of a possible takeover bid. City analysts believe that to be successful a bid would have to be above 11 billion.

Thieves' 20,000 Champagne haul

Thieves who broke into a London wine merchant last weekend made off with around 20,000 of Champagne.

Chilean wine bodies join forces

The two major bodies representing Chilean wineries have united to form a single association.

UK drinkers are more adventurous than US

UK consumers drink a wider range of wine styles than their US counterparts, according to new research.

Warninks labels fail to conform to the law

First Drinks Brands, the independent drinks distributor owned by William Grant & Sons, has admitted that illegally labelled bottles of Warninks advocaat have been circulating since November. The company only revealed the problem after the major Christmas trading season.

Communicator award shortlist

The six candidates for the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year have been announced, and they include regular Harpers contributors Sarah Jane Evans MW and Jamie Goode.

Australia drags its feet over vine louse

Despite the discovery of the vine louse phylloxera in the Yarra Valley, Australian winemakers have not been persuaded to start planting on resistant rootstocks. The pest was discovered in a section of eight-year-old Merlot vines in the Coldstream area in December. A 5km quarantine zone has now been drawn around the vineyard.

Oz winemakers anxious to develop own style of Pinot

Australian producers have been keen to point out that they do not want to make Alsatian Pinot Gris nor Burgundian Pinot Noir, but create a distinct Australian style.

Tri-varietals launch from Jacob's Creek

Jacob's Creek is launching three new tri-varietal wines, priced at 6.99. The Three Vines range is being positioned between the company's entry-level range (RRP 5.49-5.99) and its Reserve range (7.99).

Spain forges ahead full throttle

There are those who will tell you that in wine terms Spain has gone up a gear since the turn of the century. I've been going to Spain on wine-related business since 1972 and my own opinion is that Spain has gone up several boxes-full of gears since the year 2000, and is still accelerating. There is so much movement, new investment and new thinking that the mind starts to spin. Soaring land prices and ever more costly planting rights don't seem to have had the slightest effect and there are ambitious new projects, even in the most expensive areas, such as Ribera del Duero and Rioja.

The Spanish celebrate diversity

This year's Wines from Spain tasting celebrates the 25th anniversary of the creation of the generic body, and will feature 30 Spanish bodegas seeking UK representation, as well as 55 importers, with more than 2,000 wines available to taste.

Testing the top wines of Trentino

Twenty-eight producers from Trentino in north-east Italy will travel to London to present their wines and grappas to the UK trade.

Austrians under the spotlight

Where: The Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London SW1
When: Thursday 22 February 2007, 11am-4.30pm
Contact: The Austrian Wine Marketing Board, tel: 020 7411 3825

Special delivery: SITT?2007

Seminal look at Australian Shiraz

Flavour profiles of Shiraz across Australia was the subject of a seminar at the Australia Day Tasting in London last week.

The Interview: William Hutchings, Proprietor and wine buyer, The Bell at Skenfrith

William and Janet Hutchings bought the Bell at Skenfrith in December 1999 and immediately closed it to embark on a major refurbishment programme, planning to reopen for Christmas 2000. In early December 2000 the River Monnow, which flows past the Bell, burst its banks and flooded the restaurant, so it did not open for business until March 2001.

New consumption research

Businesses will now be able to track the habits of wine consumers internationally with the launch of a new research service.

Clare producers split on GI issue

Clare Valley producers are divided by the possibility of subdividing the region.