Asda: Adding variety

Asda has appeared quiet on the drinks front of late, but big change has been brewing, as Angela Mount reports.

Soapbox: Sizing up the bad payers

As financial challenges sweep the trade, one importer voices the fears  of many that late payment by accounts is becoming ingrained

Guy Woodward: Language matters

Of the many acerbic lines I heard on a recent visit to Australia (winemakers really are a different breed there – in a good way), few matched the pithiness of those delivered by Dave Bicknell.

Five minutes with Eric Zwiebel MS, The Samling

Following his recent move to The Samling Hotel in the Lake District, Eric Zwiebel, director of wine at The Samling talks us through his plans for the cellar.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Can business be a force for good?

I was thrilled to read of a recent initiative by The Wine Society, not just because I am a member, but because it speaks volumes about how they approach their business.

Sustainability Report: A social affair

From staff welfare to attracting employees, by way of putting back into the community, ethical concerns are ever higher on the agenda. Andrew Catchpole reports.

Harpers' Sustainability Charter: Charting signatories' progress

One year on, James Lawrence tracks developments with some of our Sustainability Charter signatories.

Leading the charge for sustainability in the boardroom

Harpers’ recent Folding Sustainability into the Boardroom DNA webinar delivered great insights into advancing the cause. 

Sustainability Report: The Co-op interview

For decades the Co-op has led the way in ethical trading and renewable energy in the grocery sector. In 2023, how is this reflected in its BWS offering? James Bayley reports.

Indies focus: Manchester's bright northern lights

Jo Gilbert struck out for Manchester to discover what makes the city tick post-Covid.

Leave it to Marc Hough, owner of Manchester hybrid Cork of the North, to give a comprehensive summary of the city in which he lives and works in the space of 30 seconds.

Tim Atkin MW: Lessons in internationalism

“How many of you here tonight were born in London?” In a room of 400 people, no more than 20 of us put up our hands (in case you’re wondering, I’m from Dartford). “And how many of those people’s parents were also born here?” Six people confirmed they were second-generation Londoners. “And your grandparents?” The arms were lowered. “You see,” said the man on the stage, “we’re all immigrants in a way.”

The person asking the question was the Chilean folk singer Nano Stern, currently on tour in Europe to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the great musician and activist Víctor Jara. At such a concert, you’d expect a fair percentage of the room to be from other places. It’s also worth remembering that London is a metropolis, not some backwater where successive generations are more likely to stay in the same place. But the point was still well made.

South America producer Q&A: Pepe Moquillaza, Peru

Headline heroes: Franco Bastías, Domaine Bousquet

Harpers speaks to Franco Bastías, head of agronomy & sustainability, Domaine Bousquet. 

Jerry Lockspeiser: Are brands the answer to Wine UK’s problems?

In the early days of my wine business career an experienced trader told me to hang onto an important insight. He said that wine is one of those subjects where the more you know the less you understand.

Producer Q&A: Rebekah Wineburg, Quintessa

Soapbox: Natural wine – a murderous funk?

Amphora Cambridge owner Cong Cong Bo takes a low intervention swipe at the faddish addiction to the word ‘natural’ in wine.

Boutinot Wines: Our friends in the north

The straight-talking northern distributor is a company with many hidden talents, writes Jo Gilbert.

Guy Woodward: On growing into wine

Our trade is not prone to hysteria, but there has been a pronounced bout of bedwetting recently. The cause? Studies showing how the younger generation is turning away from wine, with commentators quick to respond via apocryphal prophecies of doom if the industry doesn’t better engage with millennials.

55 minutes with Rathfinny Estate’s winemaking team

A double dose of decision-making is this month’s focus as Andrew Catchpole join’s Rathfinny for 2019 Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noir dosage trials

Producer Q&A: Haysley MacDonald, TUKU Maori Wine Collective

Launched in New Zealand in 2018, TUKU is the world’s first Maori winemakers collective, bringing together partners producing premium varietals in some of the nation’s most illustrious winegrowing regions: Hawkes Bay, Marlborough, North Canterbury and Central Otago.