People & Opinion - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Profile: Hallgarten keeps it interesting

Published: 18 October, 2022

Hallgarten & Novum Wines’ Andrew Bewes and Steve Daniel talk Andrew Catchpole through the challenges posed by today’s extraordinary market conditions.

Tim Atkin MW: The value of honesty in wine

Published: 14 October, 2022

A good friend turned 80 recently. To celebrate, he invited a few of us round for dinner and opened a bottle of 1942 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux. I don’t often get the chance to try bottles like that. Thoughts of the German occupation goose-stepped through my head as we pulled the surprisingly small cork. The wine was glorious: fragile, sweet, gamey and appropriately autumnal.

Five minutes with rosé expert, Elizabeth Gabay MW

Published: 11 October, 2022

As her latest book, Rosés of Southern France, hits the shelves, Elizabeth Gabay explains to Andrew Catchpole why we should all take the pink category more seriously.

Q&A: Peter Vinding-Diers – the 'viking in the vineyard'

Published: 04 October, 2022

Viking in the Vineyard author Peter Vinding-Diers has had a one-of-a-kind winemaking life. Jo Gilbert catches up with the Danish-born vigneron on his latest venture – a selection of standout Sicilian Syrahs at his Montecarrubo winery.

Jerry Lockspeiser: We need to talk about sustainable wines

Published: 27 September, 2022

I hesitate to reproduce what follows for fear of dishing an event that I love, but it is such a superb example of terrible communication that I can’t resist. This is not from the world of wine, but I have had equally awful comms from wineries in non-English speaking countries.

Profile: Virgin’s positive mission

Published: 20 September, 2022

With his relaxed style and ample enthusiasm, Jay Wright certainly doesn’t fit the old stereotype of a wine trade CEO. As the boss of one of the more successful online retailers, though, he is clear about the vision and values that underpin the popularity of Virgin Wines. And much of that comes down to what he believes the company – and, by extension, the wider drinks trade – actually sells.

Soapbox: Is keg wine a blessing or a curse?

Published: 13 September, 2022

As an experienced wine consultant specialising in the on-trade, Neil Bruce – aka wine margin optimiser at Studio Alto – turns his sights to the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to the keg-versus-bottle ‘green’ debate.

Guy Woodward: Intercontinental blends challenge the sanctity of terroir

Published: 06 September, 2022

Earlier this year, Penfolds announced its ambition to essay “a strategic shift from fine wine brand to global luxury icon”. The brand’s new marketing campaign, it said, encapsulated Penfolds’ “innovative spirit and desire to push the boundaries through self-belief”.

Five minutes with Alex Brogan, Plumpton student

Published: 30 August, 2022

Jo Gilbert catches up with Alex Brogan about his collective winemaking venture, where customers can vote on every step of the winemaking process.

Producer Q&A: Gabriel Asseily, Château Biac

Published: 25 August, 2022

Gabriel Asseily, co-owner and head of production at Château Biac, talks Andrew Catchpole through the challenges and triumphs of swapping a cosmopolitan life in London to head up a family-bought estate in Côtes de Bordeaux.

Talking heads: Oz is back in style

Published: 23 August, 2022

Producers and importers share with James Bayley their thoughts on the hot trends with Oz wines shaping Australia’s present and future offer in the UK market.

All change for Yalumba

Published: 18 August, 2022

Andrew Catchpole caught up with outgoing Yalumba MD Nick Waterman and his successor-to-be Karl Martin.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Thrills and spills with Veseth’s wine economics

Published: 16 August, 2022

Mike Veseth doesn’t just make wine economics understandable; he makes it thrilling.

Soapbox: Stop romanticising copper stills

Published: 11 August, 2022

Joff Curtoys, founder and creative director of Sloemotion Distillery, explains why copper stills are the spirit industry’s dirty little climate secret.

Profile: Jascots back with a vengeance

Published: 09 August, 2022

Against all odds, on-trade focused Jascots survived the pandemic and administration to emerge stronger than ever. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Tim Atkin MW: Women score in wine, too

Published: 05 August, 2022

You’ve come a long way, baby. Watching the final of the Euro 2022 women’s football tournament, I was reminded of this advertising slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes, of all things, from the late 1960s. The brand tapped into the zeitgeist at a time when feminism and women’s rights were finally attracting the attention and wider support they deserved. The importance of sport should not be overstated, but England’s victory felt significant, not just as a one-off game, but in a wider social context.

Five minutes with Patrice Piveteau, Cognac Frapin

Published: 02 August, 2022

Jo Gilbert talks to cellarmaster Patrice Piveteau about the newest launch of Cognac Frapin’s Cigar Blend, made in its humid cellars in Grande Champagne.

Producer Q&A: Andrés Valero, Grupo Avinea, talks organic

Published: 26 July, 2022

Eighteen months into his role as head of sustainability for Grupo Avinea (Argento), Andrés Valero explains to Andrew Catchpole how organic provides a pathway into sustainability.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Lessons from the Tory leadership – are we heading into disaster?

Published: 21 July, 2022

Oh dear, perhaps it was always too much to hope for. The embarrassment of the country being led by a self-serving clown has finally timed out, but the opportunity for serious politics to be rehabilitated looks certain to be missed.

Profile: Following on from FMV

Published: 19 July, 2022

Two years on from the dismemberment of FMV, Bancroft Wines is focusing on initiating its new producers into the ‘family’ in a post-Covid world. Jo Gilbert reports.