Analysis & Insights - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

It’s time to raise the bar - Michelin style

Published: 14 March, 2022

A brand new recognition system for the world’s best bars is set to become one of the industry’s most respected benchmarks of excellence.

How the rising cost of living will impact consumer attitudes to drinking

Published: 11 March, 2022

As the cost of living increases, consumers are looking to reduce spending, and recreational drinking could bear the brunt.

Harpers confirms its first Sustainability Champion partners

Published: 09 March, 2022

Following the February unveiling of its Sustainability Charter, Harpers is delighted to welcome North South Wines and Enotria & Coe, who have come on board as our first partnering Sustainability Champions.

Hospitality cries for help

Published: 07 March, 2022

James Bayley dives into ‘quintuple shock’ looming on the horizon in April, as businesses call for more ongoing support to boost recovery.

The taxing debate around duty

Published: 04 March, 2022

With the wine trade potentially facing a damaging new duty regime, Andrew Catchpole convened a panel at Wine Paris to ask: “Will the proposed new excise duties in the UK make wine unaffordable?”

Closure culture wars

Published: 02 March, 2022

When it comes to screwcap versus cork, James Lawrence finds prejudice is an emotive factor.

World wakes up to Austrian wine quality

Published: 28 February, 2022

From Wachau to Neusiedlersee, David Kermode takes a trip through Austria’s must-know regions.

Headline Hero: Labels for change and Most Wanted Wines

Published: 25 February, 2022

Design linking the liquid in the bottle to a worthy cause has reached a new level, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

NZ’s finest feels the squeeze

Published: 23 February, 2022

A distinctly herbaceous flavour profile and pro-sustainability winemaking have boosted New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to the status of global phenomenon. Jo Gilbert looks at where the shortages go from here.

Dedicated low/no stores add new retail dimension

Published: 21 February, 2022

As the category picks up pace, Sonya Hook talks to some of the operators hoping to cash in with standalone stores.

What the fungible?

Published: 18 February, 2022

Touted as the future of digital marketing, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) also raise huge questions around provenance, authentication and fraud, says Jo Gilbert, who takes a crypto dive.

Sustainability: New wave transporter

Published: 16 February, 2022

Jo Gilbert talks to the founder of Port O’Bristol’s wine-by-sailboat eco shipping concept, which is taking sustainability to the high seas.

Low and no hits new highs

Published: 14 February, 2022

As low and no becomes a year-round proposition, Jo Gilbert dives into figures shared exclusively with Harpers by major UK supplier of low and no products, Enotria & Coe.

Burgundy 2020

Published: 11 February, 2022

Lay & Wheeler’s Burgundy expert and buyer Catherine Petrie MW gives Andrew Catchpole the inside track on the 2020s campaign.

Multiples: Retail trends

Published: 08 February, 2022

A five-year snapshot of the retail world reveals just how sales of wines and spirits have been shaken up by the pandemic, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Seltzers: Turning on the hard sell

Published: 04 February, 2022

A hard seltzer might sound like a hangover cure to us Brits, but their power in the low-calorie, low-abv proposition, is not to be sniffed at. Jo Gilbert reports.

Portugal: A break from normality

Published: 03 February, 2022

For Portuguese wine, the pandemic has offered a shift away from old habits, moving to adopt a fresher, more modern outlook, as Charles Metcalfe reports.

Resetting Australia

Published: 01 February, 2022

With export markets yo-yoing in the wake of China’s trade tariffs, Australia is once again reassessing its place in the wine world. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Tequila raises the bar

Published: 31 January, 2022

Once known by its ‘slammer’ reputation, tequila is carving out a new niche in UK spirits with optimistic sales as a premium sipping drink, writes Jo Gilbert.

A climate Rubicon

Published: 28 January, 2022

Late frost wreaked havoc in the Loire, the ‘Garden of France’, in 2021. Jo Gilbert looks at how the region is looking to mitigate growing climate issues while keeping up momentum for its plethora of popular styles.