France - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Alliance to host combined Burgundy and Rhône en primeur tasting

Published: 18 December, 2025

Wine importer Alliance Wine are set to host a combined en primeur tasting of Burgundy and Rhône fine wines this January.

North South Wines partners with Burgundy producer Jean Bouchard

Published: 17 December, 2025

UK B Corp wine distributor North South Wines has for the first time expanded into Burgundy, bringing Jean Bouchard (part of the Albert Bichot family) into its portfolio.

JP Chenet reveals sustainably-focused redesign

Published: 17 December, 2025

French family-owned wine producer JP Chenet has announced a redesign of its bottle for 2026, introducing a more modern visual identity for the brand with a focus on sustainability and practicality.

Champagne Cattier launch: Premium on-trade ambitions for independent house

Published: 16 December, 2025

At Mayfair’s glitzy new Lilibet’s restaurant export director at Champagne Cattier, François Colas (pictured, centre) guided attendees through the producer’s range as well as its ambitions for the UK market, following its recent on-trade partnership with Enotria.

Centre-Loire harvest report: Early and ‘exceptional’

Published: 10 December, 2025

Vins du Centre-Loire, which oversees the promotion of Centre-Loire wines, has released its harvest report for 2025.

InterLoire releases 2025 harvest report

Published: 02 December, 2025

InterLoire, an interprofessional association for the Loire Valley, has released its 2025 harvest report.

Cité du Vin auction raises €220,000

Published: 28 November, 2025

Sotheby’s and the Cité du Vin have raised over €220,000 in support of the Foundation for wine culture and civilisations, in an online auction from 7 to 27 October.

Inter Rhône releases Rhône Valley Harvest 2025 update

Published: 24 November, 2025

Inter Rhône, the professional association for the Rhône Valley, has released an update on the 2025 vintage.

Friday Read: Perrier-Jouët on preserving heritage amid our changing climate

Published: 21 November, 2025

At Lucky Cat restaurant at 22 Bishopsgate, Perrier-Jouët chef de cave, Séverine Frerson (pictured), guided Harpers through a tasting which demonstrated how Champagne viticulture could adapt to our ever-changing climate.

Rhône Valley Crus: Newly promoted appellations spotlighted

Published: 14 November, 2025

At Soho’s Vinyl Factory, 17 of the Côtes du Rhône’s Cru level appellations were on hand to showcase their latest wines. Well-known regions – the likes of Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Condrieu – were in attendance, as were the three newest Cru status AOCs – Laudun, Cairanne and Rasteau.

Liv-ex: UK buyers diversifying away from Bordeaux

Published: 14 November, 2025

Global wine exchange Liv-ex has released its market report for November, which shows that momentum in the secondary market is continuing to build – encouragingly, the Bordeaux 500 saw its first increase since March 2023.

Champagne approves Chardonnay Rose as grape variety

Published: 23 October, 2025

The Comité Champagne has announced that Chardonnay Rose has become an authorised grape variety in the famed region. The grape – a natural mutation of Chardonnay Blanc – is the eighth grape variety to be recognised in the Champagne appellation specifications (cahier de charges).

F1 partners with Moët Hennessy-backed 0% sparkling French Bloom

Published: 04 September, 2025

French Bloom has been announced as the official non-alcohol sparkling wine of Formula 1. The move comes as a part of the wider partnership between the famed racing series and LVMH.

Rhône harvest commences early with 'high-quality vintage' anticipated

Published: 28 August, 2025

The 2025 harvest in the Rhône has commenced, starting 10 days earlier than last year’s grape gathering.

Cité du Vin welcomes new international wine partners

Published: 04 August, 2025

Six new members have joined list of partners of the Foundation for Wine Culture & Civilisations, which manages the Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, to further broaden the activities of the wine museum.

Champagne reduces harvest yield in face of global uncertainty

Published: 24 July, 2025

The Comité Champagne has announced that the available harvest yield for 2025 will be set at 9,000 kg/ha. This decision marks the third year in a row that yields have been reduced compared to the previous, as well as being the lowest yield level since 2020 (8,000kg/ha).

Moving the tanker: How the Rhône is changing course

Published: 27 June, 2025

I doubt many of us have actually been called on to adjust the course of a mighty oil tanker at sea, nevertheless, we understand the notion of the time and effort required to do such a thing. This is, metaphorically, what the Rhône is attempting to do now. According to agricultural body FranceAgrimer, red wine consumption in France has halved over the past 30 years.

France battles on: The latest stats

Published: 26 June, 2025

French wine on-trade sales have taken a hit over the past year, though bright spots are present, with a strong showing in the off-trade for Gallic labels by contrast. Off-trade performance is partly spurred by French sparkling – according to Kantar’s Take Home Purchase Panel the category grew 24% and 4.6% in terms of volume and value respectively over the past five years – the diverging figures potentially illustrating the promise of categories such as Crémant.

Provençal rosé estate Château Sainte Roseline partners with North South

Published: 13 June, 2025

North South Wines, the Bicester-based importer, has bolstered its Provençal rosé offering with the addition of Château Sainte Roseline to its range.

Loire exports outperform French average in 2024

Published: 11 June, 2025

In its 2024 export report, Vins de Loire revealed that the popular region’s exports grew +5% and +5.9% in terms of volume and value, respectively. The total value of Loire exports reached €200mn, its highest level since 2000. France as a whole, by contrast, only saw a +0.7% uptick in terms of total export volume.