Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Prowein 2015: Roger Jones' day two from de Prowein Haus

Published: 17 March, 2015

Roger Jones takes us around the wine world on his Prowien 2015 journey of discovery, where he explores some new and interesting wines.

Prowein 2015: Improved technology is helping South Africa make "best wines ever", says Accolade's Bruce Jack

Published: 17 March, 2015

Advances in technology, including the use of satellite and GPS tracking data, are helping winemakers in South Africa make the best wines of their generation, according to Bruce Jack, head winemaker for Accolade Wines.

Prowein 2015: Gonzáles Byass grows profit 63% through international export effort

Published: 17 March, 2015

Gonzáles Byass has reported a 63% increase in net profit in 2014 over the previous year, which was primarily driven through the expansion of its international exports.

Prowein 2015: Roger Jones' day one at de Prowein Haus

Published: 16 March, 2015

Getting on the 10am Easy Jet flight from Gatwick to Dusseldorf yesterday morning was a bit like joining the Wine Trade Sunday School outing. The pull of Prowein has been building vastly over the last few years and it was good to see so many interested parties on the plane.

Prowein 2015: Competition for market share in Africa on the rise, says Distell chief

Published: 16 March, 2015

Competition amongst alcohol brands in Africa is on the rise as larger companies like Diageo and Pernod Ricard continue to invest in the emerging market according to the chief executive of Distell Vineyards & Estates (DVE), Carina Gous.

Prowein 2015: Wine tradeshow off to a strong start, says show director

Published: 16 March, 2015

Prowein 2015 is off to strong start with visitor numbers on the first day up an estimated 10% on last year, according to Prowein's executive director, Michael Degen.

ProWein opens for business with its biggest show to date

Published: 15 March, 2015

ProWein 2015 kicks off today in Dussdeldorf, Germany with a new looking show, different exhibition halls and over 5,500 producers, wineries and spirit companies all vying for the attention of visitors.

Barry Dick MW brought on board to help Origin Wine expand its global sourcing footprint

Published: 13 March, 2015

Origin Wine has brought in Barry Dick MW to help the company expand its global sourcing footprint.

Argentina's bulk wine production has a 'structural problem', says governor of Mendoza

Published: 13 March, 2015

Argentina's bulk wine producers are facing "structural problems" that are causing unwanted low quality wine to stockpile, the governor of Mendoza has claimed.

Oakley Wine Agencies grows sales by 20% in face of reduced listings in major multiples

Published: 12 March, 2015

Family run Oakley Wine Agencies, which specialises in Portuguese wines, posted 20% growth over the last 12 months despite facing a challenging trading market with supermarkets.

UK casual dining sales enjoy 23rd consecutive month of growth

Published: 12 March, 2015

Pubs and restaurant groups saw like-for-like sales edge up 1.6% across the UK, making February the 23rd consecutive month to show growth, according to new figures released by the Coffer Peach Business Tracker figures.

English winery Ridgeview Wine Estates celebrates 20th anniversary with new branding

Published: 11 March, 2015

Award winning English winery Ridgeview Wine Estates is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new look across its entire range of English sparkling wines.

James Lawrence: Falling in love with Franciacorta

Published: 11 March, 2015

James Lawrence tells a tale of how he fell in love with an Italian fizz called Franciacorta, involving disarmingly honest vineyard owners, the 21st-century poster-child for the region and a single arrest of a Celtic fan.

VIDEO: The stars shined brightly at inaugural Skin Côntact concert for Wine Relief raising £10,000

Published: 11 March, 2015

The wine industry's first ever rock band, Skin Côntact, took the wine trade by storm on Monday night on stage at London's Vinopolis wowing the audience and helping to raise over £10,000 for Wine Relief, the wine trade's initiative for Comic Relief.

Supermarkets lose £400m in sales as price deflation gives further savings to consumers

Published: 10 March, 2015

Supermarkets are missing out on £400 million in sales as price deflation continues to pick up pace offering further savings to consumers, according to latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

Ocado bucks retail trends with first quarter sales growth of nearly 20%

Published: 10 March, 2015

Ocado saw sales jump 19.2% to £271.1m in the 12 weeks ending on February 22, 2015 compared to the same period last year - despite the average basket size declining by 2.4%.

Leading Labour MP calls on Chancellor to cut "shocking" duty levels in Budget

Published: 09 March, 2015

Leading front bench MP Sadiq Khan has followed up a Harpers request to lobby the Chancellor for a 2% cut in alcohol duty for wine and spirits and back the Wine & Spirit Trade Association-led Drop the Duty campaign.

Country analysis: Californian wines hit the jackpot in the UK

Published: 08 March, 2015

It seems California wines have struck gold in the UK in recent years, as the value of US wine exports has exponentially grown within the global wine market, despite volumes staying relatively stable, writes Erin Smith

South Africa's wild fires under control as wineries assess damage to vines

Published: 06 March, 2015

Cape Town, South Africa, which has been battling some of the worst wild fires the country has seen in over a decade, has now seen the blaze brought under control and wine authorities are starting to assess any potential vineyard damage.

Diversifying in to cafes, bars and events are key for growth hears March for Indies conference

Published: 06 March, 2015

Independent merchants are seeing growth through expansion and diversification, moving from a purely traditional merchant and wholesale model to embrace new revenue streams, the March for the Independents conference heard.