Canned Wine Group has announced its first ever head of sales, with Grant Allen being appointed to the new role at the premium canned and keg wine business.
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“Native, natural, furry, feathered, scaly, creepy crawly” creatures are actively encouraged at Hill-Smith Family Estates’ vineyards. So says Louisa Rose, winemaker and head of sustainability at the Aussie producer. For Rose, biodiversity is vital for sustainable pest management. Many producers want to reduce their use of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for a bevy of reasons. From improving soil health to cultivating native yeasts, their motivations are diverse. Harpers canvassed wine producers from the world over to understand how they are pursuing greener pest management and what benefits they are reaping.
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Compared to other industries the wine trade has been a little slow on the uptake when it comes to recommendation algorithms. Such technology emerged commercially in the late ’90s, alongside the beginnings of ecommerce, and was popularised by platforms such as Amazon (source: A Brief History of Recommender Systems). As a tool for the wine industry, the rise of these programmes has been a little more recent – but their potential is great, according to those already working with them. Those Harpers spoke to agreed the reasons for this slow adoption are tied up with both the structure of the industry and the nuances of the product itself.
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Climate change is an inescapable challenge for many industries, and probably none more so than that of wine, particularly in countries where water is scarce, temperatures fluctuate and weather conditions are unpredictable.
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Can no-alcohol wine ever replicate the taste and complexity of the real deal? Principles of chemistry do prove it to be a challenging conundrum. The ethanol in wine has a vital influence on the sensory experience of the drink and at room temperature ethanol has a greater volatility than water. This means it evaporates more quickly from liquid into gas than water, and in the process carrying with it aromatic compounds like esters. This is just one such effect alcohol has on wine’s nose and flavour. Ultimately, however, the most important taste audience for producers of no-alcohol wine is the end consumer. Harpers spoke to a retailer, an importer and a producer to assess both technological progress and whether this has had an impact on the commercial appeal of no-alcohol wine.
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As businesses increasingly embrace elements of AI to enhance their efficiency and performance, the Harpers team invited our trade readership to take a survey to help build a picture of uptake in the drinks world.
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Just a month after going live, a free online hospitality networking platform by a duo of industry veterans has attracted members from more than 100 cities in 40 countries.
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Familia Torres has recently begun work on a groundbreaking pilot project to concentrate carbon dioxide from wine fermentation in its purest form for reuse at its Pacs del Penedès winery.
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Spring is a joyous time of year but any vineyard operator will tell you it fills them with trepidation. Grape vines first exhibit bud burst at this time of year, a vital stage in the growth cycle. New shoots and green tips emerge on the vine, the very first signs of what will become a cluster of grapes. These nascent buds are also very vulnerable to frost damage, a particular concern in places such as the UK.
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Rarely have I tried to recall an email as quickly as I did after notifying a female contact that it would be great if she could find time to meet up, as I’d heard how busty she was these days.
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My friend Matt likes to confuse algorithms. “Every now and then, I type the first thing that comes into my head into Google, Facebook or Instagram,” he told me. “Emperor penguins, Everest, wrestling, Taylor Smith, cupcakes.” In a world where our digital footprint is used by everyone from advertisers to political parties, it’s a spirited attempt to put AI off the scent.
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Cask specialists, Whisky Partners, has announced the launch of a brand-new app targeted at the world of whisky cask ownership.
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The director general of the OIV has called upon the global wine industry to more quickly embrace the opportunities afforded by new technologies, in order to stay relevant in a fiercely competitive world.
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We’re on the cusp of a new and advanced tech-fuelled era for hospitality as the on-trade begins to reopen, says Jo Gilbert.
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The hospitality sector can expect more seismic shifts in the use of technology when it reopens, according to the latest Go Technology report from CGA and Zonal.
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Technology is set to be a key focus for investment and innovation as hospitality opens up again, according to the latest CGA’s Business Leaders’ Survey.
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As famous for its wines as it is for entrepreneurial spirit and world-beating technology, it’s no surprise that innovation continues to come thick and fast from across the pond. From everyman investment platforms to robotic wine management systems and AI wine matching services, Jo Gilbert rounds up what’s new out of the US.
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Saturnalia aims to overcome the ‘mystery and magic’ surrounding fine wine pricing and scores with space-based technology. Felicity Carter eyes up its heavenly ambitions
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The advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) software is by far the most exciting catalyser of innovation in the wine industry, according to speakers at an Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) webinar held yesterday (17 June).
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At the onset of the ongoing global pandemic, traditional on-trade channels saw sales fall to zero overnight. But what about the wider drinks trade and the interactions within it? Jo Gilbert asks if it's time to reassess tried – and maybe tired – formulas?
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