Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Napa looks to protect name

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) has opened a petition book for its 2005 worldwide tasting tour to garner support for its initiative to promote and protect location'.

Wirra Wirra moves to Oxford

Published: 23 July, 2008

Oxford-based wine importer Stevens Garnier has taken over the distribution for premium McLaren Vale producer Wirra Wirra Vineyards.

Harpers would like to point out that Moreno's marketing manager is Christopher Payne, not Piper, as was reported in the Raise your glasses' feature (Harpers Spain supplement, 9 September). Apologies for any confusion caused.

Consolidation in Germany

Published: 23 July, 2008

German entrepreneur Achim Niederberger has purchased the historic Pfalz wine estate of Reichsrat von Buhl for an undisclosed sum.

Jeroboams adds two

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Jeroboams Group is opening two new stores in London next month in St John's Wood and Islington.

Wine Int, Wine & Spirit Int and DI all move to William Reed

Published: 23 July, 2008

William Reed Publishing, the Crawley-based publisher of The Grocer, Morning Advertiser and Off Licence News, has bought Wine International, Wine & Spirit International, Drinks International, the duty-free title Frontier, and the Intenational Wine Challenge.

Wine Society wins top IWC awards

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine Society was the surprise star of this year's International Wine Challenge (IWC) awards dinner, winning the Overall Wine Merchant of the Year award - one of the industy's most sought-after accolades.

Hulme is latest MW

Published: 23 July, 2008

Wine educator Susan Hulme has become the 249th Master
of Wine after successfully completing her dissertation.

Buyers shuffle at Asda as Sainsbury's triumphs

Published: 23 July, 2008

In the week that its closest rival, Sainsbury's, was made IWC Supermarket Retailer of the Year, Asda has become the latest of the major multiples to make big changes to its buying team.

INAO offices ransacked after yield cut

Published: 23 July, 2008

Between 150 and 300 producers ransacked the local offices of the INAO in Mcon following the decision to reduce yields for the 2005 vintage.

Fierce storms force harvest delay in southern France

Published: 23 July, 2008

Violent thunderstorms brought the harvest in southern France to an abrupt halt last week. An alert rouge' was issued on 6 September for the Gard, Hrault and Aude departments - the second time since 2001

En primeur troubles

Published: 23 July, 2008

While demand has been stronger than some traders expected in the UK, Europe and the Far East, it has been feeble in the US: the weakness of the dollar, the high prices paid for the 2003s, and the less-than-enthusiastic reports of influential reviewers such as Robert Parker and Wine Spectator have shrunk the market there. Some US shippers have even been declining their allocations of first growths.

PLB and Cordier link up in off-trade deal

Published: 23 July, 2008

PLB Wines has joined forces with Bordeaux specialist Cordier to distribute its wines in the UK off-trade.

La Vis hopes to put Trentino on the map

Published: 23 July, 2008

Cantina La Vis, the Trentino cooperative that took over the privately owned Casa Girelli earlier this year, has pledged to put its region on the map'.

Spain Supplement 2005

Published: 23 July, 2008

Despite the drought that has gripped Spanish wine regions in 2005 (with early reports suggesting yields will be down between 15 and 40%, depending on who you listen to) the Iberian nation can wipe the sweat from its brow and look to the future with a renewed sense of optimism.