Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Harpers 48h blackout: We’re still here

Published: 07 January, 2021

In a very 2020 twist to the New Year, Harpers was welcomed into January with multiple power blackouts which cut all access to our email server.

That’s it for 2020: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Harpers

Published: 17 December, 2020

As we teeter on the edge of 2021, a new year and a fresh shot at health and prosperity for the drinks trade, Harpers would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas break in whatever form that takes this year.

WSTA membership climbs as it releases Brexit checklist

Published: 10 December, 2020

A record number of wine and spirit businesses have joined the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) this year following a recruitment drive bolstered by concerns over Covid and Brexit.

Michael Saunders’ 2020 vision

Published: 10 December, 2020

Michael Saunders takes a deep dive into the challenges facing the trade as Andrew Catchpole catches up with Bibendum’s CEO and chair of the WSTA

Fine wine reaches a record high on Liv-ex

Published: 09 December, 2020

Fine wine has remained buoyant this year, with increased reliance on technology and automated trading helping the market to reach as yet unprecedented levels.

Balfour and Majestic launch English wine follow-up

Published: 08 December, 2020

Majestic Wine and Balfour Wines at Hush Heath Estate are following up the debut of their English wine partnership, with a sophomore release of limited edition labels.

Drinks Trust survey highlights need for upskilling and greater diversity inclusion

Published: 08 December, 2020

The drinks industry still has a way to go to being a more supportive place for those facing employment, mental health and inclusion issues, the Drinks Trust’s annual survey has found.

The survey, which aims to inform the objectives and support offered by the charity each year, found that 66% of respondents believe that diversity has remained the same in the industry in 2020, with only 29% receiving any kind of training on diversity and inclusion. A further 23% revealed they had faced discrimination due to race, gender, sexuality or disability in the workplace.

Cautious optimism returns for hospitality’s businesses prospects

Published: 07 December, 2020

A new survey has revealed a rise in optimism among hospitality operators for the future of their business over the next 12 months, albeit from a very low threshhold – but representing a substantial increase from the third quarter of the year.

New Zealand wine exports reach NZ$2 billion

Published: 26 November, 2020

International demand for New Zealand wine has surged over the past decade, with total export value now reaching a record-breaking NZ$2 billion in 2020.

Beaujolais Nouveau producers ‘forced’ to make hand sanitiser

Published: 23 November, 2020

Producers of Beaujolais Nouveau have been left with no choice but to turn part of their crop into pure alcohol, it has been reported, after exports of wine from the region fell during the first nine months of the year.

Naked apologises for site crash due to Christmas surge

Published: 16 November, 2020

Naked Wines has seen pre-sales of its Deluxe Christmas Collection sky-rocket, with 40,000 cases being snapped up in the first 24 hours.

The cost of lockdown 2.0 in numbers

Published: 04 November, 2020

There’s no escaping the imminent impact of lockdown 2.0 on on-trade Christmas sales, even if we go back to the tiered system in December.

Sussex winery launches with two vintages

Published: 03 November, 2020

New boutique Sussex vineyard Artelium has launched with two sparkling vintages created by winemaker Dermot Sugrue.

Profile: John Timothy, The Portman Group

Published: 14 October, 2020

Health rose to the top of the agenda at the beginning of 2020 in a way we’ve never seen before. Jo Gilbert speaks to the face of alcohol responsibility in the UK about meeting this challenge

Tim Atkin MW: A year that changed wine

Published: 13 October, 2020

‘Never A Dull Moment’ is the title of a wonderful book about what its author, David Hepworth, calls “rock’s golden year”. 1971 was indeed an annus mirabilis for music, witnessing the release of landmark albums by David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Yes, The Who and Rod Stewart. For Hepworth, 31 December 1970 marked the end of the Sixties – 12 months late, in one sense – and the start of something very different. It was a turning pint, a line in the sand.

New indie Christmas campaign for Bordeaux

Published: 07 October, 2020

Bordeaux Wines UK has inveiled a new Christmas campaign aimed at independent wine merchants.

New Covid clampdowns wreck hospitality recovery

Published: 05 October, 2020

The introduction of new government restrictions to tackle the Covid-19 crisis has wreaked havoc on the nascent recovery in the UK’s hospitality industry, acording to the latest survey from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Long Read: London Cocktail Week – Let’s have a bar crawl while we still can

Published: 01 October, 2020

Hugh Jones lost his job this year after shortly after arriving at a new company right at the start of the pandemic. Feeling less than enthused about the situation and his looming annual Stoptober attempt, he was about to throw in the towel of sobriety for London Cocktail Week, which starts today. But after speaking with organisers, he discovered they are pulling out all the stops to this year to make sure as many people can get involved as possible – to blow off steam while also supporting London’s embattled on-trade.

Robust retail demand reverses fortunes at Diageo

Published: 29 September, 2020

Drinks giant Diageo has revealed that its outlook for the first half of the fiscal year 2021 has “improved since the year-end”, reversing a moribund earlier forecast for a year that has been rocked by Covid-19.