News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Simpsons’ exports on the rise

Published: 07 March, 2024

Kent-based Simpsons’ Wine Estate is flying the flag for English wine exports following news of further expansion in the Scandinavian market.

Vagabond under ‘no threat of closure’ despite appointing administrators

Published: 07 March, 2024

A spokesperson for Vagabond Wines, the popular ‘self-pour’ wine bar chain founded by Stephen Finch in 2009, has confirmed the business will continue to trade as usual despite running into financial difficulties.

Disaronno UK adds to growing whisky portfolio

Published: 07 March, 2024

InchDairnie Distillery, producers of RyeLaw Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky have signed a three-year distribution agreement with Disaronno International UK.

Alcohol duty frozen till February 2025

Published: 06 March, 2024

The government dashed hopes of a cut to alcohol duty following the announcement of the Spring Budget today (6 March) by chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

The Wine Society marks 150 years with limited-edition fine wine range

Published: 06 March, 2024

More than a decade in the making, The Wine Society has released a limited-edition collection of fine wines from some of the world’s most iconic producers.

Only A Pavement Away helps hundreds into employment

Published: 06 March, 2024

Hospitality charity Only A Pavement Away is celebrating a major milestone as reaches its five-year anniversary, by helping to place over 450 people into employment.

London hospitality poised for off-peak tube and rail fare Fridays

Published: 06 March, 2024

From this Friday (8 March), London Underground and rail fares on pay-as-you-go and Oyster will be off-peak all day on Fridays, as part of an initiative to encourage businesses to return to the office five days a week.

Jancis Robinson Collection announced as partner of SWA 2024

Published: 05 March, 2024

Returning after a post-pandemic hiatus, the Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA), a competition for wines in the on-trade, has revealed its official glassware partner – the Jancis Robinson Collection.

Novel Wines closes shop amid wholesale expansion

Published: 04 March, 2024

Bath-based wine merchant Novel Wines has announced it will shut its brick-and-mortar shop as it pursues wholesale expansion and online sales.

Mentzendorff adds two new shareholder producers under new MD

Published: 04 March, 2024

Mentzendorff has swelled the ranks of its shareholder brands since new MD Justin Liddle took the top job in November, with two new additions which include the Fladgate Partnership’s first foray into light wine.

C&C unveil new London distribution depot

Published: 04 March, 2024

C&C Group, the UK’s largest drinks distributor, has unveiled its new London distribution depot, Orbital West, in Heathrow. The new flagship facility will increase capacity for its portfolio of branded beer, cider, wine, spirits, and soft drinks.

Record number of English wines at ProWein 2024

Published: 04 March, 2024

The highest-ever number of English wine producers will be exhibiting at ProWein this year, WineGB has confirmed.

Built on Trust: the work of our trade charity

Published: 04 March, 2024

In the first of a new quarterly column supporting The Drinks Trust, CEO Ross Carter outlines the important work the body does in ‘Assisting, Restoring and Developing’ the drinks and hospitality workforce.

Julia Trustram Eve leaves WineGB after 30 years of service

Published: 01 March, 2024

WineGB’s head of marketing, Julia Trustman Eve, is to leave her role after 30 years of service, as part of a wider reshuffle for the trade body.

WSTA makes ‘last-ditch plea’ for duty cut

Published: 01 March, 2024

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) along with over 100 UK wine and spirit producers, retailers and hospitality businesses have called on the government to cut duty in a ‘last-ditch plea’ ahead of the Budget announcement on 6 March.

Friday read: Q&A with UC Davis Library’s Audrey Russek, new custodian of Harpers archive

Published: 01 March, 2024

As the Harpers archive heads for California, Andrew Catchpole speaks to UC Davis Library’s food and wine archivist Audrey Russek about its importance as a resource for research and the timeline for digitizing the collection

Aldi loses gin court battle to M&S

Published: 29 February, 2024

Discounter Aldi has lost its appeal against a High Court ruling which found it had copied the design of Marks & Spencer’s light-up Christmas gin bottles.

Bibendum spring tasting: ‘English sparkling is working really well’

Published: 29 February, 2024

Bibendum’s annual spring tasting returned to a packed-out Battersea Arts Centre on Tuesday (27 February), showcasing 300 wines via various tasting trails, curated and researched by the company’s insights team.

Julian Momen on ‘re-focusing’ Enotria

Published: 28 February, 2024

Enotria & Coe’s new CEO has spent the months since his inauguration working on honing a back-to-basics approach while refocusing parts of the business which “felt a bit unstructured”.