Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

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.

Prosecco in the pink with parallel rosé trends

Published: 17 July, 2020

A sizeable uplift in rosé wine sales is forecasting a rosey outlook for ‘Pink Prosecco’ which is due to land on British shelves and in ice buckets as of January 2021.

Producers of Prosecco Superiore vote to reduce production

Published: 14 July, 2020

Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG this week approved a decision by its members to reduce the yields for the 2020 harvest to avoid over-supply.

All systems go for pink Prosecco

Published: 22 May, 2020

Prosecco DOC Rosé has now been enshrined in Italian law, meaning the trade can expect to see the first official ‘pink Proseccos’ hitting shelves in 2021.

UK demand for premium Prosecco doubles

Published: 05 May, 2020

Export volumes from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG to the UK doubled in 2019, according to the latest data from its Consorzio.

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.

WSTA in pan UK-EU talks to ensure GIs protected post Brexit

Published: 13 March, 2020

By January 2021, when Brexit comes into force, WSTA, the UK’s drinks lobby group, will no longer be a member of the pan-European wine trade body, CEEV. But ahead of further UK-EU trade talks, the two bodies are uniting once more to lobby for the continued smooth trade of wine across the English Channel.

Aldi strips out Prosecco duplicates for Cava

Published: 13 March, 2020

Aldi is aiming to bring more variety to its customers via rationalisation of its latest seasonal range which will see greater inclusion of more experimental styles and varietals.

Selling Italy in the off-trade

Published: 09 December, 2019

Justin Keay digs deep into Italy in the off-trade, taking his microscope to the supermarkets’ Italian ranges and discovering what indie customers are demanding from their local merchants.

Prosecco and Asti spearhead new EU-backed promotion of GI-designated quality produce

Published: 22 November, 2019

The heartland DOCGs of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, Asti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano have joined with producers from Provolone Valdpadana PDO, Mozzarella TSG and Olio Extravergine d’Oliva Toscana PGI for the launch of Enjoy European Quality Foods (EEQF).

Freixenet back on TV

Published: 29 October, 2019

Freixenet is on the campaign trail with its first TV campaign across prime-time TV in years.

Prosecco reports 2019 yields down but ‘exceptional quality’

Published: 29 October, 2019

Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG has declared the 2019 harvest of “exceptional quality”, but said yields were down between 3% to 5%.

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.

Friday read: How top end Prosecco can stay relevant in the face of ever changing consumer demands

Published: 11 October, 2019

Harpers sets out on the Prosecco trail to look at the region’s industrial expansion and to work out what a sustainable future looks like for the chronically popular Italian fizz

March of the crèmants

Published: 18 September, 2019

Over the past decade, the UK sparkling wine market has increasingly become a tale of two sparklers.

Prosecco’s new hue

Published: 12 September, 2019

A new Prosecco style is poised to launch, but has it already missed the boat? Giles Fallowfield weighs up the pink fizz’s chances

Ask an indie: Hal Wilson thinks pink

Published: 04 September, 2019

Everyone may be banging on about orange wine at the moment, but let’s face it, there’s only one colour that’s flying of the shelves at this time of year – pink

Producers optimistic of 2021 ‘launch’ for rosé Prosecco

Published: 26 July, 2019

When it comes to global wine trends Prosecco and rosé are both at the business end of the list, so when news from the Prosecco DOC Consortium began to filter through about a new rosé category for the famous Italian fizz the trade and customers alike got very excited.

UNESCO adds Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene as World Heritage Site

Published: 09 July, 2019

The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene has become the 55th Italian site to be added to the World Heritage register, UNESCO has announced.

Can premium Prosecco put the sparkle back into sales?

Published: 17 June, 2019

Sandro Bottega, owner and managing director of Bottega Spa, has refuted suggestions the UK has reached ‘peak Prosecco’ and insisted a “new era of Prosecco premiumisation” is on the way.