Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Oxford Wine Company splits operations

Published: 12 March, 2026

Independent merchant The Oxford Wine Company has announced that it is splitting the retail and wholesale sides of its business into separate companies.

Paris panel: The tariff rollercoaster

Published: 09 March, 2026

“This is not about UK vs EU vs US – it is industry vs government.” So said the typically measured Miles Beale, chief executive of the UK’s Wine & Spirit Trade Association, speaking on a panel entitled Tariffs: The Spirits Industry Under Pressure at Wine Paris.

Campari defies market trends and posts strong 2025 performance

Published: 05 March, 2026

Italian drinks company Campari Group has unveiled its 2025 financial results (year ending 31 December). The 2.4% organic sales growth seen during the year contrasts to other drinks giants which have struggled in recent times.

Henkell Freixenet secures 100% ownership of Freixenet

Published: 04 March, 2026

Sparkling wine giant Henkell Freixenet has unveiled it now has full ownership of Freixenet SA, becoming its sole shareholder.

Enotria: Jobs at risk as importer puts 50 employees into consultation

Published: 26 February, 2026

Majestic-owned wine importer Enotria is set to put the roles of 50 employees into consultation. This represents around one-in-five of the Park Royal-headquartered firm’s workforce.

Tariff update: Uncertainty for domestic wine and spirits producers

Published: 23 February, 2026

Following the striking down of Trump’s tariff regime by the Supreme Court, the US president announced on Saturday (21 February) that he would introduce a global tariff rate of 15%. This could provide yet another headache for UK drinks exporters who may see duties on products travelling across the pond rise.

Jerry Lockspeiser: 10 questions that bedevil the wine sector

Published: 19 February, 2026

One grey February morning our tasting team were ploughing through a bench of wines. Our task was a familiar one to many Harpers readers – to decide which, if any, might be suitable to add to our range.

Treasury Wine Estates hit with $649m AUD loss in H1

Published: 16 February, 2026

Australian industry giant Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has posted significant losses for the first half of its financial year – $649m (all money figures detailed in AUD). This comes after settling its dispute with US distributor RNDC earlier this month and most significantly the writing down of the value of its US business in November of last year.

Ridgeview acquired by consortium led by Quantum Beverage Co

Published: 12 February, 2026

Sussex wine producer Ridgeview Wine Estate has announced that it has been acquired by an investor consortium – QBRidge Ltd – led by Quantum Beverage Co (QBev).

Rioja: Region’s second largest co-op set to become LLC

Published: 03 December, 2025

Bodegas Sonsierra, the 500ha producer from the Rioja Alta’s San Vicente de la Sonsierra, is set to transition its ownership model from cooperative to limited liability company (LLC).

Former Tesco chief Dave Lewis announced as Diageo CEO

Published: 10 November, 2025

Drinks giant Diageo has unveiled its new chief executive with Sir Dave Lewis taking the helm at the company. The new hire will commence his role from 1 January 2026.

Pub insolvencies on rise as cost pressures take toll

Published: 03 November, 2025

Pub insolvencies saw a marked increase during Q2 and Q3 of 2025, reversing a tentative recovery seen earlier this year. According to accountancy firm Price Bailey, 219 pubs entered insolvency in Q2, followed by 189 in Q3. Q1 saw 161 establishments not able to pay their debts.

Virgin Wines: Revenue stable with earnings down slightly

Published: 22 October, 2025

Online wine retailer Virgin Wines has released its results for FY25. For the period ending 28 June 2025, the business saw revenues remain stable at £59m (FY24: £59m) with earnings slightly down.

The spectre of rogue on-trade closures

Published: 13 October, 2025

A recent string of restaurant closures associated with chef Victor Garvey has revealed the potential for improvement in the wine trade to avoid being stung by rogue actors.

The Fladgate Partnership’s table wine turn

Published: 08 October, 2025

The growth in exports of Portuguese wines to the UK over the past 10 years has been nothing less than remarkable. According to data from Wines of Portugal, the overall volume of Portuguese wine sales to the UK almost doubled between 2015 and 2024, rising from 9.6m litres to just shy of 16.9m. Over the same period, the value growth has been even more impressive jumping from just under €21.5m (£18.8m) to well over double that figure at €48.5m (£42.3m). This growth did not go unnoticed at one of Portugal’s most well-known drinks producers – the Fladgate Partnership. In a first for a company whose flagship product Taylor’s Port dates back over 330 years, the producer added table wine to its portfolio in August 2023 after acquiring Ideal Drinks, taking ownership of estates in Bairrada, the Vinho Verde and the Dão.

LWC’s shifting focus to wine

Published: 06 October, 2025

Two quite quirky facts about LWC come as a bit of a surprise, not least given the scale and success of what has grown over 45 years to become the UK’s largest independent drinks wholesaler. The first is that the company was born in – or at least because of – a pub in Edale, Derbyshire, initially being set up to self-supply drinks to the satisfaction of The Old Nag’s Head’s new owner and others like him. The second is that LWC simply stands for Licensed Wholesale Company, with founder (and pub owner) Robin Gray clearly not overly concerned about creating a market-slick name. This, though, is a company that clearly ‘does what it says on the tin’, and from those modest origins still continues to grow.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Are wine suppliers supporting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine?

Published: 03 October, 2025

Many things have surprised me during 40 years in the wine business. Sometimes this was due to my naivety or ignorance. Sometimes it was the amazing abilities, creativity or kindness of others. And sometimes, alas, the mendacity or dishonesty of bad actors.

Soapbox: Inheritance conundrum

Published: 01 October, 2025

New tax rules are putting businesses in a complex and puzzling situation while simultaneously threatening their survival, says Caroline Cleary, director, Lanchester Wines.

Hallgarten appoints Julien Lever to new head of operations role

Published: 30 September, 2025

Wine importer Hallgarten & Novum Wines has announced the hiring of Julien Lever to the newly created role of head of operations.

The Wine Society: Alex Turnbull appointed head of fine wine

Published: 29 September, 2025

The Wine Society has announced the appointment of Alex Turnbull to the newly created role of head of fine wine. He joins the merchant in January 2026.