Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

All aboard as new crew take the plunge at GWS

Published: 13 June, 2025

Global Wine Solutions (GWS), the superyacht and luxury sector wine provider, has further strengthened its senior sales team with two new appointments.

Fine-wine trading’s storage pitfalls

Published: 13 June, 2025

Storage is the shock absorber of the wine trade: necessary but hidden, the unglamorous element that you don’t think about until it starts to go wrong.

Fine wine market suffers biggest drop since August 2023

Published: 20 May, 2025

The fine wine index dropped in April by the greatest amount since August 2023. The Liv-ex May Market Intelligence Report said the industry standard Fine Wine 100 closed down 1.7%, attributing the decline to the introduction of tariffs and the En Primeur tastings.

Christopher Delalonde joins Perfect Cellar as head of fine wine

Published: 01 May, 2025

Online wine retailer Perfect Cellar has announced the addition of Master Sommelier Christopher Delalonde to its team. The former Sommelier of the Year winner joins as head of fine wine, while also steering the company’s new Collector Club.

Bordeaux sees average market prices drop 18%

Published: 04 April, 2025

Analysis from fine wine consulting agency Wine Lister, shows that Bordeaux wines have seen their average market prices drop by 18% over the past 12 months.

South America Report: Chile’s new premium icons

Published: 04 April, 2025

For decades, Chile has been synonymous with value-for-money wines, pushing out reliable, well-structured reds and crisp whites that have found homes on shelves across the world. But at the heart of this wildly diverse country is one of the more impressive stories of terroir exploration to emerge in the 21st and latter 20th century.

Winecap: High demand growth expected for fine wine

Published: 02 April, 2025

The wine investment firm Winecap in its UK Wealth Report 2025 has revealed that 96% of British wealth managers expect demand for fine wine to grow in 2025, more than any other luxury asset.

Friday Read: Charting Armit’s InVivo-backed ambitions

Published: 21 March, 2025

The annual Armit Wines portfolio tasting (pictured) aways brings a spot of vinous glamour to the busy London tasting calendar, following on from launch events for new vintages of the likes of 2023 Guidalberto and 2022 Sassicaia at various buzzing London restaurants for the lucky few. And, in addition to such highlights from its top Italian-leaning portfolio, this year the importer launched a new initiative in the form of what was modestly described as a ‘press lunch’, where various senior editors, writers and critics gathered to for a lively debate on how best to engage a younger generation with fine wines.

Major Live-ex fine wine indices see February drop

Published: 17 March, 2025

Data from Live-ex, the fine wine trading platform, saw all its major indices decline in February, including its benchmark Fine Wine 100 index which fell 0.8%.

Live-Ex: Market confidence in Burgundy remains low

Published: 06 March, 2025

Data from Live-Ex, the fine wine trading platform, shows that over the past two years, the Burgundy 150, (which collates the performance of the top 150 Burgundian wines on the platform), was down 30.2%. This is the largest drop of any sub-index within the Live-Ex's Fine Wine 1000.

Premiere Napa Valley auction raises $3.3mn

Published: 24 February, 2025

The 2025 Premiere Napa Valley auction raised $3.3m via the sale of lots for the region's 2023 vintage. The auction's performance represented a 10% increase compared to last year's event. The proceeds from the auction directly support Napa Valley Vintners’ programmes which aim to promote and protect the region’s wines.

Casa Real gains new commercial director in Marie-Charlotte Fraysse

Published: 19 February, 2025

Casa Real-owner, Viña Santa Rita, has announced the appointment of Marie-Charlotte Fraysse to the position of commercial director for its flagship premium wine.

Liv-ex: Fine wine prices down across board for January

Published: 17 February, 2025

Data from Liv-ex, the fine wine trading platform, reveals that with the expectation of their Italy 100 index, all of the platform’s major indices have seen price falls compared to December.

Fells commercial team restructures in growth push

Published: 11 February, 2025

Among a suite of changes at Fells, Richard Brockett (pictured, left) has been promoted from national off-trade director to sales director for the company. The changes come in a renewed growth push at Fells for 2025 and the years ahead, as the importer seeks to a pursue new a brand development strategy, and also coincide with a reshuffle at the top of majority owner Symington Family Estates.

Hallgarten announces exclusive Bordeaux initiative

Published: 04 February, 2025

Hallgarten & Novum Wines has announced The Cellar Series which will offer the importer’s customers in the hospitality and retail trades a range of fine and aged wines from the Bordeaux region.

67 Pall Mall announces new campaign for 10th anniversary year

Published: 28 January, 2025

The private members' club for fine wine enthusiasts will celebrate the landmark year with an array of events and experiences at its London venue.

Berry Bros. & Rudd reduce emissions by 15%

Published: 17 January, 2025

Berry Bros. & Rudd have announced that across their business they have reduced emissions by 15%, as well as a number of other environmental milestones. The progress was detailed in their 2023/24 Impact Report, outlining the steps the merchant has been taking to bolster sustainability.

Italian fine wine resilient as Burgundy faces significant decline

Published: 04 December, 2024

A new report by Wine Cap suggests that investors are prioritising Super Tuscans over Chambertin, with modest declines in price compared to the most prestigious blue chip Burgundies.

Golden Vines Report offers a bullish forecast for 2025

Published: 22 November, 2024

The Golden Vines 2024 Report, formerly known as The Gérard Basset Global Fine Wine Report, has been published by the charity set up by friends and colleagues of the late sommelier.

Jeroboams Group acquires Davy’s storage

Published: 07 November, 2024

The Jeroboams Group has announced the acquisition of another in-bond storage facility, bolstering its leadership in the fine wine and private client market.