Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Australian UK wine exports continue to rise

Published: 29 April, 2021

Australian wine exports to the UK continued to rise in the last 12 months, with both value and volume in double-digit growth.

Bordeaux trading rises on US tariff suspension ahead of 2020 EP campaign

Published: 19 April, 2021

Market sentiment towards Bordeaux is “showing signs of recovery” as this year’s En Primeur campaign swings around, according to the Liv-ex members’ Bordeaux report released today.

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.

Long read: It’s time for a France re-think

Published: 04 February, 2021

Rowena Curlewis, CEO of drinks design specialist Denomination, tells us why she thinks French wine brands could afford to up the ‘badass’ design stakes when marketing overseas.

US Scotch whisky tariffs “unsustainable” as losses hit £500m

Published: 02 February, 2021

The impact of tariffs on Scotch whisky exports to the US is “unsustainable” as losses for the sector have hit £500m, according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

UK to suspend US tariffs in hope of relief on Scotch exports post-Brexit

Published: 09 December, 2020

The UK is to suspend existing EU-imposed import tariffs on a slew of US products as Brexit transition comes to an end on 1 January, with the hope that a reciprocal move will see harsh US duties on Scotch lifted.

Lawmakers line up worldwide to protest China’s Oz wine tax

Published: 02 December, 2020

A group of over 200 MPs and other legislators from 19 countries have launched a campaign against China’s swingeing new tariffs on Australian wine.

Miles Beale: Trade deal will be within the week or not at all

Published: 25 November, 2020

Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) chief executive Miles Beale has said that the UK is likely to get ‘something or nothing’ in terms of a trade deal over the coming week, while insisting that a ‘deal is still better than no deal at all’.

SWA calls on whisky fans to urge government to ‘call time on tariffs’

Published: 20 July, 2020

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has launched a campaign urging whisky lovers to write to their MPs underlining the damage that US tariffs are causing to the Scotch whisky industry and asking them to “urge the government to call time on tariffs”.

Wine tariffs to remain after Brexit transition period ends

Published: 19 May, 2020

Tariffs will remain in place on wines imported into the UK after the current Brexit transition period ends.

Coronavirus and US tariffs uncertainty hit Bordeaux's share of trade

Published: 17 February, 2020

Bordeaux’s share of trade fell to a record low last week with sales hit by Coronavirus and US tariffs uncertainty.

Trump's tariffs provide bump for Italian wines

Published: 06 February, 2020

Wine tariffs introduced as part of a transatlantic dispute on aeronautics have provided something of a boost for Italy on the secondary market, with the value of the country’s top wines increasing by an average of 12.5% during 2019 on a leading UK platform.

US and UK whisky industries demand action on tariffs

Published: 29 January, 2020

Whisky industry bodies on both sides of the Atlantic have issued a joint call for their respective governments to stop using tariffs on whisky as a proxy battle in unrelated trade disputes.

Trump trade truce puts US tariffs on French wine on hold

Published: 22 January, 2020

The USA’s threat of slapping 100% tariffs on US$2.4 billion worth of French imports including wine and Champagne seems to have been put on hold after the countries’ leaders announced a ceasefire on Twitter.

US tariffs boost trade in old Cognac

Published: 11 December, 2019

US tariffs on wine and whisky are driving the market in Cognac, a leading UK supplier has revealed.

Trump versus France spat intensifies with threat of 100% wine tariffs

Published: 03 December, 2019

Tariffs on French wine entering the US could be subjected to 100% tariffs, authorities have warned, following an investigation into whether a new technology tax in France unfairly targets American companies.

Johnson urges Trump to lift tariffs on Scotch

Published: 06 November, 2019

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged US President Donald Trump to lift tariffs on Scotch whisky.

SWA in crisis meeting with govt as tariff deadline looms

Published: 17 October, 2019

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is to meet secretary of state for trade Liz Truss later today to demand government action on the threatened US tariffs on Scotch.

MPs demand government action on US Scotch tariffs

Published: 08 October, 2019

Scottish MPs have demanded that Boris Johnson speaks directly to US president Donald Trump to avert the imposition of 25% import tariffs on Scotch.

Thousands of US jobs at risk if drinks tariffs imposed

Published: 06 August, 2019

Nearly 80,000 jobs in the US drinks sector could go if the US government targets wine and spirits in its tariff dispute with the EU, the industry has warned.