That was the year that was

As we eagerly await the Christmas trading results, Lisa Riley looks back at 2018 and the ups and downs across the drinks categories

31Dover director Jay Swanborough resigns

Jay Swanborough, director of ecommerce, operations and marketing for 31Dover, has resigned.

Babydoll gears up for UK push

Babydoll wines from New Zealand, part of Yealands Estate, is gearing up to increase its UK presence with a new campaign and its first appearance at the annual ‘Flavours of New Zealand’ tasting taking place this week.

WSTA calls for wine tariffs suspension to avoid ‘no deal’ price hikes

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has called on the government to temporarily suspend wine tariffs to prevent prices rocketing in the event of a ‘no deal' Brexit .

New Zealand's evolving vinous landscape

New Zealand’s wine scene has come a long way since its inception in the 1970s. Jamie Goode meets the personalities driving change in leading region Marlborough

Guy Woodward: Judging the winemaker, not just the wine

GUY WOODWARD, Louis Roederer International Wine Columnist of the Year 2018

Halewood Wines & Spirits not dialling down wine despite ramping up spirits

Liverpool-based wine and spirit producer Halewood Wines & Spirits has denied it is slowing down its wine business after several moves this year to boost its international spirits profile and selling off its “loss making” Romanian wine arm.

Tim Atkin MW: Wine is never a one man band

Naked partners with Garçon to launch ‘customer-acquisition’ initiative

Naked Wines has joined forces with Garçon Wines to launch a customer-acquisition initiative.

Le Cordon Bleu to launch new wine and beverage certificate

Le Cordon Bleu will launch a new certificate in wine and beverage studies in March 2019.

New website to revamp the world of fine wine

A new fine wine website launching in February 2019 will “redefine the way consumers experience and purchase fine wine” according to its founders.

Majestic wine sales fizz over Christmas

Majestic Wine enjoyed a merry Christmas despite the “challenging market backdrop”.

BWS enjoys strong festive build up as general grocery sales slump

Shoppers visited supermarkets more often in the run up to Christmas, but sales slumped to half the level of growth returned last year, according to Nielsen.

Berkmann expands its Australian Portfolio

Berkmann Wine Cellars is now the exclusive UK agent and distributor of Victorian producers Yarra Yering and Domaine Tournon.

Armit Wines makes another round of appointments

Armit Wines has announced three new hires to its sales and marketing teams.

The Wine Society teams up with Johnston Logistics

The Wine Society has hired Johnston Logistics to bolster its storage and distribution operations as its membership numbers continue to grow.

Spotlight on 2020: Doug Wregg, Les Cave de Pyrene

As we prepare for the new decade, Harpers looks back over 2019 and ahead to what the coming year will bring – hopefully full of revived optimism for both politics and the trade.

Harpers Wine Stars opens to array of new countries

Harpers Wine Stars is poised for further growth this year as the competition opens to an array of new countries.

Château Castera expands distribution via Exel partnership

Château Castera has expanded its UK distribution via a new partnership with independent Scottish online retailer Exel Wines.

The week that was

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, here’s a review of the top online news, analysis, opinions and features.