Harpers Wine & Spirit: Get engaged

24/01/2025

📖 Link bio for the full story!

24/01/2025

Partner Promotion: For the first time, Wine Australia and New Zealand Wine have teamed up to run trade tastings together in Dublin (27 Jan), London (30 Jan) and Edinburgh (4 Feb). The tastings will showcase Australia and New Zealand’s distinctive terroirs, vibrant winemaking communities and thrilling wines. Across the three cities, there will be more than 1,000 wines from 200 wineries. Discover new wines, revisit the classics, meet the makers, and catch up with importers. Tasting booklets are now online. UK and European trade, register now to attend: https://www.nzwine.com/en/trade/tradeevents/att/

23/01/2025

🔗 Read the full story now via the link in bio!

05/11/2024

🍷 In our November issue of Harpers Wine & Spirit, we explore what the first Labour budget means for the drinks industry. With duty set to rise, reduced business rates relief, and nearly 7,500 pubs facing insolvency, it’s a challenging time for the trade.

🌍 Our Sustainability Report takes on the environmental impact of glass production and the effects of climate change on vineyards worldwide. But there’s also positive news! We cover the H2Vin and Alliance Wine merger, Scotch’s resilience and insights from Ridgeview’s Tamara Roberts. And don’t miss baijiu champion Melody Wong, on a mission to bring this iconic spirit to UK bars.

📖 Dive in for these stories and more via the link in the bio.

05/11/2024

In the November issue of Harpers Wine & Spirit, we dive into the first Labour budget and its potential repercussions for the drinks trade. From the incoming duty hike and lowered business rates relief to the stark statistic that 7,445 pubs face insolvency, the outlook is challenging. Our Sustainability Report takes a hard look at the environmental impact of carbon-heavy glass and the varied effects of climate change on viticulture worldwide. But it’s not all challenges—this issue also highlights some positive moves, including the merger of H2Vin and Alliance Wine, Scotch whisky’s resilience and Ridgeview CEO Tamara Roberts’ insights on success. Plus, meet Melody Wong, a driving force bringing baijiu to UK on-trade: https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14510/Harpers_Wine___Spirit_Digital_Edition.html

07/10/2024

✨ The wait is over! ✨ We’re thrilled to reveal our Top 50 Drinks Wholesalers 2024 in the latest issue of Harpers Wine & Spirit. 🏆🍾

This year’s list is packed with industry leaders who continue to push the boundaries of excellence in the UK drinks sector. 💼💪 For the first time, we brought the Top 10 together for a networking lunch filled with insights, laughs and a touch of friendly rivalry. 😉

Swipe through the issue (p36-47) to see who made the cut and join us in raising a glass to everyone who earned their spot. 🥂🍷

01/10/2024

📊✨ Exciting news for the drinks industry! Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News has kicked off its 50 Top Drinks Wholesalers 2024 rankings, revealing spots 50-31. These wholesalers have stood out for their service, portfolio, and market influence! 🍷🥂 Check out the first batch of winners and stay tuned as they unveil the top contenders throughout the week. 🚀

👉 Discover the full list at the link in bio!

20/09/2024

Tasting season back in full flow!








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09/09/2024

📢 New Issue Alert! 🍷 The September edition of Harpers Wine & Spirit is here, packed with insights into the latest trends in the drinks industry. Discover how Chile’s Carménère and Australia’s premium wines are reshaping the market. 🌍

Swipe for a sneak peek, and don't miss our exclusive interviews with industry pioneers.

12/06/2024

The Gorgona wine project is a unique collaboration between Marchesi Frescobaldi and the Gorgona island prison. Launched in 2012, the initiative employs inmates nearing the end of their sentences, providing a wage, viticulture skills and aiding their reintegration into society.

The 2023 vintage marks the 12th release, and embodies the island's unique terroir and the influence of its winds, as indicated by the label on the bottle.

The project also boasts an incredible success rate, with 0% recidivism among participants, compared to the Italian national average of 85%.

A more in-depth look at our visit can be found on the Harpers website.

21/05/2024

So thrilled to be able to celebrate these fantastic individuals for our list 2024!

What a brilliant day full of smiles and good vibes.

Congratulations to all 👏🏻 🏆

12/02/2024

As our February cover suggests, duty rises are among the most taxing issues facing the trade, and we run a full exposé of how duty hikes are already deflating HMRC’s own receipts while driving up inflation (p20, Insights), and with more potentially to come.

Our lastest also marks a poignant moment for Harpers as we say au revoir to our physical archive, which is being shipped from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust vaults to a new home at UC Davis Library in California. The upside is that this fascinating 145-year record of the drinks trade is to be expertly stored and digitised, to soon be made available to all.

In other big news, new player Coterie Holdings continues to grow, with Andrew Shaw, formerly head drinks buyer at M&S, joining the company. This now folds in ex-Bibendum chief Michael Saunders as CEO, plus Andrew Bewes, who remains MD of the recently acquired Hallgarten, all joining Coterie’s chair, ex-BBR CFO Chris Robinson, in what is shaping up to be a formidable team.

Meanwhile, we have Tim Atkin MW on his soapbox (p19) about the reverence often mistakenly paid by critics to wines with hallowed names, and Miles Corish MW on our Soapbox (p16) decrying government ‘smoke and mirrors’ over post-Brexit labelling changes.

