Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Preferabli’s software could be a gamechanger for the UK market

Published: 21 March, 2025

Picking a wine can be difficult; it can depend on everything from mood to the weather. But what if there was a way around this internal battle?

Profile: Fell’s stylish evolution

Published: 20 March, 2025

Following portfolio additions and a team restructure, there’s an upbeat mood at Fells, as Andrew Catchpole discovers.

Be Inclusive Hospitality partners with Bibendum Wine

Published: 17 March, 2025

Be Inclusive Hospitality has announced a year-long partnership with Bibendum Wine with the aim of fostering a ‘fairer and more inclusive hospitality industry’ via a series of initiatives focused on education, impactful networking and recognition.

Rosé terroir in the pink

Published: 14 March, 2025

Rosé expert Elizabeth Gabay MW makes the case for serious styles to sit alongside reds and whites at the top table.

Gérard Basset Foundation launches Laurent-Perrier Champagne Scholarships

Published: 04 March, 2025

Champagne Laurent-Perrier has teamed up with the Gérard Basset Foundation to create the Laurent-Perrier Champagne Scholarships – an initiative developed to nurture future talent and support further inclusion within the UK wine trade.

Campaign against harassment launched for International Women’s Day

Published: 28 February, 2025

Communicators and other voices from the wine industry have come together to tackle harassment as this year’s theme for International Women’s Day 2025 (IWD2025) on 8 March.

Spanish wine sees slight growth in export value for 2024

Published: 24 February, 2025

Spanish wine producers increased their overall value of exports by €41 million in 2024, though the total volume of exported wines fell by 1,010,000hls. The UK remains the largest export market for Spanish wine.

Rioja at 100: Plans for festival revealed in milestone year

Published: 21 February, 2025

Rioja UK has announced the dates for new Rioja 100 festival as part of their campaign to celebrate the centenary of the region's Denomination of Origin status. The festival will take place on the 19 and 20 July at Hackney Bridge, London.

Talking innovation and opening doors with LWC

Published: 21 February, 2025

Wine on tap, pet nat, low intervention Torrontes, Picpoul Noir, £100+ Cooperative Champagne, naturally lower alcohol and artily labelled wines, plus a Russian-born oenologist out of Attica in Greece were among the many highlights and innovations on show at a recent tasting in Brighton.

Pride and prejudice: the great closures debate

Published: 19 February, 2025

“Prejudice”, according to the American journalist E. B. White, “is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” As closure manufacturers fight tooth and nail to widen distribution in key markets, that aphorism feels extremely poignant today.

Buyer’s Spotlight: The Battles to Come

Published: 18 February, 2025

Jason Millar on why the trade needs to get behind the WSTA-led wine duty campaign.

Liv-ex: Fine wine prices down across board for January

Published: 17 February, 2025

Data from Liv-ex, the fine wine trading platform, reveals that with the expectation of their Italy 100 index, all of the platform’s major indices have seen price falls compared to December.

Beth Kelly MW becomes Tesco's new wine developer

Published: 17 February, 2025

Tesco has announced a new appointment to the wine team as Beth Kelly MW joins the supermarket. Previously a buying manager at Majestic Wine, Kelly will be taking on the role of wine product development manager at the multiple, where she will be responsible for France and South Africa across both still and sparkling wines.

UK/US trade wars: 'Tariffs are coming'

Published: 17 February, 2025

Thanks to “Trump 2.0, tariffs are coming. It’s not a matter of if, but when”, WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said at last week’s standout Wine Paris conference, where leading industry figures gathered to discuss how to manage and offset mounting geopolitical tensions and trade wars on the global wine trade.

Boutinot partners with Uco Valley winery for new joint venture

Published: 13 February, 2025

Greater Manchester importer Boutinot is partnering with Uco Valley estate and winery Bodega Urqo, in a wine-making joint venture called Azul y Blanco (AyB).

Festive on-trade: divergent fortunes for wine and spirits

Published: 12 February, 2025

The festive period is the most pivotal time of year for wine and spirits in the on-trade and a strong yuletide performance is an essential indicator of a venue’s financial health. The prospect of venue closures has been a concerning spectre for hospitality and a good Christmas showing can buoy operators for the year ahead.

Vergelegen bolsters brand refresh with new distribution

Published: 04 February, 2025

Coinciding with a major rebranding programme, Vergelegen wine estate is pursuing a double-pronged approach for its UK distribution which will now be fulfilled by two separate partners.

Wine Society delivers record-breaking Christmas sales

Published: 03 February, 2025

Amid much gloom in the market generally and set against the current duty rises, The Wine Society has reported a record trading period over the festive weeks.

Australian wine exports buoyed by ending of Chinese tariffs

Published: 29 January, 2025

Australian wine exports showed an impressive 34% increase in value to $2.5bn (AUD) with volume up to 649m litres for 2024, according to Wine Australia’s export report.