On-trade is moving with the times, say suppliers, as Jamie’s and other well-known faces disappear from the high street

The tired, middle of the road, mid-market section of the on-trade is falling away to make way for new, more innovative concepts, suppliers have told Harpers.

LWF: Consumers value experiences over value for money, says CGA

There has been a major shift in the way consumers decide which venues to visit, with the promise of entertainment and engagement now taking precedent over value for money.

Californian wine under £20 boosts UK sales

US wine exports to the UK have seen a slip in value but a rise in volume, thanks largely to a growth in buyer interest in a previously difficult-to-source section of the market. 

Eastern promise: Bulgaria and Hungary

After a few difficult vintages in western wine countries, central and eastern Europe are piquing buyers’ interest for well-made international varieties. Countries in these regions are increasingly seen as exciting for wine drinkers, offering an array of high-quality, authentic, local grapes and good-value wines that can offer a new story for retailers and sommeliers.

Prowein: Record Champagne turnover, but UK and France still in decline

Total turnover for Champagne reached a new high of €4.9 billion in 2018, up 0.3% on 2017, although volumes fell by 0.8% to 301.9 million bottles.

Jerry Lockspeiser: What’s the cost of a decent bottle of wine?

The You and Yours programme on BBC Radio 4 recently ran a piece in which a £7.50 Chinese wine in Sainsbury’s was described by the interviewer as “cheap and cheerful”. A flurry of listeners comments followed, aghast that £7.50 should be thought cheap. Many were paying £4-5, unable to afford more, and generally happy with what they were buying. One listener said his wine buff family members couldn’t tell the difference between his £4-5 wines and more expensive ones anyway.

China and the US drive boom in global premium wine consumption

Wine priced between $10 and $20 will be the biggest driver of value growth for still and sparkling wine over the next couple of years.

UK tops value increase for German wine exports

Quality Riesling appears to be on a roll, with the average price paid for exported German wine breaking records in 2018, while UK consumer thirst drove the biggest value increase of any export territory, according to German Wine Institute (DWI) figures.

South America pips Italy into second place for UK drinkers

There has been a shift at the top of the UK’s hotly contested wine rankings, with the combined sales of South American heavyweights Chile and Argentina overtaking Italy, the UK’s second most quaffed region, in terms of value.

DO wines drive double-digit Portuguese growth

Education and tourism were the key factors behind Portugal’s double-digit value growth in the UK last year, according to Sonia Vieira, marketing director of ViniPortugal.

Concha y Toro UK rings in bumper Christmas as supermarkets break sales records

Temperatures were unseasonably mild over Christmas, and from the latest results, it looks like things were unexpectedly cosy for UK retail.

Jerry Lockspeiser: 2019 - The year 'better' wine died

For the last few years one of my nieces has been developing her clothes retail business. She now has four outlets, three in London and one in Barcelona. She sells vintage clothes, along with a smattering of modern stuff and some accessories.

Jerry Lockspeiser: What we can learn from Cristiano Ronaldo

Not long before Black Friday Cristiano Ronaldo was reported to have spent £27,000 on two bottles of wine at a restaurant in London’s upmarket Mayfair district – a bottle of Richebourg Grand Cru Burgundy and Chateau Petrus from Bordeaux. Apparently, Cristiano and his friends were there for little more than 15 minutes.

Lidl consultants look ahead to the retailer's Autumn Wine Tour

Lidl has introduced its Autumn Wine Tour selection, with the focus firmly on France. The ‘Wine Tour’ comprises 25 wines, all French, which will be available for two months in all of Lidl’s 710 stores, from September 28. In addition to their core range of 100 wines, the group bring in six ‘wine tours’ per year, each comprising 25 wines.

Cognac sets new export record

Cognac exports have achieved their fourth consecutive year of growth, driven by continued thirst for the historic French brandy in the US.

Wine set to help global alcohol consumption to reach £830bn by 2022

A relatively sunny outlook is being forecast for the global alcohol industry over the next five years, with the wine set to see the largest portion of growth.

Global wine market grows value sales against static volume

“Short-sighted” Bordeaux En Primeur strategies leave little to no value for the trade

A “lack of wines priced attractively” has been blamed for a less than successful 2017 Bordeaux campaign.

Brexit pushed Californian wine price up by a fifth

The average price of Californian wine imported to the European Union surged by nearly a fifth in the year of the Brexit vote, analysis by Harpers reveals.

Europe leads private label premiumisation

The quality of private label wines are on the up – and Europe is leading the pack.