Analysis & Insights - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Opening minds on closures

Published: 08 February, 2019

Innovations in wine closures are coming thick and fast, driven by sustainability, convenience and quality control. Lisa Riley investigates their impact

Counting Daphne’s, Scott’s, Sexy Fish, Caprice, the fast-growing Ivy Collection, J. Sheeky and Harry’s Bar among its swish restaurants and watering holes, Caprice Holdings can be seen as something of a barometer for trends sweeping through the premium on-trade. And the same can be said of the drinks offer, which morphs from cool cocktails to fine wines – and everything in between – across the various brands and estates.

Awaking Armagnac's potential

Published: 04 February, 2019

An old timbered barn in the heart of the rustic, misty Bas Armagnac region is perhaps the last place you’d expect to find a pop-up cocktail bar, let alone one that could pass muster in the hipper quarters of New York or London. But shakers are shaking, drinks being dispensed, with the artfully tattooed bar guru Luis Inchaurraga of Madrid Mixology mixing up a host of fabulous Armagnac-based drinks.

Aussie talk and taste: Barossa Beauties

Published: 31 January, 2019

Harpers invited a panel of independent merchants and sommeliers to join Grant Burge chief winemaker Craig Stansborough to talk, taste and pair his Barossa styles with some demanding dishes. Andrew Catchpole was on hand to assess the feedback on these modern Australian wines and their place in the premium drinking repertoire.

How low can you go?

Published: 29 January, 2019

Three years on from Seedlip’s launch, moderation is on the up while the number of regular wine drinkers in the UK is going down. Low and no alcohol might be the category the wine trade didn’t want, but it’s here to stay, says Jo Gilbert

Loire and order

Published: 28 January, 2019

As New Zealand struggles to establish regionality, Loire winemakers in the “home” of Sauvignon Blanc are re-carving their identity by putting their unique soils front and centre. Jo Gilbert reports

WSET: from Bermondsey to Beijing

Published: 22 January, 2019

As the WSET hits 50, Andrew Catchpole talks to chief executive Ian Harris MBE about driving forward a great British export

Words to the wise

Published: 21 January, 2019

Fun fact: the Oxford Word of the Year 2018 was “toxic”. Why toxic, you ask? Every year, the eminent Oxford University institution chooses a word or expression that is judged to “reflect the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the passing year” and have “lasting potential as a term of cultural significance”.

Valuing Rum

Published: 21 January, 2019

Rum’s challenges and opportunities are clearly visible in the on-trade, where it is widely championed by bartenders and misunderstood by consumers. Jo Gilbert sets out to explore the many ways thisclassic party drink is unlocking its full potential

There may be trouble ahead…

Published: 17 January, 2019

The number of leaders with confidence in the future of their own company within the eating and drinking-out market took a knock in the three months to November 2018, according to the latest CGA Business Confidence Survey.

The Aussie-Anglo Alliance

Published: 17 January, 2019

It’s well reported that Australian wine sales into mainland China have been booming, driven by a compelling mix of favourable trade deals, attractiveness of style to Chinese consumers and a firm commitment by the Australian industry to push into that market. Moreover, as with many other territories around the world, the US included, such buyers are prepared to pay a good price for the pleasure of listing the wines.

Back to business

Published: 16 January, 2019

Bibendum PLB is reasserting itself as a major premium player on the UK wine scene. Andrew Catchpole meets chief executive Michael Saunders to discover what’s in store

That was the year that was

Published: 14 January, 2019

As we eagerly await the Christmas trading results, Lisa Riley looks back at 2018 and the ups and downs across the drinks categories

New Zealand's evolving vinous landscape

Published: 10 January, 2019

New Zealand’s wine scene has come a long way since its inception in the 1970s. Jamie Goode meets the personalities driving change in leading region Marlborough

Beyond the surface

Published: 07 January, 2019

Alternative formats are sometimes looked down on by the wine elite, but the best packaging innovations don’t just stand out on shelf, they create entirely new ways of reaching and interacting with the consumer. Jo Gilbert investigates

Will robots take my job?

Published: 04 January, 2019

As automated technology gets more affordable and efficient, it will free up businesses to place people at the heart and soul of the drinks trade – if used correctly. Jo Gilbert reports

Harpers Events Guide 2019

Published: 02 January, 2019

A census in a rabbit warren, needle in a haystack – numerous similes come to mind when attempting to get to grips with 2019’s plethora of events. Concern over the looming prospect of Brexit hasn’t dampened the trade’s voracious appetite for putting on a grand show, and next year promises to be no exception.

Can the trade afford not to go vegan?

Published: 21 December, 2018

As the halo effect from health and sustainability grows, pulling in everyone from full-time vegans to flexitarians, consumers are increasingly looking for the “V” symbol on wines. Jo Gilbert asks, can the wine trade afford not to be vegan?

Thirsty Work

Published: 19 December, 2018

There’s been no shortage of innovation in wines and spirits over the past year.

Unlocking Rioja’s potential

Published: 13 December, 2018

Rioja’s Viñedos Singulares classification is a major step towards elevating the region’s status, writes Tim Atkin MW.

Rioja’s Consejo Regulador is the oldest in Spain, a body that owes its existence to a Royal Decree, no less, of October 22, 1926. From the start, the Consejo’s mandate included the right to take legal measures against “usurpers and counterfeiters of the Rioja brand”, as well as to issue production seals, demarcate the region and decide on its future direction.