Analysis & Insights - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

The pros and cons of LWF

Published: 09 June, 2021

As a first, it was hard to predict how well last month’s London Wine Fair (LWF) Digital Edition would work for both visitors and exhibitors. Lisa Riley reports.

Events: A hybrid future

Published: 09 June, 2021

With a degree of normality beginning to return, Andrew Catchpole gets a taste of the tastings to come.

More uncertainty over re-opening

Published: 08 June, 2021

With the rise of the Indian variant, the promised land of no restrictions is looking unlikely for this month. Lisa Riley reports.

Meeting demand: How suppliers have risen to the reopening challenge

Published: 07 June, 2021

The demand from the on-trade has been ‘huge’ following outdoor (12 April) and indoor (17 May) hospitality reopening. Jo Gilbert speaks to some of the UK’s leading suppliers to ask how they’ve managed to keep stock flowing.

Canada’s Cool Climate Sensibility

Published: 03 June, 2021

Harpers’ recent Canadian-flavoured webinar looked at the emerging regions and styles from this exciting country as it emerges onto the global wine scene, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Backing a (indie) winning wine

Published: 02 June, 2021

The countries and regions most tipped by UK merchants to be the year’s hot new thing. Andrew Catchpole reports.

New players in the mix

Published: 01 June, 2021

Kate Hawkings tastes her way through the roster of new mixers coming to market, looking beyond gin to the versatility of this ever-evolving sector.

Logistics: Taking stock of change for better business

Published: 27 May, 2021

Simon Jack delves into the ins and outs of warehousing and stock management, looking at how this vital part of the industry is continuing to evolve amidst the ever changing circumstances of the past year

Enjoying the great outdoors

Published: 26 May, 2021

With some restrictions easing but others still in place, drinks companies are capitalising on practical solutions to outdoor drinking, as Lisa Riley reports.

Innovation Report: Building strength in numbers

Published: 25 May, 2021

Our Collaboration as a Force for Change webinar looked at how the rapid channel innovation of the past year has broken down barriers for trade. Jo Gilbert reports from the session.

Sizing up Spain

Published: 24 May, 2021

Despite the twin pressures of Covid and Brexit, Spain’s wines have managed to stay in relatively good shape thanks to an uplift in off-trade sales. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Survey: A year of innovation acceleration

Published: 20 May, 2021

The soaring growth of canned wine, channel distribution changes and the rise of digital infrastructures all came up time and again in our recent Innovations in the Drinks Trade 2021 survey, showing that evolution continues to pull a silver thread through what has been an extraordinarily disruptive year. Jo Gilbert picks out the key findings.

Adelante: A Renewed Focus for Spain

Published: 19 May, 2021

This joint Harpers and Wines from Spain webinar considered the challenges and opportunities for Spanish wines in the UK. Andrew Catchpole rounds up the key takeaways

Numbers 2020: A black swan year

Published: 18 May, 2021

Fresh insights from Euromonitor’s annual data release shows that 2020 was a year of “unprecedented collapse” for BWS globally without the counterbalancing regional effect that buoyed markets during the 2008/9 financial crash. Jo Gilbert looks at the year’s volume figures to break down how global sectors were impacted.

Brexit: Counting the cost

Published: 17 May, 2021

Far from fading away, the ‘B’ word still greatly troubles indie merchants, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Glass half empty

Published: 12 May, 2021

Restrictions may be lifting but there’s still a long way to go to return the on-trade to health, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Think Gin debate: What's next for gin?

Published: 11 May, 2021

Our Think Gin opening debate assessed which gins are flash in the pan and which are here for the long haul. James Lawrence tuned in.

Changing face of global wine supply

Published: 11 May, 2021

The OIV’s recent annual report painted a picture of shifting global supply, with consumption falling to its lowest ebb since 2002 and vineyard surface area nudging back towards Europe as China’s plantings slow.

Grape changes at Asda

Published: 10 May, 2021

Asda’s decision to re-organise its wine aisle by variety rather than region is based on widely established research which shows consumers consider grape first when choosing a bottle of wine. But will it lead to more adventurous buying? Jo Gilbert shops around for the answers.

Gin: Identity politics

Published: 06 May, 2021

A roster of ‘gin’ liqueurs, low-quality variants and no and low copycats have drawn the ire of some this year with calls to better ring fence the category. Are these outliers artificially accelerating gin fatigue or is this all part of the category’s natural evolution? Jo Gilbert weighs in.