Virgin Wines: Revenue flat as it looks to weather bottleneck in market October 22, 2024 Online wine seller Virgin Wines has reported flat year-on-year revenue as it searches for ways to acquire loyal customers and increase efficiency in a tough trading environment. Total revenue remained at £59m in the year ended 28 June, while profit before tax increased by £2.4m to £1.7m, from a loss of £0.7m in 2023. Adjusted [...]
This trip to Languedoc turned me into a wine snob October 17, 2024 I’m not a wine guy. The oenophile subjects alcohol to a level of scrutiny that, to me, feels antithetical to the loosening joys of boozing. I enjoy wine. I prefer wine that tastes nice. But to theorise about it, to intellectualise it, to hold it to the light and inspect its colour, to soliliquise about [...]
The Naked Truth October 16, 2024 Kieron Atkinson – aka ‘Tom Booze’ – is founder of the English Wine Project and winemaker at Renishaw Hall. We quiz him on the future of winemaking. Why did you get Naked? Being part of Naked Wines is being part of the best wine club in the world. As a producer I get to meet [...]
A wine-lover’s guide to sober October October 15, 2024 I may be biased given it is my career and passion, but wine really is an incredible drink. Even given my love of the drink however, I can fully support and applaud (if often from a distance) those choosing to curb their intake. In the recent report by KAM it was revealed that 74% of [...]
Libby takes her favourite Naked Wines on the road. This week: Hide October 9, 2024 Rarely do I decline an invitation to Hide, the Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking Piccadilly and Green Park, but especially not when at the behest of David Baker, Founder of Hermitage Cognac, to “try something special”. In truth it seems unfair to call him merely a “Founder” of a brand, as Cognac is clearly his calling, his [...]
Wine sellers in ‘bleak’ alcohol duty tax burden warning October 7, 2024 Four of the UK’s biggest wine sellers have said that upcoming changes to alcohol duty will lead to price rises in a “bleak” warning to their customers. Majestic, Laithwaites, The Wine Society and Cambridge Wine Merchants are amongst the wine businesses who together launched a poster campaign against changes to the excise duty. Excise Duty [...]
The ultimate weekend in Sussex, with wild swimming, wine and Monet’s lilies September 23, 2024 Sussex’s latest opening has wild swimming – and warm hot tubs, finds Justine Gosling THE WEEKEND: One of the UK’s most diverse counties and easily reached by car or train in under an hour from London, West Sussex spans the coast and the South Downs National Park, encompassing hills, the city of Brighton, harbours, farmland [...]
Chapel Down: Half-year profit almost wiped out as wine maker blames ‘one-off factors’ September 4, 2024 English wine producer Chapel Down has blamed ‘one-off factors’ for its pre-tax profit almost being wiped out during the first half of its financial year. The Kent-headquartered company, which is listed on AIM, said the fall from £2.4m to £40,000 in the in the six months ended 30 June was due to a ‘difficult macroeconomic environment’, [...]
Hallgarten and Novum Wines gearing up for hiring spree following buyout September 3, 2024 Hallgarten and Novum Wines is gearing up for a hiring spree after the family that owned the business for more than 50 years sold up to the fine wine trader Coterie. The Luton-headquartered wine importer, which had been owned by the Pieroth family since 1972, said it would launch a recruitment drive later this year [...]
Naked Wines boss ‘excited about the future’ as the company goes ‘back to basics’ August 30, 2024 Over the last year, Naked Wines has undergone a painful restructuring process, with measures to reduce costs, stock, and advertising spending in what it called a “pivot to profit.” In December 2023, the company warned that it might not be able to pay its debts if it didn’t manage to make a turnaround work. Now, [...]