Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Soapbox: The case for concentrate

Published: 11 April, 2024

Mark Lansley, CEO at Broadland Drinks, argues that concentrates can be good for carbon, cost and consumer choice and thus, ultimately, the wine trade.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Why the government doesn’t understand entrepreneurs

Published: 26 March, 2024

Someone once told me that you know what your ideal job is when you enjoy it so much, are so motivated to get up and crack on every morning, that you’d do it even if you weren’t paid. That’s perhaps a bit unrealistic for most people whose primary motivation is to earn money to live, but the point is clear. It helps a lot if you love what you do.

WSTA takes aim at Gareth Davies on duty

Published: 26 March, 2024

The government is using public health arguments as a “thin veneer to maintain market distortions” Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, has said in a rebuttal of the claims made by Gareth Davies at the Westminster Hall debate earlier this month.

Julian Momen on ‘re-focusing’ Enotria

Published: 28 February, 2024

Enotria & Coe’s new CEO has spent the months since his inauguration working on honing a back-to-basics approach while refocusing parts of the business which “felt a bit unstructured”.

Friday read: Furmint February in the spotlight

Published: 23 February, 2024

With its endless grey skies and pervading gloom, February doesn’t offer much to raise the spirits, but wine lovers can now at least associate the month with Hungary’s best-known grape. Furmint February was launched here six years ago by Wines of Hungary UK to promote awareness and consumption of the variety once best known for sweet Tokaji (Aszu), but now appearing in elegant dry wines from the variety’s native Tokaj region, with its rich volcanic soil, but increasingly across Hungary, including in Somlo and Eger.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Should business get involved in politics? Like it or not, we already are

Published: 22 February, 2024

Back in the good old days when my life involved selling millions of bottles of Hungarian wine to the UK’s major retailers, I made an appointment with the buyer at Sainsbury’s. They bought from one of our competitors and were proving a hard nut for me to crack. Buyers often kept suppliers waiting beyond the appointed time, so I settled down with my copy of The Guardian in anticipation.

Soapbox: Importer labelling by stealth

Published: 20 February, 2024

Miles Corish MW, MD of Milestone Wines, takes issue with ‘a classic case of smoke and mirrors’.

Buyer’s Spotlight with Jason Millar: Burgundy 2022

Published: 15 February, 2024

Dipping into the Burgundy tasting season, Jason Millar says there is value to be found.

White hot: Demand for fizz pushes white production to its highest ever level

Published: 14 February, 2024

Global red wine supply and demand have significantly decreased in the last twenty years, while white wine has picked up the slack (along with rosé), largely due to the boom in sparkling wine in markets like the UK.

Profile: Hallgarten's new future with Coterie Holdings

Published: 13 February, 2024

From five years of “looking into the abyss”, Hallgarten’s future has been assured by a serious, if somewhat mysterious, new player in the form of Coterie Holdings. Jo Gilbert caught up with Andrew Bewes, MD of the former, and Michael Saunders, CEO of the latter, to peer beneath the surface of this major new deal.

Tim Atkin MW: The problem with misplaced reverence and hallowed wines

Published: 09 February, 2024

It was a scary moment, at least in wine terms. There I was in the cellar at Domaine Leroy in Vosne-Romanée, tasting some of the most expensive reds on the planet. Meetings with Madame Bize are never relaxing. She combines hauteur with the ability to freeze a glass of Pinot Noir at 10 paces. People who have earned her displeasure are never granted access to her presence again.

Sarah Jane Evans granted top Spanish honour

Published: 31 January, 2024

Leading Spanish wine specialist Sarah Jane Evans MW has been awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic in recognition of ‘extraordinary services to Spain’.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Are we forgetting what customers care about most?

Published: 25 January, 2024

Izzy is a twenty-year-old student at York University. Many decades ago I was one there too. In my time students received grants for living costs and tuition fees were paid by the Government. Today those are dealt with by repayable loans. But the loans may not be enough to allow access to all. Like Izzy, for example.

Sommelier Wine Awards entry deadline extended

Published: 23 January, 2024

Due to demand, the entry deadline for the Sommelier Wine Awards 2024 has been extended to 5pm UK time on 29 January.

Boutinot latest signatory to Harpers Sustainability Charter

Published: 22 January, 2024

Manchester-based Boutinot has become the latest company to sign up to Harpers Sustainability Charter.

Alcohol duty rises impact inflation

Published: 17 January, 2024

Last August’s duty hikes for wine and spirits have contributed to December’s unexpected rise in UK inflation, it has been revealed, as the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) announces that the rate for the sector is now three times higher than it was this time last year.

New MD for Fells

Published: 11 January, 2024

Leading Port and wine distributor Fells has announced strategic changes to the top roles in its leadership team, with Euan Mackay taking on the mantle of MD and Steve Moody transitioning to chairman.

50 Best Indies 2024 ranking: 30-21 revealed

Published: 10 January, 2024

This week we continue the rollout of our 50 Best Indies 2024 results, celebrating the top merchants from across this dynamic and ever-engaging sector.

Jerry Lockspeiser: This is the worst wine we have ever tasted

Published: 21 December, 2023

In his final column of 2023, Harpers regular Jerry Lockspeiser looks back over the year, before mulling over some lessons for the one ahead.

Embracing change in Rioja

Published: 20 December, 2023

Setting out to discover the renewed dynamism and diversity in Spain’s flagship DO, Harpers teamed up with Wines of Rioja to host an indie merchant buying trip to the region. Andrew Catchpole reports.