New Kent vineyard celebrates first harvest

Another English vineyard is officially open for business, having completed their first harvest and opened their winery.

World wine production 2016 one of the poorest in 20 years

The amount of wine being produced worldwide has dropped to one of the lowest in 20 years according to the latest figures from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Morrisons launches new Chilean brand Head Honcho

Following the recent launch of the innovative Argentinian Club Asado, Morrisons' South American buying team have introduced a new, wholly-owned Chilean brand, Head Honcho. 

No Malbec and rule-breaking makes a song and dance at Wines of Argentina tasting

WSET to open first international office in Hong Kong

The leading education body for wines and spirits in the UK has announced plans to open a second administrative base in Hong Kong in order to meet growing demand from greater China.

Co-op sets up European distribution hub in radical change to supply strategy for its continental wines

The words 'agility' and 'flexibility' are used frequently by Simon Cairns. As the Co-op's beers wines and spirits trading director, he has overseen a category enjoying buoyant growth this year, with a 4.3% increase in like for like sales across the sector, according to the latest Nielsen reports.

Work to build £9m UK sake brewery gets underway

Building is now underway at what is believed to be the UK's first sake brewery having appointed a local contractor to carry out construction work.

First wine, now spirits set to take a hit with rise in inflation and duty to slap a further £60m on consumers

The price of a bottle of wine and spirits is facing a major hike if duty rises in line with inflation, industry experts have warned.

The Epicurean launches in London this weekend

The team behind the London Wine Fair is gearing up to launch its first consumer event.

Bath craft brewery pushes into the mainstream with national listing

Electric Bear Brewery has secured a listing with a nationwide hamburger joint, marking further penetration of craft beer into the on-trade.

FSA reveals plans to let retailers "police themselves" on food standards

The Food Standards Agency has put forward proposals for a radical change to the way it ensures retailers keep up with food and drink hygiene standards, by allowing firms with top ratings to hire private firms to carry out the checks instead.

Hallgarten creates new regional sales director role

Luton-based suppliers Hallgarten Druitt & Novum Wines has boosted its senior management team with the creation of a new director of regional sales role.

Alsace sales up in the UK following three successive years of low yields

Sales of Alsace wines to the UK have jumped according to the latest figures released by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d'Alsace (CIVA) - an encouraging sign for the region which has suffered a string of small harvests in recent years.

The week that was: top news, Q&As and opinion on Harpers.co.uk

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have put together a review of the top online news, Q&As, and opinion stories.

Spanish wine industry celebrates inaugural IWC Spanish Merchant Awards

The cream of the Spanish wine industry turned out in force on Monday for the International Wine Challenge's (IWC) inaugural Spanish Wine Merchant awards, with over 200 guests attending the awards dinner in the surrounds of one of Madrid's most famous buildings, Casino de Madrid.

On-trade update: Premium driving growth

The figures all indicate that the total on-trade Great Britain wine market is continuing to shrink, albeit at a slower pace. The total GB on-trade is made up of over 124,000 outlets, with volume sales down 2.5% and value sales down 0.5%.

Acquisitions and partnerships: Alhambra, Calabria Wines and AdVini

A leading Spanish brewery, a French wine company and New South Wales winemakers have announced new partnerships and takeovers this week in the hope of extending their reach to key international markets.

Pernod Ricard beats expectations as Jameson drives growth in the UK and US

The world's number two wines and spirits producer has performed better than expected since April, with sales of Jameson emerging as the main growth driver.

Distell breaks contracts as it moves to direct distribution

South African alcohol producer Distell has unveiled plans to bring the distribution of all its brands in-house so that it can directly manage the sales and marketing of its UK portfolio.

Coravin becomes corporate patron of the WSET

Wine preservation company Coravin has been inducted into the WSET's Corporate Patrons programme.