Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Possible new solution to TCA-infected corks

Published: 23 July, 2008

Portugal's cork research institute (CTCOR) is claiming it has developed a possible solution to the TCA cork-taint problem.

French distillation backed by EU

Published: 23 July, 2008

The EU has made the long-awaited decision to allow European producers - most notably in France and Spain - to undertake a crisis distillation' of millions of hectolitres (hl) of table wine.

Liberty for Berkmann's Bewes

Published: 23 July, 2008

Leading UK agency house Liberty Wines has appointed two high-profile members of the wine trade to its team - Andrew Bewes and Gary Wyatt.

Graham's launches ageless The Tawny'

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Symington Family Port Group is looking to shake-up the Aged Tawny Port market with the release of its latest wine - Graham's The Tawny.

Myliko SA joint venture

Published: 23 July, 2008

Myliko Wines has entered into a joint venture with South African producer Tinus Broodryk.

Robin Fedden, travelling in Syria and Lebanon at the end of the Second World War, offers this advice to thirsty travellers in his travel book Syria and Lebanon: Quite good wine is made in certain parts of the Lebanon, particularly in the Bk'aa [sic] Valley, in the neighbourhood of Chtaura. It is relatively cheap. On the other hand, most of the wine in the out-of-the-way villages is hardly recognisable as such, and is best avoided.'

The Interview - Simon Berry, Chairman, Berry Bros & Rudd, London

Published: 23 July, 2008

How old is Berry Bros & Rudd?
It was founded 307 years ago on the current site on St James's Street. The problem with being this old is that people think we are dinosaurs and assume that the company has never changed. But in fact the only reason any long-established company manages to survive is that it never stops changing. Change is something that family businesses actually do very well, although they are not very conscious of it. As new generations come into the business they tend to rebel, but because they have grown up with the culture of the company they also have a natural understanding of what makes it special. But you need a balance between family and non-family management, who will counteract the family tendency to say, 'We are going to do it like this because we have done it this way for 150 years.'

From Mentzendorff to Manchester

Published: 23 July, 2008

Vicky Steel has joined the Co-op's BWS team as category marketing manager.

Debate speakers

Published: 23 July, 2008

A host of special guests are to speak at this year's Harpers LIWSF debate.

Sir Cliff Richard returns to Harpers stand at LIWSF

Published: 23 July, 2008

Pop legend Sir Cliff Richard will be making an appearance on the Harpers stand (K10) at this year's LIWSF to launch the new vintages of his Vida Nova Wine from Portugal.

Dunn Connects

Published: 23 July, 2008

Paul Dunn, former commercial director at International Wine
Services and general manager for Miranda Wines in the UK and Europe, is setting up a new business venture, offering a bespoke service to wineries in the UK and Europe' named Connect Wine.

2005 vintage in Oz a record tonnage

Published: 23 July, 2008

Early estimates for the 2005 Australian vintage point to a record tonnage of 1.97 million tonnes, adding further to supply pressures, including whites for the first time.

Veneto wine fraud leads to address

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Pinot-Grigio-that-isn't saga continues. Italy's most popular and most fiddled white wine is once again at the centre of a scandal - as is presumably inevitable where demand for a product so far outstrips supply.

Cockburn's declares

Published: 23 July, 2008

Cockburn Smithes has announced that it will be declaring both Cockburn's 2003 Vintage and Cockburn's Quinta dos Canais 2003 Single Quinta Vintage - meaning that all the major Port houses have now declared.

Bacardi loses Glenmorangie

Published: 23 July, 2008

Bacardi will no longer distribute Glenmorangie Scotch in the UK from 30 June.

Wine Australia' launches new global export push

Published: 23 July, 2008

Brand Australia' is being relaunched this month, with a refreshed market positioning and a new export strategy following an 18-month process of research and formulation.

Pernod faces fight for Allied Domecq

Published: 23 July, 2008

The board of Allied has recommended the 7.5 billion takeover offer from Pernod Ricard - although speculation is growing that a counter bidder could be formulating an offer.

Wetz back at Unwins

Published: 23 July, 2008

Around 10% of Unwins stores are to close and 33 head office positions will be made redundant, following a restructuring of the company.

Cognac Supplement 2004

Published: 23 July, 2008

Cognac has cultivated an image as a luxury drink, but is it now questioning its identity?

KWV goes to Ellis and Back

Published: 23 July, 2008

KWV, the South African wine giant which became embroiled in a wine adulteration scandal, as a result of which two winemakers were fired, has appointed three world-renowned winemakers to oversee its winemaking and mentor its winemakers.