United Kingdom - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Daniel Lambert introduces five new wineries to UK market

Published: 24 September, 2025

Daniel Lambert Wines is bringing five new wineries into its portfolio.

Chef Angela Hartnett among fresh Sugrue South Downs investors

Published: 22 September, 2025

Sussex winery Sugrue South Downs has announced a new group of investors including well-loved chef Angela Hartnett (pictured, centre).

Nyetimber predicts bumper harvest

Published: 20 August, 2025

English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber says it is expecting a top-quality 2025 vintage following a warm and sunny spring, then a hot and dry June.

New chair, deputy chair and board members for Wine GB

Published: 18 August, 2025

Wine GB’s board has been boosted with the addition of new members in Charlie Holland, Michael Kennedy and Gary Smith, while it has appointed Nick Wenman (pictured) as interim chair and Ruth Simpson as interim deputy chair.

Black Chalk predicts production could double in boom 2025 harvest

Published: 08 August, 2025

A recent visit to Black Chalk vineyard and winery in Hampshire’s Test Valley highlighted that a bumper harvest could be on the way for the English wine sector.

Mentzendorff onboards Exton Park in Hampshire addition

Published: 06 August, 2025

Importer Mentzendorff has added Hampshire winery Exton Park to its portfolio.

English and Welsh vineyard numbers continue to climb

Published: 28 July, 2025

Wine GB’s Industry Report 2025 shows that vineyard numbers in England and Wales have risen by 74 to 1,104 over the past year. There are also 25 newly registered wineries bringing the total to 238.

English Wine Week returns with packed 2025 campaign

Published: 20 June, 2025

The annual English Wine Week celebration of homegrown still and sparkling wine is back from 21-29 June with its busiest roster of consumer-facing events to date.

English wine's exciting export outlook

Published: 22 May, 2025

English sparkling wine’s forward march has been a sight to behold in recent years. With a growing reputation both domestically and internationally, producers are looking to channel this steam towards a growing market share. Although the domestic market accounts for the bulk of sales revenue, exports are providing an increasing share of returns.

Black Chalk targets growth with appointment of Neil Irvine

Published: 07 May, 2025

Hampshire wine estate Black Chalk has announced the addition of Neil Irvine to the newly created role of sales director. The onboarding comes as the producer seeks to boost sales growth.

Denbies gains King’s Award for sustainability credentials

Published: 06 May, 2025

Surrey-based Denbies Wine Estate has been awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category. The award reflects the producer’s commitment to the environment which has seen it gain a number of green accreditations in recent years.

Plumpton-backed National Wine Careers Week announced

Published: 29 April, 2025

A new campaign, the National Wine Careers Week (NWCW), has been announced and will take place from 12 to 18 May. Steered by Plumpton College, the initiative hopes to raise awareness of the diversity of jobs available in the sector and to encourage more people to consider a career in the wine trade.

LWC and MDCV enter new on-trade partnership

Published: 24 April, 2025

Producer of English and Provençal wines MDCV UK has announced a fresh on-trade distribution partnership with wholesaler LWC. The deal will see LWC distribute two of MDCV’s English wine brands: Silverhand Estate and Harlot.

Visits to UK wineries up 55% in boon for tourism

Published: 24 March, 2025

In 2023, 1.5 million visits were made to UK vineyards and wineries, up 55% on 2022. These visits provide vital support to UK estates, with wine tourism accounting for 25% of total winery income on average.

Wine Lister: English sparkling competes with Champagne in quality perception

Published: 21 March, 2025

A new report on English sparkling wine from Wine Lister, the fine wine consulting agency, shows that on average critics’ score the category 90.6, which compares favourably with sector-leading Champagne wines (90.8).

Bancroft adds Norfolk winery to portfolio

Published: 07 March, 2025

Bancroft Wines has added South Norfolk-based winery Flint Vineyard to its portfolio. The partnership means Bancroft will now become the exclusive UK distributor of the East Anglian winery’s two sparkling wines, a Charmat and a Charmat Rose.

Plumpton College announces National Competency Framework in boost for wine education

Published: 26 February, 2025

Plumpton College, home of the UK’s National Wine Training Programme, has announced the launch of the National Competency Framework (NCF). The new initiative is designed to define essential skills and competencies for employment across key sectors of the UK wine trade.

Hambledon leads portfolio expansion at Fells

Published: 17 February, 2025

Fells has announced a trio of new additions to its portfolio, including the part Berry Bros &. Rudd-owned English Hambledon Vineyard and Joseph Burrier from Mâconnais and Beaujolais in France.

British wine producers celebrate ‘small but good quality crop’ after difficult vintage

Published: 19 December, 2024

Following a challenging growing season, beset with “recurrent rainfall and higher disease pressure”, UK wineries are nonetheless relatively optimistic that 2024 will deliver wines with “a high level of phenolic ripeness” – a concomitant of longer hang times due to the late harvest period.

Wiston Estate signs exclusive distribution agreement with Hallgarten

Published: 18 December, 2024

Sussex-based Wiston Estate has become the latest member of the Hallgarten family, joining a prestigious roll call of English wine producers including Coates & Seeley, Ridgeview and Simpsons Wine Estate.