Guy Woodward: The elephant in the room

I don’t know about you, but I drank wine every day over the two-week Christmas dormancy. And I’m not just talking about a glass with dinner. We got into an agreeably unhurried routine: a lazy breakfast over Wordle, the papers and some idle scrolling; the deployment of any necessary chores (mostly either purchasing or preparing food); a long walk with (followed by washing of) the dog; then changing into what I’ll generously describe as loungewear before opening a bottle and getting some snacks going. This generally took us to around 4pm, whereupon the rest of the day was spent in a fug of board games, TV boxsets and eating and drinking.

Alternative formats group publishes open letter to government

A group which advocates for the rapid use and adoption of alternative wine formats, has published an open letter from the industry to the government, calling for the introduction of consumer tax incentives for carbon-friendly alternative packaging.

Guy Woodward: Wine's 'social experts'

“The people of this country have had enough of experts,” said Brexit cheerleader Michael Gove in the lead-up to that fateful vote. Disdaining the leaders of the US, China, India, Australia and every EU country, as well as the heads of the Bank of England, the IMF, IFS, CBI and the NHS – all of whom he branded as “distant” and “elitist” – Gove argued that fans of Brexit knew best when it came to the economy.

Headline Hero: Labels for change and Most Wanted Wines

Design linking the liquid in the bottle to a worthy cause has reached a new level, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

When in Rome raises £400k for future investment

When in Rome, the Stroud-based wine company, has hit its £400,000 Crowdcube funding target with the support of over 180 investors.

Trivento Malbec triumphs as UK's best-selling wine

Trivento's Reserve Malbec has become the best-selling wine SKU in the UK, according to recent Nielsen data.

Diageo urges drinkers to ‘Know When to Stop’ at Christmas

Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker maker Diageo has launched a new global responsible drinking campaign aimed at urging people to know when to say enough’s enough this Christmas.

Long read: Chasing formats isn't enough for the Instagram generation

In the past decade, regular wine consumption among 18-34 year olds has fallen by 10% (Wine Intelligence), which could indicate trouble for the sector in the future. Alex Green, co-founded wine distributor Beyond Wines after working with business partner Matt Johnson at Copestick Murray where they worked on i heart and Freixenet. Here, he explores why wine brands are failing to engage the younger demographic and where they stand to make the biggest wins.

Majestic reveals the trends to watch this Christmas

Sparkling wine and Champagne, Beaujolais, Rosé, bag-in-box and wines from South Africa are tipped to be some of the top sellers this Christmas, Majestic Wines has predicted.

Majestic returns to TV screens with first ever Christmas advert

Majestic, the specialist wine retailer, is to hit TV screens this Christmas with a new national campaign.

Laithwaites becomes 'Official Wine Partner' of ITV Drama

Wine retailer Laithwaites has announced a new partnership with terrestrial channel ITV Drama.

UKHospitality urges fairness to all parties in new tipping legislation

The introduction of legislation regulating the sector’s management of staff gratuities has been welcomed by UKH, with a major caveat.

Guy Woodward: Content conundrum

A new TV channel was launched last month. And I’m not talking about the ‘anti-woke’ news channel GB News. No, prepare yourself instead for something far more worthy and cerebral; 67pallmall.tv made its debut (admittedly on the members’ club’s own website, rather than a satellite TV network) with 18 hours of wine-related content every day.

Freixenet returns to TV screens

Freixenet has unveiled a new commercial aimed at showcasing its sparkling range as well as its Italian still wine collection launched earlier this year. 

The Wine Show branches out with TWS Creative

The Wine Show’s commercial arm has been renamed TWS Creative to better reflect the digital marketing and branding consultancy services offered by the business.

Johnson’s anti-obesity drive triggers ‘hidden calorie’ consultation

A consultation is being launched as to whether the ‘hidden calories’ in alcohol should form part of wider communication across both the on- and off-trades in order to tackle soaring obesity rates.

Former Blue Peter presenter jumps ship to head up Mangrove marketing

Glynn Purnell signs on for continued partnership with Calvet

Top selling French brand Calvet has renewed its partnership with Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell, with several new initiatives in the pipeline for autumn.

Looking ahead: Robin Copestick, MD, Freixenet Copestick Limited

As the first half of 2019 draws to a close, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, ongoing trends and opportunities

Cono Sur targets foodies with new TV ads

Leading Chilean winery Cono Sur has launched a major new primetime TV ad campaign highlighting wine and food, which is set to reach 13 million viewers over six months.