Open communication and a clear channel management strategy are they key to a strong, healthy relationship between independents and suppliers was the key message from yesterday's Harpers debate been leading independent merchants and suppliers.
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Tesco has taken a bit of a battering in recent months, with profits slipping and then the little matter of the £250 million profit overstatement. But although Tesco is in the spotlight, there are issues for all of the major retailers right now, as the discounters go from strength to strength and the Big Four's choke hold on the market weakens. Harpers.co.uk spoke to some of the wine trade's key suppliers and ex-buyers to find out their views.
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Suffolk brewer and distiller Adnams has added Karen Hester to its main board as an executive director.
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Winemakers at McLaren Vale's Hedonist say the region is perfect for growing Mediterranean grape varieties, after adding a Tempranillo and Sangiovese to its range.
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How wine suppliers can work better and more efficiently with independent retailers will be the subject of a key Harpers debate being held this morning in London between leading figures on both sides.
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The festive season is still the key trading period for sparkling wines. What do producers, brand owners, multiples and merchants expect from sparkling wines this year?
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Last week the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois arrived in London for the fifth annual review of the wines deemed worthy to use the Cru Bourgeois seal of approval. Five years into the new incarnation of the classification Heather Dougherty reviews its successes and challenges - and looks at its prospects for the future.
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The tapas craze helped boost sherry sales temporarily but the category is now in decline, and Port is still struggling to shake its fusty and festive image. Gemma McKenna and Erin Smith look at how fortified wines can carve a niche
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The competition to stand out not just on-shelf but also on-screen means there is intense pressure on wine producers, suppliers and, most of all, the creative and design agencies behind the labels to really up their game. Here are the results from the first worldwide Harpers Design Awards where we invited entries from around the world, attracting designs from the US, Australia and across Europe.
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The first Harpers Global Design Awards to recognise excellence in wine and spirits label and bottle design saw 62 medals awarded, including 17 gold medals for designs the judges felt were showing the way for the rest of the industry.
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Digby Fine English wine has signed distribution deals with Coe Vintners across the UK, and the recently-formed British Bottle Company for international export.
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Vega Sicilia was established in 1859, although its modern history began with the property's purchase by the Alvarez family in 1982, who acquired the estate as joint shareholders. Patriarch David Alvarez subsequently appointed his son Pablo as managing director of the property. Since the mid-1980s, Pablo Alvarez has ensured that Vega Sicilia remains Ribera Del Duero's most renowned and prestigious wine, for sale in over 25 markets. With Alvarez's careful direction, the property has managed to overcome both the Spanish economic crisis and endure a family feud over the future of the estate, in addition to investing in the regions of Rioja and Toro. James Lawrence reports:
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Constellation Brands is set to release its second quarter financials today, and with over 51.9% share-price growth over the past year, the question on everyone's mind is can it continue?
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The biggest threat to the future of wines from the Ribera Del Duero is consumers turning their back on the signature ripe and powerful style of the region, according to Pingus founder Peter Sisseck.
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The annual release of the Grosse Gewächse in September is a firm feature in the German wine calendar. Slowly, this important release date is also gaining UK currency. Grosse Gewächse are dry single-vineyard wines produced to a strict quality code by VDP members (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter). The VDP is Germany's largest and most important grouping of quality producers whose private vineyard classification recognises exceptional, historic single sites as Grosse Lagen.
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Top UK wine buyers warn Burgundy will struggle to regain shelf space as figures reveal exports to the UK have halved in 2014, following last year's short harvest.
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New Zealand's 2014 vintage resulted from "near perfect" conditions, but winemakers have warned buyers to take care as some Marlborough estates battled to harvest before Cyclone Ita hit.
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Harpers is giving talented, rising stars in the global wine industry the chance to take part in this November's Wine Vision conference by applying for a special Harpers grant.
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Europe's victory in this weekend's Ryder Cup brought smiles not only to golf fans across the continent, but to the marketing team at Moët & Chandon whose sponsorship of the event resulted in priceless images of the winning team celebrating with its Champagne appearing in the international press around the world.
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Chester Osborn of d'Arenburg winery in McLaren Vale, on why he's decided to vinify and release winers from some of his top plots separately.
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