Independents to compete in the Sud de France Retailer of the Year merchants programme

Bloom gin launches upmarket rose lemonade RTD

Bloom gin is expanding its range of upmarket ready-to-serve drinks with its gin and rose lemonade - presented in an old-fashioned glass bottle.

Your chance to vote in Harpers France Wine Awards and take part in France Summit

Harpers is once again looking to reward the very best retailers, restaurants, distributors and individuals that are leading the way in selling and promoting French wine in the UK in our second Harpers France Awards.

Scotch whisky The Macallan gets green light for £100m distillery

Edrington's The Macallan whisky brand is to get a new £100 million distillery and visitor centre in Speyside, after Moray Council granted planning permission.

Evuna looks to build on success of second Manchester Spanish wine bar concept

It's taken over a decade for Manchester's tapas and Spanish wine institution Evuna to get round to opening its second site, but now it has its sights set on opening more.

Diageo names Charles Joly World's Best Bartender

Diageo's sixth annual global world's best bartender competition came to a close last week with Charles Joly from the US beating 47 other mixologists in a week long series of challenges held across London.

Circle 360 plans to expand its shopping centre Champagne bar concept to up to 20 UK sites

Champagne and cocktail bar concept Circle 360 is planning to have 15 to 20 UK sites by the end of 2015, with its first international outlets also in the pipeline.

New Zealand's Mission estate eyes UK growth

New Zealand's Mission Estate is targeting UK growth in the independent and on-trade sectors with the appointment of its first UK business development manager.

Tesco invites consumers to come up with wine descriptions

Tesco is inviting its consumers to join in a wine tasting to help come up with more customer friendly and impartial wine descriptors.

Italy's Franciacorta wines double sales to UK

Sales of Italy's Franciacorta wines in the UK have doubled in the first six months of 2014 thanks to growing market awareness.

Panos Sarantopoulos takes charge of Rémy Cointreau's liqueurs and spirits division

Panos Sarantopoulos has been promoted to chief executive of Rémy Cointreau's liqueurs and spirits division after a successful time headling up Metaxa, the company's Greek spirit business.

Origin Wine's Stormhoek Stack launches in UK

Waitrose warns of lower profits but still shows growth

Waitrose is following its supermarket brethren Tesco and Morrisons with a lower profit warning, but the upmarket chain still is expecting profits to rise by 4.5%, albeit down on last year's stellar increase.

Bancroft Wines takes on South African winery Ataraxia

Private equity firm KKR ups bid for Treasury Wine Estates

Treasury Wine Estates has opened its books to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts following its revised - 10% higher - offer of US$3.15 billion for the wine business.

Prosecco firm Frizzenti to open wine bar chain

Prosecco and sparkling wine supplier Frizzenti is to open a series of permanent and semi-permanent wine bars, with plans to open 10 within 12 months of an initial launch in October.

Put your football knowledge to the test in the new Benevolent Fantasy Football League

So do you think your football? Your Christmas Tree formation over your 4-4-2? Know what "running between the lines" actually means? Well why not put those skills to the test and take part in the new Benevolent Fantasy Football League - oh and raise some money for the drinks charity along the way.

Bob Rishworth semi retires from Halewood International

Bob Rishworth will be semi-retiring from his role as the board director at Halewood International in order to focus on his own consultancy business.

House of Lords calls for drinks industry's advice on next EU Alcohol Strategy

The drinks industry has been invited by the House of Lords to send in its suggestions for what the next European Union Alcohol Strategy should look like.

Scottish wine merchant offers online consumers opportunity to 'buy wine with us not from us'

Scottish independent wine merchant Peter Wood is shaking up his online sales by taking a Naked Wines approach and offering customers to "buy wine with us not from us".