Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Second lockdown sounds ‘death knell’ for the ‘Ditch

Published: 05 November, 2020

Hanging Ditch, one of Manchester’s foremost independent businesses, has been forced to close due to the ongoing stress of the pandemic.

Occitanie raises profile with online films

Published: 03 November, 2020

The Occitanie region of France is about to be much better known in the UK.

OIV gears up to launch digital transformation strategy

Published: 03 November, 2020

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) is gearing up to implement a digital transformation strategy spurred on by the pandemic having highlighted ecommerce as “an extraordinary determinative to more traditional distribution channels”.

Tring Winery packs a postable punch

Published: 03 November, 2020

Alex Taylor and Jamie Smith of Urban Craft Wines at Tring Winery are sending innovation out the door, as Andrew Catchpole reports

González Byass releases rare 1878 vintage

Published: 02 November, 2020

González Byass has released an ultra-limited-edition Pedro Ximénez – with just 78 bottles for sale.

Beale: 'The threat of VI-1 forms is still very real’

Published: 28 October, 2020

The WSTA has warned that the threat of VI-1 forms is still "very real", saying that the policy, not just the timing, still needs to change.

UK helps Australian wine exports hit highest level since 2007

Published: 28 October, 2020

Global Australian wine exports were up 4% to $2.998bn in the 12 months to September 2020, with all of its top-five export markets showing growth including the UK, according to Wine Australia’s latest export report.

Ste Michelle CEO Jim Mortensen retires

Published: 28 October, 2020

Washington State winery Ste Michelle Wine Estates has announced that its president and CEO Jim Mortensen will retire 1 November, 2020.

Wine Australia’s Tasting Blind Club moves online

Published: 27 October, 2020

Wine Australia has converted its Tasting Blind Club into an online Tasting Blind Club Quiz hosted by Emma Symington MW.

Jascots adds Barolo producer Rocche Costamagna

Published: 27 October, 2020

Jascots Wine Merchants has added Barolo producer Rocche Costamagna to its portfolio, marking the latest in a host of new producers to join the business in recent months.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Which wines do Pamela Anderson and Kate Moss remind you of?

Published: 26 October, 2020

About 30 million people in the UK drink wine. For years, producers and marketeers have been trying to grab their attention, hoping to figure out how to successfully communicate their wines through words and images.

CWI webinars to give ‘accurate story’ of harvest across Cali

Published: 26 October, 2020

‘The Harvest Sessions’, a trio of webinars from California Wine Institute (CWI) is promising to give an “accurate story” of the 2020 harvest across the wine country from the perspective of winemakers and growers.

Beale: ‘Supply chain must be eligible for cash grants’

Published: 26 October, 2020

The WSTA has urged the government to clarify that the cash grants promised as a support measure for the hospitality sector applies to the supply chain too.

Banrock Station pledges to plant 100,000 native trees a year

Published: 23 October, 2020

Accolade Wines’ Banrock Station brand has pledged to plant 100,000 native trees and shrubs in Australia each year starting from January 2021.

Hillebrand acquires bulk liquid logistics company Braid

Published: 23 October, 2020

Hillebrand has acquired bulk liquid logistics company Braid as part of a strategy to strengthen its expertise in handling non-hazardous liquids in bulk, such as wine.

67 Pall Mall to host diversity webinar

Published: 23 October, 2020

Fine wine club 67 Pall Mall is gearing up to host an online panel discussion focussing on diversity in wine.

Diversity talk urges wine industry to own up to its privilege

Published: 22 October, 2020

Wine education to diploma level costs upwards of £10,000 – a number which has been used to highlight the issues involved in making the wine industry a more diverse and inclusive place.

South Africa looks to higher ground

Published: 22 October, 2020

Hard hit by the pandemic, South Africa’s winemakers are proving their resilience and fighting back with an eye on higher quality and pricing. By Andrew Catchpole

NZW Independent Retail Promotion dates set for spring 2121

Published: 20 October, 2020

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has announced the new dates for its Independent Retail Promotion which, originally due to take place in April and May this year, will now run in spring 2021.

Popular trade figure Terry Threlfall passes away

Published: 19 October, 2020

It was with surprise and a heavy heart that the wine trade community – in the UK and beyond – received the news of Terry Threlfall’s untimely death. Terry passed away last Friday from a heart attack, aged just 43.