Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Demand for wine and spirits education hits record level

Published: 02 August, 2018

Demand for wine and spirits education soared in the past year boosted by a growing thirst for spirits knowledge.

Major sake festival pins down first date in London

Published: 23 July, 2018

The Joy of Sake, the world’s largest sake celebration outside Japan, has announced the date of its first-ever London date.

Sake is not just for sushi. Master of Sake John Gauntner talks pairing possibilities from cheese to calamari

Published: 10 May, 2018

The next time you order oysters in a restaurant, why not ask for a glass of sake?

Aldi launches premium positioned value sake

Published: 13 July, 2017

Aldi has launched a traditional sake in a bid to tap the trend for Japanese food and culture in the UK.

Liberty Wines makes first foray into Sake

Published: 30 June, 2017

Liberty Wines has become the UK agent for Tosa Brewery’s Keigetsu range, marking the first time they’ve added a Sake into their portfolio.

Generation Sake

Published: 14 June, 2017

A wave of young brewers are shaking things up in sake, increasing its popularity with a new generation  in Japan and internationally.  Anna Greenhous reports

Q&A: Tom Wilson and Lucy Holmes, Kanpai sake microbrewery, Peckham

Published: 17 May, 2017

Kanpai, London’s first sake microbrewery has just set up in Peckham. Anna Greenhous talks to co-founders, Tom Wilson and Lucy Holmes:

Sake brewery aims to revitalise whisky operations

Published: 23 January, 2017

The Wakatsuru Shuzo sake brewery is to reinvest in whisky production again following a round of crowdfunding.

Sam Harrop MW to step down as IWC chair after 11 years on judging panel

Published: 01 November, 2016

The International Wine Challenge (IWC) has announced a shuffle of its judging panel ahead of its November tastings.

Work to build £9m UK sake brewery gets underway

Published: 25 October, 2016

Building is now underway at what is believed to be the UK's first sake brewery having appointed a local contractor to carry out construction work.

Insights: Sake's new image

Published: 05 September, 2016

Not long ago sake was the preserve of Japanese restaurants, often low quality, cheap and served hot. But standards and times have changed with the rise in popularity of superior premium sakes.

IWC Sake: 59 gold medals awarded to 50 sake breweries

Published: 20 May, 2016

International Wine Challenge Sake 2016 awarded 59 gold medals to 50 sake breweries across Japan at this year's competition.

Premium yuzu liqueur from Isake International goes on sale in Selfridges

Published: 30 March, 2016

Isake International has announced the launch of a new premium yuzu liqueur, which will be available through Selfridges from next month.

London Wine Fair to welcome first Sake Pavilion

Published: 23 March, 2016

The London Wine Fair is to feature a major sake presence for the first time.

Inaugural Gekkeikan Masters Cooking Competition winner revealed

Published: 27 January, 2016

The winner of the inaugural Gekkeikan Masters Cooking Competition 2016 has been announced.

Q&A: Footballer Hidetoshi Nakata talks sake

Published: 21 January, 2016

Anna Greenhous, talks to one of the greatest Japanese footballers of all time, Hidetoshi Nakata, about retiring and becoming an international sake ambassador.

Insights: The state of the sake market today

Published: 22 December, 2015

Looking at the recent history of the sake trade - the boom in sake, and sudden falling out of fashion in Japan which has resulted in the closure of 100s of sake breweries. Which types of sake Brewery survived? How have sake producers changed to meet different market conditions? Anna Greenhaus reports

Insights: What will blaze the way for on-trade trends in 2016?

Published: 09 December, 2015

From sipping tequila to shorter wine lists, Douglas Blyde asked leading figures in the on-trade what trends they predict will lead the way in 2016

First sake cocktail competition launches in London

Published: 09 November, 2015

The Hyper Japan Christmas Market has announced its inaugural sake cocktail competition.

Q&A: Philip Harper, the only non-Japanese Toji in Japan talks about what it takes to become a sake master brewer

Published: 16 September, 2015

Philip Harper grew up in Cornwall and upon graduating from Oxford University moved to Japan to teach English and in 2001, he passed the Nanbu Brewer's Guild exams to become the first and only foreign Toji, or master sake brewer.