Underage alcohol sales have fallen, but proxy purchasing is rising

Retailers have made major progress in driving down underage alcohol sales, but proxy purchasing is on the increase, according to a new report.

Mitchells & Butlers buys Orchid venues for £266m

Mitchells & Butlers has boosted its 1,600 strong estate with the addition of 173 of Orchid Group's venues after completing a deal worth £266 million.

Kathrine Larsen wins UK Sommelier of the Year 2014

Kathrine Larsen MS has become the Academy of Food & Wine Service's Moët UK Sommelier of the Year 2014 following an intense final at London's Mandarin Oriental Hotel last week.

BrewDog opens 18th bar in Dundee, Scotland

BrewDog a pioneer for the craft beer scene in the UK is set to open its 18^th global bar this Saturday in Dundee, Scotland.

International Wine Challenge prepares to showcase top wines at Taste of Gold event

Wine lovers, be they trade or consumer, can sample the International Wine Challenge's gold-medal winning wines and mingle with expert judges at next week's A Taste of Gold event in London.

Carlsberg's wine and spirits arm Crown Cellars sales' rocket by 19%

Carlsberg UK's wine and spirits division Crown Cellars saw a 19% rise in sales over the past 12 months and is launching a new website to help better serve the on-trade.

Alliance Wine opens London office to grow on-trade sales

Alliance Wine is opening an office in London to boost its sales into the capital's on-trade and south east market.

Rioja needs own wine trade tasting week to compete at top end

Rioja needs to introduce its own trade tasting week, if it is to compete at the top end with Bordeaux or Burgundy, says a senior UK buyer.

Michael Simms, head sommelier at Sartoria, on a life serving wine

Harpers.co.uk talks with Michael Simms, head sommelier at Sartoria in Mayfair about how he accidently fell into training to become a top sommelier.

The art of craft gin distilling with Tom Warner and Sion Edwards

After meeting at agricultural college, Tom Warner and Sion Edwards started on separate paths in the fresh-food industry. But they soon came back together to set up their own boutique gin distillery in the Northamptonshire village of Harrington, which provides the sub-brand name of their flagship Warner Edwards gin. This is craft distilling in action, as Warner and Edwards distil, fill, number, label and wax seal every bottle by hand. Nigel Huddleston asks the questions

Harpers Awards 2014 winners announced at London's Hurlingham Club

Morrisons, Naked Wines, Bibendum, Corks Out, Vinoteca and the Chiltern Fire House were some of the big name winners announced tonight at the Harpers Awards at London's Hurlingham Club.

Hawksmoor Knightsbridge set to open in July

The Hawksmoor, one of London's favourite steak joints, will be opening a new location in Knightsbridge on Yeoman's Row on July 3, 2014.

Joel Cadbury on driving wine sales and training at Bel & Dragon Inns

Douglas Blyde talks with Joel Cadbury, founder of the Groucho private members club, about the wines he is serving up at his estate of Bel & Dragon Inns.

London Wine Fair Brewhouse

Brewhouse will be a table-top tasting devoted to small-batch, specialist and craft beers, which follows on from the successful Pop Up International Beer Competition at last year's fair, which attracted large numbers of visitors, and reflects the growing interest in craft beers from the independent and on-trade sectors as well as from the multiple grocers.

MPs get through £750k of wines, beers and spirits a year in House of Commons

MPs manage to get through £750,000 worth of alcohol a year whilst working at the House of Commons, according to media reports this week.

Buckingham Schenk adds Saint Emilion's Malet Roquefort to portfolio

France dominates the Sommelier Wine Awards 2014

France took home a total of 366 medals and commendations in this year's Sommelier Wine Awards, with nearly 100 more accolades than the runner up Italy, which took home 267.

Premium New Zealand wine commerce site launches in UK

Top New Zealand wine expert Melanie Brown is launching an e-commerce site dedicated to over 160 premium New Zealand wines for the UK market.

New Zealand winery Amisfield signs Inverarity Morton as UK agent

New Zealand winery Amisfield has returned to the UK market after a five-year absence and signed Scottish distributor Inverarity Morton as sole agent.

Mitchells & Butlers sees flat half year profits but food volume growth

Bar and restaurant chain Mitchells & Butlers has seen a sluggish first half, with pre-tax profits flat at £68 million and like for like sales up 1.1%.