Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Brown-Forman set to launch its first new bourbon in 20 years

Published: 14 April, 2016

Brown-Forman announced that it would begin rolling out its new Kentucky bourbon brand, Coopers' Craft, this summer in the US.

Q&A: Vittorio Moretti, President of the Franciacorta Consortium

Published: 14 April, 2016

Owner of the Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi brands, Vittorio Moretti was elected president of the Franciacorta Consorzio in December 2015. He now faces an uphill struggle, in transforming Italy's premium traditional method fizz from a niche category into a household name.

Insights: 'We are at a crossroads' in the UK wine trade, says Fontannaz

Published: 14 April, 2016

Across the supply chain the UK wine trade has been under tremendous pressure, according to Bernard Fontannaz, founder of Origin Wine, and it has got to stop focusing so heavily on price and start communicating better with consumers.

Vinitaly 2016: Vinitaly celebrates 50 years and change is in the air

Published: 13 April, 2016

While Vinitaly celebrates 50 years since its first fair was hosted in Verona, both exhibitors and organisers have focused on making changes in order to keep people returning year over year.

Tesco's turnaround: Retailer post quarterly growth

Published: 13 April, 2016

Multiple retailer Tesco posted its first quarterly sales growth in nearly three years signalling that the supermarket giant's turnaround is gathering momentum.

LVMH Q1 miss expectations, but wine & spirits division shows growth

Published: 13 April, 2016

Luxury conglomerate LVMH first quarter results, which were released on Monday, missed analysts growth expectations, but the company's wine and spirits division Moët Hennessy did show sales growth of 4%.

Vinitaly 2016: Abruzzo region invests in global markets in order to expand

Published: 12 April, 2016

At Vinitaly 2016, being held from 10-13 April in Verona, the Abruzzo regional body announced that it will continue to invest in the UK despite it being an increasingly competitive one as well as other international markets.

Harpers' columnist Guy Woodward set to take the stage at this year's Skin Côntact concert

Published: 12 April, 2016

For a second year in a row the wine trade supergroup Skin Côntact will be taking to the stage next month in an effort raise aid as part of Comic Relief.

Vinitaly 2016: Lower ABV wine is a way to stand out for Italian producer La Contessa

Published: 12 April, 2016

Wine producer La Contessa is looking to stand out from other Italian producers by focusing on producing a high-quality, lower alcohol red wine and is looking to export to the UK market.

Opinion: IPOB may not be everyone's cup of tea

Published: 12 April, 2016

Is IPOB dividing california winemakers? In Pursuit of Balance, a group that focuses only on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from California, has been generating some good publicity for those involved and helped to make names for some producers and the specific regions they hail from.

Q&A: Dan Townsend, general manager for Europe, Treasury Wine Estates

Published: 12 April, 2016

Following the announcement of the acquisition of Diageo's wine portfolio Dan Townsend talks about the integration of the business and its plans for the future.

Jascots Wine Merchants undergoes a managment buyout

Published: 11 April, 2016

Miles MacInnes, the sales and marketing director at Jascots, and John Charnock, managing director at Jascots, have acquired a controlling stake in the business from founder Jack Scott.

Annual DWCC conference says farewell

Published: 11 April, 2016

The Digital Wine Communications Conference series that was held annually in different European wine producing regions has closed its doors.

Vinitaly 2016: Sicilian producers focus on UK as a main export market

Published: 11 April, 2016

Sicilian producers are looking to develop a stronger regional identity in the UK for wines and other agricultural products such as olive oil, in an effort to further drive growth.

Benevolent appoints four new trustees to help further engagement with the UK trade

Published: 08 April, 2016

The Benevolent has appointed Diana Hunter of Conviviality Plc, Guy Lawrence of Mast-Jägermeister UK, Rita Greenwood of Wiliam Grant & Sons UK and Simon Difford of Difford's Guide to help further the Drinks Industry Charity to engage with trade.

Kuvée, a smart wine bottle, crowdfunds its next stage of development

Published: 08 April, 2016

Kuvée, claimed to be the world's first smart wine bottle that will keep wine fresh for 30 days, has reached over 200% of its crowdfunding goal of US$50,000 and has raised $105,356 to date from over 500 backers.

Q&A: Tim Mondavi, partner, Continuum Estate, Napa Valley

Published: 08 April, 2016

The Mondavi family has a deeply rooted history in the Napa Valley and when they had to sell the publicly controlled business to Constellation Brands in 2004, decided to take some time out to launch Continuum Estate.

Analysis: The wine trade has a case of 'Budget Blues' and rightfully so

Published: 08 April, 2016

The wine trade has a case of the 'Budget Blues. While spirits, beer and cider saw a duty freeze in the 2016 Budget, wine duty was handed an increase in line with inflation.

Insights: Indies find creative ways of attracting and retaining customers

Published: 08 April, 2016

From eye-catching shop window displays to well-honed social media campaigns, there are many ways for indies to reach new customers and retain their loyalty.

Martin Williams: The ambitious Mr. M

Published: 08 April, 2016

It has been more than a year since Martin Williams went it alone and opened his first M restaurant on Threadneedle Street in London. Harpers.co.uk catches up with him and finds he hasn't slowed down since.