Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Jerry Lockspeiser: Thrills and spills with Veseth’s wine economics

Published: 16 August, 2022

Mike Veseth doesn’t just make wine economics understandable; he makes it thrilling.

WineGB tasting looks to capitalise on rising sales

Published: 15 August, 2022

WineGB will be returning to London this September for a celebration of all things English wine – including another year of rising sales.

Red alert for hospitality as the cost of living heats up

Published: 08 August, 2022

Hospitality businesses are facing a case of ‘out the frying pan, into the fire’ this autumn as the UK teeters on the verge of a recession and a crippling cost of living crisis, leading members of the trade have said.

Journey’s End teams up with Ingham to launch sustainable ‘punk’ wine brand

Published: 01 August, 2022

Wine trade veteran buyer Andrew Ingham is to launch an innovative new range in collaboration with Cape winery Journey’s End this autumn.

Re-elected Cava president pledges to build ‘prestige’

Published: 01 August, 2022

Javier Pagés has been re-elected to the post of president of the Cava DO – a role he has pledged to use to continue to raise Cava’s status to one of “world’s highest quality sparkling wines”.

London bars win big at US ‘Tales’

Published: 29 July, 2022

Some of London’s top bars have made a splash at Tales of the Cocktail’s annual Spirited Awards, where they picked up five of the eight international awards – including the gong for the World’s Best Bar.

Laithwaites leans into recycled glass

Published: 27 July, 2022

Online retailer Laithwaites has expanded its first recycled glass range following better-than-expected initial sales.

Tequila’s star continues to rise as supermarkets sales double

Published: 25 July, 2022

Tequila is stealing a march on other spirits categories, with an impressive 94% growth spurt in two years underpinning the rise of the Mexican spirit in the UK.

Looking ahead: Elise Mérigaud, La Dame de Pic

Published: 21 July, 2022

With the first half of 2022 already history, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, ongoing trends and opportunities.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Lessons from the Tory leadership – are we heading into disaster?

Published: 21 July, 2022

Oh dear, perhaps it was always too much to hope for. The embarrassment of the country being led by a self-serving clown has finally timed out, but the opportunity for serious politics to be rehabilitated looks certain to be missed.

Calls for action on business rates as inflation reaches 40-year high

Published: 20 July, 2022

Mounting pressure is being placed on the government to ease the ‘financial fragility’ of the hospitality sector during its upcoming review of business rates, as businesses continue to suffer rising supply chain costs and runaway inflation.

English wine comes of age at the UK’s wine ‘BAFTAs’

Published: 18 July, 2022

English and Welsh wine appears to have entered a new era of maturity, as ‘newcomers’ to the scene continue to rake in accolades alongside more established names.

Economic crisis worsens for Lebanon as harvest approaches

Published: 07 July, 2022

Lebanese winery IXSIR has called on exporters to help boost sales of its products abroad, as the country continues to fight ongoing crippling inflation and energy shortages.

Bibendum and The Drinks Trust partner up to develop wine skills

Published: 06 July, 2022

Bibendum and The Drinks Trust have partnered to offer free wine training as part of a joint initiative to train and educate the next generation of drink industry professionals.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Does the Bank of England know what it is doing?

Published: 06 July, 2022

Way back when I studied economics at university, I also studied sociology. It struck me then that the way economics is taught is deeply flawed. To call it a science, even a social science, doesn’t make any sense. Unlike scientific study of the cosmos or gravity discovering immutable laws, economics seeks to explain how and why humans do certain things.

Harpers' new Top 25 Sommeliers in the UK revealed

Published: 04 July, 2022

As the on-trade bounces back, Harpers is delighted to unveil its new annual list of the best somms in the UK.

The drinks trend casualties in the cost-of-living crisis

Published: 30 June, 2022

As we hover on the edge of a possible recession, with inflation reaching a 40-year year high in June, it’s no surprise that UK consumers are tightening their belts.

National Hospitality Day returns for second edition

Published: 29 June, 2022

A landmark event pioneered in 2021 will return to the UK this year, uniting a diverse cross-section of businesses in the hospitality sector.

Britain’s cities back in growth as spend and inflation rise

Published: 27 June, 2022

Out-of-home food and drink sales are in growth in all of Britain’s 10 biggest city centres, with higher spend-per-visit driving growth rather than footfall.

Friday read: The future looks bright for ambitious Garda DOC

Published: 24 June, 2022

With prices rising for wines from top Italian DOCs and other producers – thanks to high demand and prices coupled with the collapse in sterling – these are tough times for the UK wine trade, with the pressure on margins tougher than ever.