London Wine Fair 2015: round up

The London Wine Fair kicked off at Olympia yesterday, and Harpers was on hand to check out some of the new launches and exhibitors from the first day. 

"Small risk" to drinks industry from July Budget, WSTA says

The WSTA admitted that there is a small risk that the Chancellor might reverse some of the excise cuts introduced at the Budget in March.

Volume declines of Southern hemisphere harvest pushes up demand for bulk wines

Smaller harvest in the Southern hemisphere are set to boost demand for bulk wine, the latest report from Ciatti has said.

Chinese consumers shifting towards 'mainstream' wines says new Wine Intelligence study

According to a new Wine Intelligence China Portraits 2015 report, the "traditional" Chinese wine consumer is evolving away from just drinking the top end Bordeaux wines and  "a new generation of wine drinkers who are drinking more frequently and seeking value in the category" are emerging.

Harpers.co.uk survey results: Most overrated and underrated wine countries

Harpers.co.uk exclusive survey asked thetrade who they thought the most overrated and underrated wine regions were and the poll yielded some interesting results.

Morrisons revamps French wine range and Malbec

Morrisons has revamped its range of French wines and boosted its offering of Malbec, focussing on areas that where it says it has historically under-traded. 

France still dominates IWC medal table, as it is awarded the most gongs

France took home the greatest number of International Wine Challenge 2015 awards, sweeping a total of 1,237 accolades, with 111 French wine producers winning gold medals.

WSTA members angered by lack of support and other "freeloading" businesses in the trade

The WSTA has called for more drinks businesses to take up membership and support the trade organisation as some members that have been contributing to the body feel that other business in the trade are "freeloading."

London Wine Fair diary highlights

Masterclasses, tastings, new features, debate, seminars... there's much to see and take part in. Here's the highlights of the show...

Cava needs to better communicate quality, trade body claims

Cava needs to better communicate its quality credentials, the head of the Cava trade body has claimed.

California wines performance in UK strongest its been in 20 years

At yesterday's fifth annual Golden State tasting, California producers heard from John McLaren, the UK director of the Wine Institute of California, that the category has not been in better position in the past 20 years.

London Wine Fair: Show areas

This year's fair promises to be even bigger, with an 11% increase in stand space and an 18% increase in the number of exhibitors, with over 20 UK importers who didn't exhibit in 2014 returning for this year's event. Here we list the show areas.

Bordeaux 2014 en primeur: The verdict

There has been little incentive for consumers to buy Bordeaux en primeur in recent years. Can the chateaux turn that around? Our man on the ground, local winemaker Gavin Quinney, reviews the latest vintage:

Analysis: Are UK vineyards missing out on valuable tax benefits?

New proposals offering UK farmers tax benefits sounded like good news for the industry, but when the WSTA discovered that vineyards don't fall into that category, they demanded to know why.

Yalumba launches marketing boost

Australia's oldest family vineyard, Yalumba, is launching a new marketing boost which will see it partner with local independent wine merchants to offer consumers the chance to attend pop up food events.

The Great British wine fair returns

UK vineyards 'missing out' on tax benefits introduced in the Budget

UK vineyards are missing out on tax benefits that are available to farmers, market gardeners and hop growers, Harpers has learned.

Sud de France Languedoc-Roussillon TOP 100

The Sud de France Languedoc-Roussillon Top 100 is an annual competition organised by the Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Languedoc (CIVL) and Sud de France Développement to encourage producers to show their best wines without restrictive criteria such as pricing bands.

General election: Stability good for the industry, WSTA claims

Following the political upheaval of the last 24 hours, the drinks industry has reacted to the news that David Cameron is returning to Number Ten with an increased majority.

Harpers raises the debate on bulk shipping at London Wine Fair

Harpers will raise the debate on bulk shipping at a seminar at this year's London Wine Fair.