Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Simon Thorpe MW joins Wine GB team

Published: 21 October, 2020

Wine GB has strengthened its team with the appointment of Simon Thorpe MW as new CEO.

Wine GB launches industry hallmark for classic method wines

Published: 15 October, 2020

Wine GB has announced its first ever collective campaign for producers in England and Wales, including a hallmark to help to differentiate English and Welsh PDO sparkling wines made using the “time and craft-intensive classic method”.

Simpsons looks to launch “super-premium” English Chardonnay

Published: 13 October, 2020

Simpsons English Wine Estate is looking to raise the stakes for still English wines with a limited edition Chardonnay called Q Class.

Ridgeview marks quarter century with limited edition

Published: 06 October, 2020

Sussex winery Ridgeview has launched its first new wine in a decade to mark its 25th anniversary.

Prosecco in the pink

Published: 17 August, 2020

Following a decade of consistent growth, Pink Prosecco is set to give a shot in the arm to a finally flatlining category, as Jo Gilbert reports.

Covid-19 takes the fizz out of the UK sparkling market

Published: 12 August, 2020

The loss of celebratory drinking occasions has put the breaks on an already slowing thirst for sparkling wine in the UK, new research has revealed.

Loire Valley sparklers herald UK uplift

Published: 02 July, 2020

Loire Valley fizz has enjoyed a surge in exports to the UK, with Crémant de Loire having jumped just shy of 50%.

Hattingley marks anniversary with TV wine first

Published: 18 June, 2020

Hattingley Valley has become the first English wine producer to launch a TV advertising campaign, to kick off just head of English Wine Week (20-28 June).

Pandemic is officially “Bad for beer, better for spirits and wine”

Published: 15 May, 2020

Beer and cider were hard-hit in the 2008/9 economic crisis, suffering from a combination of duty rises, an on-trade slump and increased at-home consumption, all of which tend to favour spirits and wine.

Rathfinny’s 10th anniversary delivers Classic Cuvée launch and new ecommerce site

Published: 12 May, 2020

English wine estate Rathfinny marked its 10th anniversary with the launch of its inaugural 2016 Classic Cuvée on Monday, “completing” its line up of Sussex sparkling wines.

Champagne: Weathering the storm

Published: 20 April, 2020

With little to celebrate, it’s unlikely consumers will be reaching for the Champagne any time soon, but the category has weathered storms before, says Chris Losh.

Friday Read: Covid-19 set to devastate Champagne's recovery?

Published: 17 April, 2020

Like a staunch liberal and a UKIP voter forced by coronavirus to cohabit under one roof, Champagne has enjoyed a troubled – and complex - relationship with the UK of late. Both Nielsen and CGA Strategy have tracked falling demand for Champagne over the past few years in the UK; in the 12 months to December 2019, the total volume and value of Champagne sales fell by 5.8% and 4.9% respectively in the on-trade. Meanwhile, Nielsen figures indicate that Champagne sales in the Christmas period 2019 fell well short of expectations. It's hard to rally against statistical evidence - the figures do not lie.

Loire UK exports reach previous levels

Published: 09 April, 2020

Loire wine exports to the UK were up in the past year in both value and volume terms with the region, which had struggled to reach levels achieved in 2017, now levelling.

Sparkling dominates online wine searches

Published: 30 March, 2020

Nearly half of all wine-related online searches in the UK are for sparkling wine, according to new research from Italian wine specialists Independent Wine.

Ridgeview supports Hospitality Action

Published: 26 March, 2020

Ridgeview has pledged to support Hospitality Action via a new initiative that will see the Sussex winery donate £2 for every bottle of its sparkling wine sold online to the charity.

Xmas high-street sales falter but Majestic and Aldi thrive

Published: 07 January, 2020

Despite mixed results from the BWS sector over the Christmas trading period, some retailers were able to buck the trend.

Jerry Lockspeiser: The essential Christmas gift for every wine entrepreneur

Published: 20 December, 2019

About twenty years ago I tried to sell a sparkling wine from Italy that was almost unknown in the UK market. We were a significant supplier to the major retailers and worked closely with them on new product development ideas, from lesser known grape varieties, regions and countries, to new styles and packaging for better-known wines. My Italian sparkling wine was from a medium sized organic producer whose wines we had won listings for, but the buyers felt that it was not well known enough in our market and wouldn’t sell. It was, of course, Prosecco.