Champagne and Sparkling - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Yann Munier joins Maison Mumm as cellar master

Published: 26 January, 2024

Maison Mumm, the Champagne house owned by Pernod Ricard, has announced the appointment of Yann Munier as its new cellar master, effective from 8 April 2024.

Hambledon announces new MD

Published: 24 January, 2024

Hambledon Vineyard has announced it has a new MD as it prepares to embark on a future under joint Symington Family Estates and Berry Bros. & Rudd ownership.

All change for Gusbourne as it announces CEO

Published: 17 January, 2024

Leading sparkling and fine wine producer Gusbourne has today announced it has a new CEO, with former marketing director Jonathan White stepping up following a ‘rigorous internal and external search process’.

2023 Champagne shipments down 8.2%, 'as expected'

Published: 15 January, 2024

Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC), the organisation grouping the actors of Champagne production and trade, has revealed that total Champagne shipments in 2023 were down 8.2% to 299m bottles.

Cava sales boosted by domestic market

Published: 20 December, 2023

The Cava Designation of Origin (Cava DO) has announced that total Cava sales have risen by 2.35% from January to September 2023, with a notable increase of 7.65% in the domestic market.

Segmentation aims to lift critically low grape prices for Cava

Published: 04 December, 2023

The Cava DO is pinning its hopes on the evolution of aged styles in international markets as a way of lifting the average price of its grapes, which now sits at around 30 cents per kilo – over twenty times less than the price of Champagne (€7 a kilo).

Interview: Carine Bailleul, Champagne Castelnau

Published: 30 November, 2023

In partnership with Champagne Castelnau.

Nyetimber secures 2024 Olympic Games sponsorship

Published: 27 November, 2023

English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber will be the Official Sparkling Wine of Team GB for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Headline Heroes: A question of time for Champagne

Published: 22 November, 2023

David Kermode quizzes the experts about why lees ageing is so important when it comes to the finest Champagnes.

Plumpton College Queen’s Anniversary Prize

Published: 17 November, 2023

Plumpton College has been awarded the highest National Honour in education, a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work in wine education and wider impact on the English and Welsh wine sector.

Analysis: Champagne Supernova

Published: 13 November, 2023

Champagne’s star has certainly risen of late – in fact, the sector has broken its own record. James Bayley has the figures behind the phenomenal growth.

Champagne Day 2023: Recovery for the world’s top sparkler

Published: 31 October, 2023

Champagne appears to be holding onto its status as everyone’s favourite premium sparkling wine, new figures reveal, as the category continues an export drive dating back more than 20 years.

Champagne Billecart-Salmon partners with Jérôme Bretaudeau

Published: 24 October, 2023

Family-owned Champagne House Billecart-Salmon has partnered with Jérôme Bretaudeau, a renowned winemaker in the western part of the Loire Region.

Balfour Winery named among England’s top visitor attractions

Published: 16 October, 2023

Balfour Winery has been recognised as one of the country’s top visitor attractions as the only vineyard to receive a Gold medal accreditation by VisitEngland – the official tourist board for England.

Cava completes harvest amid reports of 55% grape loss

Published: 11 October, 2023

The Cava Designation of Origin has announced the completion of its 2023 harvest, following reports of grape losses between 35% and 55% compared to normal years.

Ridgeview announces record harvest

Published: 06 October, 2023

Records continue to tumble for England’s top wine estates as Ridgeview declares its 2023 harvest the ‘largest ever’.

Sugrue South Downs welcomes three new investors

Published: 03 October, 2023

Boutique English sparkling producer, Sugrue South Down, has announced three new investors to the business.

Headline Heroes: Crémant rises

Published: 02 October, 2023

The UK’s appetite for sparkling wine has led to increasing sales for wallet-friendly Champagne alternatives, and crémant ticks the right boxes. James Lawrence reports.

Italian sparkling round table

Published: 28 September, 2023

Amid a buoyant and still rising sparkling wine category, Harpers invited a top panel to assess the positioning and full potential of Italian sparkling wine and Trentodoc Metodo Classico wines.

2023 Champagne harvest underway with lower yield set

Published: 05 September, 2023

The 2023 harvest in Champagne commenced on Saturday, 2 September, and despite difficult weather during ripening, the region expects a “high-quality harvest”.