Black Tower follows up healthy drinking trends with new 0.5% abv range

Black Tower is expanding its low alcohol offering in a bid to boost its appeal to health-conscious millennials at Christmas.

Malbec pioneer Hervé J. Fabre brings varietal focus to the UK via Cahors

Hervé and Diane Joyaux Fabre, the driving force behind leading Argentinian bodega Viñalba, have secured their first UK listing since moving home to France last year.

“Short-sighted” Bordeaux En Primeur strategies leave little to no value for the trade

A “lack of wines priced attractively” has been blamed for a less than successful 2017 Bordeaux campaign.

Brexit pushed Californian wine price up by a fifth

The average price of Californian wine imported to the European Union surged by nearly a fifth in the year of the Brexit vote, analysis by Harpers reveals.

English winemakers experiment with Charmat method

A number of English winemakers are breaking with convention to produce fizz made using a method more often associated with Prosecco.

Occitanie rosé in the pink as UK market dries up

Sales of rosé wines from the South of France are in the pink despite rosé’s waning popularity across Britain, according to wine producers from the Occitanie region.

Marqués de la Concordia kicks off limited edition football partnership

On the back of World Cup fever, Marqués de la Concordia has announced a three-year sponsorship agreement with the country’s national team.

La Châsse producer Gabriel Meffre looks to make its name in the on-trade

Rhône Valley producer Maison Gabriel Meffre is looking to expand its presence in the UK on-trade, growing on the success of its La Châsse brand in Sainsbury’s and Asda.

Cono Sur targets foodies with new TV ads

Leading Chilean winery Cono Sur has launched a major new primetime TV ad campaign highlighting wine and food, which is set to reach 13 million viewers over six months.

Barefoot adapts Pinot Grigio flagship to match pink and fizz trends

E&J Gallo’s carefree California wine brand Barefoot Wine is fastest growing top five wine brand in the UK according to Nielsen. Harpers caught up with head winemaker Jen Wall to discuss 20 years of making affordable, fruit forward wines that people want to drink.

Q&A: Charles Smith, Wines of Substance

Since selling off the five key labels of his eponymous wine range to Constellation Brands in 2016, former rock band manager turned Washington-based wine pioneer Charles Smith is now focused on creating Wines of Substance. Jo Gilbert reports

Port houses join Symington in declaring 2016 vintage

Quinta do Noval and Quinta do Romaneira are the latest Port houses to declare 2016 a vintage year, following the lead of top Port house Symington Family Estates.

Buckingham Schenk to distribute te Pā Family Vineyards

Buckingham Schenk has been appointed exclusive UK agent for Maori wine business te Pā Family Vineyards.

Iconic Stag's Leap Wine Cellars returns with a punch with 2015 Cabernets

Harpers tasted the new vintage from preeminent Californian estate Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, tracing the grapes and the soil to the same – if re-planted – site which gave birth to the victorious 1976 Judgment of Paris Cabernet Sauvignon.

Côtes du Rhône scam sold 66 million bottles of fake wine

The extent of a large-scale wine fraud in the Côtes du Rhône has been unveiled, amounting to 66.5 million bottles of counterfeit wine.

China to squeeze bulk supply of Australian red to critical levels over next 3-5 years

Top US organic producer Bonterra joins Enotria&Coe

Enotria&Coe is increasing its stall of organic wines via leading organic producer Bonterra.

TWE declares war on Rush Rich and other ‘copycat operators’

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is embroiled in yet another legal challenge, this time against a label which it claims intentionally riffs off the look and feel of one of its flagship Australian brands.

Louis Roederer shows its modern face at MMD tasting

Things sometimes move at a glacial pace in the world of fine wine, but even Grande Marque producer Louis Roederer showed it is up for moving with the times at its most recent tasting, showcasing zero dosage and experimentation with organic and biodynamic wines.

Asia’s thirst for Australia drives AU$2.56bn export high, but UK and USA dip

The most recent export figures from Wine Australia, released at the busy Australia Day Tasting (ADT) in London on 23 January, revealed that Australian wine exports to mainland China continue to boom in the wake of the 2015 free trade agreement between the two countries.