France - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Tim Atkin MW: Rich pickings for the vineyards of Burgundy

Published: 02 November, 2017

Remind me never to play poker against Frédéric Engerer.

Languedoc standing strong

Published: 02 November, 2017

Jo Gilbert looks at how France’s leading volume producer continues to evolve and intrigue the UK market

Crémant production fizzes in Bordeaux

Published: 27 October, 2017

Europe’s love of bubbles has led to a spike in production of Crémant de Bordeaux, where the number of producers turning their hand to sparkling is believed to have doubled in the past three years.

Major fall in Bordeaux 2017 production not expected to raise prices

Published: 18 October, 2017

Bordeaux officials have played down a potential impact on wine prices resulting from the dramatic fall in Bordeaux’s production volumes in 2017.

Flint Wines to balance 2016 shortages with older Burgundy vintage

Published: 18 October, 2017

Burgundy specialists in the UK are having to re-think their en primeur formats this year after 2016’s weather woes meant that allocation in certain appellations are ‘tiny’.

Lassègue reveals distribution deal with négociants in Bordeaux

Published: 04 October, 2017

Lassègue, owned jointly by the Jackson and Seillan families, has announced it is to be distributed by six of the négociants in Bordeaux: Ballande & Méneret, CVBG, Duclot, Joanne, Mähler-Besse et Mestrezat” said Barbara Banke and Pierre Seillan.

Champagne Lanson UK bolsters prestige retail division

Published: 28 September, 2017

Champagne Lanson has appointed Christopher Connell as a national account executive in its prestige retail division.

Champagne harvest one of the earliest in 67 years

Published: 20 September, 2017

Champagne has followed the European trend of an earlier harvest this year with yields potentially affected by fluctuating weather conditions.

Crus Bourgeois du Médoc Official Selection revealed

Published: 20 September, 2017

The top wines from the 2015 Bordeaux vintage which have made it into the Official Selection have been announced.

Plaimont Producteurs re-introduces ‘long lost’ Tardif grape variety

Published: 14 September, 2017

Plaimont Producteurs, one of France’s leading co-operative, has gained permission to re-introduce long lost grape variety Tardif, which is thought to have been lost to phylloxera long ago.

Exports for Beaujolais categories to the UK soar

Published: 11 September, 2017

Exports for all Beaujolais categories to the UK soared during the first part of this year, according to the latest figures released today by Business France.

Halewood secures distribution deal for French wine brand Bonfils

Published: 08 September, 2017

Halewood Wines & Spirits has secured a deal to distribute French wine brand Bonfils in the UK.

Early vintage arrives in the Loire

Published: 06 September, 2017

The Loire valley is heading full swing into an early harvest, with picking commencing on August 28 in Anjou - around 15 days earlier than in 2016.

Crus Bourgeois du Médoc to unveil official 2015 selection

Published: 06 September, 2017

Producers from eight Médoc AOCs are gearing up to debut 200 wines from the 2015 vintage at a trade tasting later this month.

Louis Latour Agencies appoints new director

Published: 31 August, 2017

Guy Nightingale, a key account manager in the sales team at Louis Latour Agencies, has become one of the company’s directors.

Years of debate ends with new Bourgogne Côte D’Or approval

Published: 21 August, 2017

French authorities have approved Bourgogne Côte D’Or, a new regional appellation, which could become a new premium area of wine production in the heart of Burgundy.

How a French wine scandal could scupper the rise of bulk

Published: 10 August, 2017

The news of the investigation into bulk wine negociant Raphael Michel has shaken the French and UK trades this week. Will this scandal affect bulk’s chances of emerging from bottled wine’s shadow? Jo Gilbert reports

Bulk wine giant under investigation for large-scale Rhône fraud

Published: 02 August, 2017

France’s biggest bulk wine merchant is currently under investigation for allegedly passing off 3 million cases of table wine as being from prestigious Rhône appellations over a period of three years.

CIVB launches new B2B wine app

Published: 01 August, 2017

Bordeaux oenophiles can now access all the latest news and training from the region via a new digital source.

Red Squirrel goes up against larger rivals with £12 in-house blend

Published: 26 July, 2017

Niche wine importer Red Squirrel has released a new range of £12 in-house blended wines through which they hope to compete with the grey squirrels of the wine world.