Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

French wines weaken on fine-wine market

Published: 01 April, 2020

France’s premier wine regions continue to weaken on the fine-wine market, according to the first-quarter 2020 trading data released this morning by Liv-ex.

Early harvest for Santa Rita as heat wave bites

Published: 31 March, 2020

A heat wave in South America has had a dramatic impact on the country’s grape harvest, according to a mid-harvest report from leading producer Santa Rita.

Profile: Lift off for Buckingham Schenk

Published: 30 March, 2020

With help from the Schenk Group mothership, Buckingham Schenk is evolving from a predominantly retail-led own-label proposition to becoming a multichannel player with a stall of agency and exclusive brands. Last month, Jo Gilbert spoke to MD Craig Durham about the company's latest reinvention

Q&A: Christopher Delalonde MS, The Dorchester

Published: 16 March, 2020

Jo Gilbert catches up with the straight-talking former Sommelier of the Year about The Dorchester’s new wine vault, keeping abreast of five wine lists and why Gordon Ramsay is the best boss he ever had

Aldi strips out Prosecco duplicates for Cava

Published: 13 March, 2020

Aldi is aiming to bring more variety to its customers via rationalisation of its latest seasonal range which will see greater inclusion of more experimental styles and varietals.

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.

Yellow Tail and Casillero del Diablo continue dominance of global power list

Published: 09 March, 2020

Australia and Chile have once again topped Wine Intelligence’s list of the world’s power brands, with Yellow Tail and Casillero del Diablo holding onto their spots in first and second place for the third year in a row.

Rum sales leap 7% in the on-trade

Published: 03 March, 2020

Sales of rum in the UK on-trade rose 7% year-on-year in 2019, according to the latest data from food-and-drink research analysts CGA.

UK distillery numbers hit record high

Published: 02 March, 2020

The British gin boom is far from over, if the latest distillery numbers from HMRC are any guide.

Georgian wines up 60% in UK

Published: 11 February, 2020

The National Wine Agency of Georgia has announced a big push on its country’s wines for 2020 after exports rocketed 60% last year.

Rising price of wine threatens half of UK shoppers

Published: 07 February, 2020

The average retail price of a bottle of still wine will break the £6 barrier in the UK for the first time this year, according to new figures from the WSTA.

Diageo slashes 2020 expectations in wake of global volatility linked to coronavirus

Published: 30 January, 2020

Spirits giant Diageo has cut its sales expectations in global markets for the coming year, with the likelihood that the recent viral outbreak in China could further impact sales in 2020.

Diageo Reserve hits the road for UK studios tour

Published: 20 January, 2020

Diageo is preparing to get bartenders revved up ahead of its annual World Class cocktail-making competition with a UK-wide ‘training tour’.

Henschke manages fire woes while bolstered China and Armenia get a look in at Liberty tasting

Published: 15 January, 2020

Liberty Wines returned to The Oval for its annual shebang yesterday with a number of new stars to brighten up what turned out to be an exceptionally dismal afternoon weather-wise.

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.

Spotlight on 2020: Simon Doyle, Concha y Toro UK

Published: 16 December, 2019

As we prepare for the new decade, Harpers will be taking the month of December to look back over 2019 and ahead to what the coming year will bring – hopefully full of revived optimism for both politics and the trade.

Spotlight on 2020: Andy Talbot, Off-Piste Wines

Published: 16 December, 2019

As we prepare for the new decade, Harpers looks back over 2019 and ahead to what the coming year will bring – hopefully full of revived optimism for both politics and the trade.