Like many people, I was taken by complete surprise on Friday when the announcement came that Richard Siddle was leaving Harpers. When I read the news I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach; I genuinely felt sick; and I felt I'd lost a true colleague and friend.
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There's no need to ask anyone in the drinks industry whether or not they're fed up with the excessive tax on alcoholic beverages; this is a given! But 'tampon tax', really? Are you serious?
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I have long argued that wine investment is nothing more than high risk speculation, and I am on record for questioning the risk versus return of this asset class. In response, Wine Investment insiders are not shy in voicing their disdain and contempt for my views. In their words "to say wine investment is not safe is naive beyond belief". So who is right?
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Truth: The wine investment industry want you to believe this, after all it's in their financial interest that you buy into this belief, but try telling this to the clients that lost huge amounts of money in this unregulated market.
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Wine investment must surely be the dumbest of all things to risk your money on. But where does it stand in the top ten dumb things to bet on; where you're sure to lose your money? Stephen Forward reveals his top ten dumb investment tips.
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I hate February with all my heart. And it's not just because it's that miserable time of year that I have my annual bath. Nor is it solely down to the fact that I have the charisma, predominantly, of an Ogre intent on spoiling a party.
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Stephen Forward of the independent wine merchant business, Essentially Wine, gives a personal insight into how retailers like himself get on top of all the small business regulation.
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I found out recently that in the world of journalism it's apparently OK to mock the prophet Mohammad, but offending a Wine Critic is just one step too far.
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Those of the more fortunate readers amongst you who can cough up the annual Harpers Wine mag subscription fee were treated this month to Tim Atkin's take on the imminent closure of London's Vinopolis. But is his critique a fair reflection of the state of affairs at London's premier wine venue?
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It doesn't matter how much you try, you can't polish a turd. At least that was the lesson this week for the poor old sods that work at Boots as they embarked on damage limitation following an almighty foul-up at the High Street pharmacy chain.
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I've heard it all this week. It turns out that Majestic wine, of all companies, has done an Oliver Twist. They've colluded with a bunch of other apparently destitute wine merchants by writing an open letter begging their Bordeaux suppliers; asking: Please Sir, I want some more?
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News emerged this week that A&E waiting times in the UK have reached record levels. This is bad news on several fronts but, if my family are anything to go by, the A&E crisis may be partially attributable to the nation's deteriorating cooking skills.
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Show me a real man that doesn't like a bit of willie and I'll show you a squirrel that doesn't like nuts!
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Wine investors have been bitching about Bordeaux release prices for the last few years. According to investors, for the 2014 release, "The pressure will be on the producers to get their prices right". But what is the 'right price' and in whose interest is this 'right price'?
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There's been a lot of bad press lately on the subject of zero-hours contracts. The Labour party have pledged to abolish them if they win the next election. So what are zero-hours contracts exactly, why do employers use them, and how do they work in practice?
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If you thought fox hunting had been banned, think again. It appears the concept has just mutated. Some people still get a thrill from the chase, so while it may be illegal to hunt and kill bushy tailed carnivorous mammals using horns, dogs and horses, a new form of hunting has now evolved.
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We've all heard the term "more money than sense", haven't we? Well, recently I was offered a case of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti 2011, at a mere £100,000 per dozen.
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It doesn't matter how much you flog it, the horse is dead! I'm talking of course about wine investment. We're unlikely to see this mule recover its losses anytime soon.
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This year has seen a string of investment companies go to the wall. Misguided speculators are learning the hard way that the whole concept of wine as an investment class asset is little more than fool's gold.
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Little did I know back then, over forty years ago when I was just knee high to a grasshopper, how important my hobby was to the retail supply chain.
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