Producers - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Raising the bar

Published: 23 July, 2008

It's easy to conclude that hiring an external wine list consultant is purely for the restauranteur with more money than sense. How hard can it be to write a wine list after all?

Valette joins Rita

Published: 23 July, 2008

Patrick Valette has joined Chilean winery Via Santa Rita as wine consultant.

Caliterra rebrands

Published: 23 July, 2008

Errazuriz is relaunching its Caliterra brand with a new global livery, screwcap closures for all white and varietal red wines, and a new premium tier.

Fetzer: no significant costs by going organic

Published: 23 July, 2008

Californian producer Fetzer has claimed that there is no significant increase in costs to convert to organic winemaking.

Paul BrownManaging director, Ivini

Published: 23 July, 2008

How did you start?
I was a management trainee at the Coconut Grove, then went on to manage the Hampton Court Brasserie, Sweeney Todd's in Northampton and The Golden Pheasant in Oxford. And then I managed a caravan park in the Lake District.

Never raining

Published: 23 July, 2008

Across many northern hemisphere countries, the 2005 vintage was exceptionally dry, while a few had the opposite problem. Harpers rounds up the most important harvest reports from an already much-hyped year

Blushing with pride

Published: 23 July, 2008

Those who feels that the relatively recent ros revolution' represents just a footnote in the history of UK wine consumption need do little more than glimpse at the latest release from publishers Weidenfeld & Nicholson to be convinced otherwise.

Mayfair Cellars sinks after 1.25 million internal fraud

Published: 23 July, 2008

Fine wine merchant Mayfair Cellars has gone into administration after a scam whereby top Bordeaux and Burgundy was allegedly sold to other London wine merchants.

The Interview: Steve Edwards, Group food & beverage service manager, ABode

Published: 23 July, 2008

How did you get into this business?

I was in the RAF for seven years, in a catering squadron, and when I left I planned to go home to Sydney. But I had a house in Torquay that I wanted to sell first. In the interim, I needed a job and I spotted an ad for a general assistant at Gidleigh Park Hotel. I had never heard of Gidleigh and had no idea about Relais & Chateaux or Michelin stars. I remember driving down this narrow, winding road and coming round the last corner to see this mock-Tudor mansion embedded in the hillside. Paul Henderson, the owner at the time, is a former US marine, so we spent most of the interview discussing my time in the service. He took me on and I ended up staying until 2002.

Majestic boosts Chilean range

Published: 23 July, 2008

Majestic unveiled 70 new listings at a recent tasting of its summer collection - a larger addition to the range than usual. The two sectors to be given the most attention were Chile and Italy, with the former showing growth and the latter receiving a partial overhaul.

Katy HulstoneManager, The Elephant

Published: 23 July, 2008

What made you set up shop in Torquay?
Simon, my husband and the head chef, went to school round here, and his family live in Paignton, the town next door, so we know the area. People have this image of Torquay, but it's not like Fawlty Towers any more.

Sleeping beauty

Published: 23 July, 2008

Last month, a press release arrived at Harpers Towers declaring that the recruitment process was under way to find a UK director for Wines of Argentina's London office. This will be a challenging appointment,' it said. They're not wrong.

France under one roof

Published: 23 July, 2008

France Under One Roof
Wednesday 22 March
The Nursery End Pavilion,
Lord's Cricket Ground, Wellington Road,
London NW8 (North Gate Entrance)
10am-5pm
For more details contact Jane Hunt MW on 01451 831682; janehuntmw@aol.com

Flagship Coro' Fetzer

Published: 23 July, 2008

Fetzer Vineyards is launching its contribution to the Mendocino Coro project at the generic California tasting on 23 March. The project is a collaboration between nine Mendocino wineries to create a series of ultra-premium wines distinctive to the area.
The 2002 Fetzer Coro Mendocino is a Zinfandel/Syrah/Petit Sirah/Grenache blend, and is expected to retail for 20 per bottle in the UK.
The Coro Alliance has stipulated that Coro wines must use fruit solely from Mendocino and that Zinfandel must be the largest part of the blend, among other rules.

Benchmark California

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Wine Institute of California has once again selected the
14 wines that represent the best of California in the 5 to 10 price category.
UK director John McLaren commented: This is our third year of Benchmark Wines and some trends begin to emerge, particularly in the impressive consistency of some wineries' entries. There is a pleasing spread of wines from large and small wineries and we look forward to unveiling the range at our annual tasting in London on 23 March.'
This year's list includes wines from Beringer, Fetzer, Gallo, Ravenswood and Hahn.

Farr back full time at Bibendum

Published: 23 July, 2008

Simon Farr, one of the founders of London-based distributor Bibendum, is returning to work for the company full time after five years as non-executive deputy chairman.
Farr, who co-founded the company with Chris Collins in 1982, will take up the role of head of wine strategy, as well as taking responsibility for the host of joint ventures Bibendum has set up in recent years - such as the Argento Wine Company, Boisset and Lion Nathan. He was buying director at Bibendum until he stepped down in 2000.
His decision to return to a full-time role at Bibendum comes just weeks after high-profile joint managing director Dan Jago unexpectedly left the company. Bibendum also recently hired a new chief operating officer, Jeremy Young, recruited from DHL.
Last week Bibendum featured in the Sunday Times' 'Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work For' list for the third time.

All that glisters

Published: 23 July, 2008

Once again, the California annual tasting will take place at the Royal Horticultural Halls (London SW1), although for 2006 it has moved to the slightly smaller Lindley Hall. Doors are open from 10.30am to 5.30pm on Thursday 23 March.

Delegat's wins Oyster Bay battle

Published: 23 July, 2008

Delegat's has finally secured control of fellow New Zealand winery Oyster Bay Marlborough vineyards after a protracted takeover battle.
Delegat's had to almost double its original takeover offer of NZ$3.10 to NZ$6 a share, with the takeover taking around nine months from offer to completion. Delegat's owned 33% of Oyster Bay prior to its takeover offer and became embroiled in a bidding war with fellow shareholder Peter Yeatlands for control of the company.
Delegat's is New Zealand's third-largest producer and is fully owned by the Delegat family. The company is now expected to list on the New Zealand Stock Exchange, with an estimated value of around NZ$220m-375m.
The Delegat family is expected to sell down its holding to 65%.

Adamas seeks partners

Published: 23 July, 2008

A new Burgundy brand, Adamas (Greek for diamond'), has been launched in the UK by recently established Beaune-based ngociant La Nouvelle Alliance (LNA).
Speaking to Harpers at the launch in London on 23 February, LNA's Franco-Scottish co-founders Manol Bouchet and Dan Connolly said that they had already secured several distribution agreements around the world and were looking for regional wholesalers with whom to work on an exclusive basis in the UK.
They have linked up with Wine Services to cover the London market and Inverarity Vaults for Fife in Scotland. Abroad, they have gained listings with Discovery Wines in Bermuda, Duty Free in Singapore and, most recently, the Swedish state monopoly.

South Africa's giant leap

Published: 23 July, 2008

A few weeks ago, Sophie Waggett of Wines of South Africa (WOSA) was more than a little worried. She was in Cape
Town and awaiting the arrival of a group of 20 on-trade buyers from the UK, most of whom she'd never met. The origins of this scenario began last year, when WOSA was forced to recognise that South African wines, while generally in growth, were seriously underperforming in the UK on-trade: only 5% market share, compared to 10% in the off-trade.