Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Late-night sector reacts to passport ‘shambles’ in Scotland

Published: 04 October, 2021

The Scottish late-night sector has labelled the introduction of Covid passports, which came into force on Friday 1 October, as a “shambles”.

Long read: Raising a glass to Australian wines

Published: 30 September, 2021

The UK’s love for Australian wines shows no signs of abating. With good availability, competitive pricing, and good transport and distribution networks, supply from Australia is still extremely attractive for UK buyers and wine drinkers. Here, Paul Braydon, buying controller for Kingsland Drinks, delves into the wine trends emerging from Australia, shares insights on the category post-FTA (Free Trade Agreement), and what the UK drinks sector can expect to see next.

France performs against the odds

Published: 30 September, 2021

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.

Calling all entries for Harpers Wine Stars 2022

Published: 30 September, 2021

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.

Reasons to pick Riesling

Published: 29 September, 2021

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.

Dine-in occasions bounce back with a vengeance

Published: 29 September, 2021

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.

UK brands soar in value but still trail global giants

Published: 29 September, 2021

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.

Brits hoover up Portuguese wine as loss of tourism shows the “Portuguese don’t drink Port”

Published: 29 September, 2021

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.

Petrol and driver shortages impact UK supply

Published: 28 September, 2021

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.

Condor Wines adds six new organic wines to its portfolio

Published: 28 September, 2021

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.

Hospitality sector experiencing 'unprecedented' rise in job vacancies

Published: 27 September, 2021

The UK's hospitality industry is facing an escalating staffing crisis, with a 69% increase in job listings, according to a recent report.

Wines of Germany launches Retailer Partners competition

Published: 27 September, 2021

Wines of Germany has launched an innovative scheme to encourage UK independents to spread the word about Germany’s vinous offering.

Amazon locks in new approach for wine and spirits

Published: 27 September, 2021

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

UKHospitality urges fairness to all parties in new tipping legislation

Published: 27 September, 2021

The introduction of legislation regulating the sector’s management of staff gratuities has been welcomed by UKH, with a major caveat.

Navarra targets UK with new consumer and trade campaign

Published: 27 September, 2021

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.

Seltzers: Hard at work

Published: 23 September, 2021

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.

Long Read: What to do about fortified wines' straitened market?

Published: 23 September, 2021

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.

UK pub and bars predicted to recover fully by 2024

Published: 23 September, 2021

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.

Half of consumers happy to pay table deposits

Published: 22 September, 2021

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.

Charity report finds racism continues to affect UK hospitality

Published: 21 September, 2021

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.