News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

HBJ hires Westbury

Published: 23 July, 2008

HBJ Wines & Spirits has appointed Westbury Communications to handle its corporate communications in the UK.

KWV sale rumours

Published: 23 July, 2008

South African producer KWV has refused to comment on rumours that it is about to be taken over - or that it is on the verge of making a major acquisition itself.

Threshers and Bargain Booze top consumer poll

Published: 23 July, 2008

A survey of more than 1,500 off-licence customers saw Bargain Booze and Threshers named as the best specialist off-licences.

It came as quite a shock. The UK trade has become used to seeing Chile increasing its market share - not in the astonishing way that Australia did in the 1990s, nor like the current boom from California - but slowly and steadily. Not any more. According to the latest AC Nielsen figures (MAT to 28 February 2006), Chile's UK off-trade market share has dropped, from 6.6% to 6.4% by volume.

Brown-Forman shake-up

Published: 23 July, 2008

The reorganisation of Brown-Forman's corporate structure announced last week - which has seen the wines and spirits divisions combined into one entity in the US and other selected markets - will not affect the UK, according to David Cox, managing director of Brown-Forman Wines Europe.

The Interview - Jean-Louis Naveilhan, Head sommelier, Sumosan, and co-founder of Isak

Published: 23 July, 2008

Why the interest in sak?
I always used to think it was a spirit, served warm, but during the Tokyo Life event at Selfridges I ended up drinking sak almost every day, and after a month of this I had a totally different take. It's like wine really - it's fermented in the same sort of way and the terroir notion is very important. Premium sak should be chilled, not heated, and the best examples are comparable to grand cru class wines.

Webb and Mellish return

Published: 23 July, 2008

Nick Mellish and Allan Webb are joining forces to form a new wine company, which initially will represent Du Toitskloof, the South African cooperative, in the UK.

Added spice

Published: 23 July, 2008

Allegedly, chicken tikka marsala is our new national dish. True or not, it's a good conversational poppadum to snap over a masala dosa. What is certainly true is that the South Asian restaurant industry is a well-established part of the modern high street.

Raising the bar

Published: 23 July, 2008

It's easy to conclude that hiring an external wine list consultant is purely for the restauranteur with more money than sense. How hard can it be to write a wine list after all?

Academy move

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Academy of Food and Wine Service moved to new premises on Monday 15 May. The new larger offices are within the Hotel and Catering International Management Association's (HCIMA) building at Trinity Court, 34 West Street, Sutton, Surrey SM1 1SH.

Valette joins Rita

Published: 23 July, 2008

Patrick Valette has joined Chilean winery Via Santa Rita as wine consultant.

Argentina exports up but UK slumps

Published: 23 July, 2008

Global exports of Argentinian wine are up more than 35%
by volume and nearly 24% by value - but the UK has suffered falls of nearly 11% and 17% respectively.

New Sainsbury's BWS boss joins from Tesco

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sainsbury's beer, wines and spirits department has a new boss, Xavier Vidal, who has been poached from Tesco.
Frenchman Vidal comes in as business unit director, replacing Lawrence Clube, and will be responsible for the 6 billion impulse sector, which includes confectionery, soft drinks, snacks, tobacco and petrol, as well as BWS.

Vinos launches Viniterra

Published: 23 July, 2008

Argentinian producer Viniterra is entering the UK for the first time after signing an agency deal with the recently launched importer Vinos Wines.

New website for Inspirit

Published: 23 July, 2008

Inspirit brands, the drinks marketing company based in Hoxton, London, has launched a new website: www.inspiritbrands.com.

Caliterra rebrands

Published: 23 July, 2008

Errazuriz is relaunching its Caliterra brand with a new global livery, screwcap closures for all white and varietal red wines, and a new premium tier.

Drayton Bird teams up with NZ

Published: 23 July, 2008

Marketing guru Drayton Bird is to give a one-day seminar on wine marketing on 27 June, sponsored by New Zealand Winegrowers.

The mail man

Published: 23 July, 2008

It's a bit complicated interviewing Patrick Bernard. You talk to this very affable, very charming man for whom wine is a third career - and you realise that the second career, which was in the family brandy company, is still part of the story, because the ownership is the same as for Millsima.

New-look Blossom Hill

Published: 23 July, 2008

The UK's best-selling wine brand, Blossom Hill, has unveiled a new look for its core range as part of a drive to raise awareness for the 4.99 single-varietal series.