Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

WSET announces Laurent-Perrier as newest Gold Partner

Published: 21 January, 2026

WSET has announced that independent, family-run Champagne house Laurent-Perrier has become its newest Gold Partner.

Headline Heroes: Why Rosé Champagne demands our attention

Published: 16 July, 2025

Rosé Champagne is a style that has been around for more than 200 years, yet its success is a relatively recent phenomenon, as the category has steadily expanded to represent a bigger slice of the market, reaching around 10% of Champagne shipments over the past couple of decades. Produced in a kaleidoscope of different pinks, rosé fizz lends itself to celebrations and has enjoyed a growth in value that has outperformed regular ‘white’ Champagne in a challenging market, but the stylistic differences run far deeper than colour, courtesy of two contrasting approaches to production.

Challenging times for Champagne: Experts have their say

Published: 23 June, 2025

Despite the British penchant for a celebratory glass of bubbly, Champagne has not escaped difficulties wrought by an array of industry headwinds. The revered style has seen total yearly shipments fall 9.4% in 2024, compared to 2023, according to CIVC, a continuation of a downward trend seen since the Covid highs of 2021.

Gérard Basset Foundation announces fresh scholarship intake

Published: 09 June, 2025

The Gérard Basset Foundation has announced its latest Laurent-Perrier Champagne scholarship cohort. The charity was initially going to award 10 individuals but decided to honour 12 new scholars thanks to a strong applicant class.