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Sainsbury’s buyer David Peek is leaving to join Copestick Murray Wine Solutions as commercial director.

Tesco has grown its fine wine sales by 50% after overhauling its range, the supermarket has reported.

Sainsbury’s has launched its Great British Beer hunt with a new category designed to support microbrewers.

Online retailer Naked Wines has launched a competition looking for the world’s most talented unknown winemakers – with US$1 million up for grabs.

Wine Rack’s transactional website is now live and the chain says online sales are going well. The retailer has given the website – winerack.co.uk – a soft launch with offers of 10% off six or more bottles of wine and 5% off six or more bottles of Champagne, with no consumer advertising yet.

Majestic, Tanners and the Wine Society have been honoured at an awards ceremony for those in the UK who make an outstanding contribution to supporting Portuguese wine.

Laithwaites has bought a vineyard near the village of Castillon in Bordeaux, where founder Tony Laithwaite first began importing wine into the UK under the name Bordeaux Direct.

Majestic has been given an award for its innovative use of online media.

A Laithwaites ad has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for misleading consumers.

New Zealand winemaker Rod Easthope has pre-sold 24,000 bottles of unmade wine worth more than £280,000 in 24 hours after signing up with Naked Wines.

New Zealand winemaker Rod Easthope, who recently resigned as chief winemaker of Craggy Range, will make an exclusive range of wines for Naked Wines in a £300,000 project.

The Wine Institute of California and Off Licence News are giving independents the chance to win a trip to the Golden State and an Enomatic wine sampling machine.

Spirited Wines, the company which bought the Nicolas shops outside London in 2010, has bought the remaining Nicolas estate from French wine company Castel.

Asda has insisted that a wine it has been selling for £2.48 is not selling for less than duty plus VAT.

Off Licence News is launching a raft of activity at this year’s London International Wine Fair to increase the show’s appeal to independent retailers and help maximise its business-building potential.

Sainsbury’s has started the year on the hunt for a new wine chief after two high-profile team members announced their departures. 

Tesco is hoping to steal a march on rivals by becoming the first retailer to list a new range of lower-strength beers.

Sainsbury’s winemaker Clem Yates MW is leaving the retailer to join Off-Piste Wines as sourcing and supply director.

The Wine Society has appointed Berry Bros & Rudd chief operating officer Robin McMillan as its new chief executive.

Xenia Irwin MW is to leave Spar to become commercial manager at ABS Wine Agencies.

Majestic’s sales grew 8.4% over the nine weeks of Christmas trading from November 1 to January 2, the retailer has reported.

Sainsbury’s is running an in-store campaign to raise awareness of alcohol units, promote lighter-style wines and encourage consumers to manage their drinking responsibly.

The Oxford Wine Co has appointed Marcia Waters MW as wine buyer.

A Naked Wines ad offering its customers their money back has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Booker is launching a campaign that aims to draw 2 million extra shoppers to independent retailers.

Thomas Woolrych, currently head of buying at Laithwaites, has been promoted to the role of wine director for the company’s US business.

One in five off-licences targeted by Trading Standards officers in Warwickshire was selling alcohol suspected to be fake or illicit.

Sainsbury’s is tipping gin as a top-selling spirit this Christmas.

Morrisons is trialling a range of new initiatives to make its drinks aisles more accessible.

Asda was selling £10 bottles of Champagne this week as the supermarkets’ battle for hard-up consumers’ Christmas drinks budgets hotted up.