Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Henkell Freixenet secures 100% ownership of Freixenet

Published: 04 March, 2026

Sparkling wine giant Henkell Freixenet has unveiled it now has full ownership of Freixenet SA, becoming its sole shareholder.

Five wines gain top Cava designation

Published: 03 March, 2026

DO Cava has announced that five new wines have received the ‘Guarda Superior Paraje Calificado’ designation, the premier Cava categorisation the body gives out.

Top Cava now 100% organic certified

Published: 04 September, 2025

D.O Cava has announced that beginning with the 2022 harvest, all Guarda Superior Cavas (which includes the Reserva, Gran Reserva, and Paraje Calificado categories) have been produced exclusively with grapes from 100% organic certified vineyards.

Freixenet unveils premium alcohol-free offerings

Published: 14 April, 2025

Cava giant Freixenet has announced the launch of its Freixenet Cordon Negro 0,0% and Freixenet Cordon Negro 0,0% rosé. The brut and rosé releases signify a continued push by the Spanish producer into the alcohol-free market, with these premium releases seen as the next step into this domain.

Cava giant Raventós Codorníu achieves B Corp status

Published: 12 March, 2025

Raventós Codorníu, the winery group known for its industry-leading Codorníu Cava, has been certified as a B Corp company by B Lab Spain after achieving a score of 88.5 points, well above the 80 points needed to gain the accolade.

Spain Report: Winning with whites

Published: 25 October, 2024

The diversity of the white offering from Spain has led to a vibrant scene which is generating excitement among consumers. Sarah Jane Evans MW reports.

Buyer’s Spotlight: Cap Classique

Published: 15 October, 2024

These sparklers may still be a small sector, but Jason Millar says it’s time to call attention to them.

Henkell Freixenet Crémant sales surge beyond global average

Published: 02 August, 2024

Henkell Freixenet has reported a significant rise in Crémant sales this year, outpacing global trends as consumers increasingly turn to alternative sparkling wines.

Cava sales boosted by domestic market

Published: 20 December, 2023

The Cava Designation of Origin (Cava DO) has announced that total Cava sales have risen by 2.35% from January to September 2023, with a notable increase of 7.65% in the domestic market.

Codorníu launches first still wine range in the UK

Published: 18 December, 2023

Sparkling juggernaut Codorníu is officially expanding its portfolio in the UK with the launch of the brand’s first-ever still wine collection.

Segmentation aims to lift critically low grape prices for Cava

Published: 04 December, 2023

The Cava DO is pinning its hopes on the evolution of aged styles in international markets as a way of lifting the average price of its grapes, which now sits at around 30 cents per kilo – over twenty times less than the price of Champagne (€7 a kilo).

Spain Report: Cava rides youthful wave

Published: 01 November, 2023

As Cava enjoys a boost in popularity with a younger generation, James Bayley learns how explaining the nuances of the Spanish fizz could broaden its appeal further.

Barcelona Wine Week aims to put Spain on the global map

Published: 30 October, 2023

Barcelona Wine Week is continuing to cement its position as the pre-eminent wine fair for Spanish wine as it prepares for a sold out 2024 event.

Codorníu taps into crémant sparkle

Published: 11 August, 2023

Leading Spanish cava producer Codorníu has launched a new Gran Cremant Brut Cava, initially into the Co-op.

Codorníu invests in UK Market with London Ad campaign

Published: 19 July, 2023

Codorníu, Spain’s largest producer of organic cava, has invested heavily in a new London advertising campaign in a bid to become the market-leading cava by 2025.

Sparkling: Reasons to be cheerful

Published: 23 June, 2023

The sparkling wine market in the UK is changing. While the cost-of-living crisis clearly bites, there are some categories that are still – or should we say finally – full of fizz. Anne Krebiehl MW reports.

Segura Viudas launches first-to-market premium Cava in Tesco

Published: 19 May, 2023

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava is to launch exclusively in Tesco stores across the UK from Monday 22 May. The listing in Tesco is the first in any global market for this new quality tier.

Cava bounces back in 2022

Published: 25 April, 2023

After facing economic challenges the year before, 2022 saw Cava achieve some noteworthy results – total sales rose to 249,135 million bottles, an increase of 4.58% on 2021.

Harpers Taste Off: Adding more ‘oomph’ to sparkling sales

Published: 06 February, 2023

Everyone loves a glass of fizz and nowhere is this evidenced more than in the rise and rise of English sparkling. But it’s not just English bubbly that is buoying sales of wine. As Harpers recently reported, analyst firm IRI’s most recent FMCG Demand Signals report confirmed that across six major European markets, sparkling wine sales remain in robust shape, set against a 4% off-trade decline in wines, beers and spirits.

Cava’s return to power

Published: 31 October, 2022

Cava’s image has been bruised in recent years, not least by an exodus of nine influential producers in 2019 from the DO. Nonetheless, it remains a sparkling powerhouse, led by corporate giants Codorníu and Freixenet. The numbers speak for themselves: global exports rose by 16.45% in the first nine months of 2021, according to the Consejo Regulador. However, with stagnant growth in the UK, there are challenges ahead if the DO hopes to reconquer one of Europe’s most dynamic sparkling wine markets.