To read the latest issue of Harpers click the link in our bio.

12/02/2024

As our February cover suggests, duty rises are among the most taxing issues facing the trade, and we run a full exposé of how duty hikes are already deflating HMRC’s own receipts while driving up inflation (p20, Insights), and with more potentially to come.

Our lastest also marks a poignant moment for Harpers as we say au revoir to our physical archive, which is being shipped from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust vaults to a new home at UC Davis Library in California. The upside is that this fascinating 145-year record of the drinks trade is to be expertly stored and digitised, to soon be made available to all.

In other big news, new player Coterie Holdings continues to grow, with Andrew Shaw, formerly head drinks buyer at M&S, joining the company. This now folds in ex-Bibendum chief Michael Saunders as CEO, plus Andrew Bewes, who remains MD of the recently acquired Hallgarten, all joining Coterie’s chair, ex-BBR CFO Chris Robinson, in what is shaping up to be a formidable team.

Meanwhile, we have Tim Atkin MW on his soapbox (p19) about the reverence often mistakenly paid by critics to wines with hallowed names, and Miles Corish MW on our Soapbox (p16) decrying government ‘smoke and mirrors’ over post-Brexit labelling changes.

To read the latest issue of Harpers click the link below: https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14510/Harpers_Wine___Spirit_Digital_Edition.html

31/01/2024

Alvaro Palacios discusses the evolution of his most commercially successful wine, La Montesa in Rioja Oriental, via a mini vertical tasting of four vintages, including a preview of the as-yet-unreleased 2021 vintage. Guests were then treated to the crown jewels of Palacios' three estates La Valmira in Rioja, L'Ermita of Priorat and La Faraona in Bierzo, all from a fantastic 2021 vintage.

03/08/2023

The August Issue of Harpers is now available for digital download and there is only one place to start – duty hikes, or, the "Brexit pubs guarantee".

The cover speaks for itself – 1 August 2023 marked the biggest duty increase for 50 years – as the government introduced a 44p rise (53p including VAT) on the average bottle of wine, and hit fortified styles even harder.

And this with the prospect – post an ‘easement’ period until January 2025 – of the old three-band duty system becoming 27 tiers of duty, rooted in penalising incremental 0.5% abv rises in strength.

But what has perhaps been most perplexing in all of this is the relative silence of the big gun national press. Ahead of 1 August, little had been said or reported, with most consumers seemingly blissfully unaware of the inevitable price hikes soon to take place.

Even Twitter (X) had to step in to fact-check prime minister Rishi Sunak's Alcohol Duty Brexit claims – the changes will still mean the UK alcohol duty is much higher than the EU average, as Sunak would know if he picked up a copy of Harpers once in a while.

Away from the doom and gloom of duty, we also make room for features on family-owned vineyards; the trials and tribulations of being in succession, plus our annual Unusual Suspects report, featuring an in-depth analysis of the Balkans.

All of this and much more besides can be found in the latest edition of Harpers: https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14510/Harpers_Wine___Spirit_Digital_Edition.html

06/04/2023

The April edition of Harpers is now available and it's a bumper issue, featuring our Sustainability Report – a year on since the launch of the Harpers Sustainability Charter.

The Report covers the many environmental, social and economic advancements the trade has made over the past year – with our signatories setting the standard – plus what the sector can do to make further progress.

Sticking with the issue of climate change, we assess the economic impact of wildfires across several wine regions ranging from California and Chile to Australia and South Africa.

Closer to home, we assess the merits of Hungary’s best-known wine region – Tokaj, and why it deserves more love from the UK trade.

Also to be found in this month’s issue is Gavin Quinney's latest Bordeaux Report and features on Gin, Tonics and the USA, the latter of which is fast becoming a viable alternative to the likes of Burgundy in the world of fine wine.

For all of this and much more check out the link below:

https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14510/Harpers_Wine___Spirit_Digital_Edition.html

09/02/2023

The February edition of Harpers Wine & Spirit is available for digital download now.

In this month's issue, we lead on New Zealand, specifically the research taking place to advance its flagship Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

By contrast, we also explore lesser-known styles such as our focus on Greek specialist Maltby & Greek (p6), Austria’s young chameleon Zweigelt (p25), and the all-French list of smaller, artisanal producers offered by St John Wines (p38).

Looking north of the border, we assess the tidal wave of difficulties facing drinks businesses in Scotland, from the DRS scheme to a proposed ban on alcohol advertising.

Lastly, for our part at Harpers, we’ve launched a new tasting series – the aptly-named Taste Off. Rather than using a points-based system, which can often seem reductive, we delve into the character and related styles of wines and spirits, exploring their potential appeal and place on lists and shelves. Tasmanian and English sparkling wines complete the lineup in this issue (p33).

There’s much more besides in issue 221, but we’ll let you dive in…
https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/14510/Harpers_Wine___Spirit_Digital_Edition.html

05/09/2022

What next for the UK wine labelling scheme?

New UK wine label rules are likely to be held off until 2024, but when they do go ahead, the diversity of wine available in the UK could be threatened. We spoke to the WSTA for some much-needed clarity.

Subscribers only: https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/30628/What_next_for_UK_wine_labelling_scheme_.html #

By the time this feature is published, a new UK wine labelling scheme should be effective. However, according to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association...