Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Wine Australia improves educational programme

Published: 01 May, 2020

Wine Australia has improved its Australian Wine Discovered (AWD) educational programme with all modules and materials refreshed and three new modules added.

Wine GB unveils new initiative to support UK producers

Published: 30 April, 2020

Wine GB has unveiled a new initiative aimed at boosting sales of English and Welsh wines to help producers and growers hit by the lack of cellar door sales and the on-trade closure.

AXA Millésimes awards 2020 scholarships to five MW students

Published: 30 April, 2020

The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) and AXA Millésimes have announced the five international winners of the AXA Millésimes scholarship.

The Gran Orden de Caballeros appoints Sarah Jane Evans MW as chair

Published: 30 April, 2020

The Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino (GOCV) has appointed Sarah Jane Evans MW as its new chair.

South African wine exports set to resume

Published: 29 April, 2020

The South African government has announced that the ban on exports of wine imposed during lockdown will be lifted from the end of this week as the country eases its measures.

Generics respond to the pandemic: Wines of Germany

Published: 29 April, 2020

In the last of our current series on the generic bodies and their activities in relation to the pandemic and lockdown, Andrew Catchpole talks to Nicky Forrest, MD of Phipps, representing Wines of Germany.

Brazilians prioritise saving over spending

Published: 29 April, 2020

Brazilian wine drinkers are prioritising saving over spending during the pandemic, but still value wine.

Early 2020 Santa Rita harvest “most memorable and particularly challenging”

Published: 29 April, 2020

Santa Rita Estates (SRE) has pronounced the 2020 harvest as the “most memorable” but also as “particularly challenging within the context in which it developed”.

Online BWS sales soar 78%

Published: 29 April, 2020

Online sales of beers, wines and spirits (BWS) surged 78% in the last four weeks making it the fastest growing grocery category in terms of sales.

Living with lockdown – Bibendum

Published: 28 April, 2020

Michael Saunders, Bibendum CEO and chairman of The Drinks Trust and WSTA, dives deep into the challenges thrown up by the current crisis. Andrew Catchpole reports

67 Pall Mall extends virtual offering with membership deal

Published: 28 April, 2020

Private members club 67 Pall Mall has extended its virtual events calendar offering with the launch of a monthly £10 membership deal.

Goedhuis promotes Dunmow to technology director and appoints him to the board

Published: 27 April, 2020

Goedhuis & Co has promoted its associate director of technology, Peter Dunmow, to the position of technology director at the same time as appointing him to the board.

Jascot’s pivots towards e-commerce amid Covid-19 angst

Published: 27 April, 2020

On-trade wine supplier Jascots has launched a full ecommerce site selling direct to consumers across the UK.

Berry Bros supports “hardest struck” smaller wine producers

Published: 27 April, 2020

Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) has revealed an initiative to support some of the small family businesses hit by the Covid-19 crisis.

Future of wine labels is in reflecting the drinker, says Cox

Published: 27 April, 2020

A shift from traditional appellation-based, heritage and winery-focused labels to those that are “more about the market” will be hastened in the wake of the pandemic if wine is to compete with rivals drinks categories.

Joe Fattorini: Together we can change the world

Published: 27 April, 2020

“By May 1966, the plan to dam the Grand Canyon was all but enshrined in law. The bulldozers were already shattering the primordial peace, the scaffolding was up and the drilling had begun.” As one campaigner said: “The fight was lost. The dams had been approved. They were being supported by the Kennedy administration … and both houses of Congress.” His voice tinged with a despondency many of us have come to know in the past few weeks.

News round up: All the world’s a (virtual) stage

Published: 24 April, 2020

As the pandemic continues to run it's grim course, news of new initiatives, charitable acts, mutual support and sharing continue to pour into Harpers' inbox, with the trade excelling itself when it come to showing an imaginative and caring face. Here are just some of those many acts and events that have caught our eye this week.

Living with lockdown – Enotria & Coe

Published: 24 April, 2020

Troy Christensen, CEO at Enotria & Coe, talks frankly with Andrew Catchpole about the impact of the current crisis on on-trade suppliers and the daunting challenges ahead for the hospitality sector.

European wine revenues could be cut in half

Published: 24 April, 2020

European wine revenues could be cut in half as a result of Covid-19, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

The B2C shift: Driving it home

Published: 24 April, 2020

The coronavirus (Covid-19) has opened up a new world of B2C engagement for businesses offering a lifeline to consumers stuck inside their homes, as Jo Gilbert reports.