Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Rebooting the on-trade

Published: 22 March, 2021

With reopening now in sight, Andrew Catchpole joined leading operators to discover what learnings from the past 12 months could help the recovery of their businesses.

Webinar to address the ‘existential’ on-trade staffing crisis

Published: 18 March, 2021

Robin Hutson, CEO of The Pig and Lime Wood hotels, Chantelle Nicholson, chef-patron of Tredwells and All's Well, and restaurateur Xavier Rousset MS are to headline a Staffing for Success webinar on Monday 22 March (3.30pm) on one of the biggest challenges facing the post-pandemic restaurant world.

Lambert and Beale take VI-1 fight onto Newsnight

Published: 18 March, 2021

Campaigning wine importer Daniel Lambert and the WSTA’s Miles Beale added further momentum to the wine trade’s calls to abolish the much-derided VI-1 forms during an appearance on the BBC’s flagship news programme on Wednesday eve.

Industry-supported 'blueprint' to support hospitality reopening

Published: 17 March, 2021

Members of the trade are being invited to have their say as part of a UK Hospitality (UKH) backed inquiry which aims to shore up long-term support for the on-trade once bars and restaurants reopen.

Think Insights day to deliver spirited agenda on drinks sector

Published: 15 March, 2021

Harpers and Drinks Retailing News readers are invited to join us for our Think Insights 2021 day of spirit-focused events on Wednesday 24 March.

Guy Woodward: Challenging the wine nerd herd

Published: 10 March, 2021

It’s when the first question about clone types crops up that I begin to despair; or a query as to the length of time the juice spent macerating on its own skins. Or – kill me now – the wine’s exact pH level.

Steven Spurrier passes away

Published: 09 March, 2021

Steven Spurrier, one of the most widely respected and liked people in the wine trade, has passed away.

Scotch whisky tariffs suspended

Published: 04 March, 2021

The US has lifted tariffs on Scotch whisky for four months as leaders enter into negotiations to put a long-term solution in place.

Discover why Canada is the new cool kid in town

Published: 25 February, 2021

With cooler climate wines and off-piste finds high on the agenda of many quality-focused buyers, Harpers is teaming up with the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom to host a webinar exploring the exciting potential of Canadian wines in the UK market.

Last call for SITT Digital Day

Published: 23 February, 2021

Independent buyers across the on- and off-trade have got just one day left to wait for the Specialist Importers Trade Tastings (SITT) virtual event.

Delayed on-trade reopening redoubles calls for support

Published: 23 February, 2021

The government’s roadmap for re-opening has brought little cheer for hospitality, with already financially-stricken restaurants, bars and pubs languishing towards the back of the queue.

Government backed loans pile on the debt for hospitality operators

Published: 16 February, 2021

Mounting debt for operators who’ve had no choice but to take on huge government-backed loans to stay afloat is creating an untenable pressure cooker situation for the trade, hospitality owners have said.

Bancroft Wines: The glass half full

Published: 16 February, 2021

With a raft of new producers folded into its portfolio, Bancroft’s Jon Worsley explains to Andrew Catchpole why he’s cautiously optimistic about the year ahead

Soapbox: Seeing red on Brexit

Published: 09 February, 2021

Cambridge Wine Merchants’ Hal Wilson calls for a united voice in the face of challenges posed to UK-EU trade by the Trade & Cooperation Agreement and the pointlessness of the dreaded VI-1 form

2021 Events guide

Published: 20 January, 2021

James Lawrence rounds up the highlights of the coming year’s events calendar

‘Tariff free’ trade continues to muddy the Brexit waters

Published: 20 January, 2021

The scrapping of lab tests for EU wine heading to the UK will save the wine industry tens of millions of pounds a year. However, the new trade deal between the EU and UK has thrown up new questions around how much cross border trade in 2021 is likely to cost, with EU wine travelling via GB to Northern Ireland and other parts of the EU now entering a no man’s land where it temporarily belongs to neither region.

Guy Woodward: Reasons to be cheerful(ish)

Published: 14 January, 2021

Four things I’m excited about in 2021…

Game on 2021: Hospitality needs to come out fighting fit

Published: 14 January, 2021

The new edition of Harpers, out today, will reach readers hot on the heels of a parliamentary debate on the need for the creation of a minister for hospitality role in UK government. Resulting from the success of the Seat at the Table petition launched by hotelier Robin Hutson, of The Pig group and (formerly) Hotel du Vin fame, the proposal gained “an overwhelmingly positive response from all corners”, as reported by Harpers.

That’s it for 2020: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Harpers

Published: 17 December, 2020

As we teeter on the edge of 2021, a new year and a fresh shot at health and prosperity for the drinks trade, Harpers would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas break in whatever form that takes this year.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Britain 2021 – Fear or opportunity?

Published: 17 December, 2020

As we come to the end of this extraordinary year and look towards the future, are we filled with feelings of fear or opportunity, or a strange mix of both?