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Guy Woodward: Celeb overload

Published:  14 November, 2023

I've been trying to figure out just why I’m so instinctively hostile to celebrity wines. Ultimately, I suspect it’s an inherent aversion to smug egotists enjoying gushing media coverage and immediate space on supermarket shelves despite a complete lack of winemaking credentials. I also suspect I’m not alone in this stance. But journalistic rigour demands that I essay a more objective appraisal of the worth of such wines to the industry, so in a bid to get over myself, here goes…

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Friday read: Are specialist wine merchants in danger of becoming obsolete?

Published:  10 November, 2023

The WineBarn’s multiple award-winning founder Iris Ellmann – an early champion of dry German whites and Spätburgunder in the UK – makes the case for somms to stick with specialist importers.

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OWC hails biggest ever Christmas

Published:  04 January, 2023

The year 2022 certainly had its challenges, with businesses struggling to make ends meet amid a soaring cost-of-living – and trading – crisis. However, one business is celebrating a bumper festive period, with last month offering up the best December in the company’s 30-year history.

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Waitrose spreads its bets this winter

Published:  28 September, 2022

Waitrose is doubling down on its strategy of offering ‘something for everyone’ at all price points, with a mixture of promotions and everyday low-price sales remaining key to the retailer’s approach this autumn in store and through Waitrose Cellar.

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The drinks trend casualties in the cost-of-living crisis

Published:  30 June, 2022

As we hover on the edge of a possible recession, with inflation reaching a 40-year year high in June, it’s no surprise that UK consumers are tightening their belts.

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Multiplying out

Published:  26 January, 2022

In the first of a regular look at the multiples, Andrew Catchpole sizes up the general health of the sector.

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Jerry Lockspeiser: Seeing the big picture is more essential than ever

Published:  22 July, 2021

Many decades ago, I studied economics at university. The difference between theory and practice bothered me. All too often the first didn’t seem to describe the latter, let alone explain it. The problem was usually people – they simply didn’t behave as the theory said they should.

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Online sales still booming

Published:  15 June, 2021

Sales of alcohol online have remained strong despite the fuller opening of the on-trade, signalling how buying BWS online has become a way of life during the pandemic, as Jo Gilbert reports.

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Fine wine: The new world of collectables

Published:  17 March, 2021

Fine wine investment enjoyed a growing reputation for resilience during the ups and downs of Covid. Chloe Ashton, COO at Wine Lister, takes a closer look at the evolution of this ever-changing market.

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Wales comes out top as “most sophisticated” UK wine nation

Published:  04 February, 2021

When it comes to buying wine, the Welsh are the most sophisticated while the English hunt for a bargain, according to data which aims to map the buying behaviours of UK drinkers.

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Global online buying frenzy levelling out

Published:  11 August, 2020

The extraordinary upward curve in online wine and spirit sales appears to be flattening, suggests the latest data from Wine-Searcher.

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Argentina report: The beauty of buying in bulk

Published:  26 March, 2020

Argentina is upping its game to become a major player in boutique bulk, as Chris Wilson reports. 

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Majestic reassures over stock after big spike in demand for EU wines

Published:  17 March, 2020

Majestic Wine has realised a statement saying “shelves will stay stacked with wine” after customer stockpiling drove dramatic increases in demand for wines over the weekend.

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Q&A: Hallgarten's Steve Daniel on how to buy wine

Published:  12 December, 2019

In a new series we get under the skin of wine buyers from across the trade, quizzing importers, restaurants, independents and wholesalers about how they got into buying, what informs their day-to-day decisions and what tips they’d offer newcomers.

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Shoppers prize green values over brand loyalty, research shows

Published:  02 December, 2019

Over three-quarters of UK grocery buyers have made buying decisions based on a brand’s environmental policies in the last year, new research from data insights consultancy Kantar has revealed.

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Christmas indie predictions: trends and top tips for the festive season

Published:  17 September, 2019

Speaking to independent merchants on the September tasting circuit it’s clear that their minds have already turned to Christmas and what is for them the busiest time of the year.

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Importers collective SPOT portfolio offers streamlined buying

Published:  17 September, 2019

Sometimes the best ideas are the most straight-forward ones; at least that’s the hope of Solano Peña-Lenzi from specialist wine importer Hispamerchants.

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The Wine Society's new groove

Published:  13 August, 2019

With a new chief executive at the helm, Andrew Catchpole visits The Wine Society to discover what’s up at this venerable members’ merchant

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All the trimmings: alternatives to pair with Christmas

Published:  29 October, 2018

As summer slides inexorably into autumn, we Brits start ringing the seasonal changes. Light cotton shirts give way to warm sweaters, then the coats come out of seasonal hibernation. Afterwards there’s the annual dither about whether or not to switch the central heating on yet. Before you know it they’ll be playing Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas on a continuous loop in every shopping mall and supermarket between Land’s End and John O’Groats and offering deals on anything from Play Station consoles to family-sized boxes of Quality Street.

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Enotria&Coe appoints Ivan Dixon head of spirits buying

Published:  15 June, 2018

Enotria&Coe has appointed Ivan Dixon as its new head of spirits buyer.

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