Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Wine Vision Live News Blog: Direct Wines drives sales by ten fold increase in wine education

Published: 19 November, 2013

3pm:

WSET appoints two new trustees

Published: 27 February, 2013

Andrew Hawes, the managing director of Mentzendorff, and global drinks consultant Jonathan Driver have been appointed as WSET trustees.

Laura Jewell MW appointed WSET chairman

Published: 23 October, 2012

Laura Jewell MW is to become the first female chairman of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), taking over from the current chairman Bill Page.

At Your Service events - August and September

Published: 08 August, 2012

Find out more about all the latest on-trade events for August and September.

WSET iPhone app notches up 3,000 downloads

Published: 06 June, 2012

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust Wine Game iPhone app, which launched on May 22 and tests players by placing wines in their respective countries, has passed the 3,000 download mark.

Amorim becomes patron of WSET

Published: 14 May, 2012

Cork producer Amorim has become a patron of the worldwide Wine & Spirit Education Trust and will help fund an expenses-paid study scholarship to Portugal.

Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino to join WSET patron scheme

Published: 09 December, 2011

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust WSET, has announced the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino joined its Corporate Patron scheme.

The Restaurant Show calls for registration

Published: 25 July, 2011

The Restaurant Show 2011 has announced a call for registration to this year's three-day event to be held in October at Earls Court.

National Wine Month 2012 to kick off with major event

Published: 04 July, 2011

Building on the success of May's inaugural National Wine Month, next year's will kick off with a major event, and be fronted by a mainstream personality.

WSET to increase National Wine Month investment

Published: 04 July, 2011

Plans to hold the second National Wine Month with increased investment in 2012 are underway after this year's was hailed a success by co-ordinators, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

WSET launches front-of-house qualifications

Published: 30 June, 2011

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, WSET have launched two new qualifications for employees in the hospitality front-of-house sector.

Yohann Jousselin wins UK Sommelier of the Year

Published: 02 June, 2011

Yohann Jousselin, from The Vineyard at Stockcross in Newbury, Berkshire has won the 2011 Piper-Heidsieck UK Sommelier of the Year award.

Alex Anson and Laura Jewell join WSET

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has added Laura Jewell MW of HwCg and Alex Anson of Thresher Group to
its Awards Supervisory Board (ASB).

It's 10pm on a Friday night. The bar is packed and a client slurs three large vodkas' to the bartender. Serving the group will take them to dangerously high levels of alcohol, but saying no' will antagonise them, and in the mood they're in, God knows what they'll do. It's tempting to give the nearest a gentle shove and then watch them fall, domino-style, to the floor, a flaying mass of flesh and booze.

WSTA lobbies Government over training course licensing

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) is to lobby the Government after a number of wine educators have been told that they need a licence to run educational courses.

Wine importers to deliver WSET courses to customers

Published: 23 July, 2008

Edinburgh-based distributor Wine Importers has been accredited by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust as a WSET Approved Programme Provider.

Aiming for moderation: Intelligent Drinking

Published: 23 July, 2008

The system of units of alcohol is confusing and misleading, and young people should drink fewer units of alcohol than older people, according to leading experts in the field of nutrition, preventative medicine and hepatology (liver disease).
The seminar was organised by AIM (Alcohol In Moderation), the independent organisation for communicating the responsible drinking message' and encouraging informed debate on alcohol issues. Hosted by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and sponsored by Waitrose, it was held on 8 March at the International Wine and Spirit Centre in London.
Keynote speaker Curtis Ellison, chief of the Evans Section of Preventative Medicine and Epidemiology and Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, told the seminar that any alcohol in moderation was beneficial when it came to chronic heart disease. Research also showed that there could be a 40% reduction in heart attacks and strokes and a 30% reduction in diabetes.

Unwins buyer joins WSET

Published: 23 July, 2008

John Hart, who worked as Unwins' wine-sourcing manager until the company went into administration over the festive period, has joined the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)
as examination coordinator.
Hart joined Unwins in 1982, working in stores for eight years, before moving to a training/human-resources role at head office. There, he ran WSET courses for Unwins staff, including Intermediate, Advanced and Diploma programmes.
He joined Unwins' buying department two and a half years ago, where, in his words, he watched the steady, painful decline from a ringside seat'.
Hart told Harpers: I am really pleased to still be involved in the wine business, and I suppose this is actually a fairly logical progression to my career.'

Cox is new WSET trustee

Published: 23 July, 2008

Michael Cox, the UK director of Wines of Chile, is the latest trustee of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
Cox replaces Mickey Davies as a representative of The Vintners' Company. Born into the wine trade - Matthew Clark was his maternal great-great-great-grandfather - Cox has also been a WSET Diploma lecturer and set up the Wines of Chile UK generic office in 2003.
WSET chief executive Ian Harris said: It is a pleasure to welcome such a well-known figure from the trade into our rapidly evolving organisation. Michael is a dynamic, popular character and a strong asset to the Trust.'
Other WSET trustees include Julian Brind MW, Lynn Power and Nick Clarke MW.

Government subsidises WSET courses

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has secured Government funding to deliver subsidised training courses
to London clubs, pubs, restaurants and bars.