Thirty years of The Oxford Wine Company

After 30 years in business, Ted Sandbach, owner and chairman of The Oxford Wine Company, says moving to – and staying in – Oxford is still the best decision he’s ever made. Jo Gilbert reports

St John Marylebone

St John Marylebone

Friday read: Not a match – why is sherry failing to find its groove?

November and December is the time when fortifieds come out to play. At least, they do in the press. Probably 90% of port and sherry’s column inches occur in the month before Christmas.

Viticulture in focus: What are the major trends?

Jo Gilbert catches up with some of the UK’s top agents, distributors and producers taking the lead on sustainability issues.

As alcohol lags behind on-trade recovery, where does the trade go from here?

The restaurant sector is showing some strong recovery after running the gauntlet for the past couple of years. However, alcohol’s future looks more tenuous, with the role of drinks – and the share of more expensive, premium products – becoming increasingly squeezed by ever-ratcheting living costs.  

Champagne outperforms gold during Covid

Globally, we may have not been swinging from the chandeliers much over the past two years. When it comes to the secondary market however, Champagne has undergone a period of intense transformation to become one of the most attractive propositions for fine wine investors.

Tequila’s star continues to rise as supermarkets sales double

Tequila is stealing a march on other spirits categories, with an impressive 94% growth spurt in two years underpinning the rise of the Mexican spirit in the UK.

Bollinger expands Loire footprint with Hubert Brochard

The Bollinger Group has increased its presence in the Loire Valley with the acquisition of Sancerre’s Hubert Brochard estate.

Global alcohol market forecast to exceed 2019 volumes within two years

A new report issued by the IWSR is full of encouraging news for the international beverage industry. According to the organisation's Drinks Market Analysis, the value of global alcohol sales grew 12% last year to reach US$1.17 trillion, while volume rose by a more modest 3% in 2021.

Harpers' 30 Under 30 winners announced

What a couple of years the trade has had. What ups and downs. During the worst months of Covid, we’re sure there are some who felt a bit like Midas’s barber in the ancient tales. Forced under pain of death to keep his master’s secret – that the former Greek king was hiding a pair of donkey’s ears beneath his hat – the unfortunate barber was only able to vent by taking himself to a bed of reeds and screaming that the king had, indeed, become part-ass.

Fizz and cocktails set to pop this Jubilee weekend as the less-but-better trend continues

Brits drink less alcohol than they did during the past two Jubilee celebrations – a trend which is likely to carry over this weekend as party planners fill shelves and ice boxes. However, wine and spirits have a greater share of that pie, as the two categories steal a march from the once all-powerful beer category.

Tim Atkin MW: Rising from the ashes

Five minutes with Alex Hurley, London Cru

Jo Gilbert talks to the English wine innovator about how the past two years have helped to super-charge the category via London Cru, the Roberson Wines-owned urban winery.

Multiples: Retail trends

A five-year snapshot of the retail world reveals just how sales of wines and spirits have been shaken up by the pandemic, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Ecommerce to remain key driver as US online alcohol sales hit $6.1 billion

Ecommerce is becoming a major force in global retail, with online sales of BWS achieving a total value of $6.1 billion in the US market last year.

Seltzers: Turning on the hard sell

A hard seltzer might sound like a hangover cure to us Brits, but their power in the low-calorie, low-abv proposition, is not to be sniffed at. Jo Gilbert reports.

Wine Importers 'looks to future' with management reshuffle

Scotland-based distributor Wine Importers, part of the Murray Capital Group, has announced key changes to its top team, anticipating “growing demand as the economy fully reopens”.

Outrage over ‘cynical’ ProWein move

The UK trade has expressed its outrage that ProWein has changed its date to clash with the London Wine Fair (LWF) in 2022 – while also expressing deep sympathy for the LWF which is due to return in physical form for the first time in two years.

Graham Beck appoints new cellar master

South African sparking wine brand Graham Beck has appointed Pierre de Klerk as their new chef de cave, replacing the incumbent Pieter Ferreira, who has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer.

Bordeaux Symposium: Time to put people at head of sustainability agenda

Bordeaux is expanding and re-drawing its definition of sustainability via a new strategy which aims to put people – and ecosystems in which people want to work – at the heart of its environmental agenda for 2022.