It has been a tough year for America, and with the news that grape prices in California have slumped along with demand, it isn't getting any easier. Yet the mainstream UK wine drinker is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the US. Brand California is on a roll, as Christian Davis reports
Read more...Uruguay is the forgotten "other" of South America, languishing behind the sheer bulk potential of Argentina and the frisky success of Chile. But as Jim Budd reports, Uruguay's best hopes for a breakthrough lie in a role model far from the Andes
Read more...Far from being geared merely towards the large-scale production of mediocre wines, Joanne Simon discovers that two Italian co-operatives are driving quality production in two very diverse regions, Trentino and the Marches
Read more...On 2 July, the IWSC turned its attention to the future of the industry in a seminar called Reaching the Young Adult Market'. Watch video of the speakers here.
Read more...Michel Chapoutier talks to Neil Beckett about AOC, Hermitage, biodynamics, terroir and quantum physics, while tricking him into eating huge quantities of pig fat
Read more...Cigars, it seems, never go out of style. But like any consumer item, they are vulnerable to trends, peaks and sales troughs. Joanne Simon speaks to the UK's premium cigar purveyors to find out what's currently setting the stogy market alight
Read more...Harpers' letters bag has been bulging with responses to Andrew Jefford's recent survey on Britain's wine PR and press. Key signals from his initial findings and the backlash make scary reading for British wine writers, but there's more good news for brands. Here, Andrew presents an update
Read more...Provence may be best known in wine terms for ros, but not everyone in the ancient Var dpartement is keen on building a profile around the infamous pink stuff. Joanne Simon reports on a growing split among local producers
Read more...The race for Beaujolais Nouveau may be over, but more serious wines have joined the fight for market share. James Aufenast reportsThe race for Beaujolais Nouveau may be over, but more serious wines have joined the fight for market share. James Aufenast reportsThe race for Beaujolais Nouveau may be over, but more serious wines have joined the fight for market share. James Aufenast reports
Read more...Renowned for its Port, the Douro Valley has been slow to make the grade as far as table wines are concerned. But, as Jamie Goode reports, a new generation of like-minded winemakers is helping to establish it as Portugal's most dynamic wine region
Read more...Wine writers spend much of the time lobbing verbal hand grenades and garlands from the safety of their PCs. Are they making and breaking the reputations of wines, or is their scribbling merely a self-indulgent irrelevance? Andrew Jefford invites the opinions of key trade figures and journalists
Read more...Europeans often fall into the trap of thinking that Southern Hemisphere summers are as consistent as ours are fickle. But the 2002 vintage confounded that notion, with Australia experiencing its coldest-ever summer in some areas, and the south of Chile one of its wettest. Harpers reviews the mixed harvest in key New World countries
Read more...This week, Harpers concludes its review of The Fifth International Symposium of the Institute of Masters of Wine, held in Vienna between 11-13 July. In sessions and workshops, key speakers debated a range of thorny issues, from GM to RO, brands to corks, and custom-made wines to the spirit of AOC. Neil Beckett and Tim Atkin MW report
Read more...The Fifth International Symposium of the Institute of Masters of Wine was held in Vienna between 11-13 July. Neil Beckett presents the first in a two-part report on an event which saw prominent critics and producers debate the nature and desirability of changes sweeping through the world of wine
Read more...In 2000, the big news for Argentina in the UK was the establishment of a new generic office. A year on, market share has not increased greatly and the country remains in the shadow of its neighbour over the Andes. Charlotte Hey asks the trade what Argentina should do now
Read more...Journalists may disagree, but water is the only drink strictly necessary to sustain mental and physical wellbeing, and life itself. But what other USPs are bottled water marketeers promoting, and how effective have recent campaigns been in persuading the reluctant British to splash out on stylish water features? Joanne Simon reports
Read more...The Brits can claim credit for elevating outdoor eating to the art form known as a picnic', but Harpers' South African representative, Joanne Simon, thinks they still have a thing or two to learn when it comes to barbecues or braais. Here, she looks at the pick of the barbecue wines on promotion this summer
Read more...The July IWSC Showcase Tasting was the occasion for a debate on the future of the industry. The main question was: how can the wine industry attract the younger generation? Barbara Scalera reports
Read more...There's nought, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion,' wrote Lord Byron. But with Bacardi swamping the white rum market, is there anything to get excited about? Joanne Simon profiles the brands seeking to loosen Bacardi's stranglehold
Read more...Reverse osmosis, spinning cones and micro-oxygenation are three winemaking techniques in greater use than the wine trade would like to admit. How do these practices affect wine, and is the controversy surrounding their use just another stick with which to beat interventionist winemakers? Jamie Goode investigates
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