Jancis Robinson passes the torch as WSET honorary president

Gerard Basset OBE, MS, MW is to follow Jancis Robinson OBE, MW, who served for the last three years, as the new honorary president of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust's (WSET) effective from January 20, 2014.

Heston Blumenthal to open restaurant in Heathrow's revamped Terminal 2

Celebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal, will be opening a new restaurant in Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal at Heathrow Airport, which is set to open on June 4, 2014, with dishes showcasing traditional British fare.

Sotheby's to sell 100 cases of Opus One for $165,000

Sotheby's wine retail store is selling 100 six bottle cases of iconic Californian wine, Opus One, as a one off collection starting today for only the next four days, with vintages spanning from 1997 to 2005, for $165,000.

Distell appoints new GM for duty-free Europe

Markus Habermann has been appointed general manager for Distell's European duty-free business

Hangingditch in Manchester to hold sixth annual wine fair

Independent wine merchant, Hangingditch, is set to host its sixth annual wine fair in Manchester this Friday, November 19, from 6:30pm-9:30pm at the Manchester Cathedral, with live music, food and over 175 wines and spirits to taste.

Pernod Ricard launches UK online store

Pernod Ricard has launched its first online drinks store for the UK market called Sipstor, where consumers can purchase exclusive products from brands such as Absolut, Beefeater, Chivas and Jameson.

London Cru opens for tours and supper clubs

Central London's first urban winery is officially open for tours starting this Saturday, 9 November, where it will host tours for the public along with other opportunities throughout the month, like  becoming a winemaker for a day or dining in the barrel room with a series of  supper clubs the winery will be hosting.

Nightclub owners opening new venture called Mason House

Marc Merran, Eamonn Mulholland and Jean Philippe Kley, the team behind other nightclub ventures in London including Beat, Mo*Vida, Chinawhite, Aura and Fifity, are set to open a new venture, Mason House, on Argyll Street at the end of Novemeber, built in the vaults of the London Palladium.

BrewDog to max out 'Equity for Punks' scheme

BrewDog, the largest independent Scottish brewery, announced on 7^th November it would be offering an additional 2,600shares valued at £250,000 due to demand from 'fanvestors'; maximizing the number of shares it is able to sell in its 'Equity for Punks' crowdfunding scheme

Treasury Wine Estates faces lawsuit

The hangover continues for Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) following its AUD $160 million write down earlier in the year; TWE now faces a lawsuit by Melbourne City Investments and second potential class action lawsuit funded by IMF Ltd and Maurice Blackburn lawyers who, to date, have only publicised their potential intent to undertake a shareholder class-action case against TWE but who have not, at this stage, commenced any legal proceedings.

Condé Nast Johansens 2014 UK Wine List Awards Announced

The 32^nd annual Condé Nast Johansens Champagne Taittinger UK Wine List Awards 2014 were announced on 5^th November 2013 at a gala dinner at the The May Fair Hotel in London.

Accolades Wines acquires several brands from the Mud House Wine Group

The Mud House Wine Group has agreed to sell New Zealand brands Mud House, Dusky Sounds, Haymaker, Skyleaf and Waipara Hills, including the Waipara Hills cellar door and café, to Accolade Wines, subject to approval by New Zealand's Overseas Investment Office.

British economic growth to gain momentum through to 2015 predicts the CBI

A further sign that the economy is recovering is given today by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) which has raised its economic growth forecasts for both 2013 and 2014 and is forecasting growth to gather even greater momentum into 2015.

Windsor 2014, a new wine event for the UK trade

A new trade event, Windsor 2014, is launching in the UK trade that will be a 24 hour business forum where UK's leading wine buyers and suppliers meet with a tailor made agenda of pre-scheduled, face to face meetings, set to take place at Beaumont Estate in Windsor on March 10-11, 2014.

Global wine production in 2013 is expected to be up 10% on 2012 says OIV

The worldwide production of wine in 2013 is up by over 10% on the 2012 vintage, according to the latest figures from the OIV (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin).

Analysis: How France is holding its own in global wine production despite difficult 2013 vintage

In response to last week's report from Morgan Stanley Research, which revealed a possible global wine shortage on the horizon, Harpers.co.uk is taking a closer look at key wine producing countries to assess whether they may or may not be contributing to the the global wine shortage hype. Today we look at France.

Master of Malt launches whisky and gin advent calendars

Whisky and gin lovers will get the chance to enjoy specially created advent calendars from Drinks by the Dram, part of the Master of Malt website which takes bottles of whisky and splits them into 3cl/30ml drams so customers can sample a whisky before committing to buying a bottle.

Analysis: Australia's role in global wine shortage concerns

Buy some wine stock and lock the bottles up - a wine shortage may be on the horizon. Morgan Stanley Research released a report titled, "The Global Wine Industry" this week, calling out the risk of an impending 'shortage'.

Ron Zacapa to release first Reserva Limitada

Ron Zacapa, considered to be one of the best premium rums producers in the world, based in Zacapa, Guatemala, is releasing its first limited reserve rum, Reserva  Limitada 2013. It will be hitting shelves in mid November at exclusive locations for the festive period.

Morgan Stanley predicts global wine shortage