News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

‘Back of house’ pay leaps as ‘front of house’ declines

Published: 19 February, 2019

Average salaries for chefs and kitchen employees in London’s top eateries increased by 14.8% in 2018, according to new research by The Change Group.

Wine Importers MD Billy Bell Birse-Stewart steps down

Published: 19 February, 2019

Billy Bell Birse-Stewart has stepped down as managing director of Wine Importers.

Pure Wines takes on host of new natural wines

Published: 19 February, 2019

London-based online natural wines importer and retailer, Pure Wines, has taken on more than 20 new wines from France, Spain and Italy, which it said, highlighted the growing thirst for natural wines in Britain.

Boom in Tassie vineyards as producers capitalise on cooler climate premium

Published: 18 February, 2019

Tasmania’s vineyard area has grown by 25% over the past two growing seasons, with plans for another 15% increase in the pipeline, as both local and mainland Australian producers invest in the island’s viticultural scene.

GCA calls on wine and spirits industry to complete supplier survey

Published: 18 February, 2019

Christine Tacon, the Groceries Code Adjudicator, has launched her annual survey with a call to wine and spirit suppliers to “tell her the Code issues they are facing and whether the major groceries retailers are treating them fairly and lawfully”.

Vegetarian wine website launches

Published: 18 February, 2019

A new website has launched offering over 1,000 different types of wine for vegetarians, of which most are vegan friendly too.

Wines from Spain announces 2019 tasting programme

Published: 18 February, 2019

Wines from Spain has said 59 “leading importers and exporters” will present their Spanish wine portfolios to the UK trade and press at its annual tasting at London’s Sky Garden on 7 March.

Pubs and restaurants hit by January slump

Published: 18 February, 2019

Strong Christmas trading gave way to a slump in January for UK pubs and restaurants, according to the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Wine Paris outlines ambitions as first event ‘exceeds expectations’

Published: 15 February, 2019

Wine Paris has outlined its ambitions for next year’s event as this year’s exhibition “exceeded expectations and set benchmark as a key event in wine buying calendar”.

Broadland announces new hire to develop branded offering

Published: 15 February, 2019

Broadland Wineries has appointed Charles Cutteridge in order to “drive imported wine sales and to develop new wine brands for the business”.

Prosecco driving growth in Irish wine market but Brexit remains a worry

Published: 15 February, 2019

The wine category in Ireland is “stable” but a love for prosecco is driving “strong growth”, according to the latest Wine Intelligence report on Ireland.

New initiative to tackle skills gap in hospitality industry launches

Published: 15 February, 2019

D&D London will launch My Hospitality World, which it describes as a “pioneering two-week group-wide initiative encouraging young adults into hospitality” on 25 February.

The week that was

Published: 15 February, 2019

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, here’s a review of the top online news, analysis, opinions and features.

Liberty adds Chinese winery

Published: 14 February, 2019

Liberty Wines has added Chinese winery Kanaan to its portfolio.

William Grant & Sons appoints chief people officer

Published: 14 February, 2019

William Grant & Sons has appointed Kerry Christie as its chief people officer. Christie will start in June, be based in Scotland and will join the executive board.

British drinkers in the pink on Valentines Day

Published: 14 February, 2019

The UK has fallen in love with pink drinks, according to the WSTA.

It said the popularity of pink gin is a major contributor to the surging sales of gin, which recorded a 41% jump year on year, with flavoured gin driving over “half of all growth in gin sales in the last recorded 12 months, despite only making up one fifth of total sales. Almost three quarters of the flavoured gin sector’s growth has been driven by pink gin.”

Meanwhile 2018 sales of rosé were up on the previous year for the first time in five years. Brits bought over 100 million bottles of rosé in the off trade in the last recorded 12 months, over two million more bottles than in the previous year, with value growth of 5%.

And while red wine sells in much larger quantities, volumes decreased slightly, whilst white wine sales stayed stable.

“Pink drinks are increasingly popular thanks to our innovative distillers and wine makers who are responding to consumer demands for quality drinks with a splash of colour,” said Miles Beale, WSTA chief executive.

“We have seen a massive increase in the choices of pink and flavoured gins, there are signs of a renewed fondness in rosé wines and liqueurs like Campari and Aperol mixed with sparkling wine have boosted Brits love of pink cocktails.”

He also said the ‘instagrammable’ nature of pink drinks, and big sales of pink drinks on Valentine’s Day, will deliver “another pink spike. There is no doubt that the pink category has benefited by consumers love for sharing vibrant, colourful drink trends on social media.”

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi, said “We usually see a rise in rosé sales as the weather gets warmer and we move into Spring, but recently we’ve started to see an increased demand for rosé all year round.”