Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Soapbox: Natural wine – a murderous funk?

Published: 16 March, 2023

Amphora Cambridge owner Cong Cong Bo takes a low intervention swipe at the faddish addiction to the word ‘natural’ in wine.

Friday read: Why are non-alcoholic brands so obsessed with…alcohol?

Published: 03 February, 2023

Nazy Farkondeh, senior writer at verbal branding agency Reed Words, on why low & no brands should stop focusing on what they’re not.

Low & no growth in the fast lane to 2026

Published: 16 December, 2022

Low & no drinks are set to accelerate over the coming years, the IWSR has revealed, with analysts predicting that consumption will increase by a third by 2026, exceeding earlier growth rates.

Low and no moves to the mainstream as moderate drinkers drive boom

Published: 11 July, 2022

New research has shown how the booming low and no category has established a new middle ground, where moderate drinkers are increasingly the ones pushing the category to new levels of growth.

Dedicated low/no stores add new retail dimension

Published: 21 February, 2022

As the category picks up pace, Sonya Hook talks to some of the operators hoping to cash in with standalone stores.

Low and no hits new highs

Published: 14 February, 2022

As low and no becomes a year-round proposition, Jo Gilbert dives into figures shared exclusively with Harpers by major UK supplier of low and no products, Enotria & Coe.

Seltzers: Turning on the hard sell

Published: 04 February, 2022

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.

Sales of no and low-alcohol products soar in January

Published: 01 February, 2022

The latest grocery market share figures from Kantar show that many shoppers eschewed BWS for no-and low-alcohol brands in January.

Demand for no and low products becoming ‘year round phenomenon’

Published: 17 January, 2022

The demand for no/low alcohol brands surged across key global markets in 2021, with consumer interest no longer confined to seasonal trends like Dry January.

Consumer interest in no and low products surging

Published: 05 January, 2022

One in three UK drinkers now regularly choose low or no alcohol brands, according to a new survey commissioned by the Portman Group.

Virtual festival dedicated to ‘low-intervention’ wine launches this weekend

Published: 29 November, 2021

France’s only female Master of Wine has launched a new virtual wine festival Alive!, due to take place on 5 and 6 December.

The big news from the US is that hard seltzers’ meteoric rise is finally levelling off. Jo Gilbert looks at the category’s trajectory in the UK and how it is piggybacking off the success of canned products.

Evolution in motion

Published: 08 September, 2021

The growing no/low-alcohol cocktail category has seen some serious innovation as bars and consumers seek more substance in their drinks. Clinton Cawood reports on the latest trends

Soapbox: Zero clarity threatens the future of no and low

Published: 12 August, 2021

In an extended soapbox this month, Vickie Rogerson, MD of specialist food and drink communications agency North PR and former head of food and BWS PR at Asda, makes the case for radically improved no and low alcohol labelling.

Sipsmith launches non-alcoholic FreeGlider

Published: 03 August, 2021

Market leading gin producer Sipsmith is the latest distillery to enter the no and low category with the launch of Free Glider, its alcohol-free spirit.

UKH: ‘DRS must be workable for hospitality'

Published: 07 June, 2021

Safety and space concerns, increased business costs and bureaucracy caused by the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) would place a disproportionate burden on many hospitality businesses, UK Hospitality (UKH) has said in response to the government’s proposal on the scheme.

Gin: Identity politics

Published: 06 May, 2021

A roster of ‘gin’ liqueurs, low-quality variants and no and low copycats have drawn the ire of some this year with calls to better ring fence the category. Are these outliers artificially accelerating gin fatigue or is this all part of the category’s natural evolution? Jo Gilbert weighs in.

Low and no: How far will it go?

Published: 01 April, 2021

Consumer demand for no and low alcohol products and ready-to-drink is on the rise both globally and in the UK. But how long will this growth continue? Jo Gilbert looks ahead.

Low & no: More than meets the eye

Published: 04 January, 2021

The low and no category came into its own in 2020, but how can producers communicate
its true riches to consumers? Nigel Huddleston investigates.

Low and no sales on the rise

Published: 07 September, 2020

Sales of low- and no-alcohol drinks are up 30% year-on-year in the off-trade, with consumer spend on alcohol-free spirits hitting £5.4m, according to data from Nielsen.