Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Intangible benefits: Sweet wine’s World Heritage push

Published: 14 January, 2026

Last January, leading alcohol retailer Majestic reported a 15% rise in fortified wine sales over the previous six weeks. The figure might seem positive for the category, yet sales data from the festive season – when Ports and sherries are traditionally enjoyed at celebratory gatherings – are notoriously misleading. In fact, the category has been experiencing a sustained decline in recent years. Sherry, for example, recorded its third consecutive year of falling sales globally in 2024, at around 24m litres, down from just under 32m litres in 2022 (Consejo Regulador for sherry). And Port has been following a similar trajectory, with 2024 marking its fourth year of global decline, from 124m litres in 2021 to just under 115m litres in 2024 (IVDP).

UNESCO listing leaves sweet taste for Commandaria producers

Published: 15 December, 2025

Cyprus’ Commandaria wine has just been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage took the decision on 10 December 2025 during its latest session in New Delhi, India, alongside other notable inscriptions such as Italy’s food culture.

Friday read: A new frontier between the vines of Cyprus

Published: 20 December, 2024

As Cyprus celebrates 800 years of its iconic sweet wine, Commandaria, a younger generation of winemakers is proving the island’s indigenous grape varieties can produce some serious dry wines too. Rebecca Pitcairn dives in.

Royal Tokaji eyeing ‘potential for growth’ as Essencia 2016 unveiled in UK

Published: 07 August, 2023

Sweet wines may be less in vogue these days in many mature western markets, but the uniqueness of Tokaji – and especially its flagship Aszú wines – are bucking that trend.