Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

On-trade: All points east for natural wines

Published: 01 November, 2024

James Bayley investigates the natural wine bars of east London to find they embrace informality and welcome all.

Tech: New age-old problem

Published: 25 September, 2024

Jo Gilbert looks at how the biggest alcohol brands and social media platforms are banding together to tackle the rapidly developing world of online age-assurance systems.

Gosset Matchmakers Competition returns for its seventh year

Published: 09 May, 2022

Champagne Gosset welcome entries for the 2022 edition of its landmark Matchmakers Competition, run in collaboration with The Sommelier Collective and Le Cordon Bleu in London.

Ribera del Duero launches inaugural indie promotion

Published: 18 January, 2022

The Consejo Regulador of Ribera del Duero has unveiled plans to run a ‘Reach for Ribera’ promotion in February, involving 25 independent wine merchants across the UK.

Sherry Week’s global tasting jamboree hailed a success

Published: 19 November, 2021

With some 1,755 tastings, split 50:50 between physical and virtual events, International Sherry Week (8-14 Nov) drew in participants from some 27 countries this year, being the biggest global celebration of the region’s wines.

Long read: Chasing formats isn't enough for the Instagram generation

Published: 15 November, 2021

In the past decade, regular wine consumption among 18-34 year olds has fallen by 10% (Wine Intelligence), which could indicate trouble for the sector in the future. Alex Green, co-founded wine distributor Beyond Wines after working with business partner Matt Johnson at Copestick Murray where they worked on i heart and Freixenet. Here, he explores why wine brands are failing to engage the younger demographic and where they stand to make the biggest wins.

Long read: Top tips for a roaring recovery

Published: 21 October, 2021

All businesses were hit hard by the pandemic, though arguably none more so than the hospitality industry. Having worked with hundreds of bars, cafes, wineries, breweries, distilleries and cideries across the world, Erik Wolf, executive director of the World Food Travel Association, takes us through his top tips on how beverage business managers and owners can super-charge their post-pandemic recovery.

CGA: Digital consumerism continues to accelerate post-Covid

Published: 28 September, 2021

New research undertaken by CGA Strategy and a global reputation management firm has revealed the importance of maintaining a robust digital presence in the pandemic era, with consumers increasingly focusing on social media reputations – and peer review sites – before planning a night out.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Lessons from the BrewDog affair

Published: 24 June, 2021

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.” Warren Buffett

WoSA launches ‘Spectacular South Africa’ campaign

Published: 13 May, 2020

As Cape wine exports pick up post the ban in April, Wines of South Africa (WoSA) is launching a new campaign on social media to promote “Spectacular South Africa”.

Drinks brands should “radically rethink” B2C social media messages

Published: 08 April, 2020

Against the disruption of coronavirus (Covid-19), drinks brands “need to radically rethink their key messages when communicating with consumers on social media”, according to IWSR.

Lawyers urge businesses to “read the fine print” over Job Retention Scheme

Published: 25 March, 2020

Legal advice has been issued to drinks businesses who are now looking to rely on the government’s promise to cover 80% of salaries (up to a limit of £2,500) a month to furloughed members of staff during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) health crisis.

Social media gives indies plenty of likes

Published: 18 September, 2019

The rapid pace of tech evolution means merchants have even more to gain from platforms in the future says Lisa Riley

My perfect customer: Emily Silva, The Oxford Wine Company

Published: 17 September, 2019

How would you describe your customer base?

Syrah drinkers most social media-friendly, survey finds

Published: 05 August, 2019

Social media has made face-to-face conversation unnecessary for some 85% of Syrah drinkers, who prefer to keep in touch with friends and family via technology.

LWF: Consumers value experiences over value for money, says CGA

Published: 21 May, 2019

There has been a major shift in the way consumers decide which venues to visit, with the promise of entertainment and engagement now taking precedent over value for money.

Côtes du Rhône targets 30-45 age group for new global campaign

Published: 25 April, 2019

The trade body for France’s Côtes du Rhône has unveiled plans to target consumers in their thirties and forties, with a new logo and marketing strapline that highlights the region’s quality, heritage and provenance.

Meet the buyers: Arancha Lopez Perez, Ten Green Bottles

Published: 31 July, 2018

Hybrids that mix it up with wine and food spill the beans on how to juggle retail and in-house hospitality.

Computer vision: an eye on the future

Published: 26 July, 2018

Computer vision has been used for years for facial recognition software and this this type of technology will become instrumental in decoding drinking trends, says Jo Gilbert.

Opinion: You Been On That Facetube Yet?

Published: 16 June, 2016

Wine blogger Mike Turner, the man behind Please Bring Me My Wine, which has more than 30,000 Twitter followers, challanges there is value in investing in social media for wine businesses.