Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Climate action group IWCA welcomes four new members

Published: 30 January, 2020

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has welcomed our new wineries in its mission to decarbonize the global wine industry.

Essex and East Anglia primed for viticultural expansion say climate change researchers

Published: 28 January, 2020

Climate change researchers have pegged Essex and Norfolk as the next major areas to plant as warmer summers extend the area where grapes can be grown productively in the UK.

Wine Australia reveals AUD $500m raised in charitable donations

Published: 22 January, 2020

Wine Australia has revealed that more than AUD $500m has been raised so far in charitable donations from across the globe in relation to the devastating bushfires.

Tyrrell’s reduces 2020 vintage ‘severely’ due to smoke taint

Published: 22 January, 2020

Tyrrell’s Wines has made the decision to have a “severely reduced” 2020 vintage due to smoke taint caused by the bushfires, with the Australian producer estimating a total crop loss of 80%.

Guy Woodward: The irresistible side of climate change

Published: 13 December, 2019

As we flew into her native California last month, my wife was confused. The captain had announced we would be landing in 20 minutes, but looking out the window, she saw an unfamiliar sight. “That’s weird,” she said. “Looks like we’re only just passing over Utah – there’s the salt flats.” Don’t tell me we’ve been diverted, I thought… No, all was on track, and we touched down safely at LAX 20 minutes later. Turns out the vista that had so disoriented my wife was, in fact, the scorched earth of the Golden State, dry beyond recognition.

Mixing politics and wine

Published: 22 November, 2019

What attracted me to wine journalism nine years ago was that the stories were about the wine and the people, not cocaine-fuelled celebrity mishaps or sexual exploits involving a reverse osmosis machine. The beauty of wine was that, by and large, there was no 'news.'

Soave launches project to tackle soil erosion

Published: 19 November, 2019

The Consorzio of Soave has embarked on a pioneering project to study the impact of soil erosion in its vineyards and to help producers develop and maintain techniques to protect their soil.

Stellenbosch Wine Routes becomes first Southern Hemisphere region to sign Porto Protocol

Published: 23 October, 2019

Stellenbosch Wine Routes has signed up to the Porto Protocol as part of its commitment to combat climate change.

Torres calls for action on climate change

Published: 30 September, 2019

Family-run Spanish wine producer Familia Torres has renewed its call for more action on climate change and declared its support for Fridays For Future, the international youth movement inspired by activist Greta Thunberg.

Climate change hits Champagne harvest

Published: 27 September, 2019

Global warming cost Champagne over 10% of its potential harvest this year, the Champagne Bureau has revealed.

Effects of climate change highlighted by new World Atlas of Wine

Published: 20 September, 2019

Climate change has transformed wine production globally, according to the latest edition of the World Atlas of Wine.

Bulk savings

Published: 02 September, 2019

Importing wine into the UK in bulk used to be all about saving money. Now it’s about saving the planet, too, as Simon Jack reports.

Sustainability: a transatlantic conversation with California Wines

Published: 13 August, 2019

Harpers and California Wine Institute hosted an insightful and far-reaching seminar at London’s Design Museum, delivering the core message that the wine world is well-placed to better engage consumers in supporting the true costs of advancing sustainability. Andrew Catchpole reports

Tim Atkin MW: Canary in the global coalmine

Published: 05 August, 2019

“Phew. What A Scorcher!” I’m old enough to remember June 1976, when we had 15 consecutive days above 32°C. The Sun’s headline captured some of the excitement I felt as a teenager. In those days British summers were frequently cool, overcast affairs and all of a sudden Kent felt like the Costa Brava. What was scorching then seems almost temperate now. Last week Cambridge sweated through the second hottest day ever at 38.1°C, just behind Faversham’s UK record of 38.5°C in August 2003.

Trade should stop bottling it on carbon emissions

Published: 28 June, 2019

Bottling and packaging play by far the largest role in the green house gas (GHG) emissions generated by the production and distribution of a wine, contributing 42% of the total carbon footprint, delivering a clear ‘innovation challenge’ for the trade if it is to fully join the march towards greater sustainability.

Fit for the future

Published: 26 June, 2019

Maison Martell has formed a dynamic partnership aimed at preparing its vineyards for climate breakdown, as Alison Reid, of ethical-hedonist.com, reports.

‘Temperature crisis’ could lead to a major re-shuffle of global wine production and demand

Published: 13 May, 2019

Vinegrowing and winemaking worldwide could look very different in the next 30 years, a climate change expert has announced, as the planet accelerates towards a temperature crisis fifty years earlier than expected.