The week ahead: Budget and tastings dominate the agenda

By Richard Siddle

Published: 17 March, 2014

The wine and spirits trade faces one of its most eventful weeks of the year as it counts down to Wednesday's Budget with a series of major generic tastings.

Producers from across the United States have flown in to London for today's inaugural Go West! Tasting which will showcase wines from California, Oregon and Washington.

The generic bodies of the three states have decided to unite forces and provide the UK wine trade with a comprehensive showcase of American wines.

The Go West tasting takes place today at London's Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster.

It follows the success of the Beautiful South tasting which saw the generic bodies of South Africa, Chile and Argentina combine for a one stop tasting last September.

This will be followed on Thursday March, 20 with the annual Wines of Spain tasting which will see producers from across the country head to Old Billingsgate in London.

Spanish producers and the UK wine trade will also be out on force on the night of March 18 for the Caballeros dinner.

But all eyes will be on the Chancellor George Osborne on Wednesday, March 19 when he stands up in Parliament to deliver the 2014 Budget.

The trade still holds hopes he will have been convinced by the industry's Call Time on Duty campaign and halt the duty escalator on wine and spirits.

You can follow all the news and reaction to the Budget on Harpers.co.uk.

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