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The week that was

Top Stories: Harpers upped sticks and relocated to the Kensington Olympia this week, bringing you stories directly from the UK’s biggest wine fair.  

The change of scenery yielded some fascinating insights from a cross-section of the trade, including the new innovation zone, where Wine-Searcher talked through its mobile first strategy and also the briefing room, where WSTA chief executive Miles Beale brought the trade up to speed on the prioritises leading up to Brexit D-Day in March next year.  

There was also plenty of NPD across the fair’s myriad stalls and exhibitors, with Copestick Murray’s new superhero range and also a Pinot Noir alternative from Burgundy negociant Louis Latour rousing interest and debate.

• Copestick Murray pushes ahead with Superhero wine range
• LWF: Louis Latour releases alternative to expensive Pinot Noir from the Cote d’Or
• Innovation essential if wine to curb falling consumer base
• LWF: Hike in LWF visitors
• LWF: Why Wine-Searcher has gone mobile first and why you should too
• LWF: Uncertainty continues to cloud Brexit debate to 2020 and beyond

Analysis and Insights: For our Rioja focused–feature, Spain expert Sarah Jane Evans MW met the newcomers offering a different take on this historic region, which, she argues, has always focused more on what happens in wineries rather than vineyards.

“Until recently a visit to Rioja rarely included a lengthy walk in the vineyards. That has all changed. Rioja is finally looking beyond the simplicity of Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Baja (soon to become Rioja Oriental) labels to something more complex,” Evans said.

Read more on Evans’ recent trip to Spain and the evolution on Rioja on the link below.

• Rioja welcomes a new breed

People and Opinion: In this month’s column, Jerry Lockspeiser charts the rise of the empowered consumer, unpacking research which says that today’s customers no longer purchase products, they buy experiences – and what opportunities that opens up for wine.

And our meet the buyers series continued with head of wine Neil Bruce, who oversees the evolving and quality wine portfolio at regional brewer, Fuller’s.