Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Prosecco announces sustained production and sales

Published: 08 March, 2021

Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG has announced sustained production and sales in 2020 in spite of the challenges brought on by Covid-19.

Capturing the cornucopia

Published: 19 August, 2020

Italy has never been more attractive as a source of highly individual wines. Andrew Catchpole talks to producers about delivering the message

Challenges for winemakers as Italy exits lockdown

Published: 03 June, 2020

The biggest challenge for the Italian wine trade is recovery in the on-trade, according to Pierpaolo Penco, Italy country manager at Wine Intelligence, speaking ahead of publication of the Italy Wine Landscapes 2020 report, due out this week.

2020 Piemonte Report hails ‘last great wine region in the world’

Published: 27 May, 2020

Barolo and Barbaresco lovers have long championed Italy’s finest Nebbiolos, but the wines have remained somewhat under the radar when compared with the attention heaped on the likes of rivals from Tuscany, Burgundy and Bordeaux.

New sustainability drive and HQ announced at ‘virtual’ Sicilia EP event

Published: 20 May, 2020

As Italy began its cautious lifting of lockdown, the annual Sicilia En Primeur event took the form of a virtual global webinar late last week, where organiser Assovini presented to many of those that would have attended the planned conference in Cefalù.

Jancis Robinson MW reaches out to hospitality workers

Published: 08 April, 2020

Jancis Robinson MW has reached out to hospitality workers by giving industry professional free access to all of JancisRobinson.com.

Restructured Armit comes out fighting

Published: 31 March, 2020

Significant restructuring at Armit Wines following new MD Brett Fleming’s appointment has seen improved performance, stemming a decline in the second half of FY2019 with far reaching change to its business strategy.

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.

Campari donates 1 million euros to tackle coronavirus outbreak

Published: 16 March, 2020

Campari Group has announced it is making a major donation to a public healthcare institution on the front line of battling the coronavirus (Covid-19) in Italy.

Southern hemisphere wines to receive post-Brexit boost

Published: 10 February, 2020

Wines from the southern hemisphere will thrive most in post-Brexit Britain, according to the latest Wine Trade Monitor from food-and-drink communications agency Sopexa.

Jerry Lockspeiser: The essential Christmas gift for every wine entrepreneur

Published: 20 December, 2019

About twenty years ago I tried to sell a sparkling wine from Italy that was almost unknown in the UK market. We were a significant supplier to the major retailers and worked closely with them on new product development ideas, from lesser known grape varieties, regions and countries, to new styles and packaging for better-known wines. My Italian sparkling wine was from a medium sized organic producer whose wines we had won listings for, but the buyers felt that it was not well known enough in our market and wouldn’t sell. It was, of course, Prosecco.

Indies’ focus on esoteric Italy leaves supermarkets in the shade

Published: 12 December, 2019

Italy in the off-trade seems to be a game of two halves at the moment with supermarkets sticking to classics and bankers while independent merchants push the envelope with more esoteric wines and attempt to shape consumer habits.

Selling Italy in the off-trade

Published: 09 December, 2019

Justin Keay digs deep into Italy in the off-trade, taking his microscope to the supermarkets’ Italian ranges and discovering what indie customers are demanding from their local merchants.

Piedmont declares 2019 a ‘classic and traditional’ vintage

Published: 19 November, 2019

Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato has declared 2019 a “classic and traditional” vintage with the quality of Piedmont grapes “impressive”, leading to a double digit drop in yields.

Soave launches project to tackle soil erosion

Published: 19 November, 2019

The Consorzio of Soave has embarked on a pioneering project to study the impact of soil erosion in its vineyards and to help producers develop and maintain techniques to protect their soil.

Pinot Grigio - the end of the affair?

Published: 08 November, 2019

Ines Salpico reports on a strategic rethink as sales of Italy’s favourite white experiences a dramatic fall.

Prosecco reports 2019 yields down but ‘exceptional quality’

Published: 29 October, 2019

Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG has declared the 2019 harvest of “exceptional quality”, but said yields were down between 3% to 5%.