Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Beaujolais UK sales skyrocket

Published: 31 March, 2020

Beaujolais has continued its revival in the UK, with 2019 exports up 17% by value and 22% by volume year on year, according to new figures from Inter Beaujolais.

Distil and BHC end new joint venture

Published: 31 March, 2020

British drinks companies Distil and British Honey Company have folded their recently launched joint venture.

Sparkling dominates online wine searches

Published: 30 March, 2020

Nearly half of all wine-related online searches in the UK are for sparkling wine, according to new research from Italian wine specialists Independent Wine.

Profile: Lift off for Buckingham Schenk

Published: 30 March, 2020

With help from the Schenk Group mothership, Buckingham Schenk is evolving from a predominantly retail-led own-label proposition to becoming a multichannel player with a stall of agency and exclusive brands. Last month, Jo Gilbert spoke to MD Craig Durham about the company's latest reinvention

Chancellor matches staff wage subsidies for self-employed

Published: 26 March, 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed that the government will cover the wages of self-employed workers up to £2,500 a month – matching what was offered to staff employees last week.

Friday Read: UK wineries battle coronavirus crisis with British determination

Published: 20 March, 2020

Rapidly slowing exports, a pivoting to direct to consumer sales as on-trade sales stall and vineyards on lock down – such is the picture of the UK wine industry today as it grapples with the ongoing disruption from the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Virtual Happy Hour leads on-trade support initiatives

Published: 19 March, 2020

A new ‘at home tasting’ initiative is looking to support the hospitality industry by encouraging the public to drink at home as if they were at their favourite bars and pubs.

New date for Think Spirits

Published: 18 March, 2020

The launch of Harpers’ bigger and better spirits event, which is expanding in order to reflect a raft of dynamic and fast-moving drinks categories in the UK, is to take place later in the year.

Chris Losh: averting an on-trade apocalypse

Published: 17 March, 2020

This was the week that the Coronavirus got real. Ten days ago in the UK Covid-19 was largely the source of ironic fist-bumps and the odd cancelled tasting. Dying and panicking was what other people did. With a complacency that now seems barely credible, the government’s message at the end of February was, broadly, ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’.

Coronavirus: Don’t leave pubs and bars in “limbo”

Published: 17 March, 2020

The industry is galvanising its voices to urge the Prime Minister to take decisive action at this afternoon’s coronavirus briefing after pubs, bars and restaurants are left in “limbo” just as the outbreak looks set to take hold in the UK.

France lockdown presenting challenge for some UK importers

Published: 17 March, 2020

President Macron’s announcement on Monday (16 March) that France is to close its borders to all but essential movement and trade, coupled with a ban on non-essential movement of people domestically, is also seeing some warehouses and businesses shut up shop as the coronavirus situation worsens.

PM urges public to avoid pubs, clubs and social venues

Published: 16 March, 2020

Socialising in groups and travelling for non-essential reasons is no officially a no-no the government has said as it introduces stricter measures for dealing with the spread of coronavirus (Covid–19).

Desperate times for bars and restaurants facing “short-term cashflow catastrophe” as footfall plummets 50%

Published: 16 March, 2020

Pressure is being piled on chancellor Rishi Sunak to introduce emergency measures to stem the knock on effect of coronavirus (Covid-19) as footfall to UK businesses fell by almost 50% over the weekend.

Campari donates 1 million euros to tackle coronavirus outbreak

Published: 16 March, 2020

Campari Group has announced it is making a major donation to a public healthcare institution on the front line of battling the coronavirus (Covid-19) in Italy.

WSTA in pan UK-EU talks to ensure GIs protected post Brexit

Published: 13 March, 2020

By January 2021, when Brexit comes into force, WSTA, the UK’s drinks lobby group, will no longer be a member of the pan-European wine trade body, CEEV. But ahead of further UK-EU trade talks, the two bodies are uniting once more to lobby for the continued smooth trade of wine across the English Channel.

Aldi strips out Prosecco duplicates for Cava

Published: 13 March, 2020

Aldi is aiming to bring more variety to its customers via rationalisation of its latest seasonal range which will see greater inclusion of more experimental styles and varietals.

Austria wine exports hit record high

Published: 13 March, 2020

Austria’s wine industry posted record export growth figures in 2019 by both value and volume.

Michel Roux Snr passes away

Published: 13 March, 2020

Legendary chef Michel Roux Sr OBE, who set a new bar for British gastronomy through his restaurants Le Gavroche and the Waterside Inn and inspired a generation of chefs, has passed away.

Subscriber offer: 40% off Classic Wine Library books

Published: 13 March, 2020

Until the end of March, Harpers subscribers can get 40% off all books in The Classic Wine Library by visiting http://bit.ly/BuyClassics and using the code CWLHARP40 at checkout (postage is free within the UK, other postage rates vary). Customers in the US and Canada can use the same code at http://bit.ly/BuyClassicsUS.

Disaronno resists coronavirus blues to set up UK distribution hub

Published: 10 March, 2020

Disaronno and Tia Maria owners Illva Saronno have today announced that they are setting up a distribution, sales and marketing arm in the UK – the same day that Italy announced it is quarantining its entire 60 million population due to the spiraling outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19).