"Watertight paper trail" only way to ensure provenance at auction

A UK auctioneer is stressing the importance of having watertight paperwork to prevent wine fraud following speculation that top Burgundy lots offered by a Swiss auction house were counterfeit.

Kantar Worldpanel: Premiumisation with discounters own-label products drive growth

Retailers are no longer losing customers to discounters, but they are continuing to lose spend to the competition due to the increase in shoppers' consumption of the discounters premium own-label offerings.

ICCWS: Cool climate wine gaining ground

Speaking at the Cool Climate Symposium (ICCWS) in Brighton last week, Oz Clarke said cool climate wines such as English and Welsh wines, could be the perfect antidote to the big, overripe wines.

ICCWS moving to Canada after UK event

Canada has been announced as the successor to England as the next host of the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium.

Promotion for UK indies to drive Provence rosé growth

Vins de Provence is launching a necktag promotion to support sales and drive awareness of Provence rosé wines in UK indies.

Opinion: Logistic providers within the drinks trade need to respond to the changing landscape

As DHL's Tradeteam celebrates two decades in business, managing director James Gill discusses the changing face of the drinks logistics market and the crucial role logistics partners play in working with their customers to address the challenges.

Sales of English wine up 13% at Waitrose

Sales at Waitrose show that UK consumers are continuing to invest in home-grown wines, with sales increasingly year-by-year.

Importer profile: Red Squirrel

Since 2012, London-based importer Red Squirrel has been focusing on "squirrelling" out new and rare wines to bring to the UK market.

The Drinks Wholesaler: Intriguing Times

Welcome to our autumn issue of Drinks Wholesaler, which is packed with the usual medley of analysis, insights, viewpoints and features, plus original research into the wine market, commissioned and shared by Crown Cellars, appearing for the first time here. 

Top ten tweets from National Wine Day

Wine range strategy for M&S focuses on sub £10 range

Garry Brooking, trading manager for Marks & Spencer, and his team of buyers and wine selectors were on celebratory form at the M&S Spring Press Tasting last week, having just knocked Tesco off the top spot for the most own brand medal wins in this year's International Wine Challenge.

The Week That Was: Top news, Q&As and analysis on Harpers.co.uk

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have done a review of the top online news, financial news for the drinks trade, Q&As, and opinion stories.

Q&A: Julio Sáenz, La Rioja Alta, S.A.

La Rioja Alta, S.A., has been making wine since it was founded by five families back in 1890. We chatted to Julio Sáenz, winemaker at the premium vineyard since 1996 and technical director since 2005, about how their wines and the winemaking have evolved.

Nyetimber at LWW: Consumers open to wine like never before

This week is London Wine Week (LWW) when punters can sample some of the best wine that the capital has to offer.

Analysis: Can Ribera del Duero compete with the Rioja in the UK?

Can Ribera Del Duero can realistically lure consumers in a Rioja-obsessed climate in the UK?

The Wine Show's Amelia Singer on being a social (media) butterfly

Amelia Singer, presenter of ITV's The Wine Show, is focusing on bringing new audiences to wine with her fun and friendly presence on social media.

Copestick Murray sells remaining 40% share to Henkell & Co

Henkell & Co announced yesterday that they have purchased the remaining 40% share of Copestick Murray.

Wines from Canada gather momentum in the UK

At Taste Canada UK 2016, 34 producers from different territories across Canada were showcasing more than 150 wines with many looking to find importers into the UK.

$100 million of counterfeit wine in circulation

The wine and drinks industry is under attack from fraudsters selling fake packaging and counterfeit alcohol - and thanks to new technology, the problem is only going to worsen.

Gilbert's Grape: One night in Rioja

As a wine journalist, I have been told I can expect to see hundreds of barrel rooms and vineyards in the course of my new career.