The Buyer | Winners announced in London Wine and Spirits Competitions 2026 The wines, spirits and beers have been tasted, assessed and scored in what was the ninth edition of the separate London Competitions held in London last month. The results for the three competitions a...

The results for the three @londoncomps for wines, beers and spirits are announced today and reveal which are the drinks the panels of buyers, Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, and top UK drinks importers have chosen. Here we pick out the highlights www.the-buyer.net/awards/winne....

The Buyer | The ‘special’ family culture behind House of Townend's 120 years The 120-year history of House of Townend is a microcosm of how much the wine industry has changed over all those years changing and adapting through the decades from running its own off-licences, pu...

As it celebrates 120 years John Townend 4th generation of @HouseofTownend shares his insights on what it takes to run a successful family business and the highs and lows it has been through as an independent wine merchants, wholesaler & agency business www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | How Vinitaly came at right time to protect & grow Italy’s global sales Over 1,000 wine buyers from 70 plus countries descended on Verona this week for what was a pivotal year for both Vinitaly and the Italian wine industry that has been hit harder than most by Presiden...

With 1,000+ wine buyers from over 70 countries travelling to Verona this week Vinitaly came at just the right time to help Italian producers protect declining sales in traditional markets & find new markets to work in writes Andrew Neather www.the-buyer.net/insight/how-...

The Buyer | Why Cube Communications is not ‘just another’ drinks PR agency Arguably some of the best placed businesses and individuals to be able to take a helicopter view of the key trends within the UK and international drinks industry are the major PR and communications a...

As it celebrates 25 years @thebuyer11.bsky.social sits down with Cube Communications founders to understand how it creates the right comms strategy for its varied drinks clients & how its become a media relations business covering PR, events, education & sales www.the-buyer.net/people/suppl...

The Buyer | Arran Whisky’s Euan Mitchell on where Scottish whisky goes next At the height of the Covid lockdown Scottish whisky sales were booming. Now they are have halted to an alarming degree all around the world with no clear sign of how and when they are going to recover...

To better understand the pressures facing the Scottish whisky industry Mark Newton sits down with @Arranwhisky managing director Euan Mitchell where he gives frank answers to hard questions about the many headwinds facing Scottish whisky producers www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | Māori pride & authenticity helps te Pā stand out vs its Kiwi competition “When supermarket shelves are awash with ‘Kiwi’ styled wine labels with no connection to the Māori culture, or even to New Zealand, our brand stands out - and it stands for something.” That’s why Hays...

Haysley Macdonald owner of @tePaWines proudly believes it stands out in the v competitive New Zealand category thanks to the Māori culture that runs through all aspects of its wines that are now sold to 25+ countries. He explains his winemaking philosophy www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | Analysis: Why global drinks industry is opening up like never before One thing has become crystal clear over the last few months. The drinks industry is changing and changing fast. Such is the political and trading uncertainty across all the main traditional wine and s...

In the 1st of a 2 part report I take a look on The Buyer why it's vital wine & drinks producers seriously open up trading routes in emerging & developing markets as declining sales in traditional markes shake up the global supply chain. www.the-buyer.net/insight/anal...

Dedication, consistency & sacrifice. "They are the keys to success,” says Shiva Chaurasiya on training to be a Master #Sommelier. Here he sets out his journey from a suburb in Mumbai to working at one of Singapore’s flagship wine destinations #67PallMall. www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | What to expect at London’s Real Italian Wine & Food Experience “Wines Experience London is built around a simple idea: better conversations lead to better business.” Particularly for those looking to source, discover and find out about Italian wines. This new two-day show, which comes to London’s Excel between April 26-27, has been designed to provide a platform for busy buyers, importers, merchants and sommeliers to find quality Italian wines for their businesses in an environment focused on trading, education and networking. Here the team behind The Real Italian Wine & Food Experience explain what to expect when the show opens later this month.

“Wines Experience London is built around a simple idea: better conversations lead to better business.” That's the premise of a new 2-day show at London's ExCel: The Real Italian Wine & Food Experience for on & off-trade wine buyers. Here's what to expect www.the-buyer.net/tasting/wine...

The Buyer | Matt McKee on why the on-trade is still vital for challenger brands “Operators increasingly want stories, provenance and individuality. A challenger brand can provide exactly that. The on-premise is where personality beats penetration.” As an ex Distill Ventures chief...

Ex Distill Ventures chief, Matt McKee, knows what it takes to launch a new brand into the market and here makes the case for why the on-trade, despite all its issues, still remains the ideal platform for challenger brands in particular to make their mark. www.the-buyer.net/opinion/matt...

