Analysis & Insights - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

France Report: The Champagne bubble

Published: 26 June, 2024

David Kermode charts a bumpy ride for France’s favourite fizz.

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.

Beyond Champagne: Bubbling under

Published: 25 June, 2024

Jo Gilbert caught up with leading suppliers to find out how the non-Champagne sparkling parts of their portfolios work in their respective categories.

Tech: The perils of cask whisky investment

Published: 17 June, 2024

Felipe Schrieberg talks to Jo Gilbert about a potential upcoming crash in cask whisky investment.

Balancing the benefits and harms of alcohol in UK society

Published: 14 June, 2024

James Bayley assesses the duality of the effects of alcohol consumption.

Multiples: Summer standouts

Published: 13 June, 2024

Own-label and discovery ranges are in the spotlight as supermarkets refresh their wines for the season. By James Bayley.

Analysis: Safeguarding old vines

Published: 12 June, 2024

A recent old vine field trip to Jumilla sparked a conversation around the importance of preserving both local expertise and community input alongside heritage vineyards, and what it means for broader concepts of sustainability and terroir. Jo Gilbert reports

The future of wine writing

Published: 11 June, 2024

With times tough and outlets shrinking, Chris Losh invites trade comment on the relevance of wine writers.

Analysis: Call to action by trade body

Published: 11 June, 2024

WSTA chief urges government action for £35bn UK wine sector. James Bayley reports.

On-trade: Greener drink choices

Published: 07 June, 2024

Clinton Cawood looks to the sustainably minded on-trade, where bars and restaurants are being ever more mindful in building their drinks offers.

Indies: Tricky customers

Published: 05 June, 2024

In the second of our spring indie surveys, Andrew Catchpole invited feedback on service and the foibles of the punter.

Sustainability Report: Back to basics

Published: 03 June, 2024

With the number of schemes related to sustainable production many and varied, are we confusing consumers? James Lawrence reports.

Sustainability Report: Round table In partnership with The Wine People

Published: 31 May, 2024

With organic accreditation widely understood, Andrew Catchpole invited a panel to debate whether this could be a useful ‘in’ when set against the confusing profusion of differing sustainability certifications.

Sustainability Report: Waste management

Published: 30 May, 2024

With waste there’s a clue in the word, clearly flagging up the unwanted by-product or packaging that sits alongside almost any business activity. Winemaking is no different, and it’s possible (broadly speaking) to break the main sources down into three areas. There’s waste from the winemaking process itself, then oenological supplies and, finally, all of the associated packaging aligned to the bottling line. Cutting down on waste is one thing, but aiming for zero waste is a tougher nut to crack.

Sustainability report survey: Positive picture revealed

Published: 30 May, 2024

Jo Gilbert canvassed the signatories of the Harpers Sustainability Charter to find out how far they have travelled on their renewable energy and waste management journey.

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?