Morgenrot pushes craft wine agenda

If your image of wine tastings involves white table clothes, red trousers and talk of terroir, then Morgenrot’s latest pop up at Block Bar Brighton broke every preconception going.

Spain raises the stakes

Spain has long been known as the commercial hub of Europe’s classic winemaking regions – a category that has traditionally seen off-trade sales veer towards its £5-£10 “sweet spot” or lower, to the sub-£5, rather than its top tier of lauded pagos.

Star wines and evolution trails at Wines from Spain's annual trade tasting

This year’s Wines from Spain annual trade tasting will highlight the opportunities from Spain’s myriad DOs, styles, grape varieties and terroirs, with importers also selecting their ‘star wines’ from across the on and off-trades.

Hallgarten tasting unveils alternative classics and emerging regions with wide ranging portfolio boost

Hallgarten Wines signalled what it described as “a commitment to keeping price rises at a minimum” at its annual London tasting on 29 January, showing over 150 wines new to its portfolio, with many alternative appellations and new regions on show.

Moreno Wines: celebrating half a century

As pioneer Spanish champion Moreno Wines clocks up 50 years in the business, Andrew Catchpole caught up with Abbi and Marcel Moreno at this stalwart of the trade. 

Regionalised price increases set to squeeze Europe’s big three thanks to woeful harvest

Europe ran the full gamut of extreme weather conditions last year - everything from frost to fires and heatwaves.

The creation of Priorat Singulars

A new association of producers from Catalonia’s DOQ Priorat officially presented their new Priorat Singulars group in Barcelona on 27 November, representing a new initiative to raise the profile of the region's very top wines.

Extremadura Cava producers challenge Catalonia in fight for further planting rights

Cava producers in Extremadura, South West Spain, are fighting a move from the Spanish government to ban further plantings of Cava grapes until beyond 2020.

New venue and new look for Wines from Spain annual London tasting

The sweeping London views from the Sky Garden at the sky-scraping ‘Walkie-Talkie’ building in The City will form the backdrop to this year’s Wines from Spain tasting, announcing a new look and fresh format for the popular annual tasting.

Castilla y León hails 2017 harvest as most difficult

The 2017 vintage in Castilla y León has been hailed as one of the most unusual in the region's history, as local vignerons deal with the aftermath of one of the most difficult growing seasons on record.

Rioja reports ‘overall promising’ but limited volume harvest

Wines from Rioja has confirmed that volume was down for the 2017 harvest compared to the previous year, but said the grape quality was “excellent”.

Spanish DO Valdepeñas reports 5% drop in harvest

DO Valdepeñas has reported a 5% year-on-year drop in this year’s harvest, ending the season with a total of 93.4 million kilos of grapes.

Andalucia latest focal point of Spain's new wave wines scene

Andalucia is best known for its sherries, but the region has now become the latest focal point of Spain’s burgeoning new wave wines scene.

Earliest harvest start on record for Galicia

The usually cool and wet climate of Galicia in the Atlantic reaches of Spain has been turned on its head this year, leaving wine producers to handle one of the earliest, but longest and most peculiar harvests ever recorded.

How a Cava producer alerted police to Europe's most wanted terrorist

Rather than a more usual tale of terroir, Cava producers in Upper Penedes region of Catalonia, have recounted the ordeal surrounding the police chase through vines to capture Europe’s most wanted terrorist.

Looking ahead to the Xmas run up: Richard Cochrane, MD, Felix Solis UK

The cava conundrum

Spain’s famous fizz needs some imaginative thinking to return its sparkle, argues James Lawrence

Wines from Rioja targets millenials at UK festivals

Wines from Rioja has extended its festival reach with the launch of a new Rioja Terrace at two major UK festivals this summer – Citadel and Wilderness.

Spanish blue wine Skyfall outlines its premium ambitions

The brains behind Skyfall, the newest face of the blue wine craze to be launched in the UK, are hoping that their product will soon be drank in the nation’s swanky bars as a premium tipple.

Spain has moved beyond a purely price-based discussion say UK buyers

This was the key finding of a recent Harpers Spain round table on Pushing Boundaries and Innovation, with leading buyers from across the trade agreeing that a mixture of necessity and opportunity has shifted the UK focus onto quality over quantity with Spanish wines.