Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Can you tango like that?!

Published: 18 November, 2008

Best chat up line heard in 4 gruelling days doing a stint at The World Travel Market, pushing wines of Argentina to the travel trade. Can't accuse moi of not pulling her weight.

A Harpers hello from down under!

Published: 04 November, 2008

Harpers' features editor Rebecca Gibb is in Mildura, judging at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show this week. In between tasting more than 600 wines, Rebecca will be filling us in on her trip in a series of blogs. Here's blog number one...

Las Moras steps up marketing campaign

Published: 21 October, 2008

Argentinian wine brand Finca Las Moras is stepping up its UK marketing activity following major new listings for its wines.

Blog special from the winners of the Harpers/ Wines of Argentina competition - Part 3

Published: 16 October, 2008

In the latest installment of out blog special from the winners of the Harpers/ Wines of Argentina Steak Your Claim competition, wine business entrepreneur Dominic Crolla tells us why he's dreaming of steak. Over the next few days, each of our five winners are enjoying a tour of each of the main wine regions and visiting key producers to give them a taste of what Argentina can offer the UK, and sending back missives of their travels. Here's Dominic's blog...

Wines in the Press: Malbec, Muscadet and wines in the desert

Published: 14 October, 2008

This week Jane MacQuitty assesses the future of Oddbins, Victoria Moore goes back to her roots and Jonny Beardsall takes a trip to the Namib desert to meet a remarkable winemaker. Meanwhile Joanna Simon is surprised by the following on new website thewinegang.com.

Origin switches sourcing of Camden Park to Argentina

Published: 09 September, 2008

Origin Wines is switching the supply of one of its premium brands from Austrailia to Argentina in a bid to make the brand more profitable.

UK wine importers hit by Argentinean strikes

Published: 06 August, 2008

Strikes and road blockades that crippled much of Argentina have impacted UK wine importers, with one major buyer waiting more than four months for a delivery.
TextStrikes and road blockades that crippled much of Argentina have impacted UK wine importers, with one major buyer waiting more than four months for a delivery.

All Bar One offers "limited edition" rosés of the world

Published: 04 August, 2008

All Bar One, the bar chain owned by Mitchells & Butlers, has started offering a "Limited Edition wines list" to customers, starting this week with a selection of rosé wines.

Finca Las Moras adds new premium wine range

Published: 31 July, 2008

Finca Las Moras has launched a new premium wine, the Las Moras Gran Shiraz 3 Valleys.

The Times

Published: 23 July, 2008

If we sideline Jane MacQuitty's rant about the stratospheric prices for the "mediocre" 2007 Bordeaux vintage, there remain some interesting recommendations this week. The 2006 Malbec Alamos (5.24, Bibendum) is a "tasty, top dog Argentinian red" while the 2004 Burgundy Meursault Jean-Marc Bouzereau (19.99, selected Tesco stores) is "complete with lots of burnt, buttered toast flavours on the finish".

The Sunday Times

Published: 23 July, 2008

Gordon Brown's upcoming budget will bid a stern farewell to 2.99 a bottle wine, Jane MacQuitty laments. "Getting used to paying more for the bottles you'd crack open mid-week without ceremony will be hard," so she suggests stockpiling such bottles ahead of next month's announcement. Tesco's 2007 Argento Shiraz at 2.99 is good for its "fat, supple, spicy" flavours while the 2006 Muscadet La Rgate (Sainsbury's, 2.99) proves to be "delicious, light and lemony".

Financial Times

Published: 23 July, 2008

The results of the Wines of Argentina awards are this week's topic of conversation for JANCIS ROBINSON MW. She says the most exciting aspect is that only one of the trophy-winning wines costs more than 10 a bottle, although she expresses disappointment about the lack of white wines entered.
Wines worthy of mention include the 2006 Alamos Pinot Noir, Mendoza (6.99; Majestic) and the 2006 JF Lurton Chardonnay Reserva.

The Daily Mail

Published: 23 July, 2008

MATTHEW JUKES travels to Argentina and Chile, and recommends some of the best [wines] on the planet'. Of the whites, 2006 Argento Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentina (5.99; Co-op, Majestic, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose) is floral, honeyed and classy'. This week's WoW is 2003 Kuyen, Alvaro Espinoza, Maipo, Chile (8.99; Adnams).

