Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Natural wine experts launch wine school

Published: 04 August, 2021

Provisions, the north London natural wine experts and cheese specialist, is launching its own wine school.

Johnnie Walker to open new visitor experience

Published: 03 August, 2021

Diageo-owned whisky brand Johnnie Walker is opening a new visitor experience on Princes Street in Edinburgh on 6 September 2021.

Villa Maria finds buyer following mounting debts

Published: 02 August, 2021

Leading New Zealand winery Villa Maria has signed a conditional agreement for the sale of its estate, three months after it officially went into receivership when it was revealed that it owed bankers NZD $212 million.

Bar Convent Berlin returns following Global Bar Week digital team-up

Published: 28 July, 2021

Bar Convent Berlin (BCB) is set once again to be a standalone, in-person event when it returns to Germany’s capital this year in its brand new home.

Shannon Tebay takes the top job at the American Bar

Published: 22 July, 2021

Shannon Tebay has been appointed as the head bartender at the American Bar at The Savoy, also taking on the role of senior mixologist at the hotel.

Clubs hit back over Covid passports

Published: 20 July, 2021

The late-night sector has reacted with anger over the introduction of mandatory Covid passports from September, with Michael Kill of the Night Time Industries Association, branding it “an absolute shambles”.

Treasury smashes into hard seltzers with 19 Crimes

Published: 12 July, 2021

Treasury Wine Estates’ (TWE) augmented reality wine brand, 19 Crimes, is moving into the hard seltzer category where the company is looking to broaden its appeal among a new generation of drinkers.

Majestic heads North for the first time in almost a decade

Published: 12 July, 2021

Majestic Wine has put an end to almost decade-long hiatus in investment in the north of England with a new store opening in the historic market town of Knutsford.

Hawksbill and Caskshare prepare for World Rum Day

Published: 08 July, 2021

The great and the good of the rum world are gearing up for World Rum Day, taking place this Saturday 10 July in order to spread word of rum, which was named by the WSTA as the most loved cocktail spirit during 2020’s first lockdown.

Profile: Caroline Thompson-Hill, Accolade Wines Europe

Published: 06 July, 2021

Caroline Thompson-Hill, MD for Europe at Accolade Wines, is determined to lead from the front in terms of creating a sustainable and diverse business which keeps a keen eye on consumer-driven trends. By Jo Gilbert

Guy Woodward: Content conundrum

Published: 01 July, 2021

A new TV channel was launched last month. And I’m not talking about the ‘anti-woke’ news channel GB News. No, prepare yourself instead for something far more worthy and cerebral; 67pallmall.tv made its debut (admittedly on the members’ club’s own website, rather than a satellite TV network) with 18 hours of wine-related content every day.

Casillero del Diablo goes white for new campaign

Published: 29 June, 2021

Casillero del Diablo, the UK’s leading Chilean wine brand known for its punchy reds, is launching a new consumer campaign to drive awareness of the “seasonality and great quality” of its white wines.

Graft expands sales team as it returns to London

Published: 24 June, 2021

The Graft Wine Company has appointed two new sales people, while also reopening a London office.

Government extends rent moratorium to March 2022

Published: 17 June, 2021

The government has announced new legislation which will extend the rent moratorium past the former 30 June 2021 deadline, while also introducing a new arbitration system to solve disputes between landlords and commercial tenants affected by the pandemic.

More uncertainty over re-opening

Published: 08 June, 2021

With the rise of the Indian variant, the promised land of no restrictions is looking unlikely for this month. Lisa Riley reports.

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.

Chianti Classico Collection offers taster of ‘new normal’ for events to come

Published: 24 May, 2021

In many ways London’s first significant regional wine event of 2021 bore all the familiar, pre-pandemic hallmarks of a regular Spring tasting. Heading to the India Room at The Oval, transport ran predictably late and the weather was so awful that wind and rain stopped play between Middlesex and Surrey just as Harpers entered the glass-sided cricket viewing gallery-come-tasting room.

Long Read: A new script for wine writing

Published: 20 May, 2021

The Zoom option meant this year’s Symposium for Professional Wine Writers organised by Meadowood in Napa, California, attracted its largest number of attendees: 303. Typically about 24 have attended in person since the symposium launched in 2004.