Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Talking heads: Oz is back in style

Published: 23 August, 2022

Producers and importers share with James Bayley their thoughts on the hot trends with Oz wines shaping Australia’s present and future offer in the UK market.

All change for Yalumba

Published: 18 August, 2022

Andrew Catchpole caught up with outgoing Yalumba MD Nick Waterman and his successor-to-be Karl Martin.

Everything is all white at Aldi

Published: 16 August, 2022

Aldi has lifted the lid on its most popular whites this summer, as consumers looked to slake their thirst in the record-breaking British sunshine.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Thrills and spills with Veseth’s wine economics

Published: 16 August, 2022

Mike Veseth doesn’t just make wine economics understandable; he makes it thrilling.

WineGB tasting looks to capitalise on rising sales

Published: 15 August, 2022

WineGB will be returning to London this September for a celebration of all things English wine – including another year of rising sales.

Hastings poised to launch natural wine festival

Published: 10 August, 2022

An eight day celebration of minimum-intervention winemaking is due to take place in Hastings this September, organised by restaurant owners Ben and Kate Norum.

Tim Atkin MW: Women score in wine, too

Published: 05 August, 2022

You’ve come a long way, baby. Watching the final of the Euro 2022 women’s football tournament, I was reminded of this advertising slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes, of all things, from the late 1960s. The brand tapped into the zeitgeist at a time when feminism and women’s rights were finally attracting the attention and wider support they deserved. The importance of sport should not be overstated, but England’s victory felt significant, not just as a one-off game, but in a wider social context.

Journey’s End teams up with Ingham to launch sustainable ‘punk’ wine brand

Published: 01 August, 2022

Wine trade veteran buyer Andrew Ingham is to launch an innovative new range in collaboration with Cape winery Journey’s End this autumn.

Looking ahead: Winne Toh, The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

Published: 01 August, 2022

With the first half of 2022 already history, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, ongoing trends and opportunities.

Laithwaites leans into recycled glass

Published: 27 July, 2022

Online retailer Laithwaites has expanded its first recycled glass range following better-than-expected initial sales.

Producer Q&A: Andrés Valero, Grupo Avinea, talks organic

Published: 26 July, 2022

Eighteen months into his role as head of sustainability for Grupo Avinea (Argento), Andrés Valero explains to Andrew Catchpole how organic provides a pathway into sustainability.

English wine comes of age at the UK’s wine ‘BAFTAs’

Published: 18 July, 2022

English and Welsh wine appears to have entered a new era of maturity, as ‘newcomers’ to the scene continue to rake in accolades alongside more established names.

Zweigelt waltzes into town as red counterpart to Grüner

Published: 15 July, 2022

Austria’s Zweigelt may be 100 years old, but on the evidence of a tasting laid on by Neusiedlersee DAC at London’s Trivet restaurant, the variety is as fresh as they come.

Soapbox: Can the wine industry survive desertification?

Published: 14 July, 2022

Nenad Trifunovic, director of business development at Wine & More, reflects on the future of a sector that is already feeling the heat.

Bibendum and The Drinks Trust partner up to develop wine skills

Published: 06 July, 2022

Bibendum and The Drinks Trust have partnered to offer free wine training as part of a joint initiative to train and educate the next generation of drink industry professionals.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Does the Bank of England know what it is doing?

Published: 06 July, 2022

Way back when I studied economics at university, I also studied sociology. It struck me then that the way economics is taught is deeply flawed. To call it a science, even a social science, doesn’t make any sense. Unlike scientific study of the cosmos or gravity discovering immutable laws, economics seeks to explain how and why humans do certain things.

Harpers' new Top 25 Sommeliers in the UK revealed

Published: 04 July, 2022

As the on-trade bounces back, Harpers is delighted to unveil its new annual list of the best somms in the UK.

Confidence in own label on a high in wake of pandemic

Published: 04 July, 2022

Confidence across Europe in own label goods, including wines and spirits, is continuing to grow, according to the latest research by PLMA International Council.

Paper bottle makes its way to Laithwaites

Published: 04 July, 2022

Online wine merchant Laithwaites has launched its first wine packaged in a paper bottle – continuing a packaging trend which is rapidly gathering speed.

Penfolds unveils UK summer pop-up

Published: 29 June, 2022

Aussie wine brand Penfolds is undertaking a whistle-stop tour of the UK's leading festivals this summer, which began with the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this month.