Five minutes with Marcelo Papa, Concha y Toro

Marcelo Papa, technical director at Concha y Toro, is in the UK to bring some new wines to market, including a lighter-alcohol label. James Bayley gets the lowdown.

Producer Q&A: Sanket Gawand, Vallonné Vineyards

Sanket Gawand was one of the youngest winemakers in India when he started working at this boutique Nashik winery in 2009. Sophia Longhi went to visit to talk innovation and Indian wine.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Alcohol tax, inequality and 40p wine

Everyone in the UK trade will be acutely aware that the new duty system comes into effect on 1 August, making most wine more expensive and all of it much more complex to administer. The negative effects will be exacerbated on 1 February 2025, when the tax banding will be divided further into an extraordinary 27 different segments, with some going up and some going down.

Indie Q&A: Andrew Lundy, Vino

Vino’s boss is a familiar face well beyond the Edinburgh scene, but his passion remains rooted in retailing great wine to locals. Andrew Catchpole dropped by.

Soapbox: Cape expectations

Without greater financial sustainability for Cape growers, an increasing number of South Africa’s premium vineyards are under threat. DGB marketing director Andrew Harris explains the problem.

Guy Woodward: Wine is about people more than grapes

Rarely have I tried to recall an email as quickly as I did after notifying a female contact that it would be great if she could find time to meet up, as I’d heard how busty she was these days.

Freixenet Copestick: A sparkling performance

Major moves are taking place at Freixenet Copestick, with a change in leadership at Jascots and a new team at the helm of recently acquired Bolney Wine Estate in Sussex. Jo Gilbert catches up with the duo leading the transition

Five minutes with Frances Bentley, LWC

With turnover rising from £280m in 2019 to £530m last year, drinks wholesaler LWC has also been busy strengthening its wine offer. Andrew Catchpole catches up with wine buyer Frances Bentley for the lowdown.

Jerry Lockspeiser: It’s time the Bank of England joined us in the real world

The Bank of England’s decision to increase the base rate to 5% is a stab in the eye to under pressure businesses and struggling consumers. It would be hard enough to swallow if it were the right medicine for the illness. When it is based on a misdiagnosis it is unacceptable.

Producer Q&A: Félix Solís Avantis

UK MD Richard Cochrane and President Félix Solís, the two leaders of the major wine company, fill Andrew Catchpole in on the latest innovative developments.

The wine list’s new rules

In part 2 of our series, Jo Gilbert goes back to basics with on-trade suppliers to tease out the nuances of the burning question: what makes a good wine list?

The Drop: Bringing it home

Bottle shop, wine bar or app? The Drop’s marketing director Helen Fletcher explains to Andrew Catchpole how it is all three and how this popular hybrid is set to grow.

Profile: Defined Wine

A dynamic, Kent-based contract winemaker is creating waves across the English scene. Andrew Catchpole drops by to find out what the noise is all about.

Soapbox: Bracing for major change

With swingeing duty rises about to hit the trade, Hallgarten & Novum Wines’ MD Andrew Bewes looks beyond the headline cost and turns his attention to the challenges operators face when implementing the increase at ground level.

Inspirational event to boost Rioja

Rioja DOCa global marketing & communications director Inigo Tapiador talks through the upcoming Rioja Residency on 21 June.

Tim Atkin MW: Why AI matters

My friend Matt likes to confuse algorithms. “Every now and then, I type the first thing that comes into my head into Google, Facebook or Instagram,” he told me. “Emperor penguins, Everest, wrestling, Taylor Smith, cupcakes.” In a world where our digital footprint is used by everyone from advertisers to political parties, it’s a spirited attempt to put AI off the scent.

Italy’s hot topics

Five minutes with Ben Bernheim, Pink.wine

The boom in rosé sales in the UK is more complicated than it first appears, as Ben Bernheim, rosé expert and co-owner of Pink.wine, explains to Andrew Catchpole, with just some big names driving the market.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Are relationships more important than the product?

The 2023 London Wine Fair took place recently. I hadn’t been for a few years and was intrigued to see how the latest iteration would turn out. Would it be buzzing and dynamic, filled with innovation and new things, a valuable time for its target market, or flat and tired, a downbeat reflection of our troubled times?

Q&A: Nayan Gowda winemaker, Jardín Oculto

Nayan Gowda, well-travelled UK winemaker now making wines at 2,300m altitude with Jardín Oculto in the Cinti Valley in Bolivia, talks Darren Smith through his work.