Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Alliance wine expands Iberian portfolio

Published: 12 September, 2025

Independent supplier Alliance Wine is now the exclusive UK distributor for Bodegas Dominio de Cair, a leading Ribera del Duero winery.

Portugal's Tejo to allow PGI wines at 0.5% alcohol

Published: 27 August, 2025

Tejo Wines has announced updated regulations for the region’s lower-alcohol and dealcoholised wines. The move follows approval by the Tejo General Council (CVR), as well as official recognition by the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV).

On-trade: Finding value in hidden gems

Published: 04 July, 2025

It is not, to paraphrase P. G. Wodehouse, difficult to distinguish between the current world of hospitality and a ray of sunshine. Many businesses have never fully recovered post Covid; inflation (and short vintages) have sent prices skyrocketing, and customers are feeling the pinch. They eat out less, spend less and grumble more.

5 minutes with…

Published: 02 July, 2025

Charlotte Wallace managing and technical director, Graham Crawford, sales director, and Luke Flunder, brand ambassador, Oakley Wine Agencies.

London Wine Fair showcases emerging regions and fresh innovation

Published: 23 May, 2025

After three days of networking, tasting and connecting, the London Wine Fair (LWF) has come to a close for another year. The Fair’s emergence as a champion for emerging wine regions was on clear display at the event, as was both vinous and technological innovation. The event also saw growth in visitor numbers with 9,741 attending the fair, up 5% from 2024.

Quinta Do Noval declares 2023 vintage Port

Published: 30 April, 2025

Quinta do Noval has declared three Vintage Ports from 2023.

Taylor’s releases Sentinels Vintage Port 2023

Published: 23 April, 2025

Taylor’s has made its declaration of Vintage Port today, St George’s Day – the traditional date for the announcement – and alongside launches Sentinels Vintage Port 2023.

Dynamic Portugal: How producers are appealing to a wider audience

Published: 22 April, 2025

Innovation and reinvention are prerequisites for any dynamic wine industry, but Portugal is in a league of its own. For years winemakers here have been rediscovering indigenous varieties, experimenting with new styles and exploring terroir. The Douro has moved well beyond Port to also produce the highest quality red and more recently white wine. Minho – home of Vinho Verde – now produces complex, often single varietal wines from native Alvarinho, Loureiro and other varieties alongside the spritzy poolside wines for which the region has long been famous.

Symington announces Quinta Vintage Port from six estates

Published: 17 April, 2025

Port giant Symington Family Estates has announced that it will produce 2023 Quinta Vintage Ports from its top six Douro estates. The move will see the wines bottled in May and available from mid-June.

Symington partners for first foray into Vinho Verde

Published: 12 March, 2025

Leading port house Symington Family Estates has partnered with winemaker Anselmo Mendes to produce Casa de Rodas Alvarinho 2023, its first ever Vinho Verde.

Jeroboams expands portfolio with wines from Chinon and Alentejo

Published: 26 February, 2025

Fine wine merchant, Jeroboams, has added two producers to its portfolio with Domaine de la Chapelle from Chinon, Loire Valley and Mouchão vineyard from the Alentejo, Portugal.

London Wine Fair buoyed by alternative territories growth

Published: 18 February, 2025

The 2025 London Wine Fair will see larger stalls from emerging wine-regions including a doubling in size of Chinese exhibitors’ stalls. Exhibitors from Japan, Romania and Serbia will be in also be attendance at the May event.

Bibendum becomes exclusive distributor for Quinta da Pedra Alta

Published: 27 January, 2025

Leading Douro producer Quinta da Pedra Alta will now be distributed in the UK and Ireland via Bibendum. A portfolio of red and white table wines as well as a selection of Ports will be available to the on-trade under the Bibendum banner and to independent merchants via Walker & Wodehouse.

Fladgate Partnership releases 2024 harvest report

Published: 21 October, 2024

In the wake of an overall cool vintage, expectations remain high in the Douro Valley, with initial reports suggesting that year's crop will showcase “vibrant fruit, fine tannins, and remarkable acidity”.

Portugal hosts OIV Awards as part of centennial celebrations

Published: 24 September, 2024

Portugal, a founding member of the OIV, played host to the 2024 OIV Awards ceremony in Lisbon as part of the organisation’s centennial festivities. The event was co-organised by the OIV, the Portuguese Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV) and Wines of Portugal.

‘Rare gems’ on show at Keeling Andrew tasting

Published: 17 April, 2024

Keeling Andrew’s trendy portfolio attracted a suitably young and vibrant crowd at its tasting in Holborn yesterday (16 April), where the business took the opportunity to highlight some of its under-the-radar producers while honing in on specialisms in Burgundy and Champagne.

Buyer’s Spotlight with Jason Millar: Portugal needs a boost

Published: 16 April, 2024

When I first visited Lisbon in 2014, I was able to get an Airbnb in Bairro Alto for €20 a night and there was only one cool wine spot in town. Now there’s an official Wines of Portugal tasting room on the waterfront, a decade of tourism has transformed the country and contemporary wine bars are as easy to find as bacalhau.

Portuguese diversity on show as exports rise

Published: 12 September, 2023

The breadth of Portugal’s diversity was on full show in London yesterday, where lower yields, good value and newly emerging grape varieties formed an interesting picture of one of the world’s fastest growing-in-popularity regions.

Second outing for Quinta do Noval’s Terroir Series

Published: 25 August, 2023

Quinta do Noval has launched the second wine from their ultra-premium, limited edition Terroir Series – a collaboration between Carlos Agrellos, Noval’s technical director, and Christian Seely.

Symington launch pushes Douro’s white potential

Published: 27 February, 2023

Symington Family Estates has launched a new Douro white, Pequeno Dilema 2020, as part of what the company describes as its “mission” to demonstrate that Port’s vineyards can also produce “outstanding white wines”.