Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Hallgarten becomes Harpers Sustainability Partner

Published: 01 April, 2026

Leading specialist UK wine merchant Hallgarten & Novum Wines has become Harpers Wine & Spirit’s latest Sustainability Partner.

London Wine Fair increases investment in sustainability

Published: 30 March, 2026

Under new owners Vindustrious, the London Wine Fair (LWF) has announced an increased investment in sustainability through its partnership with Impact Focus.

Alliance Wine/H2Vin achieves ISO 14001

Published: 27 March, 2026

Importer Alliance Wine/H2Vin has earned the ISO 14001:2015 certification for its UK operations, achieving a flawless audit from the British Measurement Bureau on its first attempt.

New packaging innovation aims to cut EPR fees and boost sustainability

Published: 23 March, 2026

Croxsons, a B-Corp certified firm that supplies glass packaging for the food and drink sector, has launched a lightweight glass packaging solution, Rightweight®.

LWC becomes Harpers Sustainability Charter signatory

Published: 02 March, 2026

Independent drinks distributor LWC has become the latest signatory of the Harpers Sustainability Charter. The goal of the initiative is to build a network of sustainably-minded drinks businesses and act as a reference for companies looking to work with sustainable partners.

New EU wine policy framework sees impressive sustainability support

Published: 23 February, 2026

The European Council has today (23 February) announced a “modernised policy framework” to support the EU wine industry. The legislation covers a raft of measures including enhanced sustainability support, new no-alcohol wine definitions and updated labelling practices.

Cork talk

Published: 18 February, 2026

With cork closures firmly back in the ascendancy, Jaq Bayles assesses why it still reigns supreme.

The climate communication conundrum

Published: 04 February, 2026

Rather like climate change and sustainability themselves, the recent fifth edition of Tasting Climate Change in Montreal was complex, dense with information, covering so much ground, from so many angles, that it was difficult to summarise into one simple thread. One prominent panellist – a journalist – even quipped “I’m having a heart attack just thinking about how I write all of this up”, given the viticultural, winemaking, packaging, distribution, retailing and post-consumption issues that were explored. Harpers will be covering some of those topics in this spring’s Sustainability Report, but as a taster (and mindful of that comment), one important aspect that was raised was that of consumer communication, from both trade and press.

IWCA unveils analysis of global soil carbon sequestration progress

Published: 04 February, 2026

International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) has announced the launch of its inaugural soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration project compilation. The endeavour is a comprehensive comparative analysis of many of the wine industry’s SOC sequestration projects to date.

Overall Prosecco sales growth muted but impressive US increase

Published: 15 January, 2026

The Prosecco DOC has unveiled its sales figures for 2025 with 667 million bottles sold globally – representing 1.1% growth year on year. The value of these sales stood at €3.6bn, approximately the same as 2024.

Raimat launches largest natural European gravity-based water treatment plant

Published: 14 January, 2026

Lleida-based winery Raimat has constructed the largest natural gravity-based water treatment plant in Europe, creating 40,000m2 of wetlands in the middle of its vineyards that can purify 80,000 litres of water per day.

Franck Noguiez joins Grupo Avinea as technical director

Published: 08 January, 2026

Leading Argentinian producer of organic wines Grupo Avinea has taken on Franck Noguiez (pictured) as its new technical director, a role in which he will guide wine production and sustainable development for the group.

Liberty Wines adds Maison Saint Aix to its portfolio

Published: 07 January, 2026

Leading Provençal producer Maison Saint Aix has appointed distributor Liberty Wines as its UK agent.

Vinexposium reveals V d’Or nominees

Published: 05 January, 2026

Wine Paris organiser Vinexposium has revealed its list of nominees for the third edition of the V d’Or.

Nick Gillett: The spirit of 2026 – a cocktail of contradictions and thirst for value?

Published: 22 December, 2025

Looking back, 2025 was another stinker of a year for the spirits and hospitality industries; a rollercoaster ride punctuated by a bad business environment, consumers having less disposable income, and venues closing their doors at an unprecedented rate. With that out the way, it’s time to look ahead to 2026 – as we thoroughly cheer the fact that 2025 is over and done with. So, with just a dash of optimism and foresight, what will be pouring into our glasses and being enjoyed in-venue next year? I have a few ideas.

JP Chenet reveals sustainably-focused redesign

Published: 17 December, 2025

French family-owned wine producer JP Chenet has announced a redesign of its bottle for 2026, introducing a more modern visual identity for the brand with a focus on sustainability and practicality.

The peaks and pitfalls of EPR

Published: 08 December, 2025

Packaging waste matters and policy that can reduce it is vital. This would be a view held by most across the drinks trade. Despite this, implementation and policy design matter too. The introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy for some in the sector has been far from satisfactory. In many ways this comes down to a case of unfortunate timing – the policy’s introduction coinciding with a raft of other cost-increasing measures, namely alcohol duty and NIC hikes. But also, legitimate concerns exist regarding the policy’s minutiae.

Welsh Government begins process to appoint DMO

Published: 01 December, 2025

In a statement from Huw Irranca-Davies MS, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, the Welsh Government has announced that it has begun the process of finding a Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) to run its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

Sustainability 101: Challenges in being environmental

Published: 01 December, 2025

Members of the Harpers Sustainability Charter outline current and likely future challenges on the road to a greater green profile. Oliver Catchpole reports.

Surveying sustainable champions on emissions progress

Published: 24 November, 2025

For this month’s Sustainability Report, Harpers decided to ask the signatories of our Harpers Sustainability Charter about their progress in one of the key areas of sustainability – reducing carbon dioxide emissions. While only one pillar of a charter that encompasses incredibly important sustainability issues such as waste management, ecological care, diversity, public health and many others, carbon emissions stand out due to the outsized role they play in warming the planet.