Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Santa Rita harvest reveals yields down, quality up

Published: 23 April, 2019

Santa Rita’s 2019 harvest has produced lower yields than normal but higher quality grapes, according to a report from the South American producer.

Doña Paula gains sustainability certification

Published: 10 April, 2019

Santa Rita producer Doña Paula has been certified as a sustainable winery.

Tim Atkin MW: Celebrating Creole

Published: 01 March, 2019

Compiling a list of the 10 best red and white grapes is an entertaining parlour game for consenting wine lovers. Should Chardonnay trump Riesling and Chenin Blanc? And what about Cabernet Sauvignon? Better or worse than Pinot Noir, Grenache or Nebbiolo? I’ve played this dozens of times around the world and the results differ more than you’d think. Yet some varieties never make the podium. There are more than 5,000 to choose from, but no one ever finds room for Aligoté, Dornfelder or Seyval Blanc.

Argentina currency collapse could boost premium wine exports.

Published: 11 October, 2018

In the last week of August there was more than a little flurry of activity for the emerging markets trading sector of Wall Street as the Argentinian peso collapsed yet again. Those in the UK and global wine trade tuned in to assess how this might affect the price and positioning of Argentina and its punter-pulling flagship Malbec.

Bodega Argento targets UK on-trade as it becomes Mendoza’s largest organic producer

Published: 11 October, 2018

Organic winemaking has gone mainstream in recent years as producers aim to keep abreast of health conscious and sustainability trends.

Tim Atkin MW: Critical times for Argentina

Published: 06 September, 2018

Every year at the end of my tour of Argentina, I sit down with Dr Nicolas Catena of Bodega Catena Zapata. He wants to talk about wine – new bodegas and regions, the latest vintage – while I want to talk about economics, his speciality. Before he became one of the leading figures in the Argentinian wine industry, Catena was a top academic and is still enormously perceptive.

Harpers Wine Stars goes live online

Published: 04 September, 2018

Our brand new website for Harpers Wine Stars has launched, making it easier than ever to be in with a chance of grabbing one of our fantastic buyer-focused awards.

Malbec rising

Published: 31 July, 2018

Far from suffering from its mass appeal, Argentina’s flagship grape is heading for the next level. Andrew Catchpole reports

Malbec pioneer Hervé J. Fabre brings varietal focus to the UK via Cahors

Published: 19 July, 2018

Hervé and Diane Joyaux Fabre, the driving force behind leading Argentinian bodega Viñalba, have secured their first UK listing since moving home to France last year.

Trivento TV partnership with Discovery Channel

Published: 06 April, 2018

Argentine wine brand Trivento has announced a new media partnership with Discovery Channel, to run from 6 April through December across four of the network’s outlets.

Wine gaucho Crozier urges UK to embrace second wave of niche Argentine wineries

Published: 09 March, 2018

Speaking at an Alternative Argentina tasting in London yesterday (8 March), Argentine wine expert Phil Crozier outlined the opportunities for the country to expand its offer with more focus on its diversity and smaller producers.

Behind the scenes: Varietal clones at one of Argentina’s biggest producers

Published: 10 November, 2017

Harpers caught up with pioneering winemaker Santiago Mayorga at Cadus – the premium arm of Nieto Senetiner, one of Argentina’s largest producers – who revealed his experimentation with Malbec clones for the first time.

Land and soil take centre stage at Argentina’s Barullo

Published: 20 October, 2017

Wines of Argentina broke away from Chile last year to trial its own format with Barullo. Now in its second year, the event is committed to showing this New World innovation train hasn’t run out of steam, and is on a mission to maintain cutting edge.

Bodega Argento’s Silvia Corti on going organic

Published: 01 June, 2017

Over her 13 years with Mendoza producer Bodega Argento, winemaker Silvia Corti has seen a number of major changes take place.

LWF: Santa Rita winemaker talks 120 ambitions

Published: 23 May, 2017

Harpers caught up with Santa Rita to discquss the launch of their refreshed 120 brand which is being launched with two new varietals at this year’s London Wine Fair.

Santa Rita creates new UK business role

Published: 15 May, 2017

South American wine company Santa Rita Estates has created a new role to reinforce its “commitment” to the UK market.

Tim Atkin MW: Argentina and Chile are a joint wine force to be reckoned with

Published: 12 May, 2017

This year is the 200th anniversary of one of the key events in Latin American history. In January 1817, the Army of the Andes set off from Mendoza, determined to end Spanish rule on the other side of the mountains. At its head were an Argentinian, General José de San Martín, and an exiled Chilean, the wonderfully named Bernardo O’Higgins, who, after a brave and arduous crossing of the Cordillera, did indeed defeat their common imperial foe.

Mad for Malbec

Published: 02 May, 2017

Argentina is Malbec; New Zealand is Sauvignon Blanc. The intimate link between a country and dominant single variety is a strategy fraught with danger – apparently. Change the record, please.

Trapiche unveils Argentinian coastal wines

Published: 22 March, 2017

Grupo Penaflor has opened a new frontier for Argentinian wines with the launch of its Trapiche Costa & Pampa range from Chapadmalal on the Atlantic coast.

Christmas came early for Malbec at Concha y Toro

Published: 21 February, 2017

The nation's thirst for Argentinian wine has showed no signs of being quenched with Concha y Toro reporting sparkling Christmas sales for Bodega Trivento.