News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

AdVini appoints UK trading director

Published: 26 September, 2012

France's third biggest wine group, AdVini, has appointed Phil Priest as its new UK trading director.

Radical range revamp for Morrisons

Published: 26 September, 2012

Morrisons plans to boost wine sales by £100 million in the next three years via a radical range revamp, consumer profiling and the launch of online sales.

Bristol wins southern heat of Brugal cocktail competition

Published: 26 September, 2012

A five-strong team from Bristol have won the southern heat and first leg of the Great Brugal Rumble cocktail competition at London's Boutique Bar Show.

New blog series: Negociants UK Winemaker Tour

Published: 26 September, 2012

Fresh from The Negociants UK Winemaker Tour is Tom Barry, third-generation family winemaker at Jim Barry Wines, who has been travelling round the country with five fellow Aussie and Kiwi winemakers. He shares his experiences on the road with Harpers.

South Africa must not 'copycat' other wine regions

Published: 25 September, 2012

South Africa must not look to "copycat" other wine regions around the world, but follow its own path to grow, according to a leading US wine investor in the country.

Nelson Mandela's family unveil Fairtrade range

Published: 25 September, 2012

The daughter and grandaughter of former South African president, Nelson Mandela, are introducing a new Fairltrade wine range to the UK from South Africa.

New blog series: Negociants UK Winemaker Tour

Published: 25 September, 2012

Six winemakers from Australia and New Zealand hit the road last week as Negociants embarked on its first ever UK winemaker tour, in order to re-establish close links with the trade. In the first of a new series, Virginia Willcock, chief winemaker at Vasse Felix in the Margaret River, blogs about her return to the UK and what's happening at the vineyard back home in Oz.

Wineries need to build brand South Africa around world, says Accolade boss

Published: 25 September, 2012

South African wineries need to concentrate on building brand South Africa around the world if they are going to reach their full potential, according to Troy Christensen, chief executive of Accolade Wines.

SITT 2012: Wine suppliers make renewed investment in indies

Published: 25 September, 2012

Suppliers are making renewed investment into the indie sector, judging by yesterday's sell out day at SITT Autumn.

Wines in the press, September 21-24

Published: 25 September, 2012

The Observer

South Africa at forefront of environmental winemaking

Published: 25 September, 2012

South Africa is on track to be the world's leading wine country for its environmental, sustainable and ethical practices, according to Su Birch, chief executive of Wines of South Africa.

SITT 2012: Independent retailers 'lifeblood' of wine trade

Published: 24 September, 2012

Independents are the "lifeblood" of the wine trade and must be provided with bespoke, one-to-one services to ensure the sector's long-term growth.

Napa's Stag's Leap Winery switches to Berkmann

Published: 24 September, 2012

Iconic Californian winery Stag's Leap has switched its UK distribution from the Wine Treasury to Berkmann Wine Cellars.

Patrick Sandeman dies in skydiving accident

Published: 24 September, 2012

Leading wine merchant Patrick Sandeman has been killed in a freak skydiving accident in Cambridgeshire over the weekend.

Geoffrey Dean blogs from Errazuriz vertical icon wines tasting

Published: 24 September, 2012

While the Goring in London may have gained appeal for housing the Duchess of Cambridge on the eve of her wedding to Prince William, many in the wine trade were lured to it last week for an altogether different reason. Hatch Mansfield, UK distributor for Vina Errazuriz, used the hotel in Victoria to lay on a remarkable vertical tasting of the icon wines of one of Chile's most notable wineries.

Low yields characterise 2012 grape harvest

Published: 21 September, 2012

Lower yields are characterising the 2012 harvest around the globe, with producers from across Europe and South America stating crops are up to 15% smaller than usual.

£2.2m marketing campaign unveiled for Captain Morgan's Spiced

Published: 21 September, 2012

Diageo GB is investing £2.2 million in Captain Morgan's Spiced rum's biggest marketing campaign to date which will feature its first TV ad.

'Business as usual' for Stratford's under Kingsland ownership

Published: 21 September, 2012

FE Barber, which trades as Kingsland Wine & Spirits and Legacy Wines, has acquired Stratford's Wine Agencies out of administration and has underlined that it is "business as usual".

Stratford's Wine Agencies goes into administration

Published: 21 September, 2012

Stratford's Wine Agencies has entered administration, citing financial struggles caused by increasingly small margins and growing cash demands.

International Grenache Day celebrations kick off

Published: 21 September, 2012

Organisers of today's third annual International Grenache Day are hoping to better last year's event when more than 23,000 producers, wine merchants, restaurateurs and consumers from over 30 countries took part.