Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

UK still ‘litmus test’ as global benchmark for wine brands

Published: 28 January, 2019

The UK market continues to be the shop window for the world of wine, with the on-trade driving premium sales.

Distell names new premium wine company

Published: 15 January, 2019

South African juggernaut Distell has officially announced the launch of its new premium wine division which will go by the name Libertas Vineyards and Estates.

Premium wines push strong performance from E&J Gallo

Published: 06 December, 2018

E&J Gallo has reported a “successful” 2018 thanks to a strong performance by wines from its premium portfolio.

Distell to launch fine wine division

Published: 14 November, 2018

African wine, spirits and cider giant Distell is set to launch a new premium wine division with Nederburg as its flagship, Harpers can reveal.

Guy Woodward: Who’s gonna make wine woke?

Published: 06 November, 2018

Columnists are meant to have opinions. They’re meant to have answers. But there is one aspect of wine that I am at a loss to fathom. And that is the location of wine’s cool. Where is it? Who’s got it? Because no matter how you try to spin it, wine is simply not hip. It is not sick. And it is most certainly not, my homies, woke.

Europe ups its craft game as new leader of NPD

Published: 06 November, 2018

Europe is reclaiming its reputation as the hub of the beer world as it overtakes the US as the biggest driver of NPD in the craft segment. Jo Gilbert looks at the re-emergence of the world’s oldest beer market.

Pernod Ricard looks to Canada for latest premium gin

Published: 02 November, 2018

Pernod Ricard UK is further expanding the top end of its gin portfolio with leading Canadian brand Ungava.

Premium spirits worth 40% more to the on-trade at Christmas

Published: 17 August, 2018

The shift to premium spirits has happened and is here to stay, opening up a multimillion pound opportunity for the UK’s bars and restaurants this festive season.

Fever-Tree puts the UK at the forefront of premium and healthy drinking trends

Published: 24 July, 2018

Fever-Tree continues to gain ground in the UK and the US as the trend for premiumisation and healthy long drinks continues worldwide.

Morgenrot bolsters Spanish spirits range as gin continues to soar

Published: 17 July, 2018

Morgenrot is the latest company to expand its gin selection – this time with five new premium gins from juniper-loving nation, Spain.

Brexit pushed Californian wine price up by a fifth

Published: 27 June, 2018

The average price of Californian wine imported to the European Union surged by nearly a fifth in the year of the Brexit vote, analysis by Harpers reveals.

Premium territory

Published: 14 June, 2018

Wine is helping to drive a modest return to growth in global alcohol consumption, according to new data from IWSR, which identified an uplift in total global alcohol sales of 3.5 million 9-litre cases in 2017 over 2016 levels.

Europe leads private label premiumisation

Published: 25 April, 2018

The quality of private label wines are on the up – and Europe is leading the pack.

Liberty Wines' premium on-trade report has its eye on the high ground

Published: 16 April, 2018

In an exclusive Harpers preview, Liberty Wines has shared its upcoming Premium On-trade Wine Report, identifying where growth opportunities still lie. Andrew Catchpole picks out the highlights

Bacardi goes Back to the Bar

Published: 30 March, 2018

Last month, 5,500 Bacardi employees left their desks and headed to their local haunt for the inaugural Back to the Bar initiative. Jo Gilbert finds out more

Maxxium UK rebrands in a bid to clarify market position

Published: 14 March, 2018

Maxxium UK, the UK’s sales and distribution arm of global companies Beam Suntory and Edrington has undergone an enormous period of change since 2009, when the head office of its global brand owners – then a mix of Edrington, Beam, Rémy Cointreau and former Absolut owner VMS – folded.

Average on-trade red bottle price rises £8 in a year thanks to premium upswing

Published: 05 January, 2018

Wine prices have seen significant upward movement in the on-trade, new research suggests, with red in particular receiving a generous boost from a rise in premium listings.

Pushing premium

Published: 11 December, 2017

With punters going out less but spending more when they do, the key to unlocking and maximising sales lies in activating the potential of the drinks portfolio. Here Enotria & Coe shares exclusive new insights into wine and spirits in the on-trade, helping operators identify the key trends

Mezcal and English sparkling tipped as the top tipples for 2018

Published: 24 November, 2017

Rising popularity of premium Languedoc Rousillion, Tequila and Mezcal as well as soaring sales of English sparkling have puts these tipples at the head of the race to be named some of the top trends for 2018.

Global Drinks Forum: a taste of future on-trade trends

Published: 13 November, 2017

Immersive experiences, category blur and premium drinks were hot topics at the recent Global Drinks Forum in Berlin, where the trends shaping the on-trade were put under the spotlight.