Category Reports - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Rum: A slow sipping spirit?

Published: 01 April, 2024

With rum pushing a premium image, Andrew Catchpole asks how fast and how far it can go.

Taste Off: Volcanic Wines

Published: 27 March, 2024

Andrew Catchpole gathered together a panel to taste and debate the merits of this fashionable but rather niche category.

Making the most of rosé

Published: 25 March, 2024

With premium rosé in the ascendancy, James Lawrence asks why apathy rules regarding its listings.

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.

Cork & Closures: Back to cork

Published: 01 March, 2024

As Broadland Drinks re-installs its corking line after a 15-year absence, Jo Gilbert looks at the future for cork as a technically sound, carbon negative option.

Tapping into oenotourism

Published: 05 January, 2024

Across the globe wineries are ramping up their investments in tourism experiences. Rupert Millar reports on the value of a still-growing sector.

Sustainability Report: Plotting Progress

Published: 05 December, 2023

James Lawrence charts the progress being made by the growing number of Harpers Sustainability Charter participants.

Sustainability Report: Regenerative viticulture

Published: 04 December, 2023

With a big buzz around regenerative viticulture, Andrew Catchpole digs down for a closer view.

Sustainability Report: The insetting mission

Published: 01 December, 2023

All parts of the wine supply chain – from producers to retailers – can find ways to minimise their environmental impact. James Bayley reports.

Sustainability Report: Aiding ethical consumers

Published: 29 November, 2023

The alcohol industry is tasked with helping consumers bridge the gap between their appetite for sustainable solutions and following through, writes Jo Gilbert.

Navigating Port’s choppy waters

Published: 27 November, 2023

In some quarters, Port sales received something of a lockdown boost as consumers made the most of longer, more relaxed at-home-drinking occasions. Jo Gilbert asks, can restaurants utilise this goodwill to maximise sales this winter?

Henry Jeffreys: Whisky goes global

Published: 24 November, 2023

Henry Jeffreys looks beyond Scotch and more latterly Japan, to those countries which have emerged as serious, sellable propositions for the trade.

Headline Heroes: A question of time for Champagne

Published: 22 November, 2023

David Kermode quizzes the experts about why lees ageing is so important when it comes to the finest Champagnes.

Global Grenache Taste-Off

Published: 20 October, 2023

With this versatile variety on the rise, Andrew Catchpole invited a panel to take a dive into its possibilities and progress on the world stage.

Headline Heroes: Crémant rises

Published: 02 October, 2023

The UK’s appetite for sparkling wine has led to increasing sales for wallet-friendly Champagne alternatives, and crémant ticks the right boxes. James Lawrence reports.

Vodka: Mainstay on the back-bar

Published: 24 August, 2023

James Bayley assesses the health of the vodka category in the wake of the great Russian boycott and notes the spirit’s premium leanings.

Taste-Off: Coming around to Riesling

Published: 31 July, 2023

The trade returns to the Riesling conundrum time and again, but our Taste Off panel detected signs of change with respect to this consumer-bewildering variety. Andrew Catchpole reports from a lively session at 9 Vines in Hove.

Sparkling: Reasons to be cheerful

Published: 23 June, 2023

The sparkling wine market in the UK is changing. While the cost-of-living crisis clearly bites, there are some categories that are still – or should we say finally – full of fizz. Anne Krebiehl MW reports.

Future-proofing Prosecco

Published: 31 May, 2023

Prosecco continues to build momentum in the UK and power onwards on a global scale. Lucy Shaw looks at the trends that continue to revitalise this seemingly invincible category.

War of the Rosés

Published: 26 May, 2023

With the contrasting styles of Navarra rosados and Provence rosés setting the scene, Harpers’ second Taste Off session set about exploring the opportunities for diversifying the popular pink category in the UK.