Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Maison Ruinart’s Frédéric Panaïotis passes away

Published: 17 June, 2025

Maison Ruinart’s cellar master Frédéric Panaïotis passed away on 15 June, aged just 60.

Popular trade figure Terry Threlfall passes away

Published: 19 October, 2020

It was with surprise and a heavy heart that the wine trade community – in the UK and beyond – received the news of Terry Threlfall’s untimely death. Terry passed away last Friday from a heart attack, aged just 43.

Nick Juby passes away

Published: 19 May, 2020

Popular trade figure Nick Juby has passed away, losing his battle with cancer.

Former Matthew Clark chairman Francis Gordon Clark passes away

Published: 06 April, 2020

Francis Gordon Clark, former chairman of Matthew Clark and great, great grandson of the national distributor’s eponymous founder, died last week in his Winchester home after losing his battle with lung cancer.

Hazel Murphy remembered as champion of Australian wine

Published: 02 January, 2020

The trade awoke to a new year with the sad news that Hazel Murphy AM had passed away on 1 January.

Is talking about alcohol’s “health benefits" a nonsense?

Published: 28 July, 2017

Scotch leaders are currently holding a collective breath for the Supreme Court’s decision on whether or not to allow the Scottish government to introduce the long-contested 50p minimum unit price for alcohol.