Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

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.

Collache leaves Sopexa UK

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sopexa UK's managing director Franois Collache has left the promotions group after nine years in the role.

Unwins boss tries to rally troops

Published: 23 July, 2008

The new owner of Unwins, DM Private Equity, has sent a morale-boosting letter to all staff, in a bid to improve the multiple specialist's fortunes.

Platter's five-star wines announced

Published: 23 July, 2008

A total of 11 wines have been awarded the coveted five-star rating in the 2006 John Platter South African Wine Guide.

Nielsen to include three Ms' data

Published: 23 July, 2008

Leading marketing information gatherer AC Nielsen is to include full EPOS data from Majestic, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Unwins for the first time.

Wine investment company Bordeaux Vintners Ltd, trading as BVI, has ceased trading. Tim Dunton, the sole director, wrote to investors on 22 July telling them that not all the wine they had paid for was available due to the failure of one of his suppliers.

Port family sues over stolen' land

Published: 23 July, 2008

The British Government is being sued for 14 million by a British family which made its name in the Port trade.

Festival-goers prefer English fizz to Champagne'

Published: 23 July, 2008

The organiser of the English Wine and Regional Food Festival claims that top English sparklers like RidgeView and Nyetimber are equal to if not better than the best Champagnes.

Hungary like the wolf

Published: 23 July, 2008

Hungary is the most significant producer of wine among both new EU states and the next-round hopefuls, Bulgaria and Romania. Even though the country has only 87,000 hectares (ha) of vineyards, compared to just under 90,000ha of Vitis vinifera in Romania and a similar area in Bulgaria, its wine production dwarfs that of its neighbours at some 4.8 million hectolitres in 2004 (Romania produced around 3.4 million hl and Bulgaria just 1.4 million hl in the same year). In spite of this, Hungary's reputation as a wine-producing nation has fallen off most consumers' radar (if it was ever really there).

UK is the most sophisticated' market for Pinot Noir

Published: 23 July, 2008

Top German red producer August Kesseler called the UK the most sophisticated' market for Pinot Noir last week but said it would be a long time' before German producers of the noble grape could gain a significant foothold. Kesseler, of Weingut August Kesseler, was speaking at what was billed as the first ever German red wine symposium', organised by German wine specialist Wine Barn at London's Capital Hotel on 19 August.

Export boom for New Zealand

Published: 23 July, 2008

Exports of New Zealand wines have surpassed domestic sales for the first time in the industry's history, according to the 2005 Annual Report from New Zealand Wine Growers, with wine destined for foreign markets now accounting for 53% of production.

Go West

Published: 23 July, 2008

The 2005 Napa Valley Vintners tour rolls into London next week. Stuart Peskett profiles the headline acts

Croser leaves Petaluma

Published: 23 July, 2008

Brian Croser, one of Australia's most prominent and outspoken wine-industry figures, has finally severed his ties with Petaluma, the winery he set up three decades ago in the Adelaide Hills

Australia faces worst crisis in a decade'

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sam Tolley, chief executive of industry body the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC), said last week during a speech in Melbourne that there is no doubt that the wine sector is facing its toughest challenges in over a decade'.

Off the community chest

Published: 23 July, 2008

So what to make of the whole Allied Domecq-Pernod-Fortune Brands mnage trois? Reminds me of playing Monopoly when I was 10. No strategy at all - just furiously buying all the property in sight until the money was gone or you had driven all the other players into bankruptcy.

Mot's poet

Published: 23 July, 2008

On your appointment as president and CEO of Mot & Chandon in January 2004, Christophe Navarre, chairman and CEO of Mot Hennessy, described your mission as to strengthen Mot & Chandon's leadership and to continue both its growth and that of Dom Prignon. How are you doing?

La vie en ROSA

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) has unveiled plans to set up a government-run cork-processing park with a state-of-the-art pay-as-you-go' communal cork-boiling unit. According to APCOR president Antnio Rios de Amorim, who is also chairman of the world's largest cork producer, Amorim & Irmos, the idea is to give small producers shared access to the latest technology for reducing TCA to avoid the financial burden of investing in expensive new equipment.