Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Ruth Spivey joins Carte Blanche

Published: 29 October, 2024

Carte Blanche has welcomed wine industry professional Ruth Spivey to their team on a part-time basis to oversee sales across the south east and support marketing efforts.

Headline Heroes: Rioja and a return to roots

Published: 23 October, 2024

Despite the still-popular image among consumers of Rioja as a ready-to-drink offer of easygoing charm, born of multi-regional blending and generous American oak, evolution in the region and its style is by no means a new-fangled thing. Finca Allende (the name means ‘further’) was arguably the most powerful precursor of the modern face of Rioja, bringing in single vineyard focus on terroir, coupled with the likes of new French oak and 100% Tempranillo in its top cuvée, as far back as the tail end of the last century.

Talking Tempranillo

Published: 22 May, 2023

Going under a host of names, Spain’s champion variety arguably deserves a more global reputation. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Indigenous grapes to fly the flag for Wines from Spain tasting

Published: 23 February, 2023

Over 900 wines from over 280 Spanish bodegas will be available to taste at the Wines from Spain Annual Tasting in London on 28 February. Alongside Spain’s best-known indigenous grapes, like Tempranillo or Verdejo, a plethora of lesser-known varietals will also come to the fore, bringing together classic and newer DOs alike.

Rioja Wine Month returns this October

Published: 29 June, 2022

A month-long celebration of Spain’s finest wine-producing region across independent retailers and restaurants nationwide, Rioja Wine Month returns this October to bring the quality and diversity of Rioja to life for consumers across the UK.

Spain's new wave of fresher styles

Published: 20 June, 2022

As with any industry, wine is no stranger to buzzwords – particularly when producers and importers are struggling to boost sales in an increasingly competitive marketplace. It’s nigh on impossible to escape the word “minerality” and pretty hard to avoid the phrase “new wave” to describe a movement/group of producers making qualitative changes in regions renowned for being quite predictable.

Bordeaux and Rioja intertwined as ever at BEIWE event in Haro

Published: 25 March, 2022

The Barrio de la Estación International Wine Encounter (BEIWE) combined two great wine regions, Rioja and Bordeaux, as five hundred wine professionals visited the historic Haro Station District for a tasting to remember.

Tempranillo becomes most planted grape in Spain

Published: 10 March, 2022

The Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Fishery and Nutrition has announced that the country’s most popular red grape, Tempranillo, is now also the most planted.

Time of change for Rioja

Published: 04 November, 2021

Ambitious producers are relying on forgotten grape varieties and modern techniques to add new dimensions to Spain’s best-known wine region, as Justin Keay reports.

McGuigan launches premium red blend range in UK

Published: 26 February, 2020

Australia’s McGuigan Wines has unveiled a new premium range of wines in the UK.

Hallgarten adds Bodegas Resalte de Peñafiel to Spanish portfolio

Published: 19 March, 2019

Hallgarten & Novum Wines has added Ribera del Duero producer Bodegas Resalte de Peñafiel to its Spanish portfolio.

Navarra goes back to its roots with Garnacha rosados

Published: 16 February, 2018

In the not-so-distant past, Garnacha accounted for 90% of plantings in Navarra. After falling to around 20% in the 1980s, it is now on the rise says Navarra DO president David Palacios, as winemakers flock back to the region’s once signature grape