Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Start-up Propeller brings The Rolland Collection to the UK

Published: 08 June, 2021

Indies distribution incubator Propeller is bringing The Rolland Collection to the UK as it continues to grows its model-defying footprint.

Banks brothers launch premium canned wine brand

Published: 08 June, 2021

The trio behind Michelin-starred restaurants The Black Swan and Roots, brothers Tommy and James Banks and business partner Matt Lockwood, have launched their own range of premium canned wines.

Webinar: Exploring alternative premium whites

Published: 08 June, 2021

Modern food styles and lifestyles often naturally lend themselves to white wine, but is the trade doing enough to encourage consumers to trade up and seek out a wider variety of premium white choices or is the premium spotlight more typically shone on reds? And when customers do trade up within whites, is that limited to just a handful of usual suspects rather than embracing the global wealth of premium possibilities?

Rousset and Pineau extend partnership with new bar

Published: 08 June, 2021

Xavier Rousset MS and bar owner Steve Pineau have teamed up again, this time to open a new prohibition style bar named Nocturne.

Tim Atkin MW: Rioja's power struggle

Published: 08 June, 2021

Imagine being a voter in Liverpool Walton or South Holland and The Deepings. In the first of these constituencies, the Labour Party received 86% of the ballot in the last general election; in the second, the Conservatives got 75%. Under our first-past-the-post system, the results are as predictable as the lunar cycle. Supporting any other party is a waste of graphite.

Cava DO limits production for second year

Published: 07 June, 2021

The Regulatory Council of the Cava DO has approved placing temporary limits on production for the second year in a row to help rebalance the market.

Vivino names new CEO

Published: 03 June, 2021

Vivino has named Olivier Grémillon as the company’s new CEO, taking over from co-founder Heini Zachariassen.

LWC eyes expansion

Published: 03 June, 2021

LWC Drinks has revealed it is on the acquisition trail while also unveiling ambitious plans for the DTC (direct to consumer) side of the business.

Long Read: Talking terroir in Spain

Published: 03 June, 2021

Priorat has taken a bold step in committing itself to a hierarchical classification of terroir.

Canada’s Cool Climate Sensibility

Published: 03 June, 2021

Harpers’ recent Canadian-flavoured webinar looked at the emerging regions and styles from this exciting country as it emerges onto the global wine scene, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Backing a (indie) winning wine

Published: 02 June, 2021

The countries and regions most tipped by UK merchants to be the year’s hot new thing. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Wine GB announces new chairman

Published: 01 June, 2021

Sam Linter, MD and head winemaker at Bolney Wine Estate, is to become Wine GB chairman replacing Simon Robinson.

Five minutes with Kit Ellen, Exton Park

Published: 31 May, 2021

Kit Ellen, MD at Hampshire’s Exton Park, distributed in the UK by Bancroft Wines, talks to Jo Gilbert about the winery’s intriguing shift in focus to ‘reserve blends’, a new standard-bearer for the wines based on its 10-year library of reserves.

Prentis promises to work with industry on certification and Brexit/Covid fallout

Published: 28 May, 2021

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has welcomed a “positive and productive” meeting with Victoria Prentis MP where she is said to have understood the “value” of the wine and spirits industry and vowed to work closely on rebuilding post-Brexit and Covid.

Association of Wine Educators announces new chairperson

Published: 27 May, 2021

The Association of Wine Educators (AWE), which brings together specialist wine educators from all over the UK and around the world, has announced Mandy Stevens as its new chairperson.

Long Read: Hidden gems making their mark

Published: 27 May, 2021

While travel has been restricted, many wine drinkers have been on their own journey of exploration enjoying hidden gem wines – whether unusual varieties from popular wine-growing countries or regions, or familiar grapes from unfamiliar places.

Ex-Tesco wine buying manager joins Cadman

Published: 26 May, 2021

Cadman Capital Group, a private equity firm that specialises in the retail wine sector, has appointed former Tesco buying manager, James Reed, as its new general manager of retail wine.

Waitrose unveils mixed English wine case

Published: 26 May, 2021

Waitrose has launched a new mixed wine case comprising a selection of homegrown wines.

Adam Smith Institute calls out ‘Alice in Wonderland’ thinking on VI-1s

Published: 26 May, 2021

The Adam Smith Institute has added its voice to calls on government to reduce post-Brexit red tape for the wine trade, including scrapping the much derided and wholly unnecessary VI-1 forms.