Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Laurent-Perrier gallops into partnership with Newbury Racecourse

Published: 02 March, 2026

Champagne house Laurent-Perrier and Berkshire’s Newbury Racecourse have unveiled a three-year partnership.

Champagne premiumisation: Growing discernment amongst consumers

Published: 13 February, 2026

On a pedestal it may often be placed, but even champagne is not immune to the trends enveloping the wine world. Overall, as a category, it continues to hold its position as a benchmark premium wine, remaining the fizz of choice for many private celebrations, high-end hospitality occasions and corporate events. But speak with leading brands, and the word ‘polarisation’ crops up severally, with a picture that somewhat mirrors that of still wine consumption. Shifts towards premium, more personal choices and ‘less but better’ appear to be defining choices when it comes to those celebratory occasions.

WSET announces Laurent-Perrier as newest Gold Partner

Published: 21 January, 2026

WSET has announced that independent, family-run Champagne house Laurent-Perrier has become its newest Gold Partner.

Headline Heroes: Why Rosé Champagne demands our attention

Published: 16 July, 2025

Rosé Champagne is a style that has been around for more than 200 years, yet its success is a relatively recent phenomenon, as the category has steadily expanded to represent a bigger slice of the market, reaching around 10% of Champagne shipments over the past couple of decades. Produced in a kaleidoscope of different pinks, rosé fizz lends itself to celebrations and has enjoyed a growth in value that has outperformed regular ‘white’ Champagne in a challenging market, but the stylistic differences run far deeper than colour, courtesy of two contrasting approaches to production.

Challenging times for Champagne: Experts have their say

Published: 23 June, 2025

Despite the British penchant for a celebratory glass of bubbly, Champagne has not escaped difficulties wrought by an array of industry headwinds. The revered style has seen total yearly shipments fall 9.4% in 2024, compared to 2023, according to CIVC, a continuation of a downward trend seen since the Covid highs of 2021.

Gérard Basset Foundation announces fresh scholarship intake

Published: 09 June, 2025

The Gérard Basset Foundation has announced its latest Laurent-Perrier Champagne scholarship cohort. The charity was initially going to award 10 individuals but decided to honour 12 new scholars thanks to a strong applicant class.