Italian wines have always remained popular in the UK, with Italy regularly topping lists of wine imports by volume. As many of these importers note, this is reflected in the continued performance of the category across several key areas – particularly when it comes to more upmarket wines. Clearly, the enduring trend of premiumisation plays a role here, and especially in the on-trade, where curious consumers are looking to explore the diversity that Italy has on offer. Particularly, indigenous grapes are enjoying their time in the sun, from the re-emergence of Timorasso and Dolcetto to the more obscure (Maceratino, for example).
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Former Wines of South Africa (WoSA) UK team – Jo Wehring (pictured, left) and Claudia Pritchard (pictured, right) – have announced their next venture: a new marketing agency named WineWorks Studio.
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Spirits distributor Amber Beverage UK has announced the appointment of Selene Cakmak-Rathee (pictured, left) as marketing director and Nick Duncan (pictured, right) as UK sales director.
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Published: 13 April, 2026
Leading English wine producer Chapel Down has launched the ‘Taste of England’, a competition aimed at celebrating the next generation of English chefs.
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Published: 07 April, 2026
Speaking from Denomination’s NYC HQ, Hamish Campbell runs Andrew Catchpole through spirits’ need to ‘find their Champagne moment’.
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Published: 18 March, 2026
Kirsty Rushby has been appointed in the newly created role of head of communications and marketing for trade body Wine GB.
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Published: 04 February, 2026
Rather like climate change and sustainability themselves, the recent fifth edition of Tasting Climate Change in Montreal was complex, dense with information, covering so much ground, from so many angles, that it was difficult to summarise into one simple thread. One prominent panellist – a journalist – even quipped “I’m having a heart attack just thinking about how I write all of this up”, given the viticultural, winemaking, packaging, distribution, retailing and post-consumption issues that were explored. Harpers will be covering some of those topics in this spring’s Sustainability Report, but as a taster (and mindful of that comment), one important aspect that was raised was that of consumer communication, from both trade and press.
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Published: 25 November, 2025
Assume you are the producer or distributor of a new wine. You think the wine looks great, tastes even better and offers terrific value. You want it to sell well to its target market for many years. What do you think is the essential factor to make this dream become reality?
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Published: 17 September, 2025
As businesses increasingly embrace elements of AI to enhance their efficiency and performance, the Harpers team invited our trade readership to take a survey to help build a picture of uptake in the drinks world.
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Many in the drinks world, due to its global nature, collect ‘air miles’ through various schemes, occasionally upgrading their cabin or saving up to kick-start a welcome vacation. But few, perhaps, give much thought to the link between flying and wine, beyond having the odd glass with dinner at 39,000ft. For a growing number of ‘ordinary’ frequent fliers, however, BA has emphatically strengthened that link with its The Wine Flyer programme, most recently taking the form of an inaugural The Wine Flyer Avios Experience trip to San Sebastian and La Rioja.
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I’m going to come right out and admit it. I’ve worked in the wine world for 22 years now, and I still don’t really understand malolactic fermentation. I know what it is, in principle. I even know roughly what it does. But how it works or how you stop it? Not a scooby…
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I used to love Wine Twitter. In those early days, it was such a vibrant place: issues debated, introductions made; previously untapped insights and articles uncovered; consumers and commentators exchanging views with winemakers and business leaders in an international, interactive forum.
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Published: 29 October, 2024
Carte Blanche has welcomed wine industry professional Ruth Spivey to their team on a part-time basis to oversee sales across the south east and support marketing efforts.
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Published: 14 October, 2024
Armit Wines is investing in new staff as part of its five-year strategy to build on its recent turnaround.
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Published: 06 September, 2024
New data has revealed the precarious business of investing in celebrity backed brands; for while they tend to outperform their total category, celebrity involvement doesn’t always guarantee success.
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During the 1990’s my business sold millions of bottles of great value Hungarian wines to the UK’s supermarkets. The wines were made under the guidance of a young Australian winemaker whose hands on approach ensured they bristled with ripe fruit flavours. Retailing at the equivalent of £6-£8 at today’s prices they went down a storm in the high-volume part of the burgeoning wine market.
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Published: 01 December, 2023
Chris Jeffreys, creative director at Love agency, argues there’s no room for complacency with high-end brands in this era of high inflation.
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Published: 10 August, 2023
Michael Goldstein, entrepreneur and founder of prosecco.com, questions whether celebrity investment in the booze business is all it’s cracked up to be.
Celebrity status is lighting up the spirits, wine and cocktail scene, with A-list faces trading scripts for spirits and couture for wine cellars. A stroll down the drinks aisle can now sometimes feel like a walk down the red carpet, with famous names backing many labels. But stardom does not necessarily guarantee long-term success for a beverage brand.
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Published: 28 April, 2022
The Portman Group has launched a new online training programme on responsible marketing specifically for smaller producers and start-ups.
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Published: 03 February, 2022
More and more brands are using QR codes and smartphone apps to transform simple packaging into digital experiences.
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