News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Jeroboams grows Aussie portfolio with Yarra Yering addition

Published: 21 April, 2026

Wine and spirits merchant Jeroboams has announced the addition of Australian estate Yarra Yering to its portfolio.

Curious Vines announces launch of practical inclusivity initiative

Published: 21 April, 2026

This summer, organisations across the UK wine industry will take part in ‘The Curious Vines Change Series’, a number of initiatives created by the organisation which aim to create practical, collective action on inclusivity.

Aperol announces launch of RTD spritz

Published: 20 April, 2026

Campari Group has announced the launch of Aperol Spritz TO GO, a ready-to-drink (RTD) version of the popular cocktail.

Study finds hospitality SMEs hit hardest by inflation

Published: 20 April, 2026

A new study from UK-based card payment provider Dojo has found that hospitality businesses’ operating costs have been hit harder by inflation than any other sector over the past decade.

McGuigan wines introduces lightweight Burgundy bottle

Published: 20 April, 2026

McGuigan Wines has partnered with UK-based Greencroft Bottling to introduce a 300g lightweight Burgundy bottle, a -25% reduction from average weight.

Wine trade stalwart John Hutton passes away

Published: 20 April, 2026

Widely respected UK trade figure John Hutton has passed away, having had a long and illustrious career with some of the top names in the business.

Lagar de Fornelos: Rioja ageing nous for Galician whites

Published: 20 April, 2026

At Shoreditch’s buzzy Legado, Olga Verde (pictured), wine director of La Rioja Alta-owned Rías Baixas estate Lagar de Fornelos, guided Harpers through the winery’s latest vintages. This included the second vintage of the super-premium Lindeiros wine, which highlighted the ageability of these whites from this region.

Hospitality insolvencies persist with rise seen for February

Published: 17 April, 2026

Consultancy firm RSM UK has analysed the latest company insolvency statistics, with February 2026 seeing a 22% month-on-month rise to 270 in terms of accommodation and food services insolvencies. This compared to the 222 insolvencies seen for hospitality in January of this year.

Pasqua unveils result of Washington collaboration at Vinitaly

Published: 17 April, 2026

Prominent Veneto producer Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine has officially launched its new QuattroMani Pinot Noir, resulting from an ongoing collaboration with feted Washington winemaker Charles Smith of House of Smith.

Concha y Toro launches new premium Pinot Noir, Chardonnay-focused subsidiary

Published: 17 April, 2026

Chilean producer Viña Concha y Toro has announced the creation of Viña Amelia as an independent subsidiary within the group. The brand will focus exclusively on premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Chile’s Limarí Valley.

Three top importers introduce fresh additions to portfolios

Published: 16 April, 2026

Three UK importers – Alliance Wine/H2Vin, Fells and Hallgarten & Novum – have announced new or enhanced partnerships with wine producers ranging from Italy to South Africa.

Pernod Ricard: US and China struggles drag down Q3 growth

Published: 16 April, 2026

French drinks giant Pernod Ricard has detailed its Q3 performance with a flat quarter (+0.1% organic sales growth) stymied by continued challenges in the Chinese and US markets. Excluding these two markets organic sales growth sat at +5%.

Sherry introduces UK summer campaign ‘A Splash of Andalusia’

Published: 15 April, 2026

This summer, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry & Manzanilla are launching a UK-wide campaign, A Splash of Andalusia.

SWA appoints former government ambassador Ian Duddy as international director

Published: 15 April, 2026

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced the appointment of former UK ambassador Ian Duddy (pictured) as its next international director.

Cocktail festival to return to Brighton with 50 bars announced

Published: 15 April, 2026

Brighton Cocktail Festival has announced that it is returning for its second year of city-wide celebrations, running from 18 to 27 September.

Declarations continue as Symington announces 2024 vintage ports

Published: 15 April, 2026

Symington Family Estates is the next major port producer to unveil its 2024 vintage ports. This includes declarations for Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s and Cockburn’s.

On-trade outlook: Spring visits up but volumes down

Published: 14 April, 2026

New on-trade data for March 2026 from market intelligence company The Oxford Partnership shows improving average occupancy and dwell time year on year compared to March last year. In terms of the former this rose +1.1% to 65.4%, while the latter saw visit length rise +3.4% to 153 minutes.

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.

Kopke declares 2024 vintage port

Published: 13 April, 2026

Kopke Group has declared two 2024 vintage ports from across its estates: Kopke Vintage 2024 and Burmester Vintage 2024.

Low & no survey launched to let industry inform policy

Published: 13 April, 2026

Alcohol-free social impact business Club Soda has launched what it claims is the first ‘benchmarking’ survey of the low, no and mid-strength sector, aimed at gathering data to inform government policymaking. The survey is open to low & no brands, to ensure that they get a voice.