News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Thorpe leaves Waitrose for Western

Published: 23 July, 2008

Simon Thorpe MW is leaving Waitrose to join Western Wines. He leaves later this year after eight years in the wine buying department of the John Lewis Partnership grocery multiple.

Irish wine-sales boom

Published: 23 July, 2008

Wine sales in the Irish Republic are booming at a time when the beer market has slumped, with a reported unprecedented' drop of 11.5% in the first four months of this year and a 9% fall in 2004.

KWV Black Empowerment deal completed

Published: 23 July, 2008

The KWV Black Empowerment project launched last year has been completed, with 25.1% of the company's shares now belonging to the Phetogo consortium.

Beware of complacency

Published: 23 July, 2008

Australian wine producers and exporters must beware complacency, according to Graham Cranswick-Smith, the head of Cranswick Estate before it merged with Western Australian producer Evans & Tate.

Coquard competition winner announced

Published: 23 July, 2008

The winner of the Maison Coquard Beaujolais Design a Label' competition, run in conjunction with Harpers and Coquard's UK agent D&D Wines, was announced last week.

Mondavi honoured

Published: 23 July, 2008

Californian wine pioneer Robert Mondavi has been honoured by the government of France as a chevalier of l'Ordre National de la Lgion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour).

If the 2004 edition was all about the new excitement that surrounded the Chilean wine industry and its hopes that it could increase its standing in the UK, then this supplement is a celebration of how those hopes have been realised.

South Africa Supplement 2004

Published: 23 July, 2008

The South African wine industry has come a long way in the past decade, emerging from international obscurity to become one of the wine world's major players.

Promoting discussion

Published: 23 July, 2008

Harpers drew a packed house at last month's LIWSF to debate how wine brand-owners can make the most of their marketing budgets. In the second part of our coverage of the event, Harpers presents the reaction of our panellists and the audience to the specially commissioned consumer research presented by Wine Intelligence and outlined in last week's issue

Diageo's Walsh lectures trade

Published: 23 July, 2008

Diageo managing director Paul Walsh was the tenth high-profile trade figure to be accorded the honour of making the WSET's annual lecture. His speech, delivered on Wednesday 1 June, focused on what the wine and spirits industries could learn from eachother, but, prompted by a number of questions from the floor, Walsh also held forth on such key trade issues as discounting and distribution, the quality of Blossom Hill and, inevitably, Diageo's take on the Allied auction.

New Zealand Supplement 2005

Published: 23 July, 2008

New Zealand promises to be favourable to the vine as far as I can judge at present of the nature of the soil and climate. New Zealand will be the finest country in the world for wine'. So enthused Samuel Marsden, an Anglican missionary, in 1819. Hardly a Richard Smart, Marsden's evangelical zeal for the vine was borne out of his efforts to civilise' the Maoris by teaching them agriculture and handicrafts, rather than commercial or national interests. Nevertheless, he saw the potential of New Zealand.

Vinexposed

Published: 23 July, 2008

The organisers claim that the exhibition site has been totally reorganised, thanks to the recently built Hall 3, a permanent 12,000m2 structure that replaces the former temporary building. Standing to the west of Hall 1, it will house some 200 exhibitors, with air-conditioning, no interior pillars, picture windows and 10-metre-high ceilings. Hall 3 will also contain a 400m2 conference room that will accommodate a number of tastings and provide 2,000 extra parking spaces.

Calvet Launches First Organic Wine

Published: 23 July, 2008

BORDEAUX - 26th May, 2005 - Calvet, the UK's No.1 Bordeaux brand (off-trade), has launched an organically grown Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon blend under the Calvet Reserve label.

Calvet is proud to present what it believes to be one of the very first branded French wines that is made entirely from organically grown grapes.

Constellation given June 29 deadline to bid for Allied

Published: 23 July, 2008

Constellation Brands has been given until 29 June by the Takeover Panel in the City of London to make a formal counter offer for Allied Domecq.

Napa Valley wins in court

Published: 23 July, 2008

The California Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Napa Valley Vintners, thus ensuring that any wine that carries the word Napa' on the label contains wine made from at least 75% Napa grapes.

English wine producers get Defra funding

Published: 23 July, 2008

East Sussex wine producers, RidgeView, Davenport and Breaky Bottom, have received funding amounting to more than 345,000 under Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affiars (Defra) funding schemes delivered by the Rural Development Service (RDS).

2005 South African vintage 12% down on last year

Published: 23 July, 2008

The 2005 vintage in South Africa is almost 12% down on 2004, according to Wines of South Africa (WOSA).

WSTA joins forces to fight new EU labelling

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has been working with the Comit Europen des Enterprises Vins (CEEV) on a submission to the European Commission, to respond to the suggestion that allergen warnings on wine labels would have to be written in each EU member state's language.

Chapel Down upgraded

Published: 23 July, 2008

After an ambitious refurbishment project lasting five months and representing an investment of 500,000, the new look Chapel Down winery and Fine Food store was re-opened to the public in time for the St George's Day weekend.