Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

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.

SA wine prices predicted to recover again in ‘next few years’

Published: 19 October, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching effect on wine-producing countries across the globe, not least South Africa.

Wine GB launches industry hallmark for classic method wines

Published: 15 October, 2020

Wine GB has announced its first ever collective campaign for producers in England and Wales, including a hallmark to help to differentiate English and Welsh PDO sparkling wines made using the “time and craft-intensive classic method”.

SA online retailer launches ‘one stop shop’ in UK

Published: 15 October, 2020

South African online wine retailer Port2Port is launching a marketplace allowing UK trade to sell Cape wines direct to consumer.

Boisset rescues Moncigale

Published: 14 October, 2020

French leader Grands Vins JC Boisset has agreed to purchase rosé specialist Moncigale from current owners Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits, following a review into the company’s various business units.

Tim Atkin MW: A year that changed wine

Published: 13 October, 2020

‘Never A Dull Moment’ is the title of a wonderful book about what its author, David Hepworth, calls “rock’s golden year”. 1971 was indeed an annus mirabilis for music, witnessing the release of landmark albums by David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Yes, The Who and Rod Stewart. For Hepworth, 31 December 1970 marked the end of the Sixties – 12 months late, in one sense – and the start of something very different. It was a turning pint, a line in the sand.

Supermarket BWS sales up 17%

Published: 13 October, 2020

Sales of beer, wine and spirits (BWS) through supermarkets increased 17% in the four weeks to 3 October, meaning the category remained the fastest growing, according to new Nielsen research.

CWI confirms fewer than 20 wineries physically damaged

Published: 12 October, 2020

The California Wine Institute (CWI) has confirmed that fewer than 20 of the 4,200 wineries in the wine country have reported physical fire damage as a result of 2020 wildfires.