Bars, clubs, restaurants and vineyards all face different rules over whether they can open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and what they can sell. Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Bruce Robertson said the rules around alcohol sales were complex and confusing. His organisation was so concerned about confusion it sent out reminders to members about the Easter trading laws, reports The Wairarapa Times Age.
The extended wet weather is the final straw for some grapegrowers with a risk of fruit splitting and the spread of disease. A cold spring put vines two weeks behind and a summer with little sunshine has meant some late varieties have yet to ripen, reports Hawke’s Bay Today. Maraekakaho contract grower Beni Noetzli said he may lose half his crop.
Frost protection in Marlborough vineyards has increased substantially in the past few years, diminishing the likelihood of damage to grapes, Plant and Food Research senior scientist Mike Trought says. In 2007, Marlborough’s wine industry was hit by an autumn frost followed by heavy rain, resulting in soggy leaves that then got mixed with the fruit, Dr Trought said. He estimated there were now 1500 frost fans in Marlborough vineyards, compared to fewer than 100 about nine years ago, reports The Marlborough Express.
Treasury Wine Estates, the wine business formerly owned by Foster’s, will receive a $31.5 million payment from the brewer to complete an IT overhaul. Foster’s had agreed to install a new core operating IT system for Treasury Wine in May 2011, but has since been bought by Anglo-South African brewer SABMiller. Treasury Wine on Wednesday said it would complete the work itself, and Foster’s would pay it $31.5 million in cash as a result, reports AAP.
For Cullen Wines’ chief winemaker Vanya Cullen, vineyard practice has always been about “bringing the land to the glass”. Now Cullen is offering private tours and tastings to reveal some of the secrets of the winery’s history, use of biodynamics, and philosophy, reports the Augusta-Margaret River Mail. Brand ambassador Stuart McMillan said, “What we take from the land is put back. It’s always been our philosophy. It’s a cross between science and a holistic approach.”
The Hunter Valley Wine Industry celebrated more of its history recently with the unveiling of a Heritage Cairn acknowledging the “Maurice O’Shea Mount Pleasant Label” at McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Winery in Pokolbin as a landmark of historical importance. The Hunter Valley Heritage Award was introduced in 2009 to acknowledge landmarks or items of historical importance, which have influenced the course of, or made a significant contribution to, the Hunter Valley Wine Industry. This is the first time the industry has acknowledged the printed works that have formed so much of the present face of the area, reports the Cessnock Advertiser.
Wine aficionados and wine makers came together in Ottawa on Tuesday in hopes of abolishing a decades-old rule that prevents the beverage from flowing freely across provincial lines. Supporters of Bill C-311, which would allow wine to be shipped from province to province, argued their case to a finance committee on Parliament Hill. If passed, the private member’s bill would tweak the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act to get rid of an 84-year-old rule that hinders domestic wine shipping, reports CTV Ottawa.
English wine producers are eyeing 2012 as the year home-grown wine, especially sparkling varieties, could become a mainstream product as retailers throw their weight behind it to coincide with Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Over the past decade improving quality, increasing volumes and solid performances at expert tastings have established English wine as more than a passion for amateurs, though it still accounts for less than 1 percent of the UK market, reports Reuters.
As a Far East nation of 1.3 billion people grows wealthier, many of its residents are gaining an appreciation for fine wine. That thought has sales staff in Bordeaux, Adelaide and St. Helena licking their chops, but there may not be as many wine lovers in China as some suppose. Tom Selfridge, a wine industry consultant and retired president of Hess Collection, currently is consulting for a vineyard development project in China. Selfridge said the potential for wine in China is huge, but if sellers look at how many people are actually buying varietal wines at premium prices, the market is still smaller than that of the United States, reports Wines & Vines.
Hot Red Hawke’s Bay is gearing up to go on the road again with over 20 wineries coming to Wellington on the 12th of June and to Auckland on the 31st of July. With wines priced from $18 to $250 available to sample and possibly over 200 wines this year there will be something for everyone to try. “This is one of our best long-standing events with many faithful followers. It’s one the wineries love too,” says Lyn Bevin of HB Winegrowers. The event has a trade and media only section earlier in the day and a change this year will be to open to the public from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, reports Voxy News.