Just a Minute: Filippo Zito, head sommelier, The French by Simon Rogan

Head sommelier at the Manchester restaurant talks to Carol Emmas about life in his role

Laurent-Perrier's Guillaume Deglise to replace Robert Beynat as chief executive of Vinexpo

Asda tops supermarket wine buys for the biggest bargain

Shoppers looking for supermarket wine bargains best head to Asda, as data collected over the past four weeks shows it is consistently beating the prices of its major competitors.

Liberty Wines announces winner of 2013 Apprentice programme

Joanna Black is the latest winner of the annual Liberty Wines Apprentice programme that looks to bring in new talent to the company.

Luciann Flynn, director, Liberty Wines Apprentice Programme

We talk to Luciann Flynn about the Liberty Wines Apprentice Programme that looks to offer talented people the chance to further their careers in the wine trade with a two year apprenticeship at the company. It has just announced that Joanna Black of the restaurant, Riverstation, in Bristol is the seventh winner of the scheme.

Morrisons wants to increase wine sales by £100m

Morrisons claims it has a minimum extra £100 million in sales to be gained from the wine category alone if it maximises its full potential, according to Steve Mosey, trading director for beers, wines and spirits.

Tesco signs three-year business plan with Accolade Wines

Tesco has signed a three-year business plan with Accolade Wines, according to the producers of the number-one UK wine brand, Hardys.

Space-saving bag-in-box wines introduced for on-trade outlets

Pacta Connect has introduced a new 5-litre bag-in-box wine range for on-trade outlets, which is designed to sit behind the bar and dramatically cut back on storage.

Signature Wines calls on indies to put Macedonia on their radar

Signature Wines is looking to put Macedonian wine on the map through independent wine merchants in the UK as it builds up a portfolio of exclusive wines from the country.

Morrisons Cellar is performing ahead of 'expectations' in first year of sales

Morrisons Cellar, the retailer's first online grocery offer, has surpassed the retailers' expectations in its first year of operation.

Fair spirits company brings Belize rum to the UK

The Fair spirits company has brought its premium rum to the UK, following success in France.

London wine bar group Davy's plans expansion

Family wine bar group Davy's is looking to open two new sites in the capital this year as sales grow and confidence returns to the sector.

Jerry Lockspeiser: let's show consumers the true cost of a bottle of wine

Jonathan Cahill's recent opinion piece about wine value, duty and consumer perception got me thinking. The central point of Jonathan's piece is that because alcohol duty is fixed it takes up a much bigger percentage of the retail price when the wine is cheap than when it is more expensive. Ergo we should be telling consumers that the higher the price they pay for a bottle of wine the more their money is buying wine rather than tax, so the better the value, and exponentially so.

John Osborne to take control of PLB in the new year

John Osborne, sales director at wine agency PLB, is to take over as the company's new managing director in January when Peter Darbyshire steps down.

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Funkin seeks Innovation Champion brand ambassador

Funkin has selected six UK bartenders to go head-to-head in the final of its competition to find an Innovation Champion brand ambassador and come up with a future concept for the range that they believe would shake up the cocktail industry.

Swig comes out of downturn with growth in sales across all sectors

Swig, the online wine retailer and distributor, has told Harpers.co.uk it is up 18% in sales since April, with growth coming from all sectors of the trade, be it direct to the on-trade and retail or through its own trading website, which alone has seen a 100% increase in sales year on year.

Drakes Tabanco brings a taste of Jerez to Fitzrovia

In a bid to excite the sherry market, Drakes Tabanco, a traditional tavern typical of Jerez, which serves fine and rare sherries straight from the barrel, is to open in London's Fitzrovia in October.

New Michelin Guide awards stars to top eateries

The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2014 has awarded two London eateries, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and the Greenhouse in Mayfair, two Michelin stars each, while 15 other dining spots walked away with one star.

Alliance Wine looks to bring new life to the traditional wine tasting

Scottish-based wine distributor Alliance Wine was the latest wine company to host a different style of tasting this week with a Latin-themed event in Glasgow complete with music, food and tango dancers.