Matriarch and co-founder of Yellow Tail and Casella Family Brands dies

Maria Casella, the co-founder of Casella Family Brands and its flagship brand, Yellow Tail, died on August 10, 2014 in Brisbane, Australia.

Lidl's £12m France promotion sets tone for wine department

Lidl's upcoming £12 million Bordeaux-focused wine promotion is to set the tone for the retailer's future wine strategy.

Price wars and discounters hit overall retail sales

Retailer price wars coupled with the ongoing impact of the hard discounters saw overall UK retail sales slip back for the first time in two years, according to the latest British Retail Consortium /KPMG figures.

Drinkaware launches mobile app to help people cut down on drinking

Drinkaware has launched a mobile app which tracks alcohol consumption, calculates units and calories and helps users set goals to cut down their drinking.

Warner Edwards Distillery launches rhubarb gin

Northamptonshire's Warner Edwards Distillery has added a rhubarb gin to its portfolio.

Bacardi produces cult graphic novel to tell its story of Cuban history

Bacardi has teamed up with cult writer Warren Ellis and artist Michael Allred to produce its very own graphic novel - The Spirit of Bacardi - that tells the stories behind the famous rum, the Bacardi family and its origins in Cuba.

Parliamentary group calls for tobacco-style health warnings on alcohol

A group of MPs has called for cigarette-like health warnings on all alcoholic drinks, as well as a lower drink driving limit.

Harpers.co.uk introduces new dedicated finance section

Today Harpers.co.uk introduces a new section of the website that hopes to keep you up to speed with all the latest breaking financial stories affecting the global wine and spirits industry.

Discover new wine producing areas at September's Emerging Regions Tasting

The Emerging Regions Tasting, to be held on September 3, 2014 in London, is geared to help raise awareness around emerging region producers and promises to offer buyers the opportunity to unearth some wines that have yet to be discovered in the UK.

Coe Vintners launches interactive digital wine brochure

Coe Vintners has launched its first digital wine and spirits brochure, allowing customers to interact with images, maps and information on wines as opposed to more traditional lists.

Wine & Spirit Education Trust boosts student numbers by 16%

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust attracted 16% more students in the past year as the importance of education in the wine industry globally continues to grow.

California's wine industry prepares for 'lighter' crop

California is preparing itself for a smaller harvest than 2013 - which was a bumper crop at 4 million tonnes - with some varieties looking to be down by around one third.

Halewood International is always on the look out for the next "Crabbie's" says Richard Clark

Richard Clark, director of innovation at Halewood International, says the company is always on the lookout for the next Crabbie's, as it looks to drive innovation across all the drinks categories in its portfolio.

Final week to enter Harpers Global Design Awards

There is now a week to go to get your entries or nominations in for the 2014 Harpers Global Design Awards asa we look to celebrate the very best creative minds and talents in the drinks industry.

Three quarters of British adults have shopped online in 2014, says ONS

The Week That Was: top news, Q&As and opinion on Harpers.co.uk

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have done a review of the top online news, financial news for the drinks trade, Q&As, and opinion stories.

On-trade losing thousands of pounds in wine sales says new Harpers consumer report

The UK on-trade is potentially losing out on thousands of pounds of trade a day because of its inability to sell wine effectively, according to a new exclusive report publsihed today by Harpers Wine & Spirit.

Californian wineries look to make use of a trade loophole and build exports to Cuba

From this side of the Atlantic relations between Cuba and the United States would hardly be described as friendly. But, as Katherine Canfield, explains there is far more bridge building going on than you might think. Here she looks at how the Californian wine industry is looking to promote its wines to the Cuban wine trade.

Tim Atkin: why the Chinese wine market is so hard to predict

First time visitors to Beijing are often struck by the pollution that seems to blanket the city on a daily basis, reducing visibility and filling lungs with undesirable gunk. It's a symbol of China's rush towards industrialisation, as well as the lack of environmental checks and controls. But it's tempting to see it as a metaphor, too, not least for the wine industry. Trying to understand what is going on in China can feel like staring into a Stygian fug at times.

Wine not expected to be affected by Russian sanctions

The rising political tensions between the EU and Russia and the subsequent sanctions against the country may not have an impact on EU wine imports.