Published: 07 September, 2026
Our Top 50 Sommeliers list is a celebration of the incredible talent behind the equally impressive collective and individual drinks offers across the UK’s world-class restaurant scene. As such, it digs much deeper than the drinks list alone, with our judges contemplating many facets of the sommelier role, from service and staff training to innovation and commercial acumen. Appropriateness of the overall offer for the venue and its guests is also a major factor.
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Published: 19 August, 2026
The MD of Flint Wines is next up in our summer Q&A series, talking stories, the value of rarity, the next generation and being a technicolour option.
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The Wine GB Awards winners has been unveiled by the trade body, with still wine entries and medals surpassing sparkling for the second year on the trot.
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It has been nearly a decade since Britain voted to leave the EU on 23 June, 2016. Many years on, this decision – one of the most consequential in recent British politics – continues to be felt across the country, not least in the wine trade. And, with its anniversary fast approaching, Brexit is back in the headlines once again – rapidly developing into an issue for prospective Labour leaders Streeting and Burnham.
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Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) chief executive Miles Beale used a platform at the opening of this year’s London Wine Fair (LWF) to call for an ongoing and urgent drink and hospitality industry reset with regard to lobbying government.
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In defiance of the axiom about reopening old wounds, Labour has brought Brexit back into the headlines. According to a recent BBC report, the UK and the EU are exploring a potential deal to more closely align food and drink standards – including wine – within the single market framework.
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Published: 23 March, 2026
In a latest twist, the long-awaited EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement has been delayed after the European Parliament voted to refer the deal to the EU Court of Justice following opposition from the French agricultural sector. It took 25 years for the EU Council to sign the Interim Trade Agreement in January, but its completion is now, however, in sight.
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Published: 09 March, 2026
“This is not about UK vs EU vs US – it is industry vs government.” So said the typically measured Miles Beale, chief executive of the UK’s Wine & Spirit Trade Association, speaking on a panel entitled Tariffs: The Spirits Industry Under Pressure at Wine Paris.
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Published: 19 February, 2026
One grey February morning our tasting team were ploughing through a bench of wines. Our task was a familiar one to many Harpers readers – to decide which, if any, might be suitable to add to our range.
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Published: 08 January, 2026
This week marks the release of our 50 Best Indies 2026 results, celebrating the leading wine and spirits merchants from across the UK.
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Published: 05 January, 2026
This week marks the release of our 50 Best Indies 2026 results, celebrating the leading wine and spirits merchants from across the UK.
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Published: 05 January, 2026
The Society of Vintners has hit the ground running in 2026, with the appointment of Claire Greenwood (pictured) as its first commercial director as of 5 January.
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Published: 02 October, 2025
To mark its 40th anniversary, the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino (GOVC) has announced the six inaugural recipients of its new mentorship programme.
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Indian and British Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer, have formally signed a free trade agreement which will include an easement of Indian tariffs on Scotch whisky.
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The annual English Wine Week celebration of homegrown still and sparkling wine is back from 21-29 June with its busiest roster of consumer-facing events to date.
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The British and Indian governments have agreed to a trade deal touted to increase bilateral trade between the nations by £25.5bn. The deal saw a softening of Indian tariffs on imports of British gin and whisky which could spark growth for the UK's domestic spirits industry.
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Published: 24 March, 2025
In 2023, 1.5 million visits were made to UK vineyards and wineries, up 55% on 2022. These visits provide vital support to UK estates, with wine tourism accounting for 25% of total winery income on average.
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Published: 21 March, 2025
A new report on English sparkling wine from Wine Lister, the fine wine consulting agency, shows that on average critics’ score the category 90.6, which compares favourably with sector-leading Champagne wines (90.8).
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Published: 07 March, 2025
Bancroft Wines has added South Norfolk-based winery Flint Vineyard to its portfolio. The partnership means Bancroft will now become the exclusive UK distributor of the East Anglian winery’s two sparkling wines, a Charmat and a Charmat Rose.
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Published: 26 February, 2025
Plumpton College, home of the UK’s National Wine Training Programme, has announced the launch of the National Competency Framework (NCF). The new initiative is designed to define essential skills and competencies for employment across key sectors of the UK wine trade.
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