People & Opinion - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Q&A: Jan Konetzki, director of wine, Ten Trinity Square

Published: 18 July, 2019

Lisa Riley meets the sommelier who has been Chatéau Latour and Artemis Domaines’ ambassador since 2016

Q&A: Hemant Kotecha, founder/managing director, Myliko Wines

Published: 15 July, 2019

Widely credited as establishing Hungarian wine in the UK, Myliko Wines’ founder and managing director Hemant Kotecha caught up with Jo Gilbert to explain how importing ski jackets from Romania evolved into a pioneering wine business

Guy Woodward: Accentuate the positive

Published: 11 July, 2019

GUY WOODWARD

Tim Atkin MW: Celebrating Chenin

Published: 10 July, 2019

TIM ATKIN MW

Importer Insight: Seckford Agencies

Published: 01 July, 2019

Seckford was founded in 1999 by Pippa Woods to highlight the brilliant wines of the new world. Twenty years on the importer now works with almost 50 producers from across the new world, with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa being particular strongholds.

Joe Fattorini: Why sometimes, paying more feels like less

Published: 25 June, 2019

Joe Fattorini

Jerry Lockspeiser: Why wine brands are here to stay

Published: 24 June, 2019

Branded wines beware! Man your defences! Private Labels are on the march, and they are coming to get you.

Q&A: Justine McGovern and Damien Jackman, directors, California Wine Institute UK & Ireland

Published: 21 June, 2019

Ahead of a joint Harpers-California Wine Institute session on sustainability (details below), Andrew Catchpole catches up with the team fronting the Golden State’s wines

Q&A: Kim Wilson and Joy Edmondson, North South Wines

Published: 18 June, 2019

Innovative, agile and on-trend, North South Wines is shaking up the traditional importer model. Andrew Catchpole meets its founders

Guy Woodward: Why low and no wine has a problem

Published: 11 June, 2019

Guy Woodward

Tim Atkin MW: Why wines from Tenerife are special

Published: 06 June, 2019

“You’re joking,” said María Hontoria, the oenologist from the governing Cabildo de Tenerife. “I thought everyone from the UK had been here.” Her surprise was justified. Nearly six million tourists visit each year and more than a third are Brits. Tenerife is package-tour central, served by dozens of airlines bringing holidaymakers to resorts such as Playa de los Américas, but it’s also much more: a beautiful island with an intriguing history, stunning landscapes and some of Spain’s most exciting wines.

Joe Fattorini: on mythological punt’rs

Published: 04 June, 2019

Taking a punt on heuristic pleasure, Joe Fattorini, head of London sales at Fields, Morris & Verdin, calls for wine shortcuts rather than rules

Berkmann Q&A: building on solid ground

Published: 28 May, 2019

Andrew Catchpole meets the Berkmann team to talk values, vision and evolution in the trade

Jerry Lockspeiser: Your wine probably does not exist

Published: 23 May, 2019

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Q&A: Robert Maynard and James Thomson, Wild Flor

Published: 21 May, 2019

New Hove eatery Wild Flor combines quality comfort dining with a distinct wine focus. Andrew Catchpole reports

Five minutes with: Seb Heeley

Published: 17 May, 2019

Seb Heeley, co-founder and master distiller, Manchester Gin

Q&A: Chris Foss, Plumpton Wine Division

Published: 14 May, 2019

Chris Foss, founder and curriculum manager at Plumpton College Wine Division

Guy Woodward: On good breeding in wine

Published: 07 May, 2019

From the moment visitors touch down at Lexington’s Blue Grass airport, they are confronted with stylised images of two of Kentucky’s most prominent industries. The local tourist board seems keener, funnily enough, to promote the state’s whiskies and horses than its other famous export. Compliant stooge that I am, I took in both pursuits over the course of a whistle-stop tour last month.

Tim Atkin MW: The dangers of karaoke journalism

Published: 02 May, 2019

The two emails arrived on the same morning. The first was from Mark A, offering me an “exclusive invite” to join Biginfluencers.com and “connect with some of the biggest brands”; the second was a release about the launch of a Standardised Wine Rating System called iS Winescale. In their different ways, they both cut to the core of what it means to be a wine writer today. Are we still relevant? And if so, how and to whom?

Q&A: Sara Rossi, head sommelier, Trinity

Published: 01 May, 2019

Sara Rossi’s career so far spans Fera at Claridges, Gordon Ramsay’s Royal Hospital Road and the Dorchester Collection, where she was mentored by Vanessa Cinti. She talks Andrew Catchpole through her vision at a Clapham neighbourhood favourite