Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Loire Valley sparklers herald UK uplift

Published: 02 July, 2020

Loire Valley fizz has enjoyed a surge in exports to the UK, with Crémant de Loire having jumped just shy of 50%.

Self-imposed regulations risk UK’s standing as fine wine trading hub

Published: 01 July, 2020

The UK's status as a global trading hub for fine wine will face major risks from the additional burdens of government-imposed regulations when the UK ends its Brexit transition period at the close of the year.

Hatch Mansfield claims trio of eco firsts by becoming carbon neutral

Published: 01 July, 2020

Hatch Mansfield has revealed it has managed to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero for 2019, making it the first in the industry to achieve a trio of recognised sustainability accreditations.

Beronia joins Bid for Recovery auction

Published: 01 July, 2020

Top Rioja winery Beronia is putting up some plum prizes in conjunction with 50 Best Restaurants to help raise funds for the recovery of on-trade.

WSTA hits out at government for failing to count true cost of VI-1 certification

Published: 15 June, 2020

The WSTA has hit out at government for misleading the public over claims that EU wine importation costs would, according to Defra, be “nil or negligible”.

Alcohol sales knocked back until 2022

Published: 04 June, 2020

Despite the shift from on-trade to home drinking, lockdown could still leave a sobering £7bn hole in UK alcohol sales this year.

Chile rising high

Published: 03 June, 2020

Consumers have come to expect value from Chilean wine, says James Lawrence, so how can they be encouraged to trade up?

Social distancing research fuels on-trade debate

Published: 02 June, 2020

New research into the effectiveness of social distancing measures has renewed debate in the on-trade about the challenges of re-opening for business.

Sturges steps down from Jeroboams

Published: 02 June, 2020

London wine merchant Jeroboams is to have a new chief executive, with encumbent Hugh Sturges leaving the role at the end of June.

Industry gives cautious welcome to furlough scheme changes

Published: 01 June, 2020

The UK drinks trade has welcomed the extension of the government’s furlough scheme for UK workers during the corovirus crisis – but with concerns for the future.

Friday Read: What’s going to drive us to drink after the pandemic?

Published: 29 May, 2020

Rowena Curlewis, CEO of drinks design specialist Denomination, looks at the impact that the lockdown will have on our future drinks choices

Flint buys buys Domaine Direct

Published: 29 May, 2020

Fine wine importer Flint Wines has completed the purchase of Burgundy specialist Domaine Direct.

Jerry Lockspeiser: When the only certainty is uncertainty

Published: 28 May, 2020

As I sat down to write this piece my phone rang. It was Nick, a winemaker and one of my oldest friends. We have been close since the early 1990s when he gambled his career on joining my incipient wine business. Its subsequent success was in no small part down to him.

‘Wine online’ searches up by over 1000%

Published: 28 May, 2020

‘Order wine online’ has become the newest buzz word for housebound UK consumers looking to get their fix during lockdown.

All-star panel talks how to deal with pandemic in restaurant environment

Published: 28 May, 2020

Building trust around social distancing rules will be the major challenge for restaurants looking to relaunch their businesses after lockdown eases, a leading on-trade panel has agreed.

Champagne Academy launches emergency financial fund for The Drinks Trust

Published: 28 May, 2020

The Champagne Academy has announced the launch of a range of fundraising initiatives to help support The Drinks Trust and its beneficiaries through these turbulent times.

Majestic reinstates click and collect from stores

Published: 27 May, 2020

Majestic Wine is allowing customers back to its stores for the first time since lockdown, with orders now available to collect from local stores.

Alcohol to not rebound globally until 2024

Published: 26 May, 2020

It will take five years for the global alcohol category to get back to pre-Covid health, the IWSR has predicted, with double digit declines expected to the hit the category this year.

A Taste of New York: Indie opportunities from the Empire State

Published: 26 May, 2020

With small production and a cool climate, New York State’s leading wine producers are looking to punch above their collective weight on the world stage, with the UK singled out as the ‘shop window’ to showcase its wares.

Two out of the UK’s top five alcohol brands are wine

Published: 26 May, 2020

Wine has taken two of the top spots as the most purchased alcohol brands in the UK off-trade, with Hardys and McGuigan in second and fourth place respectively.