Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

A Year of plenty:2013

Published: 04 February, 2014

An incredible year full of surprises and amazing bottles of wine… and a few lessons that you learn as a sommelier and should NOT forget to put in practice, no matter where you are.

Taste Test: Château Thénac - Côtes de Bergerac 2009

Published: 04 February, 2014

What do you buy for the man that has everything? Not a vineyard in Bergerac that's for sure...

50 Great Portuguese Wines for 2014 Comes to the USA

Published: 03 February, 2014

According to Nuno Vale of Wines of Portugal, over the last year, he has seen an over 15% increase in growth by value of Portuguese wines in their export markets.

Interview with Chateau Haut-Bailly's GM Veronique Sanders: Insight into the 2013 Vintage

Published: 29 January, 2014

In a challenging vintage, chateaux with the most resources and the willingness to deploy them are able to make quality wine. Can the secret be the 'cube?'

Navigating the New ebook The World Atlas of Wine

Published: 22 January, 2014

Is the new ebook version of The World Atlas of Wine by Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson easy to navigate?

Visiting Paulo Laureano in Alentejo, Portugal

Published: 15 January, 2014

"I believe in wine with terroir, and I believe in wine that has a story behind it," says Paulo Laureano with a smile in his cheerful Australian-accented English, as I walk inside the BL Lounge restaurant. It is a modern, yet laid-back place in the wine resort town of Evora, with a sleek looking bar in contrast to the more traditional restaurant white-washed walls and a wooden beam ceiling.

Why on Earth do People Give up Alcohol in January?

Published: 07 January, 2014

A few thoughts on why I won't be going dry for January.

Visiting Di Siprio winery in Abruzzo, Italy

Published: 05 January, 2014

Di Siprio ... sparkling and fine wines from well capitalized new winery in Abruzzo.

An Overview of Festive Trading - An Independents perspective.

Published: 05 January, 2014

A brief look at the sales and trends throughout the month of December at Hennings Wine Chichester.

Visiting Nicolas Feuillatte in Champagne

Published: 27 December, 2013

Curious for an "insider's view" of one of the largest Champagne Houses in Epernay?

Visiting Maison Ruinart in Champagne

Published: 26 December, 2013

Answer quickly - what was the secret to Nicolas Ruinart's success in founding Ruinart Champagne in 1729?

One decadent night ... look what escaped the cellar!

Published: 05 December, 2013

No wine horror stories here.... Just two clarets and a Jimmy... This year has been our year for letting wine escape from our cellar. We have found that we were squirrelling away our wines and not appreciating them as we intended when we purchased them a decade or so ago. While the red wine flowed, so too did the conversation - as if we had caught up just the other day rather than too many years ago. These were the wines that kept the topics rolling in our early Christmas catch up.

Taste Test: La Roncaia Eclisse Sauvignon BlancPicolit 2011 (Friuli-Venezia, Italy)

Published: 02 December, 2013

I nearly had a Slovenian wine last night....

Visit to Cantina Zaccagnini in Abruzzo

Published: 28 November, 2013

"It is not difficult to produce a premium wine," says Angelo Ruzzi, export manager for Cantina Zaccagnini, a magnificent wine estate in the Bolognano region of Abruzzo, a very remote area with soaring snow-capped mountains all around. "It is much more difficult to produce a value wine. "

Visiting Emile Pepe winery in Abruzzo

Published: 28 November, 2013

Exciting visit to Emile Pepe winery in Abruzzo, where antique methods of production rule.

A tale of two loves

Published: 27 November, 2013

Everyone reach that moment in life that you are looking for something special. It is like searching for the Holy Grail. Does it exist? But what is it? Where do you find it? Below I tell you the story of how two very different loves were found.

Judging at the International Wine Challenge

Published: 25 November, 2013

An insight into a day at the International Wine Challenge.

Think you know Montepulciano from Abruzzo?

Published: 22 November, 2013

The grape is taking on new importance in the Italian wine region of Abruzzo, with a new accent on quality.

Hospices de Beaune 2013: The Inside Story

Published: 19 November, 2013

Curious about the activities leading up to the successful Hospieces de Beaune auction 2013? For the second year in a row bidding reached a fever pitch, raising more than six million Euros for charity.

Winesmiths - taking the 'boxmonster' out of the cask

Published: 14 November, 2013

Boxmonster? Goon? Cask? Or do you call it a bag in box? Whichever term you use to describe wine served in this format, the Winesmiths have arrived on the scene with four new cask wines to liven up the shelves.