Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Wine GB ‘optimistic’ about 2026 harvest after heatwave summer

Published: 07 August, 2026

Wine GB has said that it is “optimistic” about the size and quality of the UK harvest, in response to speculation about this year’s crop.

Wine GB Conference: Renewed export drive for sparkling wines

Published: 03 August, 2026

There’s no doubt that the English and Welsh wine sector has been on quite a roll. Production, quality and positive perception have all continued to rise, helping fuel the optimistic buzz at this year’s Wine GB Conference in London. Convened around a central theme of building ‘resilience’ into the industry, delegates were reminded by Helen Brocklebank, CEO of luxury brands body Walpole, that the homegrown wine sector has upped in size by 69% over the past decade. And this despite the challenges of Brexit, Covid, various geopolitical crisis and ongoing cost of living issues.

Wine tourism: Rathfinny announces expansion of vineyard accommodation

Published: 27 July, 2026

Rathfinny Wine Estate has unveiled plans for a significant expansion of its on-site guest accommodation, following unanimous approval from the South Downs National Park Authority.

Wine GB Awards: Langham gains top gong again

Published: 17 July, 2026

At this year’s buzzy Wine GB Awards at Borough’s 10 Union St, Langham Wine Estate once again showed itself as a leading light in English winemaking taking home four prizes including both Supreme Champion and Best Producer.

Wine GB Awards medalists show strength of still and emerging diversity

Published: 17 June, 2026

The Wine GB Awards winners has been unveiled by the trade body, with still wine entries and medals surpassing sparkling for the second year on the trot.

Wine GB: Charlie Holland takes on chair role

Published: 27 May, 2026

Wine GB – the trade body representing UK wine – has announced the appointment of Charlie Holland as its new chair.

Wine GB launches regenerative viticulture guide in wider sustainability push

Published: 15 May, 2026

Trade body Wine GB has unveiled its latest guide, in partnership with the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation (RVF). The creation of its regenerative viticulture guide comes in response to a growing interest among its members regarding the farming practice.

WineGB appoints new head of partnerships role

Published: 14 April, 2026

WineGB has announced the appointment of Neil Walker to its new head of partnerships role, where he will support the organisation’s pursuit of partner growth.

Wine GB: UK had ‘exceptional’ harvest in 2025

Published: 25 March, 2026

To “celebrate the start of the growing season”, Wine GB has published its 2025 Harvest Report, showing that last year was “exceptional” for the British Isles.

Wine GB announces new head of communications and marketing role

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.

LWF approaches capacity on ‘Host Nation’ initiative

Published: 05 February, 2026

London Wine Fair (LWF) is approaching capacity on its inaugural Host Nation initiative, which was first announced in autumn.

Wine GB announces ‘vintage of outstanding quality’

Published: 18 December, 2025

UK wine trade association Wine GB has rounded off the year by announcing that the 2025 harvest was a “vintage of outstanding quality”, according to its voluntary annual survey of the sector.

Wine GB unveils Golden 50 Wine List

Published: 22 October, 2025

Trade body Wine GB has today announced the second edition of the Golden 50 Wine List. The 2025 list, launched in partnership with the Vineyard & Winery Show, highlights British wines that have won gold medals in 2025 across a slew of domestic and international competitions.

New chair, deputy chair and board members for Wine GB

Published: 18 August, 2025

Wine GB’s board has been boosted with the addition of new members in Charlie Holland, Michael Kennedy and Gary Smith, while it has appointed Nick Wenman (pictured) as interim chair and Ruth Simpson as interim deputy chair.

English and Welsh vineyard numbers continue to climb

Published: 28 July, 2025

Wine GB’s Industry Report 2025 shows that vineyard numbers in England and Wales have risen by 74 to 1,104 over the past year. There are also 25 newly registered wineries bringing the total to 238.

Vagabond to open ‘cathedral to wine’

Published: 25 July, 2025

Vagabond Wines is set to open what it says will be the UK’s largest urban winery at London’s Canada Water later this year.

Wine GB launches Sustainable Packaging Toolkit

Published: 02 June, 2025

Wine GB has launched a Sustainability Packaging Toolkit as part of World Environment Day on 5 June, to support sustainable action in vineyards and wineries.

Planning causing barriers to UK wine tourism, finds report

Published: 21 May, 2025

A report by planning and development consultancy Lichfields suggests that UK wine tourism’s potential is being held back by planning challenges.

Frost forecasting: tackling an age-old problem for vineyards

Published: 21 April, 2025

Spring is a joyous time of year but any vineyard operator will tell you it fills them with trepidation. Grape vines first exhibit bud burst at this time of year, a vital stage in the growth cycle. New shoots and green tips emerge on the vine, the very first signs of what will become a cluster of grapes. These nascent buds are also very vulnerable to frost damage, a particular concern in places such as the UK.

Vignerons urged to use Defra-backed tool tackling frost risk in UK vineyards

Published: 17 March, 2025

UK viticulturalists are being asked to sign up to and use a UK frost forecasting and management research tool which helps capture data from across the country by grape variety. The project is backed by Defra, WineGB and Plumtpon College.