News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

New Scotch distillery looking for members

Published: 23 July, 2008

A new whisky distillery in Fife, due to open next year, is looking for members to sign up and receive bottlings for the next 50 years.

Toptable expands

Published: 23 July, 2008

Toptable, the restaurant search and booking website, has bought the City eating group for an undisclosed sum.

Bowmore to release 30 year old

Published: 23 July, 2008

Islay-based Scotch producer Bowmore is to launch a 30 year-old whisky exclusively for the travel retail market.

Fentimans in miniature

Published: 23 July, 2008

Fentimans has launched a new 125ml bottle of ginger beer designed to provide a mixer for the ontrade.

Whisky TV

Published: 23 July, 2008

A new web-based TV channel devoted to single malt whisky is set to launch today: www.singlemalt.tv

News Special: Noval declares '04 vintage

Published: 23 July, 2008

By Stuart Peskett - Resplendent in his trademark bow tie, Christian Seely, MD of Axa Millsimes, was in a good mood when he announced that Quinta do Noval would be releasing a 2004 vintage Port.

New winemaker at Vidal

Published: 23 July, 2008

Hugh Crichton has been appointed winemaker at New Zealand's Vidal winery.

From blogging to cartoons: another first for Stormhoek

Published: 23 July, 2008

Stormhoek, the South African brand that brought blogging to the wine trade, has embarked on another industry first with the launch of a limited-edition series of bottle designs.

Wine Group and Grands Chais de France form strategic alliance

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine Group (TWG) and Les Grands Chais de France (GCF), the world's third- and fourth-largest wine producers, have formed a global strategic alliance' to cover the US and Europe.

Argentina's first Fairtrade wines

Published: 23 July, 2008

The UK's first Fairtrade wines from Argentina will hit the shelves of the Co-op next week.

Uvine into administration; MD declared bankrupt

Published: 23 July, 2008

(By Stuart Peskett)

Uvine, the wine exchange company that acts as an intermediary for the buying and selling of wine, went into administration on Tuesday - with its MD, Christopher Burr MW, declared bankrupt.

Emma Ford

Published: 23 July, 2008

This is a fine Georgian building for your first hotel

Yes, although when we bought it, it was in a real state. It looked beautiful from the outside, but the bathrooms were yellow. They weren't even avocado green - it was a time even before that colour. My mother was concerned at us sinking half a million into the project, and I was pretty worried too, although I reassured her - and myself - with the fact that people would know us from Summer Lodge, the hotel where we were working. Once the new owners started trying to turn Summer Lodge into a corporate venue rather than a place for regulars, we knew we had to leave.

Glenrothes 1975 launched

Published: 23 July, 2008

The latest release from Speyside distillery The Glenrothes is the 1975, joining the other vintage releases of that decade.

Kingsland Wines & Spirits signs deal with Overhex

Published: 23 July, 2008

Kingsland Wines & Spirits has formalised its partnership with Overhex Wines International of South Africa and will now represent Overhex as its UK distributor of both bulk and branded wines.

Peter Brooks

Published: 23 July, 2008

What made you come to a small, hard-to-get-to village in the West Country?
Well I should still be organising events at Glyndebourne, Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Gold Cup, as an operations director at Compass, but the managing director and I fell out. I was empowered to do exactly what he wanted me to do. We knocked spots off each other for three years, so I walked out. I trained as a chef in the '60s, and having seen so many restaurants done so badly, I thought I could do better. I waited for my wife, Sonia, to retire, and we came down here. We looked at a few places in Cornwall, but that seemed a bit far away, so in the end we picked up this place from the chef Martin Hadden, who was moving on to Ockendon Manor. It was a tough act to follow. He had a Michelin star, but the Good Food Guide has just given us five stars, so we're moving in the right direction.

New on-trade sales boss at Enotria

Published: 23 July, 2008

Enotria Winecellars has appointed Simon Treanor as its new on-trade sales director.

LVMH surprises marketq

Published: 23 July, 2008

By Ron Emler
Wines and spirits played a large part in increasing sales and profits at LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company, in the first half of 2006.

Sainsbury's boosts it online wine selection

Published: 23 July, 2008

Sainsbury's is massively expanding the number wines available in its online store due to huge growth' in orders.

80 new lines for Somerfield

Published: 23 July, 2008

Somerfield is preparing to launch 80 new wines. The major multiple launched a half-price wine sale last month, and this will continue while stocks of the wines to be phased out remain on the shelves.