The Buyer | Joanna Dabrowska on how to stop fearing AI and start embracing it It is hard to open a newspaper, or listen to the news without some story about the ever expanding influence of AI coming up and how it is going to transform our lives like nothing that has come before...

We might be fearful of it but we can't ignore #AI says data scientist & strategist JoannaDabrowska. She sets out how she's working with wine companies on how best to implement AI in their businesses and where the true value of AI is for the wine industry www.the-buyer.net/insight/joan...

The Buyer | Roussillon’s Jean-Marc Lafage on acting now for a sustainable future For a seventh generation winemaker you would think most of the issues and challenges facing Jean-Marc Lafage would have been handled by his predecessors. Far from it. The last few years have been so...

Jean-Marc Lafage explains the steps #DomaineLafage is taking to tackle climate change with regenerative viticulture benefits, its global export strategy & why it wanted to work with Hallgarten & Novum Wines in the UK & what plans they have for its customers www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | Wirra & Wirra & Thistledown look to take Aussie Grenache to a new level Strong and meaningful collaboration in the wine industry is what makes it such a special sector to work in, particularly when winemakers and producers come together with the same focus. Which is exact...

Here #Wirra_Wirra’s ceo Matt Deller MW & Thistledown Wines founder Giles Cooke MW explain how they hope to take Aussie winemaking of #Grenache to another level with their collaboration at the Trott Vineyard in the McLaren Vale & what makes it such a special site www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | Philip Gregan on putting New Zealand on the global wine stage As New Zealand Winegrowers looks to its future with the announcement this week that Pernod Ricard executive, Anishka Jelicich, is swapping Paris for Auckland to take on the role of chief executive f...

As New Zealand Winegrowers announces Pernod Ricard's Anishka Jelicich as its new CEO @thebuyer11.bsky.social talks to Philip Gregan who has headed it up since it started in 2002 & played an enormous part in pushing & promote its wines on the global wine stage www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | Clara Rubin on why the hospitality supply chain needs a major reset Clara Rubin is an award-winning sommelier and former head of wine at Hawksmoor. She has been on the front line of managing seven figure turnover wine lists and seen first hand just how complex and fra...

Here sommelier and ex head of wine at Hawksmoor Clara Rubin explains in this most-read analysis why the relationship between wine producers, importers & wine buyers are near breaking point and need a new way of working together to give customers value for money wine www.the-buyer.net/insight/clar...

The Buyer | Celine Jung: My dream to be Korea's first female Master Sommelier ”For me, pursuing the Master Sommelier title is not just about earning a certification - it is about becoming the best version of myself as a professional and contributing meaningfully to the wine com...

Celine Jung describes how she has beome 1 of Asia’s top sommeliers - Best Sommelier Singapore in 2020 - & is deputy wine director at @Park90 at #ConradSingaporeOrchard. She shares her goal & drive to be a Master Sommelier & Korea's first female MS www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | Abbie Bennington on wine, politics & her Vintage Politics podcast You might know Abbie Bennington as one of the rising stars of the UK wine writing scene, but before she forged a career in wine she was a major talent in BBC news rooms, eventually becoming senior pro...

Here's how @AbbieBennington has brought her wine & former BBC politics career together with a new podcast #VintagePolitics where she interviews some of her former colleagues like @bbcnickrobinson @jonsopel to share journalist insights & their love for wine www.the-buyer.net/people/abbie...

The Buyer | How Socorro Tequila is about terroir, authenticity, charity & purpose Socorro Tequila is a brand with a purpose, and as big a heart as the agave plants it is made from. It has set out to find its own place in the hugely competitive tequila market by making authentic, ad...

Socorro Tequila is a brand with a purpose & as big a heart as the agave plants it's made from. Pablo Antinori, co-founder on making authentic, additive-free, terroir-driven tequila, from estate agave plants that allows it to support local communities www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

Why no & low wines are coming to the rescue of the wine industry..that's the case I make in my first article for London Wine Fair Times 2026 & how 0% wines in particular is now a category in its own right that can help bring more drinkers into the sector londonwinefair.com/news/why-no-...

The Buyer | Star Wine List of the Year UK reveals its 2026 restaurant winners The cream of UK wine hospitality came together at 1 Hotel Mayfair yesterday to celebrate the finalists and winners in the Star Wine List of the Year UK 2026 that has The Buyer as its exclusive UK me...

The cream of UK wine hospitality came together at 1 Hotel Mayfair London yesterday to celebrate the winners in @StarWineList of the Year UK in partnership with @TheBuyer11 as media partner. We reveal who won what voted for by award-winning sommeliers www.the-buyer.net/awards/star-...

