BI reports 8% increase in turnover boosted by UK

Fine wine and spirits merchant BI has reported an 8% increase in annual turnover to £95 million boosted by a hike in sales to UK buyers.

Gerard Basset passes away

Harpers is saddened to hear that Gerard Basset has lost his battle with cancer and passed away on 17 January.

Liberty pushes into new frontiers ahead of Brexit

An English winemaker, a French winemaker and an Italian winemaker walk into a winebar.

Growth in US wine consumption slowing as millennials turn away

The steady growth of the US wine market may be coming to an end as the frequency of consumption among younger consumers declines, according to a new report from Wine Intelligence.

Naked Wines awards Plumpton student £9,000 bursary

Naked Wines has announced it will award a Plumpton College wine student a £9,000 bursary as part of its 10th birthday celebrations.

Cognac reports record export growth

The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) has reported record export growth for Cognac across both value and volume.

Festive period provides cheer for on-trade

Managed pubs and restaurants saw a 4.1% collective like-for-like sales increase across the festive season compared to the same period the prevous year. 

Distell names new premium wine company

South African juggernaut Distell has officially announced the launch of its new premium wine division which will go by the name Libertas Vineyards and Estates.

Jago steps down as CEO of Berry Bros & Rudd

Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) has announced chief executive officer Dan Jago is stepping down.

Liberty takes on Piper-Heidsieck

Liberty Wines is bolstering its Champagne portfolio by taking on distribution for Piper-Heidsieck.

Greencroft on target to become largest UK bottling operation

Major investment by Lanchester Wine Cellars in its bottling subsidiary Greencroft is to see production boosted from 100 million litres in 2018 to a capacity of between 3-400 million litres by early 2020.

31Dover director Jay Swanborough resigns

Jay Swanborough, director of ecommerce, operations and marketing for 31Dover, has resigned.

New Benevolent chair Michael Saunders calls for ‘more regular donations’

Michael Saunders, chief executive officer of Bibendum PLB and new head of The Benevolent, has called on ‘more regular donations’ from members of the industry.

Babydoll gears up for UK push

Babydoll wines from New Zealand, part of Yealands Estate, is gearing up to increase its UK presence with a new campaign and its first appearance at the annual ‘Flavours of New Zealand’ tasting taking place this week.

Paulo Amorim receives Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole award

The French government has awarded Paulo Amorim with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole – a merit bestowed for outstanding contributions to agriculture.

WSTA calls for wine tariffs suspension to avoid ‘no deal’ price hikes

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has called on the government to temporarily suspend wine tariffs to prevent prices rocketing in the event of a ‘no deal' Brexit .

The week that was

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, here’s a review of the top online news, analysis, opinions and features.

Sustainability key to future success, predicts The Change Group

Halewood Wines & Spirits not dialling down wine despite ramping up spirits

Liverpool-based wine and spirit producer Halewood Wines & Spirits has denied it is slowing down its wine business after several moves this year to boost its international spirits profile and selling off its “loss making” Romanian wine arm.

Côtes du Rhône declares 2018 ‘outstanding’ vintage

Côtes du Rhône has declared the 2018 vintage as ‘outstanding' marking the fourth in a series of such quality for the AOC.