In addition to the outstanding selection of trophy, gold, silver and bronze medal wines at this year’s Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA), our winning producers and distributors are also now revealed.
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The Castle Hotel Windsor – with a history dating back to 1528 – is undergoing a very modern refurb. Alongside changes to the hotel proper, the storied venue will include Penningtons, a new restaurant and bar. A contemporary take on British classics, the offer will include hearty pies, Sunday roasts and a dessert trolley to boot. The restaurant takes its name from George Pennington, an entrepreneurial innkeeper at The Mermaid Inn (the site’s historic name), who created the Pennington Penny during a nationwide small coinage shortage. Similar creativity has been harnessed to create a refreshed bar in the site’s historic taproom. Interiors including zinc bar tops and tiled floors will play host to cocktail serves and local beers.
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According to a recently released survey – conducted by UK Hospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and Hospitality Ulster – one-in-six hospitality businesses in the UK say that their business is at risk of failure in the next 12 months.
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Harpers invites leading sommeliers and buyers to reveal what is most exciting them in the world of wine.
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The most recent company insolvency statistics can reveal that in May month on month hospitality insolvencies were down 9%, following a difficult start to the year for the sector.
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Applications are now open for UK teams for the national finals of Copa Jerez 2026. Chef-sommelier teams are invited to create and present a three-course meal paired with Sherry.
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In a well needed boost for the hospitality industry, data from hospitality technology firm Zonal can reveal that pub bookings are up 293% year-on-year when comparing today (17 June) with the same day last year.
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A new drinks ordering platform has been launched for the on-trade, promising to remove many of the “costs and complexities” typically associated with selling into pubs, bars and restaurants.
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Hallgarten & Novum Wines has significantly boosted its German portfolio with the addition of the Dr. Loosen and Villa Wolf wines, from the Mosel and Pfalz respectively.
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With a late-May soft launch and 1 June official opening, Nancy’s is set to bring the rebelliousness and glamour of 1970s London to London Bridge. The fun and flair of the new cocktail bar is exemplified by its Lady Luck Negroni cart. Guests will be presented with the cart tableside and roll a die to choose from six unique serves. Championing local businesses and produce – in the spirit of the nearby Borough Market – the venue’s 10 signature cocktails feature: a Martini that uses Borough Olives; Scatter Fall, a riff on the Airmail cocktail made using lemon curd from Jamaican condiment stall Pimento Hill and Black Tot Rum; and Queen’s Walk, which draws inspiration from local dessert shop Humble Crumble.
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The latest luxury Japanese dining venture from Thesleff Group – the business behind Luna Omakase and Los Mochis – takes a philosophical turn. Guided by the belief that every ingredient used carries an invisible power, considered and refined fine dining awaits visitors to the Upper Grosvenor Street eatery, led by executive chef Leo Tanyag and his team. Drawing from the Japanese cocktail tradition, as the night goes on MA/NA transitions into a sophisticated late-evening bar. Principles of precision, rhythm and heat underpin bar director Pietro Collina’s serves. These include the bewitching Noble Martini – an alchemy of vodka, dry vermouth, Château d’Yquem Sauternes and lemon twist. Interiors pay homage to Tokyo nightlife with patrons as likely to photograph the bespoke handblown lighting installation as the forward-thinking cuisine.
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The Open Restaurant Group is adding a new Mancunian venue to its ranks with the launch of The Counter in September. The restaurant is centred around its chef’s counter where six to eight guests can be wowed by a kitchen team led by executive chef Andrew Sheridan. The Counter’s ethos of lifting the curtain on the culinary operations sees it showcase a full-scale rotisserie, as well as a meat and fish drying cabinet to excite curious restaurant goers. The site gives patrons the option of dining under 4m-tall elm trees, astride stylish curved booth seating, or on its 20-cover terrace while observing the goings on of the buzzy John Dalton Street. The drinks menu is curated by Jake Nutt, formerly of Wales’ Ynyshir and Gwen, emphasising English wines, Manchester-brewed beers and contemporary cocktails.
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UK hospitality is battered. Three venues closing every day, employment costs spiralling, a government that piles on venues and an industry it should be protecting. In that environment it's hardly surprising that interest in and investment into hospitality career paths is at an all-time low. And yet, I'd argue that cutting investment in people is precisely the wrong response during challenging times.
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New Zealand Winegrowers has announced applications for the 2027 edition of its Sommelier Scholarship are now open.
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True hospitality consists of giving the best of yourself to your guests,” once observed Eleanor Roosevelt. But after two years of relentless inflation, compounded by April’s increases in wages and business rates, few operators can still afford to be generous. The UK’s beleaguered hospitality sector finds itself at a critical juncture – venues have already streamlined, simplified and raised prices as far as they dare. Yet further increases may be unavoidable, creating the very real risk of significant impacts on footfall and average spend.
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Food and drinks insights company Lumina Intelligence has detailed that the ‘eating-out’ market is set to reach a value of £102.8bn this year, an increase of +1.8% year-on-year.
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At a glance, at least from within the trade, Georgia appears to be riding high. With the National Wine Agency of Georgia launching a new, expanded UK campaign across 2026 and many of the sommeliers and quality wine retailers it is aimed at already embracing Georgian wines in some form, there’s been a palpable buzz around this country’s offer for a while. And with 8,000 years clocked up in the production game, 500 indigenous varieties, the allure of qvevris and a perception of often aligning with the fashionable natural winemaking scene, the stories are certainly compelling.
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The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) has repeated its call for the Scottish government to introduce a dedicated cabinet secretary or minister for tourism.
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Attendance figures revealed from this week’s BCB London (11-12 May) and April’s Edinburgh Bar Show (13-15 April) reveal that thousands of bar trade professionals passed through the events in the capital cities.
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Vibrant and ever-evolving, the UK’s cocktail scene draws on a variety of influences, while being shaped by its fair share of challenges, particularly in the last few years. Mindful of this, Harpers called on a cross-section of the country’s spirits companies to weigh in on the latest cocktail trends – and the prevailing headwinds too.
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