The Buyer | Andrew Bewes on giving Hallgarten a vision and strategy for growth Andrew Bewes is a business leader that does not covet the limelight. He is far happier getting on with the day job, managing his teams, offering advice and support and setting out a vision and a strat...

As Andrew Bewes sets to leave Hallgarten Novum Wines next week after 17 years he reflects on the business he's leaving behind, the ups & downs of getting it to where it is now & shares his vision for the wine & spirits industry he's made such a contribution to. www.the-buyer.net/people/suppl...

The Buyer | Meiyu Li on her drive to be China's first female Master Sommelier We continue our series profiling sommeliers in Asia that are studying to be Master Sommeliers by going behind the scenes in China and talking to Meiyu Li, founder of DrinkArts, a wine and management ...

We continue our series profiling sommeliers in Asia studying to be Master Sommeliers by talking to Meiyu Li, founder of wine consultancy DrinksArts & China's first female advanced sommelier on what becoming the country's first female MS would mean to her. www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

The Buyer | How Wee Vinoteca’s 'personalised' strategy keeps customers loyal “My focus isn't to be the biggest, but the best wine club. I do this through what I call‘true personalisation’…an opportunity to offer sommelier-level service in your home, where I'm actively going ou...

“My focus isn't to be the biggest, but the best wine club" As the International Wine Challenge 2025 Wine Club of the Year winner Duncan Gummie has arguably achieved that with
@WeeVinoteca. Here he explains his personalised and award-winning curated approach www.the-buyer.net/people/retai...

The Buyer | Austrian Wine's Chris Yorke sets out country's growing export strategy International demand for “fresh, environmentally conscious wines and alternative wines” has helped Austrian wines partly overcome what has been a difficult trading year, with a low 2024 harvest, and t...

Chris Yorke, ceo of #AustrianWineMarketingBoard, sets out its business strategy for the year ahead & how a comprehensive export & events programme, particularly into new & emerging markets, is going to be even more strategically important for its producers www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...

The Buyer | Emma Hodges on understanding & helping ADHD in the workplace “There’s no company-wide awareness. No training. No inclusive language. Most people don’t understand ADHD as a disability. That creates barriers every single day.” In this hard hitting and important a...

“Working against our brains will never get the best out of us. Understanding that isn’t kindness. It’s just good business.” Emma Hodges analyses the practical steps employers could take to help employees with ADHD & what an enormous impact it would have www.the-buyer.net/opinion/emma...

The Buyer | How MA/NA hopes to bring luxury Japanese dining & sake to London Lovers of Japanese food and sake are in for a treat when the much anticipated MA/NA finally opens its doors in Mayfair in London on April 20. This luxury restaurant and lounge concept comes from the...

Lovers of Japanese food & sake are in for a treat when MA/NA opens in London on April 20. This luxury venue will have the most diverse range of sakes in the UK. To help guide us through what to expect we talk to head of wine & sake Michele Orbolatol. www.the-buyer.net/people/on-tr...

The Buyer | MS student Harnil Mathur on the demands on a sommelier in Asia Raised in Gujarat in India and in a culture where drinking alcohol was a taboo, Harnil Mathur has had to work harder than most to find himself now nearing the pinnacle of the sommelier world, training...

Raised in Gujarat in India where drinking alcohol is taboo, Harnil Mathur has worked harder than most to become head sommelier of a top Hong Kong restaurant group. He explains his passion for wine & the demands of training to be a Master Sommelier www.the-buyer.net/people/somme...

#WineParis should rebrand itself as Drinks Paris such was the huge diversity of wine & spirits based drinks at the show. The Buyer analyses why drinks industry is in a new era of 'anything goes' driven by likes of @kylieminogue.bsky.social attracting new consumers www.the-buyer.net/insight/wine...

The Buyer | Helen McGinn on why she had to write a supermarket wine guide “I’m asked for wine recommendations every single day. When the idea of this book came along, I knew I had to do it.” That’s how Helen McGinn describes her new book - The Supermarket Wine Guide - that ...

“I’m asked for wine recommendations every day. When this book came along, I knew I had to do it.” HelenMcGinn on describes her new book #TheSupermarketWineGuide the natural book to write for an ex supermarket wine buyer turned wine critic on BBC's SaturdayKitchen www.the-buyer.net/people/helen...

The Buyer | Cramele Recaș on what it believes are the key trends to invest in Romania’s biggest and most definitely most influential wine producer, Cramele Recaș , also acts as a barometer for what is happening in the wider wine category, always on top of the latest trends and...

Romania’s biggest wine producer @CrameleRecasEU is a barometer for what's happening in the global wine category always on top of latest trends. @AbbieBennington pays them a visit to hear about lighter bottles, its push into local grapes & new markets www.the-buyer.net/people/produ...