I’m no longer sure what people eat at Easter and Passover, but I’m pretty certain that many will be sitting down to a diverse range of food this weekend. Ham and lamb might be traditional, but you know traditions: they keep changing. For all I know, the paschal lamb has given way to street-food inspired barramundi tacos with a side of ancient grains and a glass of artisanal ale. But suppose you plan to bake a ham or roast lamb this weekend. Which wine might go well with them?

Hopes of price restraint are dashed as châteaux look to cash in on a better vintage. Bordeaux producers have indicated that they are highly unlikely to heed pleas from their customers to keep 2014 prices down. At the first tastings of the 2014 en primeur week, château owners have said that prices will be higher than recent vintages, to reflect the quality of the vintage, which they believe is one of the best of the last decade.

Marlborough wine brands may be forced to stop most of their advertising if a proposed alcohol advertising ban goes ahead. Wine industry leaders say the industry could lose the ability to advertise products if the Government adopts the 14 recommendations put forward by a ministerial forum in relation to alcohol advertising and sponsorship. The recommendations include a ban on all alcohol sponsorship for sports, a ban on alcohol sponsorship for cultural and music events, where 10 per cent or more of guests are under the age of 18, and a ban on alcohol advertising in general.

Villa Maria’s first ever chief operating officer talks to the drinks business about a new brand for the UK, how to raise the profile of Hawke’s Bay and why this producer’s biggest selling wine in China is white. Having built an international career working for major advertising agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy & Mather, with clients ranging from Unilever to McDonald’s and Singapore Airlines, Richard Thomas joined the New Zealand wine producer at the start of this year as its first COO.

CONSERVATION efforts in South Africa’s wine industry have been so successful that the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-South Africa) feels there is no longer a need to educate SA’s wine farmers on this issue, the environmental organisation said on Monday. From now on the WWF-South Africa is endorsing the industry’s “Sustainable Wines South Africa” seal, found on the neck of wine bottles, as indication enough that the wine estate is environmentally responsible, said WWF-South Africa agricultural programme manager Inge Kotze. This would make things easier for consumers.

GrapeSeed™ Wine Fund has launched as the first company to marry consumers’ desire for choice and exclusivity with winemakers’ passion for creating distinctive, small production wines. Leveraging a crowdfunding model, GrapeSeed enables members, or “Partners,” to pay a subscription fee to fund one-of-a-kind wine projects from its growing roster of iconic winemakers. This discreet channel of distribution effectively breaks down barriers that exist between consumers and artisan winemakers, creating a unique new community of wine lovers.

A New Zealand winery has become the country’s first business to attract the NZ$2 million (A$1.96m) maximum investment permitted via a crowdfunding campaign. Invivo Wines reached this limit less than two weeks after launching its offer on the Snowball Effect crowdfunding platform, bringing on board 439 new shareholders in exchange for 20% equity. The response raised 400% more than the Auckland-based company’s original target, which founders Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron were seeking in order to expand their export business.

The Government has announced it will pass legislation to set up a geographical indications registration system for wines and spirits which will operate in a similar way to trademark registration. The Geographical Indications Registration Act will identify wines as originating in a specific region and the distinct qualities or reputation it has due to that; examples in the wine world are French Champagne and Burgundy. Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive officer said the move will equip the wine industry with the tools to protect its premium brands from misappropriation or misuse.

A university researcher is training sniffer dogs to detect pest and disease in vineyards. Dogs have traditionally been trained to sniff out drugs, explosives and even missing people, but their new target could be phylloxera – a devastating disease that feeds on the roots of vines and can eventually kill an entire vineyard. Melbourne University viticulture and animal science researcher Sonja Needs said she could train any breed to be a sniffer dog.

A prominent South Australian winemaker has faced court accused of destroying more than $300,000 worth of wine from a Barossa Valley winery. Trevor David Jones, 57, has been charged with serious criminal trespass and property damage. Jones previously made wine for Kellermeister Wines at Lyndoch, where it is alleged he deliberately opened taps on four wine tanks releasing nearly 25,000 litres of wine in February. He now runs his own winery, Trevor Jones Fine Wines, also based at Lyndoch.