Analysis & Insights - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

New Zealand report: Blanc page

Published: 27 March, 2020

Enduringly popular and commanding a premium, NZ Sauvignon Blanc is nonetheless evolving with an eye on the future. Andrew Catchpole reports

Argentina report: The beauty of buying in bulk

Published: 26 March, 2020

Argentina is upping its game to become a major player in boutique bulk, as Chris Wilson reports.

Argentina report: The many faces of Malbec

Published: 24 March, 2020

A growing appreciation for Argentina’s GI system is helping Malbec slide towards the premium end of lists here in the UK. Chris Wilson asks where to next?

Cambridge indies react to coronavirus uncertainty

Published: 20 March, 2020

Cambridge-based Chris Wilson gets on his bike for a taste of what it’s like for those at the sharp end of wine retail.

Argentina report: Darling of  the on-trade

Published: 19 March, 2020

Argentinian wine continues to be a UK success story, fighting through currency woes and falling wine consumption,  as James  Lawrence reports

Argentina report: Country on the rise

Published: 18 March, 2020

In the first of our series on Argentina, James Lawrence reports (pre-coronavirus) on how the 2016 election has helped introduce the country to a new era of wine exports and global trade.

California export drive

Published: 16 March, 2020

Andrew Catchpole reports on the inaugural California Export conference, which drew together a host of wine experts from around the world to explore the opportunities for the Golden State.

Threat of ‘WineExit’

Published: 11 March, 2020

EU producers should lobby in tandem with UK importers for the best mutual outcome, stresses Harpers’ Brexit panel at Wine Paris

Brexit red tape to hit premium trade

Published: 09 March, 2020

Government’s post-Brexit default adoption of EU regulations will pile further costs on indies, specialist importers and on-trade. Andrew Catchpole unravels the flaws in its proposed trading position

Central Otago: Pinot spotlight

Published: 06 March, 2020

Central Otago is reaching a new maturity, as Andrew Catchpole discovers at its annual Pinot Noir Celebration.

Portugal: step into a world of difference

Published: 05 March, 2020

An ever-closer relationship between the UK and Portugal is having a positive knock-on effect on sales of this European underdog. Charles Metcalfe asks if Brexit will put a stop to progress?

Indies: Food for thought

Published: 04 March, 2020

Thinking of offering a hybrid experience? Andrew Catchpole asks two quite different operators how they balance being both a wine merchant and a bar

Austria: The view beyond Grüner growth

Published: 02 March, 2020

Austrian producers are looking to reds and rare varieties to emulate the ‘golden period’ built on the success of its flagship grape, as Lisa Riley discovers.

Making sense of it all

Published: 25 February, 2020

James Lawrence delves into the new and sustainable innovations in wine closures

Hard seltzers: High hopes for a new low

Published: 25 February, 2020

In the US, sales of hard seltzers are rocketing like gin, while hitting a low-alcohol, health-conscious sweet spot that might be perfect for the UK market too. Jo Gilbert charts a category on the rise

Côtes du Rhône celebrates Rhône Wine Festival success

Published: 19 February, 2020

The organisers of the Rhône Wine Festival have called for the trade to get involved in this year's event, following the success of 2019.

Panel discussion: Taste the Trends

Published: 19 February, 2020

Assembling a fantastic panel to peer through the prism of wine to explore upcoming trends promised to be a novel adventure. Especially in front of a knowledge-thirsty, wine-savvy audience. And so it proved when Harpers partnered with Berkmann Wine Cellars at its lively annual London tasting to lead a Taste the Trends seminar, which threw the spotlight on some of the most meaningful and sustainable developments in the wine world today.

Is this the end of critics?

Published: 17 February, 2020

It took Vivino five years to hit 100 million scans, but just two months to make the jump from 1 billion to 1.1 billion. It’s a new world, says Jo Gilbert

Australia: Reinvention in the New World

Published: 10 February, 2020

Australian winemakers are forging a new identity with a holistic approach to production that’s more in keeping with modern consumer tastes than the country’s original offerings, as Chris Losh reports.

Full circle drinking - the rise of upcycled discarded products

Published: 06 February, 2020

The brand owners giving TLC to unwanted food waste are creating an exciting and entirely sustainable drinks sector that is not only helping to drive the circular economy, but creativity too, as Jo Gilbert reports.