Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Paul Dolan takes the chair in California

Published: 23 July, 2008

California wine legend Paul Dolan has been elected as the new chairman of the California Wine Institute.

On-trade loses out

Published: 23 July, 2008

The on-trade continues to lose out to the take-home market as the big night in' concept grows in popularity among consumers, a leading industry conference was told earlier this month (June).

Whisky: in with the on-trade

Published: 23 July, 2008

Whisky has always tended to have a rather polarising effect; people either love it or hate it - there are very few who think it's just okay.

DRC breaks auction record

Published: 23 July, 2008

The most expensive case of wine ever sold at auction went for 93,500 ($175,032) at a sale held at Christie's, London, last week.

In the mix

Published: 23 July, 2008

Once, whisky was such a simple affair. If you wanted a Scotch you went out and bought one. And it was a blend.

Look at the 12-month period from March 2005 to March 2006, and the number of nine-litre cases sold in the UK fell by nearly half a million to 8.23 million - a drop of more than 5%. Within these statistics, bottled malts fell by 4.9%, while blends saw a decrease of 5.7%.

Hail hits Douro

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Douro was hit by a heavy hailstorm on the night of 14 June, with some vineyards stripped of grapes and the vines severely damaged. The hail damage hit the Pinho valley and the Rio Torto valley particularly badly.

Bruichladdich beer

Published: 23 July, 2008

Micro-brewery Islay Ales has teamed up with neighbouring distiller Bruichladdich to produce a powerful and heady' beer.

Blue Nun samples

Published: 23 July, 2008

Wine brand Blue Nun is launching two major consumer sampling campaigns - with lingerie store Ann Summers and fashion retailer Dorothy Perkins. Both campaigns are targetted to reach 18- to 25-year-old females.

MW scoops tasting medal

Published: 23 July, 2008

Susan Hulme MW is the latest winner of the Madame Bollinger tasting medal.

Majestic slump?

Published: 23 July, 2008

Majestic Wine's shares slumped last week after city gossip predicted that next week's full-year profits announcement will fall well short of analysts' 15 million prediction.

EC hints at big vineyard pull to deal with surplus

Published: 23 July, 2008

By Jack Hibberd
The European Commission (EC) has agreed to Spain and France's applications for the crisis distillation' of millions of hectolitres of wine - but has strongly hinted that the current situation is unsustainable and a massive uprooting programme is the only option to deal with oversupply.

Sainsbury's triumphs at Quality Drinks Awards

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sainsbury's was the big winner at last week's Quality Drinks Awards 2006, scooping five trophies in all.

New Argentina boss aims to double market share

Published: 23 July, 2008

By Stuart Peskett
The new director of Wines of Argentina's inaugural UK office plans to double the country's market share in the UK.
James Forbes, senior buyer for Oddbins, will take up his new post at the end of July, and said he hopes that Argentina's UK market share will increase from 1.8% to 3.6% within three years.

It's stem wars: Waterford goes head to head with Riedel

Published: 23 July, 2008

Waterford Crystal, the Irish glassware maker part of Waterford Wedgwood plc, has launched a range of stemware aimed at lovers of fine wine.

BOB summer barbeque

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Buddies of the Benevolent (BOB) Committee is holding a summer barbeque with a twist on Thursday 6 July, at the Imperial College Rowing Club, Putney Embankment, London SW15 1LB.

German producers score own goal

Published: 23 July, 2008

By Christian Davis
German wine is the official wine of the FIFA World Cup, currently being played out, and producers and suppliers have scored an own goal by missing out on the opportunity to capitalise on the sponsorship.
Steffen Schindler, director export marketing of the German Wine Institute, spoke to Harpers at the Generation Riesling in London on 7 June, two days before Germany kicked off the World Cup.

First female chair of the WSTB

Published: 23 July, 2008

Vanessa Wright, communications director of Chivas Brothers Scotch whisky, has become the first-ever female chairwoman of The Wine and Spirit's Trade Benevolent Society, in its 120-year history.

RidgeView fizz gets royal approval

Published: 23 July, 2008

RidgeView, the award-winning sparkling wine from near the English south coast, was the toast at a celebration yesterday (15 June) at London's Mansion House to mark the Queen's 80th birthday and the culmination of the BBC's Great British Menu series.

EC gets radical over wine reform

Published: 23 July, 2008

The European Commission has released radical proposals for the reform of the European wine regime that would see table wines allowed to carry vintage and variety; financial support for distillation ended; and the removal of 400,000 hectares (ha) of vineyards - an area more than three times the size of South Africa's total producing area.