Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Cullen is first in Oz to go carbon neutral

Published: 23 July, 2008

by Sarah Ahmed
Margaret River producer Cullen has become Australia's first carbon neutral winery.

Sales to under-18s show slight decrease

Published: 23 July, 2008

Alcohol sales to minors are still proving a problem for the Government, according to new figures released last week.

Beadles anger over headlines about health warning labels

Published: 23 July, 2008

Jeremy Beadles, the chief executive of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), has hit out at headlines which claim that wine bottles are to carry a health danger on labels to curb binge drinking.

Hilltop Wines to represent Washington State

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Washington State Wine Commission has appointed Hilltop Wines as its UK representative.

The Wine Show

Published: 23 July, 2008

It topped 10,000 visitors in 2005, and organisers of The Wine Show are hoping that this year's event, which takes place from 26-29 October, will top the 15,000 mark. So far, the signs are good: the show is 99% sold out, with just one stand remaining, and almost every major wine-producing region will have a presence at the show.

USA triumphs in GJE tasting

Published: 23 July, 2008

The best wines from California have trumped their French counterparts again, this time at a tasting conducted by the Grand Jury Europen (GJE) - dubbed The Judgement of Sauternes'.

Diageo praised for not supporting pay to fail'

Published: 23 July, 2008

by Ron Emler
Diageo has been praised by investment institutions for its attitude to severance pay.

Trade must face up to its responsibilities, says WSTA's Christopher Carson

Published: 23 July, 2008

Christopher Carson took the opportunity presented by the 12th annual Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) lecture to deliver a stern message on what is arguably one of the toughest challenges the drinks industry has ever faced -accepting the social responsibillity of selling alcohol.

New points system to grade Douro table wines

Published: 23 July, 2008

Three years after the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) took control of Douro table wines for the first time, it has changed its labelling regulations, with every wine now being marked out of 20.

Eisberg's new owner

Published: 23 July, 2008

Chali Richards, owned by Halewood International, has acquired Eisberg, the dealcoholised wine brand, from Bacardi-Martini.

Argentina hosts major wine event

Published: 23 July, 2008

Mendoza, Argentina, will be the host of the Annual General Membership meeting of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network for the first time in November this year.

Mentzendorff cycles to Benevolent benefit

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Benevolent charity for the drinks trade received a cheque for more than 3,000 following a fundraising cycle from Calais to Champagne that took place earlier this year.

Flix Sols capitalises on demand for Spanish wine

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Flix Sols Avantis group is celebrating further expansion in Spain with the opening of a new winery in Rioja and the launch of two new wine ranges. Pagos del Rey SL is the subsidiary company overseeing the winery, which will have an annual production of more than 7 million bottles.

United Wineries announces re-organisation

Published: 23 July, 2008

United Wineries International, the wine distributor & brand owner with annual sales exceeding 31m bottles, has finalised an internal reorganisation and major international acquisition plan, prior to its listing on the AIM-London Stock Exchange, scheduled for the first quarter of 2007.

Rolfe spices things up

Published: 23 July, 2008

Project Tikka Masala - the codename for former Unwins and United Wineries marketing director Bill Rolfe's attempt to create a Portuguese ros wine that will go with spicy food - has become Pink Elephant. The 4.99 wine is made by winemakers Jos Neiva and David Baverstock in conjunction with D&F Wine Shippers.

Criminal conduct' suspected at Uvine

Published: 23 July, 2008

The administrator brought in to salvage Uvine, the wine exchange company that collapsed last month, has alleged that criminal conduct' may have taken place.

Drinks trade must face the future, says Carson

Published: 23 July, 2008

The drinks trade must face the future now and the challenge is to embrace social responsibility, says Christopher Carson, chairman of Constellation Wines Europe and chairman of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association.

Profile - Jasper Morris MW

Published: 23 July, 2008

Basingstoke!' as Mad Margaret says in Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore. She says it to restore herself to sanity whenever she's about to relapse: for Jasper Morris, it's more of a biography. He was born there and lately he's been working there; and its clay-limestone soil (so he says; I have no idea) gives it an affinity with Burgundy, which of course has been the foundation of most of his working life. Neat, no?

The Interview - Seumas MacInnesProprietor, Caf Gandolfi

Published: 23 July, 2008

Did you change many things when you took over the business?

This is one of those places where if you change anything you get millions of letters complaining! We've got a very loyal customer base. We have, of course, developed things over the years though, mostly the Scottish elements. My family are from the isle of Barra, so because of my Gaelic heritage I've really encouraged all the staff here to find out more about Scottish products.

Inspectors' fruitless Camel Valley visit cost 3,000'

Published: 23 July, 2008

by Stuart Peskett
The owner of Camel Valley winery in Cornwall has hit out at the way EU vineyard inspections are carried out, after four officials arrived to collect just 10 bunches of grapes.