B.f.t plays hardball with visitors via individual vetting process

Visitors to yesterday’s Big Fortified Tasting would have all undergone a basic background checks, Harpers has learned.

Jeroboams and Rick Stein raise £5,000 toast to The Benevolent

Jeroboams, Château d’Yquem and Rick Stein have raised an impressive charitable sum thanks to an experimental evening pairing fine wines of Bordeaux with the "best of British” seafood.

Sales of English and Welsh wine double in 2018

The English and Welsh wine industry produced a record-breaking amount of wine last year thanks to a frost-free spring and a long, mostly dry summer.

Portman group tackles ‘offensive marketing’ in sixth code of practice

UK alcohol regulator the Portman Group has updated its packaging and promotional guidance for society’s evolving standards, including a new rule around ‘offence’.

Thc could replace abv as consumers look to cannabis for an “intoxicating buzz”

Experts have warned that alcoholic drinks is the FMCG category most likely to be under threat from cannabis, which will be at the heart of a “global paradigm shift” over the next decade.

Bulk selling in a digital world

The launch of a new trading platform for the drinks trade promises to disrupt existing business models. Jo Gilbert investigates

Looking ahead: Miles McInnes, Jascots Wine Merchants

Once again we are catching up with the trade over the next few weeks to find out how businesses are making the most of the all-important Christmas trading period, while also looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities 2019 will bring.

Missed opportunity: What a rise with inflation means for the UK wine trade

Pub landlords and spirits importers will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning, but not the nation’s wine trade – which is looking at an extra £90 million bill in duty next year.

Guy Woodward: Nyetimber’s gift to the industry

Guy Woodward, Louis Roederer International Wine Columnist of the Year 2018

Things hotting up for English wine following record-breaking summer

Producers are calling 2018’s harvest the “harvest of the century” after unusually warm climes descended on Britain this summer and autumn.

UK winemakers lobby government to scrap “damaging” planned tax rises

Winemakers in England and Wales have banded together to try and convince the government to rethink plans for a duty hike that could hamper exports and stifle growth.

Industry urged to better market English sparkling as poll shows 85% British consumers ‘don’t have a clue’

British consumers are ‘clueless’ when it comes to English sparkling wine, a survey has revealed.

Molson Coors chases the buzz with joint marijuana venture

Molson Coors is the latest mega-brewer to announce plans to make hybrid beverages with one of Canada’s leading cannabis producers, further signalling the march of smoke products into the alcoholic sector.

Flexibility and confidence key for advancing women in wine

Offering flexibility and encouragement, and supporting women-owned business were key to advancing women in the wine industry, the Women of the Vine & Spirits’ inaugural London symposium revealed.

Bibendum opens doors on new wine academy scheme

Drinks merchant Bibendum has kicked off a new academy scheme to give newcomers to the industry the chance to gain hands on experience in the wine trade.

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Sommelier 2018 revealed

The UK arm of leading international gastronomic body Chaîne des Rôtisseurs GB has announced its Young Sommelier 2018.

Q&A: Chris Yorke, global marketing director, New Zealand Wine Growers

As NZ continues to deliver strong premium growth in the UK, Andrew Catchpole asks Chris Yorke about the challenges of keeping up the momentum.

New government food and drink council to secure global trade

Industry calls on Chancellor for duty help

Trade associations have called on Chancellor Philip Hammond not to increase duty rates for the second time in a year.

LWF reveals spotlight on UK drinks

The London Wine Fair is making moves to champion home-grown and produced drinks with a new Drinks Britannia section.