Oxford Wine Company signs deal to be exclusive UK importer of Downton Abbey wines

Ted Sandbach of the Oxford Wine Company has become the exclusive UK importer for a special Downton Abbey range of wines, created by French producer, Les Grands Chais de France.

CBI reports strong and growing retail sales figures

Further signs the economy is recovering come today with the latest CBI retail figures that show volumes have grown solidly in the year to July and that retailers expect future sales to be even stronger through the summer.

Reno Wine launches returnable bottle shop concept in Wymondham

Reno Wine opened its doors in Wymondham on 18 July, and owner Chris White has already had to place extra orders to meet customer demand.

YouGov poll: public profiles of Aldi and Lidl have never been stronger

The public appeal and profile of hard discounters, Aldi and Lidl, has never been stronger, according to the results of a YouGov poll.

Marks & Spencer's Japanese wine is going down well with shoppers

The first Japanese wine to be listed by a UK supermarket has proved popular with shoppers at larger Marks & Spencer (M&S) stores. Sol Lucet Koshu was launched in May in limited quantities, retails at £12.99 for 750ml, and has an abv of 11.5%. Sales have been 'really good', M&S told Harpers.

Tesco to replace chief executive, Philip Clarke, with outsider from Unilever

Morrisons UK crowdsourced Rosemount Estates wine to be released

Morrisons and Treasury Wine Estates' Rosemount Estate brand will release their crowdsourced blend at the end of this month.

Spanish wines hit shelves at rock bottom prices to clear stock

Spanish wines will start hitting shelves at rock bottom prices of below £3.99 as exports drop by 3% in value despite increasing by 17% in volume.

Total World Cup drinks sales reach £1.1billion despite fading interest in final weeks

Final drinks sales for the World Cup reveal that overall beers, wines and spirits were up by £15.1 million for the five weeks of the tournament to top £1.1 billion.

Berry Bros & Rudd and Roberson win Independent Merchants of the year at IWC 2014

Berry Bros & Rudd and Roberson Wine were named Large and Small Independent Merchant of the Year at last night's International Wine Challenge awards dinner. 

Tesco ramps up Finest range in response to consumers

Tesco customers' calls for increased variety in its Finest wine range were answered this week as the supermarket added seven new wines - including a Riesling from Slovenia. 

M&S named Supermarket of the Year by International Wine Challenge for second year running

Marks & Spencer has claimed the International Wine Challenge Supermarket of the Year award for the second year running.

Halfwine.com looks to crowdfunding to finance expansion

Halfwine.com, which specialises in selling 37.5cl bottles of wine, is looking to raise £30,000 in exchange for 15% of the company in order to drive the next phase in its development.

England's failure results in poor World Cup for beer and cider brands

Later kick off times and England's poor performance combined to have a knock-on effect on what were disappointing sales of beers and lagers during the first half of the World Cup, according to the latest Nielsen data.

Setting the record straight: Pernod Ricard UK says fake wine reports are two years old

Pernod Ricard has issued a media statement refuting stories run by the Daily Mail, the Metro, The Independent, The Mirror and The Times in recent days that named Jacob's Creek as one of the wine brands that are on sale in some local off-licences that could be counterfeit and potentially harmful. 

Your chance to enter and nominate brands for the Harpers Global Design Awards

If you have seen or worked with an exciting new drinks in the last 12 months then you can now nominate them to receive special recognition in the Harpers Global Design Awards.

Tesco Wine Fairs set to attact 15,000 visitors to shows this autumn

Tesco Wine Fairs are set to return this coming autumn at five locations throughout the UK, including a switch to Earls Court in London to cope with the expected increase in visitors.

World Cup drinks sales to top £1bn but dry up as tournament reaches its end

As we enter the final stage of the World Cup it seems the great British public is ready to put down its pint glass as well as turn off the football on television.

The Wine Chambers: bringing quality wine to the north east

Ben Chambers, owner of The Wine Chambers stores in Tynemouth and North Shields, talks about the difficulty of buying quality wine in the north east, the superiority of bottled-at-source wine and what keeps customers returning.

Calling all drinks businesses: share your Responsibility Deal successes

Following this week's public backing of the drinks industry by the government for the work it has done to comply with the Responsibility Deal, Harpers is now giving drinks businesses the chance to share and publicise the efforts they have made.