Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Whisky: in with the on-trade

Published: 23 July, 2008

Whisky has always tended to have a rather polarising effect; people either love it or hate it - there are very few who think it's just okay.

In the mix

Published: 23 July, 2008

Once, whisky was such a simple affair. If you wanted a Scotch you went out and bought one. And it was a blend.

Look at the 12-month period from March 2005 to March 2006, and the number of nine-litre cases sold in the UK fell by nearly half a million to 8.23 million - a drop of more than 5%. Within these statistics, bottled malts fell by 4.9%, while blends saw a decrease of 5.7%.

Dan Jago: Tesco's finest

Published: 23 July, 2008

There are three things Dan Jago is keen to talk about these days: Tesco, Tesco and Tesco. Just a month after settling in at the company's Cheshunt offices - with the last week spent working in store, stacking shelves to learn about the heart of the business' - he's certainly caught the Tesco bug

The Interview: Kevin Griffin, Proprietor, Maison du Vin

Published: 23 July, 2008

What possessed you to buy a shop on a really busy A' road between the two parts of a Kent village?

Best of British

Published: 23 July, 2008

A decade ago, cider had hit rock bottom. A new drinks category had emerged: the alcopop. Brands like Two Dogs and Hooch quickly made inroads into the market, and cider was the main casualty. By the turn of the millennium, alcopop sales had overtaken cider for the first time.

Super Italians

Published: 23 July, 2008

Tuscan promise from Richards Walford
The highlight from the Richards Walford table will be the latest releases from Monte Bernardi, Panzano-in-Chianti in Tuscany. The estate was taken over two years ago by brother and sister team, Michael and Jennifer Schmelzer. Jennifer will be in London to present their 2004 Chianti Classico, 2003 Sa'etta IGT (100% Sangiovese) and 2003 Tzingana IGT (45% Merlot 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and 13% Petit Verdot. Richards Walford's range is primarily from northern Italy and its selection will also include new wines and vintages from Lombardy, Tuscany, Piedmont and Veneto.
Tables 53 and 54

forthcoming events

Published: 23 July, 2008

8 May-19 June
Sotheby's - Regional Wine Course Spring Term - 34 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA. Contact Sotheby's Wine Department on 020 7293 6423.

Jackson heights

Published: 23 July, 2008

There must be some Alan Sugar-type management byword that nice men (or women) don't make it to the top. At the risk of sounding like a Martyn Lewis acolyte (he was the BBC News presenter who complained that there were not enough nice' stories in the news), Peter Jackson, the new boss at FGL Wine Estates Europe, the merged business of Foster's Beringer Blass and the Southcorp portfolio, defies many people's belief that you have to be nasty and Machiavellian to succeed corporately.

The Interview - Paul Askew, chef proprietor, London Carriage Works

Published: 23 July, 2008

Paul was born in Sunderland, and moved to Liverpool when his father joined the Blue Star line as a merchant navy sea captain. He lived all over the world, as his father was stationed in various ports, then returned to catering college in the UK, followed by a spell working in the kitchen of a restaurant on the Wirral. After it was bought by the brewery Greenalls, he left to work in upstate New York for a chef agency. He came back to England for his first head chef position at Wincham Hall in Cheshire, and then became executive chef at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool in 1995. While eyeing up the London Carriage Works building he met the man who had bought it, Dave Brewitt, and joined as chef proprietor. They opened the restaurant and attached Hope Street Hotel in December 2003, and still retain control of the Philharmonic kitchen.
Suppliers include House of Townend, Boutinot, Rodney Densem, Laurent Perrier, Justerini & Brooks, Playford Ros and Inverarity Vaults.

Profit or what?

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sounds simple enough. You're a wine producer, you want to break into the UK market and you're heartily fed up with the big, bad multiple retailer. He hogs all the margin while you practically have to mortgage your winery and sell your grandmother just to get a listing. Then fund a 2 price-off.

Watch fizz space

Published: 23 July, 2008

When faced with the juggernaut that is Champagne - complete with the biggest marketing budgets in the wine world, ultra-slick PR teams and profit margins that would make most producers dance naked through their vineyards - it is easy to forget that more than half the fizz drunk in the UK doesn't hail from northeast France.

Italy forever?

Published: 23 July, 2008

Last week, the debate over how best to promote Italian wines in the UK took a giant step forward.

The Interview: Michael Andrews, Train manager, The Royal Scotsman

Published: 23 July, 2008

Where did you first learn about wine?
My first job was at a fine Relais & Chateaux hotel in the West Country called Hunstrete House. It was owned by John and Thea Dupays, who also started the Bath Priory. We had hanging larders for game and served the best local produce. One of the things John loved most was wine, and at the time Hunstrete House had one of the ten best wine lists in the UK. It was a good grounding.

Harpers debate: Thinking outside the box

Published: 23 July, 2008

MOTION
This House believes that what's on the outside of the bottle is more important than what's inside.'
THE PANEL
Chairman:
Christian Davis, editor, Harpers
Proposers:
Keith Lay, marketing director, Ehrmanns;
Kevin Shaw, Stranger & Stranger
Opposers:
Robin Kinahan MW, director, HwCg;
Nick Room, buyer, Waitrose
Statistician/independent witness:
Lulie Halstead, Wine Intelligence

End of the high life?

Published: 23 July, 2008

Alcohol, as it is elsewhere in the world, is a very hot topic here. Everybody's acutely aware that there's more of it in Australian red wines these days than there used to be.

Generationext

Published: 23 July, 2008

Twenty-five German producers (all with winemakers under 35 years old) from various regions will showcase their wines - mainly Riesling, but also other regional grape varieties - at this event.

Hitting new heights

Published: 23 July, 2008

Israel is a New World' wine producer in one of the oldest wine regions on earth. In this country no bigger than Wales, there is a curious combination of the new, old and ancient worlds of winemaking.

The Interview - Jean-Louis Naveilhan, Head sommelier, Sumosan, and co-founder of Isak

Published: 23 July, 2008

Why the interest in sak?
I always used to think it was a spirit, served warm, but during the Tokyo Life event at Selfridges I ended up drinking sak almost every day, and after a month of this I had a totally different take. It's like wine really - it's fermented in the same sort of way and the terroir notion is very important. Premium sak should be chilled, not heated, and the best examples are comparable to grand cru class wines.