Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Cork’s march to ascendancy

Published: 25 February, 2021

Having removed much of the taint of TCA to cork’s reputation, the classic stopper continues to establish itself as a benchmark of quality, as James Lawrence reports.

Ribera campaign looks to bring 60 wineries to the UK

Published: 22 February, 2021

Ribera del Duero has launched an initiative to introduce over 60 additional wineries to the UK market following an uptick in interest in the region over the course of the pandemic.

Penfolds’ first Cali wine twenty years in the making alongside TWE restructure

Published: 17 February, 2021

Penfolds has released its first ever Californian wine – a move that forms part of a major restructure of parent company Treasury Wine Estates’ (TWE) operating model which aims to rebalance its US operations and focus on new Penfolds launches outside of Australia.

Atkin Rioja Report awards first-ever 100 point score to a white

Published: 15 February, 2021

Tim Atkin MW has revealed a perfect score for a wine for Rioja for the first time – and it’s a white.

Calls for UK trade to help crippled SA by freeing up tank space

Published: 25 January, 2021

Richard Bampfield MW has issued a call to the UK trade to support the beleaguered South African wine industry as producers continue to suffer crippling government restriction and oversupply issues.

WSTA and SMEs call on Chancellor for further support in budget

Published: 21 January, 2021

Many of the UK’s best known wine and spirit SMEs have written a joint letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak urging him to cut duty while extended the hospitality’s VAT cut to provide further relief for those struggling with the pandemic.

‘Nouvelle generation’ to drive Beaujolais export potential

Published: 10 December, 2020

With good recent vintages to its name and wines that sit squarely with the modern trend towards fresher, lighter styles, Beaujolais certainly appears to be well placed to capture the attention of a new generation of drinkers. Add in ‘ownership’ of Gamay, a distinctive and easy-to-like variety, and the region also offers a sense of discovery (or re-discovery for older drinkers) in a world awash with international grapes.

Flint Wines makes Greek debut

Published: 10 December, 2020

Santorini-based Vassaltis Vineyards will be joining the ranks at Flint Wines, marking the first time the distributor has listed wines from the country.

Balfour and Majestic launch English wine follow-up

Published: 08 December, 2020

Majestic Wine and Balfour Wines at Hush Heath Estate are following up the debut of their English wine partnership, with a sophomore release of limited edition labels.

Q&A Javier R de Galarreta, ARAEX Grands Spanish Fine Wines

Published: 01 December, 2020

Javier R de Galarreta, founder and CEO of ARAEX Grands Spanish Fine Wines, explains why Rioja remains the headline hero with the backdrop of Araex’s growing portfolio of estates straddling Spain’s premium winemaking regions

France and the US top Robert Parker’s inaugural Top 100 Wine Discoveries List

Published: 18 November, 2020

France and the US cap off a new list of wines from Robert Parker Wine Advocate, which aims to identify the next big icon wines and trends from around the globe.

Bordeaux Uncovered online tastings announced

Published: 04 November, 2020

Bordeaux Uncovered, the trade training programme run by L’Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux, will be running a series of online tastings this year.

Banrock Station launches first flat-bottled wines

Published: 03 November, 2020

Banrock Station, the Accolade Wines brand, is to release two of its wines in flat bottles made from 100% recycled plastic for the first time.

Sussex winery launches with two vintages

Published: 03 November, 2020

New boutique Sussex vineyard Artelium has launched with two sparkling vintages created by winemaker Dermot Sugrue.

Tring Winery packs a postable punch

Published: 03 November, 2020

Alex Taylor and Jamie Smith of Urban Craft Wines at Tring Winery are sending innovation out the door, as Andrew Catchpole reports

González Byass releases rare 1878 vintage

Published: 02 November, 2020

González Byass has released an ultra-limited-edition Pedro Ximénez – with just 78 bottles for sale.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Which wines do Pamela Anderson and Kate Moss remind you of?

Published: 26 October, 2020

About 30 million people in the UK drink wine. For years, producers and marketeers have been trying to grab their attention, hoping to figure out how to successfully communicate their wines through words and images.

South Africa looks to higher ground

Published: 22 October, 2020

Hard hit by the pandemic, South Africa’s winemakers are proving their resilience and fighting back with an eye on higher quality and pricing. By Andrew Catchpole

Medium and smaller brands take lead over private label

Published: 21 October, 2020

Private label sales are down across almost all European countries, with mid-sized brands and smaller companies performing best.

Wine GB launches industry hallmark for classic method wines

Published: 15 October, 2020

Wine GB has announced its first ever collective campaign for producers in England and Wales, including a hallmark to help to differentiate English and Welsh PDO sparkling wines made using the “time and craft-intensive classic method”.