Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Pol Roger appoints Simpson as sales director

Published: 21 August, 2008

James Simpson has been appointed sales director at wine producer Pol Roger.

SWA chief appointed to Scottish food and drink forum

Published: 21 August, 2008

Gavin Hewitt, chief executive of the Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) has been appointed drinks representative of Scotland's new Food and Drink Leadership Forum.

Diageo installs latest phase of £40 million distillery project

Published: 21 August, 2008

Diageo has installed 14 new copper stills as part of the construction of its new distillery in Roseisle, Scotland.

Free Run Wines to launch new Chilean range

Published: 20 August, 2008

Free Run Wines has teamed up with Chilean winery Viña Las Niñas to launch a new range into the UK.

Student brand Varsity launches "crazy" student campaign

Published: 20 August, 2008

Barracuda pub group's student brand, Varsity, has launched a competition to find the "Face of Varsity" for next year's poster campaign.

Wine tasting gets the Twitter treatment

Published: 20 August, 2008

A US online retailer and a French wine producer have teamed up to organise a "virtual" wine tasting event on social networking site Twitter.

Rare whisky goes on auction at Harrods

Published: 20 August, 2008

The first ever bottle of Jura 40 year old whisky is to be sold at a silent auction at Harrods.

New Zealand wine exports reach record levels

Published: 20 August, 2008

New Zealand wine growers are on target to achieve $1 billion (£538 million) of exports by 2010, according annual results released today by New Zealand Winegrowers.

Cognac shipments fall 4%

Published: 20 August, 2008

Sales of cognac have fallen nearly 4% in the past 12 months, according to figures from the Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac (BNIC).

WSET starts search for educator of the year

Published: 20 August, 2008

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) has announced its call for nominations for the WSET Educator of the Year 2008.

Wines from Rioja bids to boost UK sales with promotions activity

Published: 19 August, 2008

Wines from Rioja is looking to boost its sales in the UK's independent retail sector by launching a series of promotions.

Carlsberg pulls Sun promotion after backlash from Liverpool fans

Published: 19 August, 2008

Carlsberg has been forced to drop a promotion it was due to run in The Sun this bank holiday weekend after a backlash from Liverpool football club fans.

Diageo on the hunt for perfect pub atmosphere

Published: 19 August, 2008

Diageo has commissioned a UK wide survey to find out what defines the perfect atmosphere in bars, pubs and clubs.

Portman Group claims alcohol ad report is "flawed"

Published: 19 August, 2008

The Portman Group has criticised a report which looked at how often children are exposed to alcohol advertising.

Diageo rolls out autumn spirits campaign

Published: 18 August, 2008

Diageo is launching a £300,000 print and point of sale campaign this autumn to promote spirit and mixer serves in off-trade.

Pernod Ricard poised to unveil new look for Graffigna brand

Published: 18 August, 2008

Pernod Ricard will unveil new packaging for its Graffigna wine brand, which it is investing in heavily in a bid to make it the UK's top selling Argentine wine, next month.

McGuigan secures supermarket listings for new range

Published: 18 August, 2008

Australian wine producer McGuigan has secured listings in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-op and Majestic from October for the latest addition to its UK portfolio, McGuigan Grey Label.

Silvester Stallone to front russian vodka ad campaign

Published: 18 August, 2008

Russian vodka producer Synergy has signed a one year advertising contract with Silvester Stallone.

Academy of Food & Wine says hospitality industry must "work harder" to attract recruits

Published: 18 August, 2008

The hospitality industry needs to work harder at attracting this year's school-leavers and graduates in order to persuade them to opt for a career in the sector.