Analysis & Insights - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Côtes du Rhône celebrates Rhône Wine Festival success

Published: 19 February, 2020

The organisers of the Rhône Wine Festival have called for the trade to get involved in this year's event, following the success of 2019.

Panel discussion: Taste the Trends

Published: 19 February, 2020

Assembling a fantastic panel to peer through the prism of wine to explore upcoming trends promised to be a novel adventure. Especially in front of a knowledge-thirsty, wine-savvy audience. And so it proved when Harpers partnered with Berkmann Wine Cellars at its lively annual London tasting to lead a Taste the Trends seminar, which threw the spotlight on some of the most meaningful and sustainable developments in the wine world today.

Is this the end of critics?

Published: 17 February, 2020

It took Vivino five years to hit 100 million scans, but just two months to make the jump from 1 billion to 1.1 billion. It’s a new world, says Jo Gilbert

Australia: Reinvention in the New World

Published: 10 February, 2020

Australian winemakers are forging a new identity with a holistic approach to production that’s more in keeping with modern consumer tastes than the country’s original offerings, as Chris Losh reports.

Full circle drinking - the rise of upcycled discarded products

Published: 06 February, 2020

The brand owners giving TLC to unwanted food waste are creating an exciting and entirely sustainable drinks sector that is not only helping to drive the circular economy, but creativity too, as Jo Gilbert reports.

Shipping direct: One foot in the vineyard

Published: 03 February, 2020

There are pros and cons to buying direct, but there are certainly reasons indies should consider the option, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

CBD and low and no: A potent mix

Published: 29 January, 2020

Low and no-alcohol and CBD. These emerging categories might promote a laid-back attitude and prioritise health and wellness over raucous hedonism. But don’t be fooled – their combined muscle could be major, says Jo Gilbert

Looking back on a decade - Part three

Published: 27 January, 2020

2010-2020 delivered incredible change on both a domestic and an international level. The Harpers team peers back at some of the key stories that continue to shape today’s trade

Looking back on a decade - Part two

Published: 24 January, 2020

2010-2020 delivered incredible change on both a domestic and an international level. The Harpers team peers back at some of the key stories that continue to shape today’s trade

Looking back on a decade - Part one

Published: 23 January, 2020

2010-2020 delivered incredible change on both a domestic and an international level. The Harpers team peers back at some of the key stories that continue to shape today’s trade

The Art of the Sommelier

Published: 23 January, 2020

Vincent Bouin is head sommelier at The Rubens English Grill in Victoria, London. Having studied catering and hospitality in France he has worked in the wine trade as a sommelier for 15 years at Coq D'Argent, Thyme Restaurant and Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Harpers looks at the on-trade trends CGA predicts for 2020

Published: 17 January, 2020

On the brink of the new decade, leading out-of-home food and drink expert CGA looks at the trends it predicts for the year ahead across GB pubs, bars and restaurants

Christmas trading: glass half full?

Published: 15 January, 2020

Retailers had to fight hard for their share of mistletoe and wine (and gin) sales this Christmas. Jo Gilbert sorts through the highs and lows.

Events guide 2020: What not to miss

Published: 13 January, 2020

James Lawrence looks ahead to some of the essential trade dates across another busy year

Everything we know about the DRS so far – and what you should too

Published: 09 January, 2020

A major new scheme aimed specifically at boosting recycling rates and combating littering for bottled drinks is due to arrive in Scotland in 2021 and the rest of the UK soon after. So what do we know so far?

Duty increase backfires

Published: 09 January, 2020

The last hike in wine duty delivered an own goal, denting government revenues. Andrew Catchpole asks if a limit has been reached

Thinking outside the bottle

Published: 08 January, 2020

Modern consumers are increasingly demanding that companies make meaningful change in the way they package products. Jo Gilbert looks to the future

Wine’s darker materials: glass vs the alternatives

Published: 06 January, 2020

A rising clamour over packaging and sustainability is leading many parts of the industry to go back to the drawing board on glass and look at alternative materials. Does plastic deserve its bad reputation?