News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

New wines + new look = higher sales for HBJ

Published: 23 July, 2008

Hayman Barwell Jones Wines and Spirits has revamped its Terrain label and launched a new range of nine French Vin de Pays house wines for the UK on-trade.

M1NT is undeterred by Gordon Ramsay

Published: 23 July, 2008

Club M1NT will reopen in September in new Mayfair premises following the recent, controversial repossession of its old site in a Gordon Ramsay Holdings' building in Sloane Street, London.

The comeback kid

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sherry is making a comeback! These are the words the Sherry Institute and the gang from Jerez have been trying to put on the UK street for the past decade, and still the fight goes on.

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.

Three Barrels goes First

Published: 23 July, 2008

First Drinks Brands is bringing the number one off-trade brandy brand, Three Barrels, into its portfolio following the acquisition of Raynal & Cie by William Grant & Sons.

D&F hand over off-trade role

Published: 23 July, 2008

10 International - the recently launched wine agency formed by Bill Rolfe and Toby Hancock - has reached an agreement with Portuguese specialist D&F Wine Shippers to take over their off-trade sales and marketing activity in the UK.

AWBC launches online education initiative

Published: 23 July, 2008

The AWBC is to set up an online education programme on its website, aimed at both the trade and wine consumers.

Boom time is over

Published: 23 July, 2008

It was one of the UK's more dubious exports: a fleet of white vans whose drivers' total experience of our Gallic neighbour's country was the short drive from the ferry terminal to a pile-it-high' cash-and-carry.

Argentine showcase

Published: 23 July, 2008

Gaucho Grill's flagship venue in Piccadilly is now fully complete.

No short-term solution to Australian oversupply

Published: 23 July, 2008

The current oversupply of wine in Australia is set to continue until 2010 at the earliest, according to the latest figures.

Ramsay chef to depart Connaught

Published: 23 July, 2008

Angela Hartnett is to leave the Connaught restaurant to head up Gordon Ramsay's new venture in Miami.

Top 25 brands continue to drive the wine market

Published: 23 July, 2008

With the overall off-trade wine market stumbling - posting just 2% growth in the last 12 months - the top 25 branded wines are pulling ahead of the rest of the market, showing 12% volume growth in the last year.

Experience supper with Mondavi

Published: 23 July, 2008

Robert Mondavi is teaming up with some of the UK's best-known chefs to launch a 600,000 marketing campaign.

One-third of Oz wineries predict good growth

Published: 23 July, 2008

More than one-third of Australian wineries polled in a recent survey expect to increase their profitability by 10% or more over the next five years - with only 4% of respondents predicting a decline over the period.

Sutcliffe receives Lgion d'Honneur

Published: 23 July, 2008

Serena Sutcliffe MW, head of Sotheby's International Wine Department, has become the first member of the British wine trade to become a Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de Lgion d'Honneur.

KWV defends empowerment progress after SAWIT pull-out

Published: 23 July, 2008

KWV has denied that the South African Wine Industry Trust's (SAWIT) decision to withdraw its loan of R135 million (10.25 million) to the black empowerment group Phetogo Investments will detrimentally affect KVW's overall black economic empowerment (BEE) strategy.

David Morgan-Hewitt: Managing director, The Goring, London

Published: 23 July, 2008

You started off in public relations and now you're the managing director of one of London's flagship hotels. How did that happen?

Alliance adds three more SA wineries

Published: 23 July, 2008

Alliance Wine has announced that it is to become the UK agent for three new South African wineries.

Rare collection goes for more than 250,000

Published: 23 July, 2008

A rare collection of 18th-century first growth Bordeaux and top Burgundy from the renowned cellar of the famous Hostellerie Coq Hardy, near Paris, has been sold by London-based Antique Wine Company.

Distance Selling

Published: 23 July, 2008

Distance selling is not a recent innovation in the wine trade. Years ago, the lord of the manor would have asked his butler to contact his local wine merchant and place an order. And then, some time later, a coach and horses would arrive with the wine and the deal was done. A primitive form of mail order maybe, but mail order just the same.