Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Merrill wins Watson

Published: 23 July, 2008

The 2005 Jimmy Watson Trophy, arguably Australia's most important show award, has been awarded to the 2004 Geoff Merrill Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz at this year's Melbourne Wine Show.

California wine industry praised for green' policies

Published: 23 July, 2008

The California wine industry has been selected as an outstanding' example of a conservation partnership' by the US government, which invited the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) to showcase their work during a conference at the White House last week.

Embrace screwcaps, Europe - but get it right

Published: 23 July, 2008

A leading Australian authority on screwcaps has urged European producers to embrace the closure but warned: Producers have to ensure they bottle correctly or it could do real damage to the image of screwcaps.'

Gallic Gallo arrives in the UK

Published: 23 July, 2008

Having taught the French a trick or two about marketing their own wine in the US, Gallo is set to launch its French wine brand, Red Bicyclette, in the UK.

Unofficial tasting

Published: 23 July, 2008

Argentinian producer Marta's Vinyard is holding its own tasting at Lord's to coincide with the official Wines of Argentina generic tasting.

42 Below wins Which? tasting

Published: 23 July, 2008

A vodka survey in Which? magazine has put New Zealand's 42 Below out in front.

Ayala rebranded

Published: 23 July, 2008

Bollinger has rebranded the Ayala Champagne house it bought earlier this year - launching a new logo, a new wine and new packaging across the range.

Wine sales boom

Published: 23 July, 2008

Wine consumption in the UK has risen by almost a quarter in the past five years, according to research group Mintel. This 23% uplift in consumption contrasts sharply with former wine-drinking stalwarts Italy, France and Germany, which have seen consumption drop 2%, 6% and 11% respectively.

King of Beaujolais' faces fraud investigation

Published: 23 July, 2008

Joseph Berkmann has angrily denied allegations that Georges Duboeuf topped up his best wines with inferior ones.
The chairman of Berkmann Wine Cellars, the sole UK agent for Duboeuf, issued a statement refuting the allegations, and claimed that national newspaper reports were based on inaccurate' stories in the French press, which had ubsequently
been withdrawn.

La Gitana for Mentzendorff

Published: 23 July, 2008

Bodegas Hidalgo-La Gitana, the Sherry house responsible for La Gitana Manzanilla, has joined the Mentzendorff portfolio in an exclusive arrangement.

It's a rap

Published: 23 July, 2008

Standing on the banks of the tranquil river Charente by Chteau Courvoisier in Jarnac, who would have thought that the fortunes of the Cognac category could have been turned around by a handful of American hip-hop artists? After years in the doldrums, along with the likes of whisky, adrift while the white spirits - vodka, white rum and tequila - continued their seemingly inexorable rise, Cognac finally received the sort of ringing endorsement that money just can't buy - not even with the big budgets of LVMH (Hennessy); Seagram, now Pernod Ricard (Martell); and Allied Domecq, now Fortune Brands (Courvoisier).

PLB buys L&T

Published: 23 July, 2008

PLB Group, the own-label wine specialist, has bought wine company Lane & Tatham for an undisclosed sum.
East Sussex-based PLB - which has tried hard in recent years to increase its presence in the branded-wine sector - now moves into fine wines for the first time. Lane & Tatham will continue to run as a separate business, operating as the fine-wine subsidiary of the company.

New WoA MD ready to prove he's worth it

Published: 23 July, 2008

The new managing director of Wines of Argentina (WoA) is Fernando Farr.
Farr has a marketing background, and worked with L'Oral for nearly eight years, both in Argentina and abroad. He replaces marketing manager Bernardo Hoffmann.

Cinema for Hardys

Published: 23 July, 2008

Hardys, the UK's number-one off-trade wine brand, is set to launch a new cinema advertising campaign later this month under the Best Wine Under The Sun' campaign positioning launched at the end of 2004.

Ice wine for Hallgarten

Published: 23 July, 2008

Hallgarten has taken on the agency for one of Canada's leading Icewine producers, Pelee Island Winery in Ontario.

Screwcap wines akin to alcopops'

Published: 23 July, 2008

Philosopher, writer and composer Roger Scruton has heavily criticised screwcapped wines, claiming they reduce wine to an alcopop'.

Triple-distilled Islay malt from Bruichladdich

Published: 23 July, 2008

Islay distillery Bruichladdich is to launch an 84.5% abv whisky - the first triple-distilled Islay malt for more than 300 years.

Highbank for IVINI

Published: 23 July, 2008

IVINI Ltd, the specialist importer and wholesaler of wine to the UK on-trade and independent retailers, has added the Highbank 2001 Coonawarra Red to its premium-wine portfolio.