Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Bulk wine in choppy seas

Published: 22 March, 2024

Jo Gilbert looks at how bulk shippers are trying to calm the storm of global wine supply.

Wine bulks up in value

Published: 20 December, 2023

Following the World Bulk Wine Exhibition in Amsterdam, James Bayley catches up with the OIV to get the global view.

Waitrose battles carbon

Published: 18 December, 2023

Waitrose has put emphasis on bulk wine shipping as an important factor in reducing its carbon footprint. James Bayley reports.

WBWE 2023: Bulk and the path to Cop 28

Published: 24 November, 2023

As the global supply chain continues to operate in a state of flux, bulk shipping is becoming an increasingly attractive – and sustainable – proposition for wine businesses around the world… if only the required number of flexitanks and containers remain in operation.

UK wine rules: Getting the blend right

Published: 10 July, 2023

The government claims its new proposals will “put a rocket” under UK trade by enabling businesses to “blend” and “transform” bulk wine on home turf, though some say it will sound the death knell for wines of provenance. Jo Gilbert wades in.

Villa Maria embraces bulk in drive to cut emissions

Published: 07 June, 2023

The Indevin Group, owners of New Zealand brand Villa Maria, has announced plans to ship a selection of its wines to the UK in bulk. They will then be bottled by the firm Encric, at its plant in Cheshire.

Boutique Bulk

Published: 20 March, 2023

Bulk is going boutique and both trade and consumers are the winners. Andrew Catchpole assesses this planet and margin-friendly option.

Building on bulk

Published: 12 December, 2022

With economic and environmental credentials to the fore, bulk wine is taking an increasingly premium turn, as Andrew Catchpole discovers at WBWE.

The endless benefits of bulk

Published: 22 August, 2022

Levi’s and Lego; Marc Jacobs and Snoopy; Gucci and a TikTok trainspotter. These are just some of the unlikely collaborations between brands we’ve seen in recent years. The world of retail is a volatile market, made more uncertain by Covid and near-deserted high streets, but one trend is keeping things alive and has engaged the younger generation in particular – cross-brand products.

Friday read: Why bulk is the hot ticket in the face of climate change

Published: 15 July, 2022

In a rapidly warming world the wine industry needs to modernise and that means embracing bulk, argues Richard Lloyd, general manager at The Park, Europe’s largest wine packaging facility.

Bulk wine goes with the tide

Published: 16 March, 2022

Bulk wine has been on a major journey over the past two years. Thanks to accelerated favourable perceptions around sustainability, an updated mindset seems to be in evidence in global markets as the acceptability of container shipping shores up the belief that ‘bulk’ is the way to save on both environmental and commercial costs.

Bulk wine navigates rough waters

Published: 04 May, 2021

How have Covid-19 and Brexit affected the bulk wine business? Lucy Britner talks to producers around the world about the benefits of bulk and the challenges the past 12 months have brought

Spanish bulk wine exports collapse

Published: 07 September, 2020

Bulk wine exports from Spain plummeted during the Covid-19 crisis, according to data from the Bulk Wine Club.

Lanchester launches ‘enhanced service’ to support indies

Published: 14 April, 2020

Lanchester Wines has launched a specialist service to help support indies during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Q&A: David Gill MW, Kingsland Drinks

Published: 02 March, 2020

With carbon emissions increasingly under scrutiny, Kingsland’s resident MW and head of specialist sales & wine development, tells Andrew Catchpole about enlightening the trade on bulk shipping and premium wines with less environmental impact

Lanchester adds High Side to ‘boutique bulk’ range

Published: 27 January, 2020

Lanchester Wines has expanded its range of ‘boutique bulk’ wines with the exclusive UK launch of High Side - a high altitude single vineyard Malbec.

Bulk savings

Published: 02 September, 2019

Importing wine into the UK in bulk used to be all about saving money. Now it’s about saving the planet, too, as Simon Jack reports.

Half of China's middle class population drinks imported wine

Published: 01 August, 2019

Despite falling wine import volumes, China continues to mature as a market, according to the latest country report from Wine Intelligence.

Bulk selling in a digital world

Published: 19 February, 2019

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

Premium and new formats offer big opportunities for bulk wine market

Published: 28 November, 2018

With the global 2018 harvests bringing the world’s wine supply back into greater balance, the market is evolving to allow greater fluidity in supply, to the benefit of premium bulk players and smaller volume buyers, with differing formats cited as key to future consumer engagement and sales.