The Riverina Winemakers Association has announced its launching the new Australian Italian Wine Awards; to be judged for the first time on 6th September, as part of the Riverina Wine Show in Griffith. With this year marking 100 years of settlement in Griffith, the awards seek to celebrate the Italian influence over the region and promote growth and interest in Italian varietal wines in Australia.
Have you ever thought about associating winemaking with Chinese kung fu? Such as the style of old-vine Shiraz from Australia? Read Terry Xu’s thoughts on the characters of classic Australia red wines. A while ago I took part in a masterclass organised by the official trade body Wine Australia. Within two hours, Andrew Caillard MW, the co-creater of Langton’s Classification system, guided us through a tasting of 13 collection-worthy, top Australian wines, including the famous Penfolds Grange.
The front cover of this month’s Gramophone magazine, your correspondent’s favourite critical publication devoted to any sensory subject, is given over to the return of vinyl. Editor Martin Cullingford’s column on analogue versus digital begins: “It’s proving to be a passionate debate. Evidence and emotion play equal roles, and each side is convinced they are right.”
AUSTRALIA could pay fewer import tariffs should Britain leave the European Union — but a “Brexit” could make life more difficult overall for exporters trying to crack Europe. As the UK prepares to head to the polls next month to decide whether it should stay in the EU, thoughts are turning to what it could mean for Australian trade. Wine Australia said the industry paid more than $42 million in import duties to the UK in 2015. Australia’s main competitors — France, Italy and Spain — paid zero. “If the UK leaves the EU, these duties by default would no longer apply and, as such, level the playing field,” Wine Australia argued in a recent discussion paper.
China’s biggest e-commerce company, Alibaba, says its first wine sales day is set to attract 100m shoppers and that it is keen to experiment with direct importing. Alibaba, which was founded by Jack Ma, expects ‘triple-digit growth’ in its wine business in the next three years, said the company at a joint symposium with ASC Fine Wines during the first day of Vinexpo Hong Kong.
One in four over 55s in the UK have fallen victim to investment scams, with wine and diamonds among the most popular vehicles for fraudsters, says the country’s Financial Conduct Authority. Officials have launched a campaign to warn older adults in the UK about the dangers of alternative investments and to be sceptical about unsolicited phone calls to their homes.
Bordeaux is wine capital of the world. You name a reasonable rival and we might discuss it, but I can’t think of one. Naturally, the river city offers more than wine. The 18th and 19th-century elegance of the monumental centre articulates a faith in the rightness of colonial riches. Alongside, in the old town, the message from medieval churches dissipates fast through low-lit narrow streets athrob with restaurants, bars and an international conspiracy of pleasure-seekers.
South African tycoon Koos Bekker sells wine from his vineyard all over the world, but a small detail offers a clue as to where his priorities may lie – all the bottles are labeled in Mandarin. Other producers along the Stellenbosch wine routes where his Babylonstoren farm is located are doing the same, looking to tap into soaring demand in China led by a growing professional class as Asia’s economic powerhouse in turn ramps up its investments in South Africa.
The Marlburian welcome is getting a shake-up. New ‘Welcome to Marlborough’ signs will be dotted around entry points to the region from July. The new-look signage will replace the faded and outdated ‘Love Marlborough’ signs. That brand was ditched by the Marlborough District Council and replaced with new regional brand Only Marlborough.
In the 2004 box-office hit Sideways, womanising character Jack Cole tries to get wine snob Miles Raymond to drink a glass of merlot with him while on a road trip to Santa Barbara County. Raymond’s reply: “If anyone orders merlot, I’m leaving. I’m not drinking any f—ing merlot!” It was just a one-line joke in a movie, but after the film’s US release, California’s wine industry suffered a drop in merlot sales and pinot noir became the rising star.