Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Virtual festival dedicated to ‘low-intervention’ wine launches this weekend

Published: 29 November, 2021

France’s only female Master of Wine has launched a new virtual wine festival Alive!, due to take place on 5 and 6 December.

South Africa trade slams new travel ban

Published: 29 November, 2021

The international communities’ decision to prohibit travel to South Africa will have “significant implications” for the nation's struggling wine and tourism industries, according to oversight body VinPro.

Friday read: Prosecco DOC Rosé's future prospects

Published: 26 November, 2021

After years of intense lobbying by producers, the Prosecco Consortium finally allowed blended sparkling wine styles to be bottled under the 'Prosecco DOC Rosé' designation in 2020. Exports began in November last year, although there have been reports of a Pinot Noir shortage in 2021. Nevertheless, the category has got off to a flying start, with buoyant sales and an enthusiastic consumer reception. But how sustainable is this growth, and will it affect sales of 'ordinary' Prosecco?

Rosé's global success ‘partly based on luck’, says UK buyer

Published: 25 November, 2021

The triumphant march of the rosé category cannot solely be attributed to the marketing genius of its key stakeholders, according to Jeroboams wine director Peter Mitchell MW.

Calorie labelling on alcoholic drinks gains pace

Published: 25 November, 2021

The latest market review released by the Portman Group has shown that almost half (47%) of alcoholic drinks sold in the UK now feature calorie information on labels, despite no legal requirement to do so.

WSTA lobbies government to solve HGV crisis

Published: 24 November, 2021

With Christmas almost upon us, the WSTA has called upon the UK government to take urgent action over HGV driver shortages and freight disruption to avoid “supply chain chaos” in December 2021 and beyond.

Trivento Malbec triumphs as UK's best-selling wine

Published: 24 November, 2021

Trivento's Reserve Malbec has become the best-selling wine SKU in the UK, according to recent Nielsen data.

Soapbox: Richard Lloyd at The Park makes the case for agile supply chains

Published: 22 November, 2021

We hear from Richard Lloyd, general manager for European operations and supply chain at The Park, the hub of Accolade Wines’ European operations and an independent business in its own right, on how the industry can work together to overcome its supply chain difficulties

Diageo urges drinkers to ‘Know When to Stop’ at Christmas

Published: 19 November, 2021

Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker maker Diageo has launched a new global responsible drinking campaign aimed at urging people to know when to say enough’s enough this Christmas.

Sherry Week’s global tasting jamboree hailed a success

Published: 19 November, 2021

With some 1,755 tastings, split 50:50 between physical and virtual events, International Sherry Week (8-14 Nov) drew in participants from some 27 countries this year, being the biggest global celebration of the region’s wines.

Profile: Fortune Fleming

Published: 19 November, 2021

A bullish Brett Fleming explains to Andrew Catchpole why Armit Wines is back with a bang, firmly focused on the high ground.

Scotland delays implementation of Deposit Return Scheme

Published: 18 November, 2021

A perfect storm of Covid-19, Brexit and a struggling hospitality sector has delayed the introduction of Scotland's inaugural DRS scheme, according to Scottish Minister Lorna Slater.

Hospitality Rising launches recruitment campaign

Published: 18 November, 2021

Hospitality Rising, a collaborative movement dedicated to increasing recruitment levels in the industry, is aiming to raise £5m by running “the biggest hospitality recruitment advertising campaign the world has ever seen”.

Domaine de Tourelles kickstarts Lebanon's gin sector

Published: 18 November, 2021

Lebanon’s oldest commercial winery is branching out from wine and launching its first gin product - believed to be the first Lebanese gin available in the UK.

English sparkling triumphs at Vivino Community Awards

Published: 17 November, 2021

Vivino’s 2021 Community Awards has revealed some fascinating insights into the preferences of consumers worldwide, including the enormous popularity of English fizz in the UK.

English fizz's bawdy move

Published: 17 November, 2021

A month or so ago, I attended two eye-catching, if very different, launches. Both were from Bibendum Wine: the UK debut of former Dom Pérignon chef de cave Richard Geoffroy’s sake; and an unorthodox new English sparkling wine, with the charming name Harlot.

Chronic Sauvignon Blanc shortfall creates “unprecedented opportunity”

Published: 17 November, 2021

New Zealand will not be able to satisfy forecast global demand for Sauvignon Blanc in 2022, due to an exceptionally small harvest this year.

Long read: Chasing formats isn't enough for the Instagram generation

Published: 15 November, 2021

In the past decade, regular wine consumption among 18-34 year olds has fallen by 10% (Wine Intelligence), which could indicate trouble for the sector in the future. Alex Green, co-founded wine distributor Beyond Wines after working with business partner Matt Johnson at Copestick Murray where they worked on i heart and Freixenet. Here, he explores why wine brands are failing to engage the younger demographic and where they stand to make the biggest wins.