Madeira: Bringing it all back home with Archie McDiarmid

Barbeito Madeira through their UK importer, Raymond Reynolds, run the hugely successful #MadeiraDay competition in December each year, bringing together independent retailers from all over the UK in celebration of this outstanding fortified wine. Luvians won the 2017 edition and after being presented with our certificate at the Big Fortified Tasting earlier this year, I got the chance to fly out to the island (this Portuguese colony lies some 280 miles off the coast of Africa) to get a personal perspective on how this bewitching wine is made.

Experience economy increasing consumer confidence in wine

Consumer confidence in the wine category is increasing, driven by the ‘experience economy’ and the growing engagement with the drinks category, research analyst Wine Intelligence has claimed.

Looking ahead: Richard Cochrane, Félix Solís UK

Hallgarten appoints Francois Lincoln as business development director

Hallgarten has recruited a second business development director as part of its ongoing drive to grow the business.

Red Squirrel hits the road for portfolio tasting

Red Squirrel is heading out of London for its annual tasting for the first time, with plans to bring its focus on small artisanal producers to Bristol and Manchester.

Friarwood adds wines from Carlos Moro’s La Rioja project

Friarwood Fine Wines has announced it is expanding its Spanish portfolio with an exclusive selection from winemaker Carlos Moro.

Looking ahead: Mark Roberts, Lanchester Wines

As the first half of 2018 draws to a close, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, on-going trends and opportunities

Lure of the East

Countries such as Greece, Turkey, Hungary and Romania are no longer considered off-piste when it comes  to winemaking. Justin Keay looks at what’s on offer

Abbi Moreno plans new hybrid wine business after parting ways with family firm

Abbi Moreno, third generation scion of family wine merchant Moreno Wines, has parted company with her old firm after 21 years, announcing her intention to open a hybrid wine shop-come-wine bar business in early 2019.

WineTraining gears up for Malaga launch as demand for education soars

WineTraining is gearing up for its Malaga launch as demand for Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses across the world soars.

Accolade turns spotlight on Kumala with biggest investment in 10 years

Accolade Wines has turned the spotlight on its South African Kumala wine brand with a £1 million campaign.

Vagabond set sights on expansion as it secures £3.5m investment

Vagabond has secured a £3.5 million investment from UK leisure and hospitality investor Imbiba.

Jascots adds four new green producers

Jascots is poised to add four new environmentally friendly producers to its portfolio as part of its strategy to focus on sustainability

Looking ahead: Martin Williams, M Restaurants

As the first half of 2018 draws to a close, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, on-going trends and opportunities

Universities join forces to fuel Chinese wine industry

The University of Adelaide and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University have joined forces to launch a dual masters degree in winemaking and viticulture to help fuel China’s wine industry.

Guy Woodward: Fake wine "good for consumers". Are you kidding?

The Times, in its increasingly sensationalist manner, splashed another of those fatuous wine stories on page three the other day. “Cloned Frankenwines fool even experts”, was the loaded, somewhat clumsy headline.

Wine set to help global alcohol consumption to reach £830bn by 2022

A relatively sunny outlook is being forecast for the global alcohol industry over the next five years, with the wine set to see the largest portion of growth.

Aldi launches orange wine

Aldi has added Cramele Recas’ natural and vegan Orange wine to its portfolio.

Fortnum & Mason adds ‘sparkling tea akin to sparkling wine' to its menu

Fortnum & Mason has unveiled a ‘sparkling tea’ range positioned as an alternative to sparkling wine.

Lanchester Wines and Adnams strike green partnership

Durham-based merchant Lanchester Wines has produced a range of wines for Suffolk-based brewer, distiller and retailer Adnams, with a focus on sustainability.