Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Austria wine exports hit record high

Published: 13 March, 2020

Austria’s wine industry posted record export growth figures in 2019 by both value and volume.

Chinese wine volumes predicted to fall 20% due to coronavirus

Published: 04 March, 2020

The Chinese wine market could contract by 20% or more and many businesses will fail as a result of coronavirus, two industry experts have said.

Gonzalez Byass launches new UK Manzanilla

Published: 04 March, 2020

Gonzalez Byass is to release a new Domecq Manzanilla in the UK made at Delgado Zuleta in Andalucia’s Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Bourgogne thriving in tough Hong Kong market

Published: 10 February, 2020

Wines from the Bourgogne region grew last year by both volume and value in the key Hong Kong market – even as French wine exports fell overall.

TWE slashes growth predictions as US business stalls

Published: 29 January, 2020

Treasure Wine Estates (TWE) has cut its predictions of growth for 2020 from between 15% and 20% to between 5% and 10% after its first half-year figures were released yesterday.

Trump trade truce puts US tariffs on French wine on hold

Published: 22 January, 2020

The USA’s threat of slapping 100% tariffs on US$2.4 billion worth of French imports including wine and Champagne seems to have been put on hold after the countries’ leaders announced a ceasefire on Twitter.

NZ tasting: alternative styles playing expanding role in export growth

Published: 16 January, 2020

Rosé, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir are among a slew of ‘alternative’ varieties and styles notching up a greater share of New Zealand’s collective wine exports, as “international appetite grows to expand the range”.

Festive sales boost British on-trade

Published: 15 January, 2020

The festive season brought cheer for Brtiain’s on-trade, with like-for-like sales up 2.5% on the same six-week period in 2018, according to data from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Jerry Lockspeiser: The essential Christmas gift for every wine entrepreneur

Published: 20 December, 2019

About twenty years ago I tried to sell a sparkling wine from Italy that was almost unknown in the UK market. We were a significant supplier to the major retailers and worked closely with them on new product development ideas, from lesser known grape varieties, regions and countries, to new styles and packaging for better-known wines. My Italian sparkling wine was from a medium sized organic producer whose wines we had won listings for, but the buyers felt that it was not well known enough in our market and wouldn’t sell. It was, of course, Prosecco.

Global headwinds hit fine-wine market

Published: 11 December, 2019

Uncertainties in global trade have hit the fine-wine market, according to the 2019 report from Liv-ex, the online global trading platform for wine.

Volumes at Rathfinny set to double as it launches first en primeur campaign

Published: 20 November, 2019

Rathfinny has launched its first ever en primeur campaign via its Classic Cuvée, which is being positioned as a more accessible entry point to the Sussex estate’s premium range.

Pernod Ricard partnership to bring Baijiu to the international market

Published: 19 November, 2019

Baijiu, China’s most popular and deeply historic spirit, could be making its way to the UK thanks to a new partnership with French giant Pernod Ricard.

Haselgrove eyes growth in China and US

Published: 11 November, 2019

Award-winning McLaren Vale winery Haselgrove Wines is set to expand its international distribution with new hires for the Chinese and US markets.

Pinot Grigio - the end of the affair?

Published: 08 November, 2019

Ines Salpico reports on a strategic rethink as sales of Italy’s favourite white experiences a dramatic fall.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Why would anyone invest in a start up?

Published: 21 October, 2019

I recently received an invitation to invest in the BIB Wine Company. They are crowdfunding on the Seedrs platform, one of the UK’s major players in this market. BIB summarise their pitch as:

UK cocktail market passes £600m

Published: 16 October, 2019

UK spirits lovers drank £604m of cocktails in the last year, according to the latest quarterly Mixed Drinks report from market analysts CGA.

Friday read: How top end Prosecco can stay relevant in the face of ever changing consumer demands

Published: 11 October, 2019

Harpers sets out on the Prosecco trail to look at the region’s industrial expansion and to work out what a sustainable future looks like for the chronically popular Italian fizz

Pernod Ricard consolidates business in France

Published: 03 October, 2019

French giant Pernod Ricard is consolidating in an effort to cut costs after it emerged that sales in France have fallen by €60 million (£53.4 million) over the past two years.