Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

National Hospitality Day returns for second edition

Published: 29 June, 2022

A landmark event pioneered in 2021 will return to the UK this year, uniting a diverse cross-section of businesses in the hospitality sector.

Headline Hero: Labels for change and Most Wanted Wines

Published: 25 February, 2022

Design linking the liquid in the bottle to a worthy cause has reached a new level, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Connected packaging could become 'main' marketing bridge to customers

Published: 03 February, 2022

More and more brands are using QR codes and smartphone apps to transform simple packaging into digital experiences.

Laithwaites launches new Sicilian label packaged in 'wild' glass

Published: 25 January, 2022

Online retailer Laithwaites has enhanced its sustainability credentials with the release of W/O (standing for 'without') Frappato 2020, an organic Sicilian red housed in ‘wild’ glass – claiming a UK first for wine.

Connected packaging revs up

Published: 07 January, 2022

At any one time, there are an average of seven trillion pieces of packaging in the world. The opportunities offered by technology to engage with consumers via the bottle are only just getting started, says Jo Gilbert.

Late-night sector reacts to passport ‘shambles’ in Scotland

Published: 04 October, 2021

The Scottish late-night sector has labelled the introduction of Covid passports, which came into force on Friday 1 October, as a “shambles”.

Full on-trade reopening widely tipped for 19 July

Published: 05 July, 2021

QR codes and test and trace, compulsory mask-wearing and the one metre rule are all likely to go in England on 19 July, allowing pubs, bars and restaurants to operate at full capacity and their customers to mingle freely.

Chianti Classico Collection offers taster of ‘new normal’ for events to come

Published: 24 May, 2021

In many ways London’s first significant regional wine event of 2021 bore all the familiar, pre-pandemic hallmarks of a regular Spring tasting. Heading to the India Room at The Oval, transport ran predictably late and the weather was so awful that wind and rain stopped play between Middlesex and Surrey just as Harpers entered the glass-sided cricket viewing gallery-come-tasting room.

Rioja plays a starring role in Cune’s first UK campaign

Published: 20 April, 2021

Hatch Mansfield has announced the launch of its first UK marketing campaign for Spanish label Cune, which will hone in on the brand’s Spanish heritage while promoting their range of Riojas.

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.

New on-trade revenue streams likely to remain post-pandemic

Published: 04 March, 2021

Retail is likely to remain firmly in the mix for many hospitality operators, even once the pandemic recedes.

Long Read: Does sustainability sell? The new factors driving purchaser decision-making

Published: 28 September, 2020

Drawing on data from a recent survey of over 500 wine and spirits drinkers, Callum Saunders, head of planning at brand activation marketing agency Zeal Creative, shows how that focus on sustainability is increasing, not decreasing, as a result of the pressures of Covid.