Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

English sparkling wine goes head to head with Champagne in Paris

Published: 22 April, 2016

The Wine and Spirits Trade Association put English sparkling wine up against Champagne in a blind tasting in Paris.

Port-inspired pub opens in collaboration with Symington Family Estates

Published: 22 April, 2016

The quintessential Portuguese drink has inspired a collaboration between Cheshire Cat Pubs and Bars and Symington Family Estates to open the Fitzherbert Arms, a traditional English pub stocking over 30 different Ports.

Skin Côntact's Steph Barlow of BBR confesses her go to artist after a few glasses of wine

Published: 21 April, 2016

For a second year in a row the wine trade supergroup Skin Côntact will be taking to the stage next month in an effort raise aid as part of Comic Relief.

Insights: Some chateaux urge Bordelais to be 'very prudent' with en primeur pricing

Published: 21 April, 2016

Bernard Magrez and his daughter Cecile Daquin, of Chateau Pape Clement, are urging other chateaux owners to be 'very prudent' this year when it comes to en primeur pricing. "This could be the last chance for Bordeaux" to woo back buyers warns Daquin.

OIV reveals China behind Spain as country with second biggest vineyard surface area

Published: 21 April, 2016

A major new report has found that the size of the global area under vines rose to 7534 kha in 2015, with consumption and production also on the up.

Rabobank: Global wine supply in flux as drinkers trade up

Published: 21 April, 2016

The global wine supply is in flux depending which end of the market producers play in, with wines on the premium end being considerably higher in demand compared to wines on the lower end of the market according to Rabobank's Wine Quarterly Q2 2016 report.

Dip in Q3 sales at Pernod Ricard

Published: 21 April, 2016

Growth for the third quarter of the fiscal year at Pernod Ricard is down 3% due to shrinking demand in China and an earlier Chinese New Year.

Famed Sonoma Patz & Hall winery sells to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

Published: 20 April, 2016

Sonoma Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer Patz & Hall has been purchased by Washington wine company St. Michell Wine Estates for an undisclosed sum

Earliest Rioja vintage in history given official thumbs up

Published: 20 April, 2016

The D.O.Ca. Rioja Control Board has given the 2015 vintage an official Very Good rating.

Crown Cellars launches on-trade exclusive range to win over wine novices

Published: 19 April, 2016

Crown Cellars has launched a new range of on-trade exclusive, own label wines to appeal to new wine consumers.

Tristan Darby of the Bristol Wine School takes the stage with other legends of the trade for Skin Côntact

Published: 19 April, 2016

For a second year in a row the wine trade supergroup Skin Côntact will be taking to the stage next month in an effort raise aid as part of Comic Relief.

IWC 2016: On the judging trail with this year's 400 judges

Published: 15 April, 2016

The International Wine Challenge 2016 opened the innings of Tranche two, at the Kia Oval, in South London on Tuesday, which will now be home to the IWC organisers, hard-working crew and judges for the next two weeks. With over 15,000 wines to assess across Tranche one, Tranche two, and the Sake Challenge, by more than 400 judges, in panels of up to 5, it's a feat of gargantuan proportions, requiring meticulous planning, and organization on a military scale.

Anne Serres, a winner of the 'Sing With Skin Côntact' competition, talks rock legends before her big break

Published: 15 April, 2016

Anne Serres is a Paris-born wine journalist and educator with a penchant for all things rock, who lists Dave Grohl, Linda Ronstadt, Freddie Mercury and Florence Welch among her musical heroes.

Online grocery sales forecast to hit £15b by 2020 proving a big opportunity for wine

Published: 15 April, 2016

Retail market research firm Mintel forecasts that online grocery sales will increase 73% to reach £15 billion by 2020, proving an opportunity for the wine category.

LVMH Q1 miss expectations, but wine & spirits division shows growth

Published: 13 April, 2016

Luxury conglomerate LVMH first quarter results, which were released on Monday, missed analysts growth expectations, but the company's wine and spirits division Moët Hennessy did show sales growth of 4%.

Yealands launches New Zealand's first vineyard tour guide app

Published: 12 April, 2016

A New Zealand winery is paving the way for enhancing visitor experience with new technology by launching a first of its kind vineyard tour app.

Harpers' columnist Guy Woodward set to take the stage at this year's Skin Côntact concert

Published: 12 April, 2016

For a second year in a row the wine trade supergroup Skin Côntact will be taking to the stage next month in an effort raise aid as part of Comic Relief.

Vinitaly 2016: Lower ABV wine is a way to stand out for Italian producer La Contessa

Published: 12 April, 2016

Wine producer La Contessa is looking to stand out from other Italian producers by focusing on producing a high-quality, lower alcohol red wine and is looking to export to the UK market.

Opinion: IPOB may not be everyone's cup of tea

Published: 12 April, 2016

Is IPOB dividing california winemakers? In Pursuit of Balance, a group that focuses only on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from California, has been generating some good publicity for those involved and helped to make names for some producers and the specific regions they hail from.

Kuvée, a smart wine bottle, crowdfunds its next stage of development

Published: 08 April, 2016

Kuvée, claimed to be the world's first smart wine bottle that will keep wine fresh for 30 days, has reached over 200% of its crowdfunding goal of US$50,000 and has raised $105,356 to date from over 500 backers.