We are currently working to make all our recent supplements, including country reports, available for purchase in PDF format. The selection below comprises the currently available supplements, but we will adding more in the next few weeks.
06 Sep 2005
All the country reports from the Harpers Wine and Spirit Directory 2005, packaged together in one downloadable file. Please note that as the 42 pages are taken from the Harpers Wine and Spirit Directory 2005, page numbers are not concurrent.
07 Jan 2005
Australias rapid rise through the ranks to become the top supplier of still wine to the UK has been the most dramatic story of the past decade. Precocious, confident and dismissive of tradition, Australia seemed to gain market share without even trying. Now, with maturing markets at home and abroad, falling grape prices, profit warnings from Perth to Sydney and numerous boutique wineries operating on the edge of bankruptcy, are the good times for Australian wine over?
27 Jul 2005
In the past decade, the rise of New World wines has had a serious impact on Bulgarias wine sales, but with its newfound position as a tourist hotspot and EU accession just around the corner, it's predicted that Bulgaria will bounce back. This is Harpers first ever Bulgaria supplement.
01 May 2005
California shows a remarkable thirst for growth in the UK wine market, and with its winemakers can-do attitude, the future will hopefully see more diversity, and a new attitude on behalf of the trade and consumer to what this gargantuan state is capable of.
12 Mar 2005
What does the future hold for Champagne? Despite record shipments worldwide, many of the regions sharpest minds think that the high point of success has been reached, and that a downturn may be inevitable.
18 Apr 2006
The future of Champagne and its wines may be about as clear as the vins clairs on this cover: not very. But we can all continue to influence it by never touching the stuff façon Lily Bollinger, of course: except when were happy or sad, alone or in company, with or without food, or thirsty.
17 May 2006
It came as quite a shock. The UK trade has become used to seeing Chile increasing its market share not in the astonishing way that Australia did in the 1990s, nor like the current boom from California but slowly and steadily. Not any more. According to the latest AC Nielsen figures (MAT to 28 February 2006), Chiles UK off-trade market share has dropped, from 6.6% to 6.4% by volume.
08 Apr 2005
If the 2004 edition was all about the new excitement that surrounded the Chilean wine industry and its hopes that it could increase its standing in the UK, then this supplement is a celebration of how those hopes have been realised.
20 Dec 2005
We have sought to be impartial, authoritative and above all stimulating and readable, since this important subject affects virtually everyone in the business of selling wine. And we hope to do this again next year and for however long it takes to establish which closures are best for whatever wine you are selling. We dont have the answers frankly, nobody really has. But the issues and choices are becoming clearer and easier to understand.
11 Nov 2005
The next decade could well mark a turning point for the Cognac industry. The big players and the generic body have realised that they need to update the image of their beloved spirit. More importantly, the three key markets are in growth again and bartenders are getting switched on to the product. And Cognac is a versatile product one with great heritage and integrity. We hope that this shines through in the 2005 Harpers Cognac supplement.
24 Jun 2005
In celebrating Italys diversity, we have tried to cover as many regions as we can between this summer and the rest of the year, focusing especially on those lesserknown ones, such as Basilicata included in this supplement and Trentino in the accompanying issue. We have also asked some of the top experts writing on Italian wine for the UK market, Nicolas Belfrage MW, Michael Palij MW and Franco Ziliani, to look at some of the themes that underpin Italys modern vinous identity: the tensions between indigenous and imported grape varieties, between traditional and modern vinification techniques and between big brands and smaller producers.
17 Jun 2005
It somehow seems appropriate for this logistics report to be delivered as a supplement as an accessory to the main issue of Harpers. In this discrete format, it represents the way that many people in the wine trade consider logistics as an adjunct to their real business. But this view is short-sighted, and potentially costly. Yes, the UK industry is largely about marketing and sales; but fulfilment remains the key to success. So while various distribution functions may be very sensibly outsourced, they are delegated and then essentially marginalised at peril. Logistics processes have too great an impact on the products and services offered by almost every wine business to merit less than regular and thoughtful attention.
03 Apr 2006
At a time when oil prices, security costs and retailer demands are hitting record heights, companies in all parts of the supply chain are having to be more efficient than ever. Finding the best route from A to B has never been more important.
02 Jan 2005
New Zealand promises to be favourable to the vine as far as I can judge at present of the nature of the soil and climate. New Zealand will be the finest country in the world for wine&. So enthused Samuel Marsden, an Anglican missionary, in 1819. Hardly a Richard Smart, Marsdens evangelical zeal for the vine was borne out of his efforts to civilise the Maoris by teaching them agriculture and handicrafts, rather than commercial or national interests. Nevertheless, he saw the potential of New Zealand.
13 Jan 2006
New Zealand may still produce only 0.3% of the worlds wine a percentage that is unlikely to alter radically but with NZ$1.5 billion (£584.7 million) sales forecast by 2010, growth looks set to characterise its future as well as its recent past.
02 Nov 2004
Port continues to buck the trend for fortified wine in the UK, posting good growth, particularly at the premium end. But can this most traditional of products remain relevant in todays tough wine market?
02 Nov 2004
Portugal has tough challenges to face in the UK market. A generic brand needs to be built, price points need to be pushed higher and the treasure trove of indigenous varieties needs to be exploited without confusing the consumer. But with the recent formation of the Association of Portuguese Wine Importers and a firm commitment from The Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office (ICEP) and its partner ViniPortugal to concentrate more resources on the UK market, there is every chance the wine industry can meet those challenges head on particularly if they exhibit the same verve and enthusiasm that inspired us during Euro 2004.
03 Sep 2004
The South African wine industry has come a long way in the past decade, emerging from international obscurity to become one of the wine worlds major players.
05 Oct 2005
There's a reason why Harpers 2005 South Africa supplement is resplendent in flowers. Its nothing to do with the Chelsea Flower Show or the Royal Horticultural Society, its all about biodiversity in the Cape. The South African wine industry is pioneering a project to conserve the Cape Floral Kingdom and, in doing so, it gives Wines of South Africa (WOSA), the countrys generic body, a great consumer marketing campaign giftwrapped on, as it were, a platter.
07 Sep 2005
Despite the drought that has gripped Spanish wine regions in 2005 (with early reports suggesting yields will be down between 15 and 40%, depending on who you listen to) the Iberian nation can wipe the sweat from its brow and look to the future with a renewed sense of optimism.
06 Sep 2005
