Quintessential Brands appoints Francois Quarez as managing director of Essential Drinks

Quintessential Brands has appointed former senior PepsiCo executive Francios Quarez to head operations at its spirits supply firm Essential Drinks Company.

Campaign for Real Ale appoints Tim Page as new chief executive

The Campaign for Real Ale has appointed charity veteran Tim Page as its new chief executive.

Pernod Ricard releases host of gifting options to boost Christmas sales

Pernod Ricard is planning to plug the "multi-million pound wine and spirits Christmas sales gap" it has identified with one-off releases and gifting sets.  

Wine auction site Grape Pip donates charitable proceeds to Benevolent

Grape Pip, an online wine auction website, has named drinks trade charity the Benevolent as the first recipient of its charity fundraising efforts.

International Wine Challenge 2015 open for entries

The International Wine Challenge 2015 is now accepting entries from the first tranche of applicants from now until October 30, 2014.

Treasury Wine Estates turns down private equity bids

Treasury Wine Estates has rejected two offers from private equity bidders in favour of continuing as a standalone company.

The Week That Was: top news, Q&As and opinion on Harpers.co.uk

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have done a review of the top online news, financial news for the drinks trade, Q&As, and opinion stories.

Glenmorangie releases first 'crowd-sourced' whisky

Glenmorangie is releasing its first 'crowd-sourced' whisky today, which is a limited 12,000 bottle production called Taghta.

Copestick Murray to be exclusive distributor of Lisa McGuigan Wines in European markets

Copestick Murray announced today they will be the exclusive distributor in European markets for Australian wine brands Lisa McGuigan Wines.

Shortlist for Harpers French Wine Awards announced

The shortlist for the 2014 Harpers French Wine Awards are released today with the likes of Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, The Sampler, Daniel Lambert, Tim Atkin MW and Gerrard Basset MW MS fighting it out for the main awards.

Northcote retains title of Sud de France Sommelier of the Year

Tamus Czinki, head sommelier of Michelin-starred restaurant, Northcote near Blackburn, Lancashire, has been named Sud de France Sommelier of the Year for 2014.

Jerry Lockspeiser: why we should celebrate £6 wines not denigrate them

Wine selling for £6 or less is shit.  Not my words but those of advertising legend Sir John Hegarty at the Wine and Spirit Trade Association conference.

Diageo's Justerini & Brooks appoints Cellina Chan to head Hong Kong office

Justerini & Brooks has appointed Cellina Chan as its new head of sales in Hong Kong with a view to growing its international client base.

Nobu biggest loser as Michelin strips 14 restaurants of their stars

The Michelin Guide has decided not to give any new two or three stars in today's announcement of its 2014/2015 awards, and has stripped stars from 14 restaurants including Nobu and Nobu Berkeley Street.

Hospitality industry to create 6,000 jobs for young people by Christmas

The British hospitality industry will create 6,000 new jobs for 16 to 24 year olds by the end of the year, says the industry's trade association.

British Bottle Company offers expert export service for UK drinks

The British Bottle Company is a new specialist export business dedicated to helping British drinks, including English wine, craft beers and artisanal spirits, gain distribution in key export markets around the world.

Mitchells & Butlers adds 195 sites in past year

Mitchells & Butlers, one of the largest operators within the UK market, has been quietly growing the number of site throughout the year and has added 195 new sites over the past year.

Drinks firms face increased costs and red tape over new HMRC fraud rules

Drinks firms face increased red tape and administrative costs for carrying out due diligence as part of a HMRC crackdown on alcohol fraud.

Australian drinks design studio the Collective opens first European office

The Collective, a Sydney-based drinks design agency, has opened its first outpost outside Australia, in London.

Today's SITT London tasting offers masterclasses on Italy and the Rhône