Changes at London Wine Fair draw over 11,000 people

As last week's London Wine Fair 2014 wrapped up, the initial visitor estimates show numbers up 11% overall, signalling the format changes and return to Olympia injected some much needed life back into one of the UK's biggest wine exhibitions.

Sir Alex Ferguson has mixed success in Christie's fine wine auction

Sir Alex Ferguson bought well when he was at Manchester United and enjoyed some exceptional years in charge. But now after retiring from the club he is enjoying off-loading some of his myriad responsibilities.

BrewDog sees profits skyrocket to £2.3 million

Maverick Scottish brewer and pub operator BrewDog has seen its profits skyrocket by 383% to £2.3 million for 2013, with turnover up 70% to £18 million.

Alliance Wine opens London office to grow on-trade sales

Alliance Wine is opening an office in London to boost its sales into the capital's on-trade and south east market.

Champagne industry must face up to negative impact of global warming

One of the biggest challenges facing the Champagne industry is how to manage the negative effects of global warming, according to Krug's senior viticulturist, Romain Le Guillou.

Rioja needs own wine trade tasting week to compete at top end

Rioja needs to introduce its own trade tasting week, if it is to compete at the top end with Bordeaux or Burgundy, says a senior UK buyer.

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Nicolas Feuillatte joins in the Gumball Rally's celebrations in London

London's Regent Street is set to be closed on Sunday, June 8 to make way for 120 Super Cars competing in the Gumball 3000 rally which sees motoring enthusiasts cross 3,000 miles across the United States and Europe between June 5-11. Nicolas Feuillatte is not only the official Champagne for the race, but has two branded cars competing in the rally.

Wine Fusion looks to make its mark with creative premium wine bottled in the UK

New agency, Wine Fusion, hopes to capitalise on 75 years of wine experience to bring creative, premium brands from around the world that can be bottled in the UK.

Hardys to enjoy blanket advertising through Sky Sports and England cricket link-ups

Hardys, the Australian wine brand, will be advertised up to an astonishing 5,000 times this summer on Sky Sports as part of its sponsorship of England cricket.

The week that was: top news, Q&As and opinion on Harpers.co.uk

In case you missed some of the headlines this week (and a bit of last week due to the long weekend) on harpers.co.uk, we have done a review of the top online news, Q&As, and opinion stories.

Mateus to launch lighter style wine range in UK through Stevens Garnier

Mateus, the iconic Portuguese wine brand, is introducing a new lighter style wine range as part of a £2 million investment in the overall brand in the UK.

Asia offers better time for major spirits brands says Rabobank

Asia could offer major spirits brands the chance to drive up prices and margins as the market opens up to premium established brands  through acquistions and mergers, according to Rabobank's latest spirits report. 

High profile restaurateur Xavier Rousset defends Coravin after bottles explode

New SmartCork offers hi-tech closure for natural cork fans

SmartCork is billing itself as a "game-changer" in the wine closures market as it claims to combine the advantages of natural cork with a hi-tech membrane which prevents spoiling.

Brown-Forman's income and sales growth driven by Jack Daniels whiskey

Brown-Forman reported that for the fiscal year end on April 30, 2014, net sales increased by 4% and operating income increased by 8%, largely driven by organic growth with the Jack Daniel's brand.

Laithwaite's pioneers online recommendations with Amazon-style service

Laithwaite's is offering customers Amazon-style tasting recommendations based on an algorithm that creates a taste fingerprint for each wine on its website.

Kingsland shakes up business model with wider branded offer

Kingsland is shaking up its business with plans to launch fruit-flavoured wines, make brands more accessible to younger customers and offer deeper consumer insights.

Portugal's wine industry struggling for survival, says Paul Symington

Portugal's wine industry is being decimated by high costs of production and regulation and "something's gotta give", says leading Douro producer Paul Symington.

Personalisation is key to engaging with consumers online

A reoccurring theme at London Wine Fair 2014 has been the growing importance of creating personalised content online to engage with consumers.