France has emerged from the pandemic in rude health with the “staggering” performance of rosé and impressive bounce-back from Champagne only representing the tip of what this wine powerhouse has to offer, as Jo Gilbert reports.
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Harpers Wine Stars awards is gearing up for its early 2022 round of judging, with entries for the competition invited by 14 October this year.
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Harpers partnered with Wines of Germany for its Big G closing debate, which mulled over the topic ‘A wine for all reasons: why German wine is the smart choice’. These extended highlights give a flavour of that far-reaching discussion and what indie retailers and restaurateurs alike can do to boost their German category sales. Andrew Catchpole reports.
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Dine-in occasions are on the rise as consumers return in-person to restaurants – a shift in consumption patterns which has resulted in greater buy-in for drinks.
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The UK’s leading brands are showing positive signs of recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaping in value by 22% to reach a new record high of $278.8 (£207 billion), according to Kantar’s BrandZTM Most Valuable UK Brands 2021 ranking. However, growth rates show they are lagging behind the biggest global brands.
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As the biggest consumers of wine per capita globally, it might be expected that domestic sales of Portuguese wines would have fared well over the course of the pandemic, where drinkers globally were largely turned onto local vinous offerings.
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A perfect storm of rising transport costs, a shortage of freight capacity and a severe lack of HGV drivers is putting increasing pressure on the UK’s drink distribution network.
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A leading specialist UK importer of South American wines has expanded its range with the addition of six organic labels, made by Argentine producer Bodega Piedra Negra.
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The UK's hospitality industry is facing an escalating staffing crisis, with a 69% increase in job listings, according to a recent report.
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Wines of Germany has launched an innovative scheme to encourage UK independents to spread the word about Germany’s vinous offering.
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Gated alcohol aisles in Amazon’s growing ‘just walk out’ bricks-and-mortar stores have introduced barriers for wine and spirits sales. Jo Gilbert reports
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The introduction of legislation regulating the sector’s management of staff gratuities has been welcomed by UKH, with a major caveat.
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Spain's Navarra region is launching a new trade and consumer campaign in the UK this autumn, run in collaboration with PR firm Bespoke Drinks Media.
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The big news from the US is that hard seltzers’ meteoric rise is finally levelling off. Jo Gilbert looks at the category’s trajectory in the UK and how it is piggybacking off the success of canned products.
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Jacopo Mazzeo looks at what regions such as the Douro and Jerez are doing to survive in a market increasingly hostile to fortified wines and explores whether these efforts are effective. Port, for instance, is heading in two diametrically opposed directions: simplification and (extra) premiumisation, with new categories that span from youth-friendly RTDs to Tawny 50yo and White 50yo. Sherry meanwhile, has just changed a number of its regulations and now embraces unfortified wine.
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The UK pub and bar market is set to recover to 64% of its pre-pandemic value in 2021 to £14.8bn, Lumina Intelligence has revealed, with full recovery to follow by 2024, possibly exceeding 2019.
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Half of UK pub and restaurant goers are happy to pay a deposit to book a table, and even more (55%) are in favour of paying no-show fees if they don’t turn up, new research from Zonal and CGA has revealed.
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A survey commissioned by the not-for-profit organisation Be Inclusive Hospitality suggests that racial discrimination continues to be an issue for the UK's service industry.
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French international Pernod Ricard has finalised an agreement to purchase a leading UK retailer of wines and spirits.
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With our UK’s 50 Best Indies 2021 list unveiled, we’re revealing (anonymously) some of the insights gleaned from our entrants’ survey responses as to how businesses adapted their portfolios and subsequently thrived during the pandemic. Andrew Catchpole picks the persistent trends.
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