Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Xavier Rousset gets personal with new members club

Published: 17 November, 2017

London restaurateur and sommelier extraordinaire Xavier Rousset is branching out with his first wine club.

Savage Vines expands subscription service with new duo format

Published: 17 November, 2017

Savage Vines has added a duo pack to its online wine subscription service to keep the sales momentum of its exclusively sourced wines going.

The vintage before the storm: Rhône 2016 primeur tasting

Published: 16 November, 2017

Yesterday’s Thorman Hunt & Co Ltd Rhône 2016 en primeur vintage tasting made overtures of incomparable quality, promising the likes of which tasters have not seen before.

Vindependents sets date for spirits launch

Published: 16 November, 2017

Vindependents has confirmed it will start importing spirits to the UK for the first time from January 2018.

Wine companies join forces to call for wine duty freeze

Published: 15 November, 2017

UK wine businesses have joined forces to call for a freeze to wine duty at the Budget next week.  

Uruguay’s winemakers target UK 'global shop window'

Published: 14 November, 2017

As an Atlantic-cooled nation of just 3.4 million people, Uruguay and its winemakers are keenly aware of the need to differentiate its wine offer from that of the country's major South American rivals, viewing the UK as an unrivalled platform to achieve that aim.

Global Drinks Forum: a taste of future on-trade trends

Published: 13 November, 2017

Immersive experiences, category blur and premium drinks were hot topics at the recent Global Drinks Forum in Berlin, where the trends shaping the on-trade were put under the spotlight.

Ridgeview heralds non-vintage move as it appoints youngest winemaker

Published: 11 November, 2017

Ridgeview Wine Estate has appointed its youngest winemaker to date, Rory Loftus aged 23, as assistant head winemaker amid a key transitional change of its vintage wines to non-vintage.

Behind the scenes: Varietal clones at one of Argentina’s biggest producers

Published: 10 November, 2017

Harpers caught up with pioneering winemaker Santiago Mayorga at Cadus – the premium arm of Nieto Senetiner, one of Argentina’s largest producers – who revealed his experimentation with Malbec clones for the first time.

Jacob’s Creek gives Classics collection heritage revamp

Published: 09 November, 2017

Jacob’s Creek has given its Classics collection a makeover intended to make it easier for shoppers to navigate the wine aisle and spot the wines.

KWV repositions itself towards independents and the on-trade

Published: 09 November, 2017

South African wine and spirits giant, KWV, has embarked on a new transition towards selling premium wines in Britain.

Jascots wine producer receives MW qualification

Published: 09 November, 2017

Jascots Wine Merchants’ exclusive Spanish wine producer Fernando Mora MW was one of 18 new Masters of Wine (MW) to receive the prestigious qualification this week.

London’s first Prosecco bar poised for Tower Bridge opening

Published: 08 November, 2017

London’s first dedicated Prosecco bar is set to open its doors in February 2018.

Castilla y León hails 2017 harvest as most difficult

Published: 08 November, 2017

The 2017 vintage in Castilla y León has been hailed as one of the most unusual in the region's history, as local vignerons deal with the aftermath of one of the most difficult growing seasons on record.

Italian sparkler sets out its stall for more UK market share

Published: 08 November, 2017

Lombardy sparkler Franciacorta is embarking on a major push into the UK market following its 50th anniversary. Jo Gilbert reports

Friarwood secures distribution deal for Jackson’s Penner-Ash

Published: 07 November, 2017

Friarwood has signed a deal as the exclusive UK distributor for Jackson Family Wines’ (JFW) Oregon winery, Penner Ash Wine Cellars.

New role at GCF puts focus on UK

Published: 07 November, 2017

Major French exporter Les Grands Chais de France (GCF) has appointed a new UK based wine director to oversee the group’s activities outside of France.

Big squeeze tipped for 2018 as lower volumes and tighter margins predicted

Published: 06 November, 2017

What is shaping up to be the smallest vintage in 50 years is predicted to cause a “dramatic decline in wine availability going into 2018”, with the lower-price tiers of the European industry expected to be the worst affected.

Guy Woodward: At the mercy of the elements

Published: 06 November, 2017

Within days of the Napa Valley going up in flames, as firefighters were still wrestling for control of Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder, the assurances were being issued. Everything was OK – the vast majority of the grapes had already been harvested, the remaining fruit on the vine was the thick-skinned, resilient Cabernet and any smoke taint was likely to be minimal.

Climate change: The greatest threat to humanity

Published: 06 November, 2017

Extreme weather has wreaked havoc on the winemaking world this year. Jo Gilbert traces these events back to the effects of climate change and the global impact of an increasingly CO2-laden planet