The Times

Published: 23 July, 2008

JANE MacQUITTY is also loving Argentina and asks why 'British drinkers still treat its wines with suspicion'. Malbec is Argentina's 'strongest suit', and this becomes all the more apparent to her after the recent Wines of Argentina tasting - 'Gone are the rustic Malbecs of a decade ago, and in their place are gorgeous, chunky, rich reds.' Her top-end choice is 2003 Lurton Brothers Chacayes (34.95; Robersons), moving down the price range to 2005 Catena Argento Malbec (4.99; Sainsbury's).

Financial Times

Published: 23 July, 2008

Has the 'Brett police' gone too far? ANDREW JEFFORD suggests it may have. He points to a controlled blind tasting of Syrahs from around the world, conducted by consultant Sam Harrop MW for his MW thesis, as evidence that Brettanomyces-infected wines need not necessarily be, as Tom Carson of Yering Station and many other Australian winemakers believe, 'undrinkable'. Only one of the 25 wines in the tasting was free of Brettanomyces, but Harrop's conclusion was that 'while excessive levels of volatile phenols can have a negative impact on wine quality, lower levels can enhance wine complexity and quality'. The benevolent effects of Brett, of one strain or another, can also be seen in the beer world, with makers of Belgian lambic and gueze beers, and traditional British stock ales, actively seeking out strains of the yeast. Jefford is concerned that the obsession with 'cleanliness' in today's winemaking, and the eradication of Brett and other 'faults' such as volatile acidity and dimethyl sulphur ('a principal aroma key for Carling' lager), will lead to 'acute boredom' for wine drinkers. As he says: 'The wine regarded as a hot contender for the greatest of the 20th century, 1947 Cheval Blanc, has levels of volatile acidity that would see it banned from sale were it produced today.'

Financial Times

Published: 23 July, 2008

JANCIS ROBINSON MW reports back from Bordeaux, and believes that the best reds will make the wine lovers of the world fall in love with tannin again'. The great thing about the tannins in the most successful 2004 red Bordeaux is that they are not bitter or rasping but refreshing. They are not the dry, obtrusive sort that characterised so many wines made in the drought year of 2003, nor the green, underripe ones that plague the least successful 2002s.' Robinson already rates the 2004 offerings from Chteaux Latour and Margaux as excellent', with honourable mentions to Cheval Blanc, Haut-Brion, Mouton and Palmer. She adds: Many winemakers the world over, and particularly in the Americas, seem scared of tannins. Perhaps the superb quality of the best Bordeaux 2004 tannins may encourage some of these producers to return to picking the grapes when a little less ripe so that the tannins are perceptible, possibly refreshing, and alcohol levels are less embarrassingly high.'

Tesco sees Argentine wine sales jump

Published: 23 July, 2008

Tesco has registered the highest selling Argentine wine in a new UK survey of most bought brands.

Lafite Rothschild most popular Liv-ex brand

Published: 23 July, 2008

Lafite Rothschild was the number one fine wine brand traded on Liv-ex over the last 12 months.

London hosts Argentine wine tasting day

Published: 23 July, 2008

Some 700 visitors are expected at today's Wines of Argentina annual trade testing, held at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

The Interview: Katie O'Brien, General manager, Juniper, Altrincham

Published: 23 July, 2008

Katie grew up on the east coast of Scotland. Her father ran hotels in Elgin and Fochabers, near Inverness, and insisted she do anything but catering. So Katie failed her Highers and went to work at the Golf View hotel in Nairn, which she describes as one long drinking party'. She worked in the bar, and in the kitchen on her days off because she wanted to learn and learn quickly'. She moved to Nunsmere Hall, near Chester, where she met Paul Kitching, then left for Hambleton Hall in 1992, working there for three years and driving up to see Paul on her days off. She helped set up Juniper with Kitching in 1995, before leaving to work for Nico Central in Manchester, returning to head the front-of-house and manage Juniper in 2001.