People & Opinion - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Hybrid on a roll

Published: 15 February, 2022

As the pandemic lifts, seminal wine bar group Vinoteca is spreading its wings once more. Andrew Catchpole reports

Soapbox: Why sustainability makes perfect business sense

Published: 10 February, 2022

Mariella Menato, strategy director at drinks design specialist Denomination, talks about the rise of sustainability as a key consumer requirement, and why today, more than ever, it is vital for business success, as well as safeguarding our planet.

Vida's European union

Published: 08 February, 2022

Mining the “forgotten Old World” for terroir-driven wines, Vida’s launch to the UK on-trade and indies is championing alternative flavours and grapes. Andrew Catchpole gets a taste from frontman Olivier Freymuth

Tim Atkin MW: Is demystification all good?

Published: 04 February, 2022

In the early days of What Wine? magazine, the editor considered it a novel idea to invite actual consumers along to our tastings.

Q&A: Raffaele Boscaini Masi

Published: 03 February, 2022

Raffaele Boscaini, seventh-generation coordinator of the Masi Technical Group and marketing director of Masi Agricola, explains to Andrew Catchpole what makes this leading Italian family producer tick

Five minutes with Jerome Jacober, Eminent Wines

Published: 01 February, 2022

As the frontrunner of celebrity-endorsed wines with the UB40 Red, Red Wine range, Eminent Wines’ founder and CEO explains to Jo Gilbert how famous faces – and a compelling story – can help brands to stand out.

Jerry Lockspeiser: The dangers of ‘drink washing’ in a declining market

Published: 27 January, 2022

I wonder if you embraced dry January this year. Apparently quite a few of us went ‘semi-dry,’ which sounds as contradictory as being a little bit pregnant. I always thought such things were all or nothing. Apparently it refers to consciously controlling alcohol consumption by drinking on fewer days, or drinking less when we do, or turning to No and Lo products instead of the full fat options. A booze equivalent of the ‘flexitarian’ approach to food perhaps.

Headline heroes: Wakefield Wines

Published: 25 January, 2022

Having recently signed up to the exemplary Science Based Targets initiative, Wakefield Wines is a beacon on the path to sustainability.

Guy Woodward: Flying in the face of trends

Published: 20 January, 2022

Not for me, Dry January. Nor will you catch me doing Veganuary. And I certainly won’t be downloading the new self-help podcast, streaming the latest must-see Scandi crime boxset or wearing Very Peri (aka lavender, Pantone’s colour of the year, which, according to the brand’s head of drivel, sorry, executive director, “represents the future”).

Profile: Fine Wines Direct take action

Published: 18 January, 2022

Andrew Catchpole caught up with the team at the “fiercely independent” Fine Wines Direct to discuss their new agency business, as well as plans for expansion and diversification

Soapbox: Duty to change

Published: 14 January, 2022

With time fast ticking, Liberty Wines director of insights & business development, Alex Linsley, shares his company’s deep concerns around the government alcohol duty review, which is under consultation until 30 January 2022.

Five minutes with Etienne Debbane, IXSIR

Published: 10 January, 2022

Harvest in Lebanon delivered phenomenal challenges this year, as Etienne Debbane, president and co-founder of IXSIR explains to Andrew Catchpole.

Q&A: Vanessa Cherruau, Château De Plaisance

Published: 06 January, 2022

Vanessa Cherruau, co-owner and winemaker at Château De Plaisance, picked an interesting time to take over 22ha of vineyards in Anjou’s prestigious Rochefort-sur-Loire region – home to the only Premier and Grand Cru in the Loire – in 2019, just before the pandemic and with a baby on the way. She speaks to Jo Gilbert about past and future, sweet and dry, and why being biodynamic isn’t ‘crazy’ at all.

Soapbox: Why ingredient labelling on alcohol is vital

Published: 04 January, 2022

Richard Horwell of Brand Relations says full and compulsory ingredient labelling on alcoholic drinks is essential for the longevity and transparency of the sector

Jerry Lockspeiser: On Jeremy Clarkson, margins and the ‘middleman’ dog whistle

Published: 22 December, 2021

In case anyone missed it, Jeremy Clarkson has recently launched his own beer brand, Hawkstone. The lager is made with barley grown on his Cotswolds farm. Exposed to the workings of the supply chain, Clarkson was reportedly aghast at the difference between the £205 per tonne he received for his barley and the £580 paid by the brewers to the middleman.

Q&A: Owen Morgan, Bar 44 Restaurant Group

Published: 20 December, 2021

Complementing our seasonal online Bouncing Back series, passionate Hispanophile operator Owen Morgan gives Harpers the lowdown on how his business navigated 2021, his exciting new ventures and what 2022 might otherwise hold.

Profile: Andrew Porton, Lanchester Wines

Published: 15 December, 2021

Stepping up as MD of Lanchester’s wine division, Andrew Porton explains why he’s excited about the future and what The Wine Fusion brings to the party. Andrew Catchpole reports

Tim Atkin MW: Time for honesty about alcohol

Published: 13 December, 2021

“People like to masturbate.” As first sentences go, this one certainly snares your attention. It’s not the only remarkable thing about Edward Slingerland’s new book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced and Stumbled our Way to Civilization (£25, Little Brown, Spark). Nor is the author some ill-informed polemicist looking to generate a few headlines. Slingerland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia.

Five minutes with Matt Hodgson, Grape Britannia

Published: 06 December, 2021

Matt Hodgson, founder of English wine specialist Grape Britannia, says the time has arrived to look beyond fizz to the UK’s homegrown still gems.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Is it time to kill wine’s sacred cows?

Published: 01 December, 2021

It really is hard to know what to believe these days. The digital world enables instant sharing of information across the globe, which seems good and democratic. Just about anyone can participate. But with it comes lower reliability and veracity of what is being communicated, making it easier to seed fake gospels claiming that two plus two equals five, or seven, or even nine. Perhaps what really matters is the extent to which people make decisions and take actions as a result.