Champagne premiumisation: Growing discernment amongst consumers

On a pedestal it may often be placed, but even champagne is not immune to the trends enveloping the wine world. Overall, as a category, it continues to hold its position as a benchmark premium wine, remaining the fizz of choice for many private celebrations, high-end hospitality occasions and corporate events. But speak with leading brands, and the word ‘polarisation’ crops up severally, with a picture that somewhat mirrors that of still wine consumption. Shifts towards premium, more personal choices and ‘less but better’ appear to be defining choices when it comes to those celebratory occasions.

The rising stars of CEE

How do people really choose their wine? Is it on the basis of style (rich and full-bodied vs lighter and more acidity driven), fashion (Italian Pinot Grigio and Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc have done well here) or is it by country or region or variety? The question has particular resonance when considering Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) – a vast, geographically ill-defined area comprising more than 25 very different countries. Aside from Central Europe proper, it incorporates the three Caucasus countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; plus Ukraine, Moldova, Greece and its islands, Cyprus, Turkey; and the Balkan nations: including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, and tiny former Yugoslav republics like Montenegro and North Macedonia (home to red Vranac and white Temjanika, two very distinctive varieties). Even Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are now raising their viticultural profiles with both making a splash at last year’s CEE tasting in central London, where the hundreds of wines offered by dozens of producers and importers somehow just scratched the surface.

Precision viticulture in the face of climate change

Young, a positive disruptor and armed with an education that took in pure mathematics and Japanese language at university, Arsen Khachaturyants is perhaps not your average winemaker in terms of background. Born in Spain, of Armenian parents, he is the producer behind the Arsenio label in Tuscany. Here, in this historical winemaking landscape, he stands out for his insistence on and practice of ‘precision viticulture’, melding traditional winemaking techniques with a data-driven mindset, preferring hard factual analysis to what he has described as “an industry often stuck in emotional decision-making”. And speaking with him offers a refreshing insight into a rather different approach to the ‘science-meets-art’ mindset that often defines many a winemaking philosophy.

Liberty report: Hope for the premium on-trade

A new report on the premium on-trade from Liberty Wines, released today (5 February) and shared exclusively with Harpers, suggests that the only way to drive sales is to compete on quality. 

Hopsitality: Pursuing work-life balance

The hospitality industry is well known for its tricky work-life balance. Whether it be long, demanding shifts, unpredictable and irregular hours or excessive workloads, the trade’s reputation is that its demands often eat into employees’ personal lives, impacting their mental and physical health.

The climate communication conundrum

Rather like climate change and sustainability themselves, the recent fifth edition of Tasting Climate Change in Montreal was complex, dense with information, covering so much ground, from so many angles, that it was difficult to summarise into one simple thread. One prominent panellist – a journalist – even quipped “I’m having a heart attack just thinking about how I write all of this up”, given the viticultural, winemaking, packaging, distribution, retailing and post-consumption issues that were explored. Harpers will be covering some of those topics in this spring’s Sustainability Report, but as a taster (and mindful of that comment), one important aspect that was raised was that of consumer communication, from both trade and press.

What’s fermenting in the on-trade?

Speaking to somms and restaurant buyers, Oliver Catchpole discovers which wine list trends they think will unfold into the new year.

New Zealand’s free spirit

With more freedom to experiment than most, New Zealand producers are creating wines with unrivalled personality, writes Hamish Graham.

Is it time for Australia to shift its focus?

David Kermode takes the temperature of the Australian wine market to determine whether its mass-market appeal still holds true or if it’s time to prioritise premiumisation.

Winning at ecommerce: The boost of strong website design

Koshu: Putting Japanese wine on the map

Even within the UK wine trade, mention that you are off to Japan to learn more about the wines, and the comment comes back, ‘oh, rice wine, you mean sake?’. But with sake now firmly established on fine dining wine lists across Britain, a group of wine producers from Yamanashi Prefecture – the heartland of the indigenous white Koshu grape variety – believe that the time is ideal for a greater push for recognition in the ‘global shop window’ that is the UK. And with the wines ticking many on-trend boxes, being fresh and elegant, with naturally modest alcohol and just a soupçon of the exotic born of Japan origin, their food-friendly nature completes a picture of natural affinity with modern wine mores.

