Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

McGuigan to quit marketing role

Published: 23 July, 2008

Lisa McGuigan will step down from her role as global marketing director for McGuigan Simeon Wines next Friday (9 February) to concentrate on managing the growth of the Tempus Two brand.

London sweeps the board in Tatler restaurant awards

Published: 23 July, 2008

London's restaurants took every prize at the Tatler/Champagne Louis Roederer restaurant awards last week, with The Wolseley named restaurant of the year.

Pernod Ricard reports excellent' results

Published: 23 July, 2008

France's Pernod Ricard has increased its full-year sales target after exceeding both its own and analysts' forecasts in the half-year to the end of December, in which its organic sales rose 9.7%, sending the shares to a record level in Paris.

Plans for UK generic rum campaign

Published: 23 July, 2008

A group of rum producers are planning to front a generic campaign in the UK - with every bottle bearing the stamp Authentic Caribbean Rum'.

Every little helps?

Published: 23 July, 2008

Small retailers under pressure from supermarket competition should not rely on the Competition Commission to protect them unless there is evidence of unfair practice. Peter Freeman, the chairman of the commission, said last week: We are not here to punish success.'

How to increase wine list gross profit by 20%

Published: 23 July, 2008

Will Duke, director of on-trade sales at HBJ Wines, told his business clinic session that nothing in his presentation was rocket science', but whatever you do in business, it is about making customers happy.

Winemakers reject Bordeaux reforms

Published: 23 July, 2008

Government proposals to introduce a new category within the AOC system have been rejected unequivocally by winemakers in Bordeaux.

Volunteers collect world wines for charity

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Vinos Sin Fronteras (wine without borders) project has sent two volunteers to more than 15 countries to collect donations in the form of bottles of wine in aid of charity.

Beefeater keen to shed cheap' look

Published: 23 July, 2008

A new marketing campaign and bottle design highlighting Beefeater gin's London roots has been launched by Chivas Brothers, at a cost believed to be in excess of 10 million.

Licensing Act feedback wanted

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Government has published a consultation document on the guidance to the 2003 Licensing Act, which has been heavily criticised since its inception.

Rioja allows new whites

Published: 23 July, 2008

Winemakers in Rioja are now able to use a greater number of white grape varieties, thanks to a change in the rules by the Organizacin Interprofesional del Vino de Rioja (OIPVR - the Interprofessional Organisation of the Wines of Rioja).

TV channel to sell wine 24 hours a day

Published: 23 July, 2008

The team behind the shopping website jungle.com is preparing to launch a new company which will sell wine via a satellite television channel.

Organic age split

Published: 23 July, 2008

Young people are far more receptive to organic wine, according to the director of Millsime Bio, the organic wine fair held in France last week.

Kiwi producers proud of diverse climate

Published: 23 July, 2008

New Zealand's unique climatic conditions may protect its wine industry from the threat of global warming, a leading producer said at the country's annual trade tasting last week.

White Grange' to be bottled with screwcap

Published: 23 July, 2008

Penfolds Yattarna - dubbed white Grange' - will be bottled under screwcap for the 2004 vintage, released in May.

Scotland wins the World Cup of Sherry

Published: 23 July, 2008

The chef and sommelier at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh have won the International Copa Jerez 2007. Sous chef Kevin Sutherland and sommelier James O'Donnell created a food and Sherry menu, beating teams from the US and Spain in the process. Their winning menu included a dish of sauted Keltic scallops, chestnut puree, apples and smoked bacon lardons with Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla. The judging panel included award-winning chef Heston Blumenthal, who praised the duo's original and inspiring' dishes.

NZ chief predicts growth slowdown

Published: 23 July, 2008

The New Zealand wine industry's major growth phase is over and with that will come consolidation, says the head of the country's 1,300 grape growers and winemakers.

What's hot, what's not

Published: 23 July, 2008

Come January we're all prone to speculation about what the new year will bring. It's not that we're bored with our favourite wines, it's more that - as wine lovers - we know there's a great big world of wine out there, and I, for one, want to know about new wine styles. As a wine professional, I also want to know what innovations other people are putting into practice, so to find out, I canvassed opinion from a range of people: suppliers, restaurant wine buyers - both top end and middle market - and pub operators too.

Competition Commission slams supermarkets

Published: 23 July, 2008

The next phase of the Competition Commission's probe into the grocery industry will focus on competition at the local level, where it most matters to consumers', the chairman, Peter Freeman, said when outlining the watchdog's preliminary thinking'.

Inaugural Wine+ gets thumbs-up from trade

Published: 23 July, 2008

Wine+ organiser FreshRM is hailing the inaugural show last week a success, despite attendance levels being affected by bad weather, including high winds which disrupted road and rail travel last Thursday.