Unlike a young wine, Dan Swincer, 30, is showing maturity and depth beyond his years. The winemaker from Orlando Wines was crowned the 2011 Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year on Friday night. Dan won the highly contended title with his Orlando 2008 Gramps Botrytis Semillon and 2007 JC Barossa Steingarten Riesling, which were judged against nine wines from Australia and New Zealand. He was honoured at a gala function held on the rooftop of Sydney’s Darling Harbour’s Coast Restaurant, reports The Barossa & Light Herald.

Unlike a young wine, Dan Swincer, 30, is showing maturity and depth beyond his years. The winemaker from Orlando Wines was crowned the 2011 Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year on Friday night. Dan won the highly contended title with his Orlando 2008 Gramps Botrytis Semillon and 2007 JC Barossa Steingarten Riesling, which were judged against nine wines from Australia and New Zealand. He was honoured at a gala function held on the rooftop of Sydney’s Darling Harbour’s Coast Restaurant, reports The Barossa & Light Herald.

Soil and vine health should be assessed according to the mineral content in a wine. Speaking at this month’s Biodyvin tasting in London, Olivier Humbrecht MW stated, “Finding a high mineral fraction in a wine is a sign of a soil that functions properly and a sign that the vine is able to extract these minerals from the soil.” Humbrecht, who is president of the 15 year-old Biodyvin association, made this comment during a seminar called “Minerality in biodynamic wines” held during the London tasting, reports The Drinks Business.

Grossly intoxicated young women, some incontinent and smeared in their own blood, are a symptom of Toast Martinborough wine festival’s “feral” drinking culture, police warn. They say some wineries appear to have breached liquor licensing laws by continuing to serve people who were clearly intoxicated. One vineyard encouraged festival-goers to scull full glasses of wine, reports The Dominion Post.

With the euphoria of the Rugby World Cup finally ebbing, please excuse an indulgent retrospective analogy. In New Zealand’s world of wine there are a handful of stars that have an international reputation, a number that hover beneath the radar of critical acclaim, and then there’s the rest who do a fine job but have yet to establish themselves as major players. That reliable, unflashy but always dependable “lock of ages” Brad Thorn is a perfect example of someone who you’d always love to have in your team because he just gets on with it and does the business, writes John Hawkesby in The New Zealand Herald.

Working for an advertising agency in Sydney in the 1960s, Marion von Adlerstein remembers a time when long client lunches were still de rigueur and afternoons finished with drinks in the boardroom. The drinks served were mostly beer, spirits or fortified wines such as sherry. Wine was still regarded as ”a little bit of plonk” and if you ordered champagne at a bar, you received an Australian sparkling such as Great Western. All that changed for von Adlerstein when she met the man who would become her second husband, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Yallingup may be better known for its surf than its wine but little known producer Cape Naturaliste Vineyard’s red wine has been named one of the world’s best. The small producer’s Torpedo Rocks Cabernet Merlot 2009 has won the London International Wine Fair trophy for best red wine from a single vineyard at the International Wine and Spirit Competition awards. Owner Craig Brent-White said it was a major coup for the “most western vineyard in Australia”, reports The West Australian.

Australia’s top sparkling winemaker, Ed Carr, is looking anxiously at the calendar in the run-up to Christmas. Of the 25 sparklings he makes for the Accolade group, Carr is responsible for seriously high-end bubbles, the kind taking on the French at the cash register this festive season. Will Australian drinkers stand by the home team? Carr hopes for a little patriotism but he’s realistic. With the price of quality champagne continuing as low as $40 and $50 a bottle, it’s another tough year for Australian sparkling winemakers, writes Jeni Port in The Age.

Our love for Sauvignon Blanc has been one of the hottest affairs you could imagine. Seduced by its showy, up-front personality, we spent $440 million on the popular white drop last year. Much of the passion for the wine that exudes vibrant passionfruit flavours is directed towards Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. And much of what we are buying now is cheaper than it ever was. Down, down, down goes the price. And perhaps with it, also its trendiness is waning. Pinot Gris and Moscato might soon be our top drops, writes Tony Love in The Advertiser.

The former chief winemaker at Stonehaven, Sue Bell, has bought a stately old shearing shed in Coonawarra and is converting it into a winery. The Glenroy Woolshed is built from local stone and has a unique atmosphere. It’s gradually becoming the home of Bellwether, her new brand. The move is a welcome injection of energy into the South Australian region that could use a little innovation, writes Huon Hooke in The Sydney Morning Herald.