Frustration abound: Harpers political temperature survey

As last year drew to a close, after a November Budget the WSTA touted as “death by a thousand cuts”, Harpers set out to take the political temperature of the trade with a survey asking readers what they really thought of a number of government policies.

Altos’s plans to shake up tequila

If the response to Cointreau’s satirical ad featuring White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza is anything to go by, consumers are tired of the endless treadmill of premium, celebrity-backed tequila. In times like this, when money’s tight and mood is low, consumers aren’t seeking status brands to impress their friends, they want quality drinks that provide an experience – without the reputational hangover tequila just can’t seem to shake.

Intangible benefits: Sweet wine’s World Heritage push

Last January, leading alcohol retailer Majestic reported a 15% rise in fortified wine sales over the previous six weeks. The figure might seem positive for the category, yet sales data from the festive season – when Ports and sherries are traditionally enjoyed at celebratory gatherings – are notoriously misleading. In fact, the category has been experiencing a sustained decline in recent years. Sherry, for example, recorded its third consecutive year of falling sales globally in 2024, at around 24m litres, down from just under 32m litres in 2022 (Consejo Regulador for sherry). And Port has been following a similar trajectory, with 2024 marking its fourth year of global decline, from 124m litres in 2021 to just under 115m litres in 2024 (IVDP).

Celebrating our 50 Best Indies winner Old Chapel Cellars

It is perhaps appropriate, considering the historic role that the church played in viticulture, that one of Cornwall’s most iconic merchants occupies a former place of worship. Once a Methodist chapel, it was transformed in the mid-1970s into the premises for Laymont & Shaw, a specialist importer with a passion for all things Iberian. Decades later Hispanophile Jamie Tonkin joined the business before being drawn to the bright lights of London. After a stint in the capital’s wine trade, Tonkin returned to Cornwall and purchased the business in 2009, continuing its evolution as “an old chapel full of wine”. Joined by co-owner Louisa Fitzpatrick in 2020, Old Chapel Cellars is today a leading merchant, community hub and sustainability advocate rolled into one.

Hospitality: Harnessing the power of winter

The December-January period for many in the on-trade often charts a feast followed by famine trajectory. Last year’s data showed a similar pattern. According to the CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker – which assesses the performance of Britain’s leading restaurant, pub and bar groups – total sales for December 2024 were up 3.2% year on year. Contrast this to January which, by the same metric, saw a fall in sales of 1.3%.

Subscription model ticks indie boxes

The wine subscription market is experiencing something of a boom at the moment. While established wine clubs have been around for decades, wine sellers seem to have been setting up such subscriptions left and right. Worldwide, at least, this is borne out by the facts – according to a recent report by Future Market Insights, the global wine subscription market is expected to grow by an average of 9.7% annually from 2025-2035.

Redefining glassware: how sommeliers select vessels

Given that it’s been in use for wine consumption since about 1500BC, glassware has had plenty of time to evolve, and today’s manufacturers have the restaurant world spoilt for choice when it comes to sizes, shapes and colours. But how far are today’s top sommeliers prepared to go outside the traditionally accepted vessels when it comes to providing the best experience for diners in their food-matching choices – and what do diners expect?

The heady future of wine labels

How do you design the perfect, catch-all wine label for the 21st-century consumer? A young start-up may well crave contemporary shock value, but Château Lafite is unlikely to embrace funky designs and psychedelic script when its brand equity depends on projecting notions of heritage and storied prestige. The visual language of yesterday – cursive fonts, textured paper and stately imagery – still has an important role to play in a world where consumer expectations vary significantly.

Packaging gets phygital: The rise of QR codes

Quick-response codes (more commonly known as QR codes) have become increasingly widespread in recent years. Even 10 years ago QR codes may have seemed a technological gimmick, with their use on packaging confined to some early adopters and consumer engagement led by novelty. Today, as Cameron Worth, founder and CEO of io.tt, a ‘connected products’ platform puts it, “QR codes are boring”.