The week that was
In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, here’s a review of the top online news, analysis and opinion pieces.
Top stories
After the WSTA taunted Philip Hammond with a “Scrooge” label ahead of the budget, the Chancellor clearly decided that piling duty increases on wines and spirits for a second time in 2017 would be an unpopular move by a minority government just ahead of Christmas.
Duty froze over, but the trade was somewhat more split over the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland as 1 May 2018 was announced as the date for a likely 50p floor on the cost of alcohol.
Beaujolais Nouveau Day brought about renewed focus on the “underrated and undervalued” better made wines from the region, while fizz was much in the spotlight, with news that the Prosecco DOC is gearing up for a new ‘Brutnature’ label, that the quality-focused single vineyard Cava de Paraje saw its official launch in London, and Harpers broke a story about Extremadura’s battle to plant more vineyards for the region's burgeoning Cava production.
Meanwhile, there was much company news, with Corney and Barrow, Majestic and Crown Cellars among those featured, while a short story about the Spanish giving English Albariño a “thumbs up” generated a fair amount of noise on social media.
• Chancellor Philip Hammond labelled “scrooge”
• Budget: duty frozen on wines, spirits and beers
• Scotland sets date for minimum unit pricing
• “Underrated and under-priced” Beaujolais gets a kick out from under Georges Duboeuf’s shadow
• Prosecco DOC gears up for approval of new ‘Brutnature’ description
• Cava de Paraje ambitions announced with lofty London launch
• Extremadura Cava producers challenge Catalonia in fight for further planting rights
• Corney & Barrow drives growth through Merchant Business
• Naked Wines boosts Majestic half year performance
• Crown Cellars push to highlight spirits portfolio with Thinking Drinkers
• Spanish give English Albariño wine the thumbs up
Analysis and Insights
In our analysis pages we examined ways in which the drinks trade can connect with Generation Z, and just how much this demographic differs from the millennials.
There are lessons to be learned, too, from ecommerce in China, where we shone a spotlight on developments in the world’s biggest consumer market and its projected £1.24 trillion sales by 2020.
And the newly restructured Tesco team opened up to Harpers, talking plans and strategy looking ahead to 2018.
• Connecting with Generation Z
People and Opinion
Harpers columnist Jerry Lockspeiser took a wry sideswipe at the disarray in the boardroom of UK Plc, with a bleak assessment of this government’s ability to deliver a business-friendly Brexit and the effect that would likely have on our trade.
Last but far from least, we ran a Q&A with Chilean winemaker Irene Paiva of Vistamar, a female pioneer in a country that has now become something of a beacon for sexual equality in the cellar.
• Jerry Lockspeiser: An epic management disaster
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