WSET: The business of wine

With the trade often berated for lack of commercial acumen, Angela Mount gives the lowdown on a WSET course that delivers

Vinho Verde quality focus delivering Portuguese success story

Vinho Verde is far and away Portugal's leading white wine region, this northernmost province of Portugal one of Europe's largest demarcated wine regions with 21,000 hectares of planted vineyard, nine sub-regions and more than 2000 wine brands. And something is definitely stirring. 

LWF Day One: The big Brexit debate

Breaking down the cloud of uncertainty brought about by Brexit into manageable bite-sized pieces was the objective of panelists at this afternoon’s London Wine Fair industry briefing.

English Sparkling: Spotlight on potential

Jo Gilbert looks at what the future may hold for English sparkling wines at home and abroad

The LWF: A UK-focused event

Jo Gilbert looks ahead to the most important event in the trade calendar, now in its fourth year of consolidation since becoming a UK-focused fair

Vertical ambition

Effective range hierarchy is crucial in a world where shelf space is in short supply, meaning the justification of premium listings is paramount for suppliers. Angela Mount reports

Ecommerce: What’s the potential for wine?

Jo Gilbert looks at how big the online proposition really is and why the UK is at the forefront of wine online

Solera supping

From oldster tipple to hipster hooch, sherry seems to have missed out on the mainstream, says Henry Jeffreys

Mad for Malbec

Argentina is Malbec; New Zealand is Sauvignon Blanc. The intimate link between a country and dominant single variety is a strategy fraught with danger – apparently. Change the record, please.

Lebanon gaining ground

Swiss wine Part 1: The unknown country

“In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

Swiss wine Part 2: Indigenous variety heaven

Wineries from all six of Switzerland’s wine regions were present at the Swiss Wine tasting last month: Valais and Vaud, where most wineries are based, and which account respectively for 33% and 25% of production, Geneva, Ticino, the surprisingly extensive German-speaking area and the Three Lakes Region.

The Apprentice: How will the new government levy affect the trade and will it help staff churn?

As of this month, the government’s apprenticeship levy is going to revolutionise the way large businesses offer staff training. 

Through the telescope: A look at future tech likely to affect the wine trade

When Uber recently announced it was looking into the possibility of making daily air travel as cheap as a normal taxi fare, the world - and especially the media - gasped with anticipation.

The battle for the retail shelves

The latest Nielsen retail reports make for interesting reading. Supermarket own-brand wines showed growth of 12.6% in the 12 weeks leading up to January 28, 2017, an escalation from 5.5% year-on-year growth, while brands lost 3% share.

Millennials: sorting the facts from the fiction

A Wine Intelligence presentation at Prowein sought to debunk much of the common notion that Millennials are a fundamentally different consumer group with a clearly cohesive mindset, with implications for those creating targeted new brands

Brand Ambassadors: Spreading the gospel

Glenfiddich's UK brand ambassador, Mark Thomson, is introducing the brand's new IPA beer-infused expression at a trade event in central London. "When I tell people I'm a brand ambassador they usually say: 'Yes, but what's your real job?'"

Blurring lines between on-trade beer, wine and spirits

Matthew Clark's new Emporium tasting concept delivered on its promise of providing a circus-themed extravaganza at London's Tobacco Dock on Tuesday. 

Wine labels of the future

Wine labels of the future will increasingly have a link to a website or QR bar code which could be scanned with phones to reveal the ingredients, calories and nutritional value of wine, but far less likely is any further legal obligation to fully disclose ingredients.

The drinks world takes action over alcohol misuse

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) announced this week it is calling for entries for this year's Scotch Whisky Action Fund - an initiative set up in 2013 to help tackle alcohol misuse by offering grants for related projects across Scotland.