News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

The Wine Society appoints new CEO

Published: 03 September, 2018

The Wine Society has appointed current Clarks chief commercial officer Steve Finlan as its new CEO.

Nicolas Feuillatte appoints Castelnau as part of on-trade UK strategy

Published: 03 September, 2018

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte has appointed Castelnau Wine Agencies (CWA) as part of its strategy to secure its on-trade presence throughout the UK.

Bibendum’s Irish operations transfer to Walker & Wodehouse in C&C shake-up

Published: 03 September, 2018

Bibendum has offloaded its European operations, meaning a transfer of responsibility for the company’s business in Ireland.

Bancroft takes on first Clare Valley producer

Published: 03 September, 2018

Bancroft Wines has added Skillogalee to its Australian portfolio marking the launch of its first Clare Valley wines.

‘Dream’ growing season for UK producers

Published: 02 September, 2018

UK wine producers have experienced a ‘dream growing season’ on the back of the hot summer weather.

Jascots adds Sekt producer Schloss Vaux to tap fizz trend

Published: 02 September, 2018

Jascots has added Sekt Estate producer Schloss Vaux to its portfolio to tap Brits’ continued thirst for bubbles.

Ten new Masters of Wine announced

Published: 31 August, 2018

Congratulations are in order for 10 new faces just anointed as Masters of Wine, including the first woman in Spain (Almudena Alberca, pictured) to achieve the title, along with the first female winemaker of Greek decent, Olga Karapanou Crawford.

Giesen and Ara Wines consolidates distribution with Bibendum PLB

Published: 31 August, 2018

Giesen Group, owner of leading Marlborough brands Giesen Wines and Ara Wines has announced plans to consolidate distribution of both portfolios across the UK on- and off-trade via one importer.

Pernod Ricard plugs Scotch growth back into NPD with new launch

Published: 30 August, 2018

Pernod Ricard is capitalising on encouraging growth in the Scotch category with the launch of its new Chivas XV.

Loire Valley predicts ‘excellent quality’ harvest

Published: 30 August, 2018

Interloire has predicted this year’s Loire Valley harvest will be of “excellent quality”.

Brexit delivering negative impact on business for three quarters of independent trade

Published: 30 August, 2018

A Harpers survey on the current effects and possible outcomes of Brexit has revealed that 73% of on and off-trade businesses believe the vote has already had a negative impact on their business.

Vinexpo gears up for second Explorer event

Published: 30 August, 2018

Vinexpo is gearing up for its second Explorer event – the two-day invite-only touring event first held in Austria last September.

London Cocktail Week relocates main event

Published: 30 August, 2018

London Cocktail Week has moved the heart of the festival – The Cocktail Village, to The Old Truman Brewery to accommodate a growing number of visitors.

Aussie producers gear up for bumper month of UK events

Published: 30 August, 2018

A large contingent of Australian producers is hoping to take the UK by storm with a month-long series of wine events.

The Benevolent reveals new partnerships to expand support for mental health nationwide

Published: 29 August, 2018

The Benevolent has partnered with Hospitality Ulster and the Scottish BEN to expand the support for mental health difficulties nationwide.

Pinkster gin unveils new label and campaign

Published: 29 August, 2018

Pinkster gin has unveiled a new brand identity intended to differentiate the premium spirit from other pink gins in the burgeoning sub-category.

Pernod hails dynamic UK growth

Published: 29 August, 2018

Pernod Ricard has revealed “strong results” for the most recent financial year, while chalking up 6% growth in the UK.

Prosecco DOC anticipates ‘one of the best productions’ to date

Published: 29 August, 2018

The Tutelary Consortium for Prosecco DOC has announced it is anticipating one of the best productions to date for the Italian bubbles.

Armit Wines announces release of Torre de Oña Martelo 2014

Published: 28 August, 2018

Armit Wines has announced it will be releasing Torre de Oña Martelo 2014 from Torre de Oña next month.

The Wine Show confirms it’s ‘in talks’ with Oval Space about ‘wine event’ in place of cancelled The Wine Show ‘Live’

Published: 28 August, 2018

The Wine Show has confirmed it is in “active discussion” with Oval Space to arrange an event' for next year following the cancellation of The Wine Show ‘Live' wine festival earlier this year.

A spokesman for the Channel 5 programme told Harpers no dates had been set, but said the programme was in talks with Oval Space to "arrange a wine event” for 2019, with exact dates to be released when “fully confirmed”.

The originally planned three-day wine festival, which was announced in May and was set to take place in London from the 10th to the 12th of August this year, had been postponed due to “logistical difficulties that would ultimately have impacted the entire production", said Oval Space.

“We decided to postpone until next year due to our commitment to producing an exceptional event - there were some difficulties which hampered this endeavour so we felt that rather than cancel, we should postpone to give us enough runway to manage these challenges,” event producer Layla Qassim told Harpers.

Ticket holders for The Wine Show ‘Live’ wine festival had been contacted at the beginning of July this year and offered the option of either a full refund or to hold the tickets for the new dates, she added.

The original The Wine Show ‘Live’, developed in partnership with Channel 5's The Wine Show, was set to be hosted by the show’s presenters - Joe Fattorini and Amelia Singer, who were set to be joined by 11 producers from around the world.

The festival was scheduled to included masterclasses by the hosts in addition to the producers showcasing their top picks.

Plans for a 2019 event has yet to be revealed.