Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

San Pablo receives official GI status

Published: 12 November, 2019

Mendoza’s San Pablo has received official Geographical Indication (GI) approval.

Importers collective SPOT portfolio offers streamlined buying

Published: 17 September, 2019

Sometimes the best ideas are the most straight-forward ones; at least that’s the hope of Solano Peña-Lenzi from specialist wine importer Hispamerchants.

The new Argentine wine map

Published: 15 July, 2019

Sommelier and wine writer Alejandro Iglesias traces the efforts of winemakers working within the country’s rigid GI system to highlight Argentina’s unique terroirs.

Austral Patagonia: the march to the world's most southerly winery

Published: 08 July, 2019

Argentina used to have the most southern vineyards in the world until Central Otago surpassed them. However today, the cultivation of vine at latitude 45 in Chubut province adds to the Argentina’s viticultural map, representing a new challenge for winemakers working in the mountainous regions and also in the Patagonian plains. Here, Alejandro Iglesias breaks down the new southernmost border of Argentine wine.

Hatch Mansfield appointed as exclusive UK agent by Zuccardi for its Valle de Uco wines

Published: 13 May, 2019

Hatch Mansfield has been appointed as exclusive UK agent by Argentinian wine producer Familia Zuccardi for its Bodega Zuccardi Valle de Uco wines.

Bodegas Fabre reports “exceptional vintage”

Published: 01 May, 2019

Bodegas Fabre has said its 2019 vintage in Mendoza has benefitted from excellent conditions at its vineyards in the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo.

Santa Rita harvest reveals yields down, quality up

Published: 23 April, 2019

Santa Rita’s 2019 harvest has produced lower yields than normal but higher quality grapes, according to a report from the South American producer.

Doña Paula gains sustainability certification

Published: 10 April, 2019

Santa Rita producer Doña Paula has been certified as a sustainable winery.

Tim Atkin MW: Celebrating Creole

Published: 01 March, 2019

Compiling a list of the 10 best red and white grapes is an entertaining parlour game for consenting wine lovers. Should Chardonnay trump Riesling and Chenin Blanc? And what about Cabernet Sauvignon? Better or worse than Pinot Noir, Grenache or Nebbiolo? I’ve played this dozens of times around the world and the results differ more than you’d think. Yet some varieties never make the podium. There are more than 5,000 to choose from, but no one ever finds room for Aligoté, Dornfelder or Seyval Blanc.

Argentina currency collapse could boost premium wine exports.

Published: 11 October, 2018

In the last week of August there was more than a little flurry of activity for the emerging markets trading sector of Wall Street as the Argentinian peso collapsed yet again. Those in the UK and global wine trade tuned in to assess how this might affect the price and positioning of Argentina and its punter-pulling flagship Malbec.

Bodega Argento targets UK on-trade as it becomes Mendoza’s largest organic producer

Published: 11 October, 2018

Organic winemaking has gone mainstream in recent years as producers aim to keep abreast of health conscious and sustainability trends.

Tim Atkin MW: Critical times for Argentina

Published: 06 September, 2018

Every year at the end of my tour of Argentina, I sit down with Dr Nicolas Catena of Bodega Catena Zapata. He wants to talk about wine – new bodegas and regions, the latest vintage – while I want to talk about economics, his speciality. Before he became one of the leading figures in the Argentinian wine industry, Catena was a top academic and is still enormously perceptive.

Harpers Wine Stars goes live online

Published: 04 September, 2018

Our brand new website for Harpers Wine Stars has launched, making it easier than ever to be in with a chance of grabbing one of our fantastic buyer-focused awards.

Malbec rising

Published: 31 July, 2018

Far from suffering from its mass appeal, Argentina’s flagship grape is heading for the next level. Andrew Catchpole reports

Malbec pioneer Hervé J. Fabre brings varietal focus to the UK via Cahors

Published: 19 July, 2018

Hervé and Diane Joyaux Fabre, the driving force behind leading Argentinian bodega Viñalba, have secured their first UK listing since moving home to France last year.

Trivento TV partnership with Discovery Channel

Published: 06 April, 2018

Argentine wine brand Trivento has announced a new media partnership with Discovery Channel, to run from 6 April through December across four of the network’s outlets.

Wine gaucho Crozier urges UK to embrace second wave of niche Argentine wineries

Published: 09 March, 2018

Speaking at an Alternative Argentina tasting in London yesterday (8 March), Argentine wine expert Phil Crozier outlined the opportunities for the country to expand its offer with more focus on its diversity and smaller producers.

Behind the scenes: Varietal clones at one of Argentina’s biggest producers

Published: 10 November, 2017

Harpers caught up with pioneering winemaker Santiago Mayorga at Cadus – the premium arm of Nieto Senetiner, one of Argentina’s largest producers – who revealed his experimentation with Malbec clones for the first time.

Land and soil take centre stage at Argentina’s Barullo

Published: 20 October, 2017

Wines of Argentina broke away from Chile last year to trial its own format with Barullo. Now in its second year, the event is committed to showing this New World innovation train hasn’t run out of steam, and is on a mission to maintain cutting edge.