News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

SA online retailer launches ‘one stop shop’ in UK

Published: 15 October, 2020

South African online wine retailer Port2Port is launching a marketplace allowing UK trade to sell Cape wines direct to consumer.

GBK follows Carluccio’s to Boparan following Covid squeeze

Published: 14 October, 2020

Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), owner of Carluccio’s, has acquired burger brand Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), saving 35 trading sites national-wide.

Domino effect looms as NI declares health and hospitality crisis

Published: 14 October, 2020

Northern Ireland has announced a month-long circuit breaker lockdown, signalling fears that similar measures could be on the way for the rest of the UK.

Christmas to bring scant cheer for trade under tougher restrictions

Published: 14 October, 2020

The UK drinks trade will have little to toast this Christmas trading period if restrictions on socialising become more onerous, with a fall in off-trade sales compounded by a further dramatic down-turn in the on-trade.

Boisset rescues Moncigale

Published: 14 October, 2020

French leader Grands Vins JC Boisset has agreed to purchase rosé specialist Moncigale from current owners Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits, following a review into the company’s various business units.

New complaints panel chair joins The Portman Group

Published: 14 October, 2020

The Portman Group has revealed the new chair of its Independent Complaints Panel (ICP), continuing to set out a new era of leadership for the UK’s regulatory body.

Think Spirits panel identifies lasting change in new drinks landscape

Published: 14 October, 2020

The pandemic has had a profound impact on all aspects of the business of drinks, reshaping how trade and consumers interact and behave, while delivering deep economic uncertainty.

Jascots adds Stift Gottweig

Published: 13 October, 2020

Jascots Wine Merchants has announced the arrival of Stift Gottweig’s wines to its portfolio, one of Austria’s oldest wineries and described as "best exponents" of Grüner Veltliner.

Protection of origin for sweet wines from Lake Neusiedl

Published: 13 October, 2020

Austria's Ruster Ausbruch has been given legal protection of its origin [as Ruster Ausbruch DAC], creating the first Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC) regulation exclusively for sweet wine.

Simpsons looks to launch “super-premium” English Chardonnay

Published: 13 October, 2020

Simpsons English Wine Estate is looking to raise the stakes for still English wines with a limited edition Chardonnay called Q Class.

The Drinks Trust launches End of Furlough Grant

Published: 13 October, 2020

The Drinks Trust has launched a grant to help those experiencing immediate financial hardship as a result of the end of the government’s furlough scheme, which winds up on 31 October.

WSTA reiterates concerns for “overlooked” supply chain

Published: 13 October, 2020

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has reiterated its concerns for businesses that supply the hospitality sector.

Bordeaux claims ‘high hopes’ for 2020 vintage

Published: 13 October, 2020

Coming off the back of an extraordinary year, the CIVB (Bordeaux Wine Council) has declared 2020 as a vintage with “excellent wines in prospect”.

Supermarket BWS sales up 17%

Published: 13 October, 2020

Sales of beer, wine and spirits (BWS) through supermarkets increased 17% in the four weeks to 3 October, meaning the category remained the fastest growing, according to new Nielsen research.

UK spirits exports face huge strain

Published: 13 October, 2020

The UK’s burgeoning spirits industry has taken a hit, with exports significantly down in the first half of 2020.

Johnson confirms three-tier lockdown system

Published: 12 October, 2020

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the introduction of a three-tier lockdown system that sets out different rules for regions classified as being on ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ alert.

CWI confirms fewer than 20 wineries physically damaged

Published: 12 October, 2020

The California Wine Institute (CWI) has confirmed that fewer than 20 of the 4,200 wineries in the wine country have reported physical fire damage as a result of 2020 wildfires.

New Zealand Winegrowers appoints new chair

Published: 12 October, 2020

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has appointed Marlborough winemaker Clive Jones as its new chairman.

UKH: Additional extensive financial support crucial

Published: 12 October, 2020

UK Hospitality (UKH) has welcomed the new support for closed hospitality businesses but said that support for others must go further, repeating its call for a much more comprehensive package of support for the whole sector to cover rent and other overheads.

Hospitality safety satisfaction stays high

Published: 12 October, 2020

The vast majority of consumers have been satisfied with pub, bar and restaurant operators’ safety precautions and communications in the three months since lockdown was lifted, the industry-wide We Hear You initiative has shown.