Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

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.

Aldi picks Lyme Bay for first own-brand English fizz

Published: 09 December, 2019

Aldi has chosen the Dorset-based Lyme Bay Winery to produce an English sparkling wine for its premium ‘Exquisite Collection’.

Cava Discovery Week aims to get consumers drinking “better cava”

Published: 14 November, 2019

"The future’s about quality” is the tag line for a new campaign which is looking to reinstate Cava’s premium position in the UK market.

Harpers to host sparkling wine discussion at Bellavita

Published: 17 October, 2019

Harpers editor Andrew Catchpole will host a roundtable on sparkling wines at Mediterranean food and wine fair Bellavita next week.

Nyetimber Releases second vintage of its 1086 prestige cuvée

Published: 23 September, 2019

Nyetimber has today released the 2010 vintage of its prestige cuvée, 1086, marking the second release of 1086 following the 2009 vintage launched last year.

Prestige Champagne fizzes as sub-£20 falls

Published: 29 August, 2019

Research has shown that Champagne is experiencing continued uplift at the premium end of the spectrum, with brands leading the category to a higher average price per bottle.

English sparkling encouraged to tap into “moderation, local, and craft” as sales dip

Published: 28 August, 2019

A new report has suggested that English sparkling wine ticks all the right boxes to help reverse something of a slump in sales of sparkling wine over the past year – the first time this has happened in a decade.