Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

The South American adventure of a Morrisons wine buyer

Published: 05 October, 2016

Andrew Ingham, wine buyer at Morrisons Plc, recounts a recent buying trip to Chile and Argentina.

Freemark Abbey - a brief review and tasting

Published: 23 September, 2016

A brief look at Freemark Abbey, an iconic Napa winery, and two of their top wines....

The Isle of Wight (and Red) Wine Tour

Published: 20 July, 2016

It rains on the Isle of Wight; I remember a rather discouraging sentence that explains this: "There is no dry season in England". And so it was that a typically murky day in June on a short holiday in the Isle of Wight, I came to visit the island's only two remaining commercial wine producers: Adgestone and Rosemary Vineyards. These have in common that both are on the East of the island, which probably helps protect them a little from that wet South Westerly wind everyone is familiar with on the South coast; they benefit from South facing slopes on clay, silt, and sandy soil, which provides good drainage (especially useful in a place with no dry season); and, being maritime, a relatively moderate climate.

Visiting Burgundian Gem Producers with Jeanne-Marie DeChamps

Published: 01 December, 2015

A vivacious woman with a warm, gregarious personality, Jeanne-Marie attended business school before moving to Burgundy with her then-husband and having two daughters. One could only imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman to be taken seriously by men - especially the kind of old-school producers who may not have encountered women in that capacity before.

Snapshot of Portugal: Wines of Alentejo, Algarve, Setúbal and Tejoe

Published: 23 November, 2015

VINIPAX was created in 2007, organized entirely by the Beja municipality and enologist Anibal Jose-Coutinho, leading wine authority and the author of many books and guides on Portuguese wines. Anibal is passionate about Portuguese wine and is working hard to put it on the world's map.

Perrier-Jouet Introduces 2007 Belle Epoque

Published: 14 October, 2015

Hervé Dechamps is the seventh person to hold the Chef de Cave position in 204 years, and I've been lucky enough to meet with him many times over the years, always learning something new about himself, his approach to wine, and winemaking in general.

A TOUR OF DAUNIA RURALE AND THE ALTO TAVOLIERE 22nd TO 25TH JUNE 2015

Published: 15 September, 2015

Daunia Rurale, also known as the 'Alto Tavoliere' or Northern Apulia Tableland, is an area of flat land approximately bordered by Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and the Gargano promontory to the east.

Time for calorific information displayed on wine labels?

Published: 18 July, 2015

As a consumer of wine, should there be calorie/sugar content labels made visible on wine bottles?

Aged Sake Part 2: A range of style and techniques

Published: 27 May, 2015

In the second part of our sake blog, Anna Greehhouse looks at styles and techniques of aged sake and looks beyond Japan to find them.

Matthew Dickinson asks: Where has all the profit gone?

Published: 26 May, 2015

Giving a talk at a recent WSET Business and Commercial Knowledge course gave Matthew Dickinson the opportunity to look at where the profit in wine has gone. Here he reflects on what he discovered:

Fresh Whites Replacing Traditional Aged Whites in Rioja?

Published: 04 May, 2015

"Marqués de Cáceres Verdejo is by far our best selling white wine. We believe that the fruit that the Verdejo delivers along with its rich aromas can fit in the palate of consumers that enjoy the Sauvignon Blanc. Our Verdejo has successfully replaced Viura because of the fresh and fruity style that we have always put into our whites. Also, the American palate is ready to enjoy the uniqueness of the Verdejo. There was not a leading Verdejo producer in the US market until we arrive. We saw the opportunity, took on the challenge and we are now on the right track."

A Majestic State of Nakedness

Published: 15 April, 2015

A short blog reviewing the surprising news which saw Majestic acquire Naked Wines

Taste Test - A Cape Mentelle Double Act

Published: 13 April, 2015

A review of the Sauvignon/Semillon 2014 and the Cabernet/Merlot 2013

Harpers Wine without Siddle is like Top Gear without Clarkson

Published: 11 April, 2015

Like many people, I was taken by complete surprise on Friday when the announcement came that Richard Siddle was leaving Harpers. When I read the news I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach; I genuinely felt sick; and I felt I'd lost a true colleague and friend.

Tampon tax - are you pulling my plonker?

Published: 10 April, 2015

There's no need to ask anyone in the drinks industry whether or not they're fed up with the excessive tax on alcoholic beverages; this is a given! But 'tampon tax', really? Are you serious?

Why is wine investment financially perilous?

Published: 02 April, 2015

I have long argued that wine investment is nothing more than high risk speculation, and I am on record for questioning the risk versus return of this asset class. In response, Wine Investment insiders are not shy in voicing their disdain and contempt for my views. In their words "to say wine investment is not safe is naive beyond belief". So who is right?

Myth: Wine investment is safe

Published: 28 March, 2015

Truth: The wine investment industry want you to believe this, after all it's in their financial interest that you buy into this belief, but try telling this to the clients that lost huge amounts of money in this unregulated market.

Ten dumb things to invest your money in

Published: 19 March, 2015

Wine investment must surely be the dumbest of all things to risk your money on. But where does it stand in the top ten dumb things to bet on; where you're sure to lose your money? Stephen Forward reveals his top ten dumb investment tips.

Discover Rhone: Meeting Producers & Making Contacts

Published: 09 March, 2015

Though the Chapoutiers had their beginnings in Tain. Michel was quick to recognize the importance of the terroir - and eager to stop selling it to Guigal and put his own name on the label. Even more important, he wanted the wine he made to reflect the terroir, not any "style" of winemaking. So at the age of 24 in 1990 he was able to get a majority share in the family winery and the rest is history, with Michel owning vineyards in many places in France and the world.

The Beaumont: Very Hip New Hotel For Winelovers in London

Published: 09 March, 2015

Like their collection of boutique restaurants, this hotel also has a theme - it is meant to evoke the elegance and personalized hospitality of pre-war Mayfair. Though I wasn't around during that era, the hotel is extremely elegant and also extremely personalized. In some ways, one feels as if one is stepping inside a Merchant Ivory film. The uniforms are very evocative of some past era, and the gorgeously decorated interior is filled with pictures that seem to have captured the "popular" set of that day.