People & Opinion - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Meet the buyers: Rob Graves, Harvey Nichols

Published: 27 November, 2017

Harpers gets the lowdown from specialist retailer buyers Rob Graves, head of food and wine buying at Harvey Nichols

Jerry Lockspeiser: An epic management disaster

Published: 20 November, 2017

It’s a tale of corporate mismanagement to rival the worst.

Q&A: Irene Paiva, Vistamar

Published: 10 November, 2017

The Vistamar winemaker talks to Andrew Catchpole about the ongoing evolution of Chile’s winemaking scene

Guy Woodward: At the mercy of the elements

Published: 06 November, 2017

Within days of the Napa Valley going up in flames, as firefighters were still wrestling for control of Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder, the assurances were being issued. Everything was OK – the vast majority of the grapes had already been harvested, the remaining fruit on the vine was the thick-skinned, resilient Cabernet and any smoke taint was likely to be minimal.

Tim Atkin MW: Rich pickings for the vineyards of Burgundy

Published: 02 November, 2017

Remind me never to play poker against Frédéric Engerer.

Meet the buyers: The Wine Society

Published: 02 November, 2017

James Lawrence catches up with the buying team at customer-owned The Wine Society

David Cox, Penny Richards, Michael Saunders and Patrick McGrath MW

Q&A: David Cox, chief executive, The Benevolent

Published: 30 October, 2017

Ahead of his forthcoming retirement David Cox talks to Andrew Catchpole about a lifetime at the forefront of the drinks trade

Jerry Lockspeiser: How to stop wine’s race to the bottom

Published: 24 October, 2017

Many years ago, one of the UK’s biggest retailers used Reverse eAuctions to source entry point wine from Eastern Europe. Their annual contract to supply fixed quantities of different wines was at stake. The volumes were huge. It was a thrilling but deflating experience.

D&D: Standing out from the crowd

Published: 18 October, 2017

D&D London’s Michael Patterson talks to Andrew Catchpole about evolving drinks trends on the London restaurant scene and how they affect the buyers’ role

Independents: The art of being a specialist

Published: 16 October, 2017

Having a speciality can be a boon for a merchant. Andrew Catchpole invites a few to share the pros and cons of sourcing, selling and communicating such an offer

Guy Woodward: Substance versus style

Published: 11 October, 2017

Former editor of Decanter @guyawoodward

Tim Atkin: Semillon - The Naked Grape

Published: 06 October, 2017

When I was younger, fitter and considerably trimmer than I am now, I took part (twice) in a wine trade version of The Full Monty for charity. The name of our group of buffed-up writers, sommeliers and importers was The Semillons (geddit?). So, when I received an invitation to an event called The Semillon Sessions recently, part of me hoped that a new group of amateur strippers would be strutting their moves on a stage somewhere.

Q&A: Laura Jewell, Wine Australia

Published: 28 September, 2017

Laura Jewell MW talks to Andrew Catchpole about life at the UK helm of Wine Australia and her involvement with the Women in Wine Awards

Jerry Lockspeiser: The Problem with Natural Wine

Published: 19 September, 2017

Why aren’t “organic carrots” just called carrots? Why aren’t carrots grown with pesticides called “chemical carrots”?

Independent profile: The Good Wine Shop

Published: 19 September, 2017

Andrew Catchpole drops in on The Good Wine Shop where a hybrid-focused refurb is the latest innovation primed to seduce wine drinkers from the south-west London ‘burbs

Guy Woodward: Gerard Basset - wine's most competitive man?

Published: 15 September, 2017

The one thing everyone knows about Gerard Basset OBE MS MW is that he’s a nice bloke. A true gent. A real gem. As I write this, his latest tweets feature extended thanks to well-wishers and teachers after his son’s successful admission into university, and a retweet of a cute dog. Well I’ve got news for you. It’s all a front. A façade. He might appear as affable as his canine namesake, but have you ever seen a Basset hound when it gets the scent of rabbit in its nostrils? Scary…

Tim Atkin MW: Lidl’s Prosecco party

Published: 12 September, 2017

It was a familiar scenario. Offer Brits what seems like a bargain and they’ll form orderly queues at 6.30am on a Bank Holiday Monday. To be fair to those early morning Lidl shoppers, it looked like a spectacular deal: a case of Prosecco for the flute-clinking sum of £20, the equivalent of £3.33 a bottle. When you bear in mind that the duty and VAT amount to £3.23, it would be legally impossible to offer the wine any cheaper.