Country Reports - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Italy Report: Leftfield Italy’s time to shine

Published: 26 July, 2024

Justin Keay looks at the changing face of Italian wine and how importers are trying to meet growing demand for off-piste varieties.

Italy Report: Lighter, food-friendly wines ascend

Published: 24 July, 2024

Jo Gilbert caught up with some of Italy’s most influential producers to discover which market-shaping trends and styles are currently creating momentum in the UK.

Analysis: Judgement of Canada

Published: 09 July, 2024

Canada may be a small player on the international wine scene, but in recent times its wines have received increasing international attention and praise beyond what has traditionally made Canada famous – its icewines and late harvests.

France Report: Prioritising premium

Published: 26 June, 2024

Good value’ is a tag that follows the wines of Languedoc and Roussillon around. While it’s undoubtedly not the worst thing that consumers can associate with a region, it can serve to dampen the ambitions of makers of more premium wines. As Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, winemaker in Roussillon and regional chair for Languedoc-Roussillon at the Decanter World Wine Awards, puts it: “Good value can be a trap. Chile struggled with that. People see it as good value and therefore don’t see their premium wines as something worth spending money on.”

Headline Heroes: Harmonious sustainability

Published: 26 June, 2024

The Plaimont cooperative is not only an advocate of adapting to climate change, but also the custodian of heritage grape varieties. James Lawrence reports on its work to safeguard the future of wine.

France Report: Delivering diversity

Published: 25 June, 2024

Andrew Catchpole samples the trade’s take on France and its ever-enticing offer.

Greek Odyssey

Published: 25 June, 2024

Greece is fast morphing from interesting addition to must list. Andrew Catchpole charts its progress in the UK.

English Sparkling: Boom or bust?

Published: 24 May, 2024

With rumblings of oversupply in the market and the UK’s biggest-ever crush in 2023, Jo Gilbert asks, could the bubble be about to burst for English wine?

Premiumising Spain’s white wines

Published: 22 May, 2024

Justin Keay takes a pan-regional look at Spain’s white wines as more young winemakers look to experiment and revive older varieties.

South America Report: Malbec 2.0

Published: 01 May, 2024

Malbec continues to dominate Argentina’s wine exports, but it is undergoing a radical transformation. Amanda Barnes reports.

South America Report: Evolving Argentina

Published: 29 April, 2024

Argentina continues to diversify in styles and sites, with an ever-growing buffet of wines from across the country. Amanda Barnes samples the main trends.

South America report: Chile’s new frontiers

Published: 26 April, 2024

Following a recent visit, Andrew Catchpole gives a flavour of how the south is reshaping perception of Chile.

South America report: Evolution & tradition in Chile

Published: 26 April, 2024

Chile’s fresh, terroir-focused ‘alternative’ styles are helping refocus attention on its finest wines too, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

South America report: Argentina

Published: 24 April, 2024

Prices and volumes from Argentina dipped in 2023, although that followed several years of strong growth for export market-leading Malbec and with the proviso that prices per bottle have held firm. Overall production dipped significantly in 2023 for all varieties, with prices paid per quintal (approx 46kg) of Malbec in the main production area, Mendoza, shooting up (see chart), according to the Argentinian Viticulture Observatory.

South America report: Chile by the numbers

Published: 24 April, 2024

There’s no escaping that Chile had a tough year in its export markets in 2023, with bottled wines falling 21% below 2022 levels. And, while the average price remained steady, at US$29.3 per 9-litre case, the US$1,234m-generating 42.2 million boxes shipped globally fell back to volume export levels last seen 15 years ago (Asociación de Vinos de Chile figs).

Trumpeting change in the USA

Published: 17 April, 2024

Andrew Catchpole considers how an ongoing shift in style is reshaping perception of US wines across The Pond.

In praise of Zweigelt

Published: 28 February, 2024

A campaign to promote Neusiedlersee as Austria’s leading producer of this red wine is starting to pay dividends. James Bayley reports.

How the world opened to Austria

Published: 26 February, 2024

Justin Keay talks to the cutting-edge producers taking Austria away from a somewhat checkered past and into the future.

The lighter side of kiwi wines

Published: 23 February, 2024

Moving past the Sauvignon haze, which accounts for 80% of the country’s production, New Zealand-based writer and winemaker Oliver Styles looks beyond the heavy-hitting whites and reds led by Pinot Noir, to those new and interesting varieties coming up behind.