Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Picking up with The Drop

Published: 19 August, 2021

Blending nationwide delivery app, wine bars that retail and ambitious franchisee model, The Drop is taking hybrid to the next level. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Harnessing Germany's ‘undiscovered’ potential

Published: 19 August, 2021

Germany is pretty much a blank slate for many consumers, but with contemporary wine styles that mean there’s all to play for.

Vibrancy shines through in South America harvest report

Published: 19 August, 2021

Vibrant, zingy wines which have retained freshness and elegance despite weather challenges have emerged from South America in 2021, a new harvest report focusing on the region has said.

Maxim Schulte backs bottled cocktails

Published: 18 August, 2021

Top bartender Maxim Schulte has become the latest star in the quality bar and restaurant firmament to back pre-bottled cocktails, via a new partnership with LAIBA Beverages.

Spirits boost drinks sales recovery while wine trails behind

Published: 18 August, 2021

Drinks sales have continued to edge further back towards pre-Covid levels in August, with spirits emerging as the leading category helping to catapult the on-trade towards recovery.

Drinks Trust backs PR internship for pandemic-affected workers

Published: 17 August, 2021

The Drinks Community – the professional members platform from The Drinks Trust – has partnered with UK drinks public relations agency Domino Communications to offer an internship for those working in the hospitality and drinks industry, whose livelihoods have been negatively affected by the pandemic.

Restaurants and bars emerge as the big winners of Freedom Day

Published: 17 August, 2021

Britain’s managed pub, restaurant and bar groups lifted sales back close to pre-Covid-19 levels in July, new data has revealed, with restaurants and bars benefitting the most from the easing of restrictions.

'Experience-first' reopening: How hospitality came back with a bang

Published: 17 August, 2021

Since July’s fuller reopening of the on-trade, UK venues are determined to come back with a bang in order to coax punters away from well-stocked home bars. Jo Gilbert takes flight into the new world of ‘experience first’ hospitality

Unsustainable future

Published: 16 August, 2021

Following the successful lobbying of government to ditch the much-derided and unnecessary VI-1 forms for wine imports, trade voices are gearing up for another battle, this time concerning organic wines.

Long read: Museum Wines’ MD Daniel Grigg shares his passion for South Africa

Published: 12 August, 2021

Long a champion of The Cape, Daniel Grigg gives the lowdown on why the wines make commercial sense and what more needs to be done to communicate its vinous cornucopia.

Bordeaux Wines brings white wine pop-up to London

Published: 12 August, 2021

Bordeaux Wines UK will be bringing its Bordeaux White Wine Bar to London’s Flat Iron Square from 1 to 5 September as part of its continued strategy to promote the region's white wine styles to UK consumers.

Soapbox: Zero clarity threatens the future of no and low

Published: 12 August, 2021

In an extended soapbox this month, Vickie Rogerson, MD of specialist food and drink communications agency North PR and former head of food and BWS PR at Asda, makes the case for radically improved no and low alcohol labelling.

Chapel Down launches limited edition collection with English Orange wine and Albariño

Published: 10 August, 2021

Chapel Down has launched a collection of limited edition wines, including the latest vintages of what the English winemaker claimed to be England’s first Orange wine and England’s first Albariño.

Big G streams 'In My Vineyard' series, with closing debate to wrap event

Published: 10 August, 2021

The annual Big G celebration of German wines continues apace with the streaming of In My Vineyard virtual winemaker tours, plus the closing Wine for all Reasons debate to take place on Tuesday afternoon (10 August).

‘Pingdemic’ brings more pain

Published: 09 August, 2021

Pandemic restrictions may have been lifted, but for hospitality businesses desperate to welcome punters back, a new challenge is thwarting their ambitions. Lisa Riley reports

Big G debate ‘A Wine for all Reasons’ rallies Germany’s champions

Published: 05 August, 2021

Readers are invited to register for the closing debate of this year’s Wines of Germany Big G virtual event, featuring experts in the field from across the trade, at 3pm on Tuesday 10 August.

Long Read: No more spirit of fair play for American whiskeys

Published: 05 August, 2021

The Government is currently considering levying a 25% tariff on US wine imports reaching the UK. But there is another long-suffering category in American whiskey, which was left out of a recent revision and five-year suspension on tariffs for spirits travelling between the US and Britain. Greg Mefford, international sales director at spirits maker Luxco, looks at the implications for a popular category.

Scottish trade hails reopening but raises concerns for the future

Published: 04 August, 2021

The hospitality sector has welcomed news that Scotland will be easing Covid-19 restrictions from next week but has called for more clarity on the details.

Alliance hones in on France with three additions

Published: 02 August, 2021

Alliance Wine has become the sole UK agent for three French wineries, strengthening their offering from Burgundy, Provence and Madiran.

Villa Maria finds buyer following mounting debts

Published: 02 August, 2021

Leading New Zealand winery Villa Maria has signed a conditional agreement for the sale of its estate, three months after it officially went into receivership when it was revealed that it owed bankers NZD $212 million.