The village of Bellmunt del Priorat has its very own mining museum, a tribute to a time when lead was more important than grapes to the economy of this wild and isolated corner of Catalonia.
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Anne Krebiehl fanfares the launch of Dom Pérignon's Three 'Plénitudes' - three late-released, late-disgorged vintages launched as one - at a recent London tasting pop-up.
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With only weeks to go before the new-look Vinexpo opens its doors for the 19th international wine and spirit exhibition, the pace of visitor bookings is turning into a flood. Over 48,000 visitors are expected from 120 countries. Centre stage is the US, which is showing unprecedented interest in exhibiting wines, but also in showing off its spirits and cocktail flair in the enhanced spirits sections.
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When I announced in London recently that the USA was the world's biggest wine consumer and that the Chinese are tipped to drink more red wine than anyone else, it was clearly unexpected news for many.
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I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've ordered Cognac. Like crystal meth and Bikram yoga, it's simply not something by which I've ever been tempted.
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Anne-Claude Leflaive was sometimes described as one of Burgundy's "grandes dames" but there was nothing aloof about the woman who ran the most famous white wine domaine in the Côte de Beaune. Relaxed, friendly, yet intensely focused, Anne-Claude inherited the easy charm and sense of humour of her father, Vincent, who preceded her at the helm of this prestigious property.
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Is it really 16 years since Vinopolis opened its doors to the public? I can clearly remember the hoopla and sense of anticipation that accompanied the launch of London's self-styled "premier wine-tasting experience and visitor attraction".
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Why is crowdfunding so inherently exciting? The heady emotional mix of allure, participation, open access, opportunity, creativity and success is hard to resist.
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Jerry Lockspeiser, chairman of Off Piste Wines and serial wine industry entrepreneur as well as Harpers columnist, gives his thoughts on why 2015 may be a "crossroads year" for the retail trade, and how we are still "failing to inspire" wine drinkers.
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Comedian and writer David Mitchell is among the more perceptive columnists for the once great Observer, so it was with interest that I read his piece on how the taste of Champagne doesn't matter. When it comes to serving sparkling wine, he claimed, so long as it has bubbles, and says Champagne and not Cava on the label, any further qualities are immaterial.
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The Millione wine brand is a social business started by myself, Cliff Roberson and Mike Paul. All profits are used to build primary schools in Sierra Leone. Four schools have been running successfully and the fifth is half built.
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Wine selling for £6 or less is shit. Not my words but those of advertising legend Sir John Hegarty at the Wine and Spirit Trade Association conference.
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The first thing you see at the winery is a sign saying "HIPPIES USE BACK DOOR- NO EXCEPTIONS". In the barrel room oak vats are identified by the names of rock bands - the Clash, Joy Division, Pulp and Portishead amongst them - or images of molecular structures. Outside the back door a large pile of straw bales wait to be wrapped around modern stainless steel vats, nature's insulation to keep her product cool.
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The UK wine trade should stop lamenting the fact the average consumer is looking to buy cheaper wine and work harder to convince them to do otherwise, according to leading wine consultant Jerry Lockspeiser.
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In the new Uncorked Book Club area on Harpers.co.uk books, featuring new and interesting titles for the trade, Jerry Lockspeiser discusses why this David Hieatt book on brands got so far into his head that it is still there days later...
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Harpers is pleased to announce it has signed up Guy Woodward, former editor of Decanter, as a regular columnist and contributor.This month he tips his cap to the creative minds at Naked Wines and other innovative retail sites that are genuinely communicating to consumers in a way they can understand and says there are so many lessons to be learnt from the old school wine trade still stuck in its ivory tower.
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Mike Veseth is an unusual academic. Professor emeritus of international political economy at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and an economist who studies global wine markets, he writes about wine business issues with a down to earth populist ease that Nigel Farage would be proud of. His enthusiastic, chatty style resembles a conversation over a glass of Merlot in a wine bar. He makes his subject highly accessible and clearly loves this world.
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As reported in Harpers in March we aimed to raise enough at this year's Call My Wine Bluff to pass £1 million since our first event 6 years ago. Thanks to the generosity and spirit of the 180 people who laughed, listened, chatted and drank their way through the evening (no one was spitting thank God) we did - by some way.
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You may recognise the symptoms. It's more debilitating than hay fever; the snarling of the lip, the nausea, an ennui so enervating that zapping from Dave TV to a living human channel is almost impossible.
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Jerry Lockspeiser, chairman of Off-Piste Wines, discusses the challenges wine buyers may encounter with suppliers and a five point plan on how to get the most out of a supplier relationship.
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