Countdown to SITT Spring 2014

Independents looking to seek out the latest wine gems are gearing up for the spring Specialist Importers Trade Tastings, which get underway on February 24 in Manchester and February 26 in London.

Chris Porter to visit all 91 football league grounds to raise money for The Benevolent

Chris Porter, chairman of the drinks charity, The Benevolent, is to set out on a fundraising attempt to visit all 91 football league league by using a combination of train, tram and bike.

HMRC launches official protection scheme for Spirits in the UK

In order to better protect Spirits in the European Union, the Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme has been launched beginning with Scotch Whisky on January 10, 2014, in order to protect different Spirits from fraudulent and sub-standard products that are made in the UK.

Beam bought by Japan's Suntory for £9.7 billion

Bumper South African harvest sees wine exports to UK up 21%

Windsor 2014 event to launch with average wine buyer budget of £2.2 million

A growing number of prominent wine buyers and producers are set to participate in The Wine Buyers' Forum, Windsor 2014, the first of a new kind of event, organised by the publishers of Harpers.

Aperol teams up with Manchester United

Richard Siddle: how we can all play our part and Call Time on Duty

Come the end of the second week of January you have probably had your fill of end of year reviews and predictions for 2014. But if you have not already can I urge you to check out the series of 2 Good, 2 Bad memories for 2013 and 2 Hopes and Fears we ran from a number of key trade figures on Harpers.co.uk during the festive period (see related articles).

Rolling update: wine sales soar at the Co-operative over Christmas

Chilean winery Montes moves from PLB to Liberty

Scotch Whisky gets extra safeguards to protect from fakes

Morrisons ecommerce site goes live

?Let's finally Call Time On Duty: how to get involved

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association is leading a new campaign, Call Time On Duty, aimed at persuading George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to scrap the duty escalator on wines and spirits. Here's how you, your business and your customers can get involved.

Christmas boost for 2013 sales across on and off-trades

Despite the weather, most operators in the on- and off-trade had a great December. Gemma McKenna reports

?Harpers Awards 2014: How to enter and new awards categories

The Harpers Awards is your opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for all the hard work you do. With a host of categories across the industry and the on- and off-trade, here's how you can get involved

Major wine firms' activity in China challenged by leading importer

Major international wine companies are accused of having questionable "principles" when looking to distribute overly inflated wine in to China.

Social media opens up advertising campaigns to smaller players, says leading agency

The growth in digital technology is changing the face of media advertising. More importantly, it is levelling the playing field for smaller businesses to make a real impact through innovative campaigns, according to a leading advertising executive.

?Glenmorangie releases Companta Private Edition Whisky

Glenmorangie has released its fifth annual private edition label called Companta, which has been aged in Grand Cru and Côtes du Rhône casks.

Enotria to add Australian Burch Family Wines to portfolio

Burch Family Wines, which has a winery in Margaret River in South West Australia, and a winery in Denmark, in the Great Southern region, is the newest addition to the Enotria wine portfolio.

Rolling update: Major retailers report mixed Xmas results, but wines still perform well