News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Fladgate latest to announce back-to-back vintage declaration

Published: 23 April, 2019

Things are heating up in the Douro, with yet another port house following up 2016 with another vintage year.

Crown Cellars adds 20 new wines to portfolio including exclusive quintet

Published: 23 April, 2019

Crown Cellars, the specialist on-trade wine division of Carlsberg UK, has added 20 new wines to its 2019/20 portfolio, including five exclusive to the business.

English and Welsh sparkling wine sales hit new record

Published: 23 April, 2019

Sales of English and Welsh sparkling wine rose 6% across the on and off-trade in 2018 compared to the previous year, according to WSTA data released today to coincide with St George’s Day.

Ridgeview invests £1.8m in new winery to double production

Published: 18 April, 2019

Ridgeview Wine Estate has invested £1.8 million in a new winery with the aim of doubling production to 500,000 bottles by 2023.

Lucien Lurton joins Enotria&Coe as part of French portfolio revamp

Published: 18 April, 2019

A top Bordeaux estate, Malbec specialists and two new Languedoc producers comprise a renewed French focus at importer and distributor Enotria&Coe.

Loire and NZ courtship ahead of Sauvignon Blanc Day

Published: 18 April, 2019

Generic bodies Central Loire, Loire Valley Wines and New Zealand Wine put aside their rivalry yesterday at 67 Pall Mall in a display of varietal unity ahead of Sauvignon Blanc Day on 3 May.

B.f.t plays hardball with visitors via individual vetting process

Published: 17 April, 2019

Visitors to yesterday’s Big Fortified Tasting would have all undergone a basic background checks, Harpers has learned.

Hardys launches on-trade foodies wine range

Published: 17 April, 2019

Hardys, the wine brand from Accolade Wines, is targeting food matching with its new on-trade exclusive ‘Foodies Range’.

Rioja 2018 given the thumbs up from the DOCa despite weather woes

Published: 17 April, 2019

The Rioja vintage for 2018 has been classified as ‘Good’ despite the uncertainty around the impact of unpredictable weather conditions on the region.

Lafite puts major investment behind state-of-the art tourism hub

Published: 17 April, 2019

Domaines Barons de Rothschild, owner of Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Duhart-Milon, has invested in a major tourism programme in 2019.

Alavesa name change to Euskadi to boost ‘weight and identity’ of Basque Rioja

Published: 16 April, 2019

The Rioja Alavesa Association (ABRA) has voted in favour of a name change to Association of Bodegas de Euskadi (ABE), while expanding its remit to all interested Basque wine producers.

Gramona president says Spanish fizz is in danger of becoming too splintered

Published: 16 April, 2019

The co-owner of family-owned Cava producer, Gramona, has voiced concerns over the fragmenting state of his country’s sparkling industry after too many designations have sprung up delineating Spanish fizz.

LMVH owner pledges £173m to help repair Paris' Notre Dame

Published: 16 April, 2019

The Arnault family - owners of LMVH, has pledged £173 million to help repair Paris' Notre Dame cathedral following the devastating fires that started yesterday.

Young drinkers more likely to experiment with fizz and fusion drinks

Published: 15 April, 2019

Younger Australians are more experimental when it comes to sparkling wine than older drinkers, according to the latest report on the Australian sparkling wine market by Wine Intelligence.

HMRC losing new distillery applications

Published: 15 April, 2019

The British Distillers Alliance has claimed the HMRC teams dealing with new distillery and excise warehouse applications are either “losing all the paperwork or significant portions” of it.

Sunshine gives pubs and restaurant a lift

Published: 15 April, 2019

Pub and restaurants grew like-for-like sales by 3.8% last month compared to March 2018 when trade was hit by the ‘Beast from the East’, according to the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Amathus Drinks adds Bodegas Argüeso to portfolio

Published: 12 April, 2019

Amathus Drinks has signed a deal as the exclusive UK distributor of sherry producer Bodegas Argüeso.

Global wine output reaches near record high of 2004

Published: 12 April, 2019

World wine production reached a near record high in 2018 in a clear departure from the historically low production of the previous year, but consumption stabilised, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Vinoteca gears up for Birmingham launch

Published: 12 April, 2019

Wine bar and restaurant Vinoteca has announced plans to launch in Birmingham, marking the five-strong chain’s first outlet outside the capital.

Niepoort declares ‘epic’ 2017 vintage

Published: 12 April, 2019

Winemaker Dirk Niepoort has declared his 2017 vintage port, hailing it as “the best wine I’ve ever done” at a tasting for the trade at Lyle’s in London on Thursday.