News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Tapping into organic growth

Published: 01 October, 2020

Organic can be a powerful cue for consumers, but only if the right buyers are targeted in the right way.

Beaujolais announces “positive” vintage

Published: 01 October, 2020

Inter Beaujolais has declared the 2020 vintage “positive”, with the region described as going from “strength to strength”.

Long Read: London Cocktail Week – Let’s have a bar crawl while we still can

Published: 01 October, 2020

Hugh Jones lost his job this year after shortly after arriving at a new company right at the start of the pandemic. Feeling less than enthused about the situation and his looming annual Stoptober attempt, he was about to throw in the towel of sobriety for London Cocktail Week, which starts today. But after speaking with organisers, he discovered they are pulling out all the stops to this year to make sure as many people can get involved as possible – to blow off steam while also supporting London’s embattled on-trade.

English Whisky Society officially launched as part of first festival

Published: 01 October, 2020

The English Whisky Society is gearing up for its official launch as part of the first English Whisky Festival to date.

Vinpro chair receives Pon van Zyl trophy

Published: 01 October, 2020

The South African Young Wine Show has awarded Vinpro chairman Anton Smuts the Pon van Zyl trophy for his contribution to the Robertson Wine Valley.

UKH: "Post-18 education support must target hospitality"

Published: 30 September, 2020

UK Hospitality (UKH) has welcomed the announcement that the government will expand post-18 education and training.

Araex brings on first sherry

Published: 30 September, 2020

Araex, Spain’s premiere fine wine group, has added a three-tiered range of sherries to its pan-Spanish portfolio alongside a number of new Spanish wines.

Rathfinny reopens Reserved programme

Published: 30 September, 2020

Rathfinny Wine Estate has reopened its Reserved programme, marking the second year for the initiative which was launched last year.

On-trade groups less pessimistic but overall market confidence plunges

Published: 30 September, 2020

The number of on-trade business leaders feeling confident about the general market has dipped to just 9% — half the level in June (16%), and a fraction of the four-year high of 60% at the start of this year, according to the latest Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth.

Lyme Bay sets sights on becoming major UK red wine producer

Published: 30 September, 2020

Lyme Bay Winery (LBW) is gearing up to re-enter the UK red wine market with the aim of becoming one of the largest producers in the country.

Organic growth a ‘global phenomenon’, helping reboot depressed wine market

Published: 29 September, 2020

Against a backdrop of globally dampened wine market, organic wine sales are predicted to rise from a 2.8% share of world wine sales to 4% by 2024, potentially representing an increasingly important driver of recovery.

Bancroft bolsters Beaujolais with three new estates

Published: 29 September, 2020

Bancroft Wines has added Domaine Chignard, Alexandre Burgaud and Domaine de la Rocaillère to its portfolio.

Perrier-Jouët launches podcast celebrating outgoing Hervé Dechamps

Published: 29 September, 2020

Maison Perrier-Jouët has launched a podcast series celebrating the legacy of the House’s seventh cellar master Hervé Dechamps, who will retire next month after 37 years.

Robust retail demand reverses fortunes at Diageo

Published: 29 September, 2020

Drinks giant Diageo has revealed that its outlook for the first half of the fiscal year 2021 has “improved since the year-end”, reversing a moribund earlier forecast for a year that has been rocked by Covid-19.

CWI confirms reports of affected wineries but "too soon to estimate impact”

Published: 29 September, 2020

The California Wine Institute (CWI) has confirmed that there have been early reports of wineries that have been directly affected by the current California wildfires.

Westminster City Council extends alfresco dining scheme

Published: 29 September, 2020

Westminster City Council has extended the measures it implemented in early summer to help hospitality businesses continue trading until the end of October.

Long Read: Does sustainability sell? The new factors driving purchaser decision-making

Published: 28 September, 2020

Drawing on data from a recent survey of over 500 wine and spirits drinkers, Callum Saunders, head of planning at brand activation marketing agency Zeal Creative, shows how that focus on sustainability is increasing, not decreasing, as a result of the pressures of Covid.

Hospitality industry launches free support service for unemployed

Published: 28 September, 2020

A quintet of industry bodies have joined forces to launch a free support service to help people within hospitality, leisure and tourism who’ve lost their jobs or are struggling to find work as a result of Covid-19.

Opinion: What if Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible reviews were written by a woman?

Published: 28 September, 2020

Backlash around sexually charged descriptions used in critic Jim Murray’s annual Whisky Bible has ignited debates around the double standard for the treatment of men and women both inside and outside of the whisky industry.