Izzy is a twenty-year-old student at York University. Many decades ago I was one there too. In my time students received grants for living costs and tuition fees were paid by the Government. Today those are dealt with by repayable loans. But the loans may not be enough to allow access to all. Like Izzy, for example.
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In his final column of 2023, Harpers regular Jerry Lockspeiser looks back over the year, before mulling over some lessons for the one ahead.
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In last month’s article for Harpers, I considered the potential for huge disruption in the UK wine trade from new rules that will allow the blending and processing of wines imported in bulk. They raise the possibility of making drinks that have all the taste and packaging characteristics of established wines while not being subject to the historic restrictions for making them.
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Everyone in the UK trade will be acutely aware that the new duty system comes into effect on 1 August, making most wine more expensive and all of it much more complex to administer. The negative effects will be exacerbated on 1 February 2025, when the tax banding will be divided further into an extraordinary 27 different segments, with some going up and some going down.
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I was thrilled to read of a recent initiative by The Wine Society, not just because I am a member, but because it speaks volumes about how they approach their business.
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Here’s a quiz question for the work Christmas party: what have Amazon, the cost of bottling wine and Ofgem got in common?
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I hesitate to reproduce what follows for fear of dishing an event that I love, but it is such a superb example of terrible communication that I can’t resist. This is not from the world of wine, but I have had equally awful comms from wineries in non-English speaking countries.
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Way back when I studied economics at university, I also studied sociology. It struck me then that the way economics is taught is deeply flawed. To call it a science, even a social science, doesn’t make any sense. Unlike scientific study of the cosmos or gravity discovering immutable laws, economics seeks to explain how and why humans do certain things.
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Polonius: What do you read, my lord?
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Business morals and behaviour are never far from the headlines. Nor should they be. Business in its various forms is arguably the motor of our world. From the urban corner store and rural small holding to the multinational finance business and corporate drinks giant, business is central to the lives of virtually everyone on the planet today. From working in the private sector to sourcing medicines for a hospital or shopping in a supermarket, the web of business surrounds us all.
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I wonder if you embraced dry January this year. Apparently quite a few of us went ‘semi-dry,’ which sounds as contradictory as being a little bit pregnant. I always thought such things were all or nothing. Apparently it refers to consciously controlling alcohol consumption by drinking on fewer days, or drinking less when we do, or turning to No and Lo products instead of the full fat options. A booze equivalent of the ‘flexitarian’ approach to food perhaps.
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In case anyone missed it, Jeremy Clarkson has recently launched his own beer brand, Hawkstone. The lager is made with barley grown on his Cotswolds farm. Exposed to the workings of the supply chain, Clarkson was reportedly aghast at the difference between the £205 per tonne he received for his barley and the £580 paid by the brewers to the middleman.
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Comedian Sean Lock passed away on 16 August. Many knew him from TV, radio and his live one man shows. 8 out of 10 cats on Channel 4 was probably his biggest audience. Sean’s sparkling eyes, dead pan delivery and absurdist wit made him a true original.
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Many decades ago, I studied economics at university. The difference between theory and practice bothered me. All too often the first didn’t seem to describe the latter, let alone explain it. The problem was usually people – they simply didn’t behave as the theory said they should.
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One of the many reasons people like working in the wine trade is the sense of common bond. Trade outsiders may doubt how friendly people who are direct competitors can really be. But they often are. People can’t help liking and respecting each other. The bonhomie that wine engenders helps, as does admiration for the labour, love, and sheer dedication of those who make the stuff. From producers to distributors, retailers, and communicators, an unstated feeling of shared mission is in the air. Now, too, the trenches spirit that comes with having backs against the wall.
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Is it all over for wine as we know it? Shall we pack up and go home, accepting our time has passed?
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Harpers columnist Jerry Lockspeiser is the former chairman of Off Piste Wines. Lockspeiser left at the end of 2019 after ten years at the company, which he helped to grow from ‘acorn to oak tree’ after joining back in 2010. His departure follows an investment in Off Piste just before Christmas, which will take the company into a new phase of development. Lockspeiser was also involved in the founding and building of Bottle Green in 1990 and organic wine specialist Vinceremos Wines in 1985. Here, he takes a reflective look back on 15 years that changed the wine world.
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Running west along London’s Southbank on the section after the London Eye, with the Houses of Parliament to the right across the River Thames and just before Lambeth bridge, I came across a red van selling hot drinks. The side of the van was emblazoned with the words SINGLE ORIGIN HOT CHOCOLATE.
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August is traditionally silly season in the media. Nothing serious happens, so they entertain us with the frivolities of life. This year is a little different.
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Over breakfast in a lovely B&B in Corbridge, an ideal overnight stop before the last leg of our cycling trip along Hadrian’s Wall, the conversation turned to alcohol consumption in Scotland. One of our group, Paul, a qualified doctor and psychiatrist, was expounding the virtues of Minimum Unit Pricing as a weapon to fight the scourge of alcohol abuse amongst the Scottish poor.
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