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The week that was

Top Stories: A mixed bag of endings and new beginnings grabbed the headlines this week – including the collapse of Palmer & Harvey.

Sadly, it looks like it’s the end of the road for the major UK wholesaler which went into administration on Tuesday after hopes for a buyout by private equity firm Carlyle fell through.

A funding crisis and difficult trading conditions in recent months have thwarted attempts to restructure.

Meanwhile, there were new chapters for veteran wine critic Jancis Robinson as she prepares to join the ranks of The Wine Show as a presenter and Concha y Toro where Marcelo Papa took over as technical director of the South American wine behemoth.  

• Robinson to join Fattorini and sit in judgement on The Wine Show
• New reference point for English wine with first EU cross-border appellation approval
• Palmer & Harvey enters administration
• Marcelo Papa takes top wine job as Concha y Toro named biggest mover of 2016
• Mezcal and English sparkling tipped as top tipples of 2018
• Borough partners with Surendran & Bownes to launch non-alcoholic gin

Analysis and Insights: Premium growth of the world’s favourite fizz, the pros and cons of ditching the middleman and the rise of small format were all on the agenda in our weekly analysis features, which take an in depth look at the key issues and trends pertinent to the modern trade.

• The pros and cons of importing direct
• The Pack Outsider
• Upmarket Champagne bucks downward sales trend 

People and Opinion: This week we’ve been catching up with some of the industry’s top specialist buyers to find out what their role entails - and what gets them reaching for a second glass.

• Meet the buyers: Alistair Viner, Hedonism
• Meet the buyers: Edward Gerard, Harrods
• Meet the buyers: Rob Graves, Harvey Nichols