Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Port family opens new visitor attraction in Douro

Published: 26 May, 2015

Port family Symingtons has opened a visitor center in the Douro, which it is aiming to become a destination for tourists to Portugal.

Uruguayan wines gain traction in the UK

Published: 22 May, 2015

Recent figures from Infonecta and Wines of Uruguay showed the value of exports to the UK increased by 74% between 2013 and 2014 with an impressive 300% increase in value between 2011 and 2014.

UK consuming 12m more bottles of wine per week than previously thought

Published: 22 May, 2015

According to a new research conducted by the journal BMC Medicine 12 million more bottles of wine are consumed per week in England than previously thought.

HMRC bust seizes 68K litres of alcohol smuggled into the UK

Published: 22 May, 2015

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers in combination with Border Force and French Customs seized 68,000L and three lorries in the Port of Dover in an overnight operation earlier this week.

Champagne and sparkling rises in the on-trade, but prosecco dominates the off, new report shows

Published: 22 May, 2015

Champagne and sparkling wine sales have grown in the on-trade on the back of a stabilisation of on-trade venues - but prosecco continued to dominate the off-trade, according to the fourth annual Lanson category report.

Sainsbury's works with new research centre to develop lower alcohol wines consumers want to drink

Published: 22 May, 2015

Sainsbury's has teamed up with the University of Adelaide to part-fund wine research at a new wine innovation centre in Australia that will look at developing lower alcohol wines.

Bulk Wine growth may slow, but it is not going away, debate hears

Published: 21 May, 2015

The growth of the bulk wine market may slow, but it is here to stay, according to expert panellist in a recent debate.

South Africa confidence returning as winemakers concentrate on quality, Kleine Zalze boss says

Published: 21 May, 2015

South Africa needs to evolve its premium wines and offer wines better suited to the terroir, leading South African producer has said.

Prosecco in danger of running out, industry warns

Published: 20 May, 2015

The boom in cut-price Prosecco in the supermarkets is leading supplier to fear the sparkling Italian drink may be in danger of "running out" in the UK.

Gallo boosts Californian holding by acquiring Napa Valley vineyards

Published: 20 May, 2015

Gallo Wines is boosting its holding in Napa Valley after buying Cypress Ranch and part of the Palisades Vineyard for an undisclosed sum.

Wine Society recalls batches of own label Prosecco

Published: 19 May, 2015

The Wine Society is recalling specific batches of its own brand Prosecco, warning that the bottles may shatter.

London Wine Fair 2015 kicks off

Published: 19 May, 2015

The 35th annual London Wine Fair 2015 which kicked off at Olympia in the heart of London yesterday started with a bang.

Online wine sales set to grow to 15% within three years

Published: 19 May, 2015

Online wine sales are set to increase to around 15% by 2018, according to new data from the Wilson Drinks Report.

Consumer perception of Prosecco is improving, according to new Wine Intelligence report

Published: 19 May, 2015

According to a new Wine Intelligence report released today, 95% of consumers that drink Prosecco see it as 'very good or good value for money.'

London Wine Fair 2015: round up

Published: 19 May, 2015

The London Wine Fair kicked off at Olympia yesterday, and Harpers was on hand to check out some of the new launches and exhibitors from the first day.

"Small risk" to drinks industry from July Budget, WSTA says

Published: 18 May, 2015

The WSTA admitted that there is a small risk that the Chancellor might reverse some of the excise cuts introduced at the Budget in March.

Volume declines of Southern hemisphere harvest pushes up demand for bulk wines

Published: 14 May, 2015

Smaller harvest in the Southern hemisphere are set to boost demand for bulk wine, the latest report from Ciatti has said.

Chinese consumers shifting towards 'mainstream' wines says new Wine Intelligence study

Published: 14 May, 2015

According to a new Wine Intelligence China Portraits 2015 report, the "traditional" Chinese wine consumer is evolving away from just drinking the top end Bordeaux wines and "a new generation of wine drinkers who are drinking more frequently and seeking value in the category" are emerging.

Harpers.co.uk survey results: Most overrated and underrated wine countries

Published: 13 May, 2015

Harpers.co.uk exclusive survey asked thetrade who they thought the most overrated and underrated wine regions were and the poll yielded some interesting results.

Morrisons revamps French wine range and Malbec

Published: 13 May, 2015

Morrisons has revamped its range of French wines and boosted its offering of Malbec, focussing on areas that where it says it has historically under-traded.