Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

I Heart Prosecco rosé launches

Published: 19 October, 2020

Freixenet Copestick has expanded the sparkling side of its I Heart portfolio with a Prosecco rosé and a limited edition festive Prosecco.

Wine GB launches industry hallmark for classic method wines

Published: 15 October, 2020

Wine GB has announced its first ever collective campaign for producers in England and Wales, including a hallmark to help to differentiate English and Welsh PDO sparkling wines made using the “time and craft-intensive classic method”.

Ridgeview marks quarter century with limited edition

Published: 06 October, 2020

Sussex winery Ridgeview has launched its first new wine in a decade to mark its 25th anniversary.

Oastbrook Estate releases second vintage Pinot Gris

Published: 22 September, 2020

Oastbrook Estate in Sussex has released its second vintage Pinot Gris 2019.

WSTA maps out UK visitor centres for thirsty ‘staycationers’

Published: 24 August, 2020

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has launched an interactive map of distilleries and wineries that are open to the public in the UK.

North South Wines expands no/low portfolio with La Gioiosa bubbles

Published: 17 August, 2020

North South Wines has expanded its no/low alcohol portfolio with a new sparkling drink from La Gioiosa.

Covid-19 takes the fizz out of the UK sparkling market

Published: 12 August, 2020

The loss of celebratory drinking occasions has put the breaks on an already slowing thirst for sparkling wine in the UK, new research has revealed.

Black Chalk enters Japanese market

Published: 06 August, 2020

English wine producer Black Chalk has secured distribution in Japan in a move driven by Black Chalk director and investor, Kenya Matsumoto.

Hattingley releases still red wine

Published: 30 July, 2020

Hattingley Valley has added a Pinot Noir to its recently launched still wine range.

Cellar Trends strengthens portfolio with Beau Joie

Published: 29 July, 2020

Drinks distributor Cellar Trends has strengthened its sparkling portfolio with the addition of Beau Joie Champagne as part of its UK growth strategy.

2020 Wine GB Awards gets underway

Published: 20 July, 2020

Wine GB has kickstarted the 2020 edition of its wine awards, with judging taking place throughout this week.

Producers of Prosecco Superiore vote to reduce production

Published: 14 July, 2020

Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG this week approved a decision by its members to reduce the yields for the 2020 harvest to avoid over-supply.

Winetraders adds first Portuguese producer

Published: 04 June, 2020

Winetraders has added Quinta da Pedra Alta to its portfolio, marking the company’s first Portuguese producer.

Alcohol to not rebound globally until 2024

Published: 26 May, 2020

It will take five years for the global alcohol category to get back to pre-Covid health, the IWSR has predicted, with double digit declines expected to the hit the category this year.

Pandemic is officially “Bad for beer, better for spirits and wine”

Published: 15 May, 2020

Beer and cider were hard-hit in the 2008/9 economic crisis, suffering from a combination of duty rises, an on-trade slump and increased at-home consumption, all of which tend to favour spirits and wine.

Living with lockdown - Freixenet Copestick

Published: 21 April, 2020

Damian Clarke, MD at Freixenet Copestick, gives Lisa Riley a glimpse of the realities of life as a wholesaler adjusting to lockdown.

Campari to buy majority stake in Champagne Lallier

Published: 20 April, 2020

Campari Group has announced it is in talks with privately owned French company Sarl Ficoma to buy a majority stake in Champagne Lallier.

Freixenet unveils Italian still wine collection

Published: 05 April, 2020

Freixenet Copestick has launched its first range of still Italian wine in the UK to build on the success of the company’s Prosecco and sparkling Italian rosé.

Friday read: Teutonic sparkle

Published: 03 April, 2020

Despite a decline in German domestic consumption of its native bubbly sekt - per capita quaffing has dropped since 2010 from 3.9 to 3.3 litres - attention to quality, both individually and collectively, has never been greater.

Sparkling dominates online wine searches

Published: 30 March, 2020

Nearly half of all wine-related online searches in the UK are for sparkling wine, according to new research from Italian wine specialists Independent Wine.