Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

‘Nonsensical’ EPR rules will cost millions, say hospitality businesses

Published:  20 March, 2025

Under the umbrella of UKHospitality (UKH), leading pub and hospitality businesses have written to Defra Secretary of State, Steve Reed, pushing back against a significant flaw in the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.

Read more...

Torre de Oña unveils new 'vino de autor'

Published:  19 March, 2025

Leading Rioja winery Torre de Oña has released the inaugural vintage (2021) of its new flagship cuvée: El Camino.

Read more...

Meteorological phenomenon and economic headwinds dent consumer confidence

Published:  19 March, 2025

A new survey released by Lumina Intelligence suggests that a combination of inclement weather and financial pressures impacted on-trade visits in February 2025, although the pub sector enjoyed a relatively strong performance.

Read more...

Harpers Webinar: A Seat at the Table

Published:  19 March, 2025

Harpers latest sustainability-focused webinar, ‘A Seat at the Table – Elevating Voices in the Drinks Industry’, is to take place from 11am-12pm on Wednesday 23 April and is now open for registration.

Read more...

ProWein 2025 organisers bullish despite fall in visitors

Published:  19 March, 2025

Approximately 42,000 professionals from 128 countries travelled to Düsseldorf for the 2025 edition of ProWein, including influential buyers from the US, Japan, South Korea and China. Yet its closet rival, Wine Paris, welcomed 52,622 visitors this year, while its floorspace had ballooned by 80% compared to 2024 – a growing bête noire for organisers Messe Düsseldorf GmbH .

Read more...

South Africa celebrates vintage of 'exceptional freshness' as harvest gets underway

Published:  19 March, 2025

In stark contrast to the drought-ravaged vintages of previous years, South African producers are optimistic that 2025 will deliver wines of “exceptional fruit expression and freshness”, with winemakers and viticulturists reporting “outstanding quality across the board”.

Read more...

Nick Gillett: Are spirits brands still benefitting from premiumisation?

Published:  18 March, 2025

It was the second half of last year, when industry press started reporting that premiumisation was slowing. And as the UK economy has staggered into another year, with little promising sign that purse strings will loosen, has the trend of consumers ‘buying better’ finally disappeared altogether?

Read more...

Major Live-ex fine wine indices see February drop

Published:  17 March, 2025

Data from Live-ex, the fine wine trading platform, saw all its major indices decline in February, including its benchmark Fine Wine 100 index which fell 0.8%.

Read more...

Be Inclusive Hospitality partners with Bibendum Wine

Published:  17 March, 2025

Be Inclusive Hospitality has announced a year-long partnership with Bibendum Wine with the aim of fostering a ‘fairer and more inclusive hospitality industry’ via a series of initiatives focused on education, impactful networking and recognition.

Read more...

Vignerons urged to use Defra-backed tool tackling frost risk in UK vineyards

Published:  17 March, 2025

UK viticulturalists are being asked to sign up to and use a UK frost forecasting and management research tool which helps capture data from across the country by grape variety. The project is backed by Defra, WineGB and Plumtpon College.

Read more...

Curious Vines teams up with Rauzan-Ségla for education award

Published:  17 March, 2025

Curious Vines, the support group for women and non-binary people in the wine trade, has announced an education award in partnership with the Rauzan-Ségla estate. The Rauzan-Ségla Curious Vines Bordeaux Education Award will provide a two-day discovery trip to Bourdeaux for five women or non-binary people, to elevate their knowledge of the wine region.

Read more...

Friday read: Vodka – more than a mixer

Published:  14 March, 2025

Anna Hamill, London MD for drinks brand specialist Denomination, explains how vodka can overcome its 'generic' European image.

Read more...

Cautious optimism as Bibendum-owner C&C sees earnings growth

Published:  14 March, 2025

C&C Group, the drinks manufacturer-distributor whose ownership portfolio includes Matthew Clark Bibendum, Tennent’s Lager and Bulmer’s cider, saw its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) increase to €76-78mn for the 12 months ending 28 February 2025. This compares to €60mn for the same period the previous year.

Read more...

Four Seasons appoints new head of bars

Published:  14 March, 2025

The Four Seasons Hotel at Tower Bridge has appointed top mixologist Michele Lombardi to lead the drinks offer at one of the group’s key London locations.

Read more...

Barbara Palacios appointed head winemaker at Bodegas Casa La Rad

Published:  13 March, 2025

Barbara Palcios López-Montenegro of the acclaimed winemaking Palacios family has taken up the position of head winemaker at Bodegas Casa La Rad, Rioja’s largest wine estate.

Read more...

WSET and Equal Measures partner in diversity initiative

Published:  13 March, 2025

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the global leader in drinks education, has announced a partnership with the Equal Measures (EM) non-profit aiming to increase diversity in the spirits trade.

Read more...

Dismay across Atlantic as EU tariffs on US whiskey introduced

Published:  13 March, 2025

The EU’s announcement of a slate of retaliatory tariffs from 1 April on certain US imports has included a 50% tariff on American whiskey and other US spirits. The decision was part of the institution’s response to the Trump government’s recent tariffs on European steel and aluminium.

Read more...

Bancroft bolsters Rioja offering with Alavesa winery addition

Published:  12 March, 2025

Bodegas Javier San Pedro has been added to Bancroft Wine’s portfolio. The addition of the Rioja Alavesa producer sees Bancroft expand their Rioja range.

Read more...

Cava giant Raventós Codorníu achieves B Corp status

Published:  12 March, 2025

Raventós Codorníu, the winery group known for its industry-leading Codorníu Cava, has been certified as a B Corp company by B Lab Spain after achieving a score of 88.5 points, well above the 80 points needed to gain the accolade.

Read more...

Mounting costs drive hospitality confidence to two-year low

Published:  12 March, 2025

Hospitality business confidence has hit a low not seen since October 2022, when inflation peaked at a 40-year high.

Read more...