It was 1987 when stalwarts of a fledgling wine industry on the Granite Belt promoted a national show involving their peers. Its success is now generating some animosity in the major cities. Col Jackson writes for Blues Country. It was an ordinary Friday night in Stanthorpe; the town was again vibrant as visitors arrived, accommodation filled and locals readied for another weekend catering to tourists looking for something different on the Granite Belt food and wine trail.

The AIOFP has led a delegation of Australian financial advisers and product providers to Shanghai to conduct meetings with high net worth Chinese investors. An initiative of the non-aligned advice lobby group and the Asia Pacific Stock Exchange (APX) – owned by Australian-domiciled AIMS Financial Group – the inaugural Australian Food, Wine and Investment Expo provided opportunities for Chinese investors to learn more about Australian financial services. The Chinese investors attending the expo include high net worth individuals with a minimum of $5 million to invest in Australia.

West Australian food producers are set to secure a dedicated aisle in a major Hong Kong supermarket following a ministerial trade visit. Minister for Agriculture and Food Ken Baston met with representatives from Hong Kong chain 759 Store about stocking produce from WA. Baston said the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) could act as a facilitator for private deals between producers and retailers. He said many Hong Kong stores were looking for fresh fruit and vegetable and meat, as well as packaged goods like cereal, honey and wine.

The hunt for savings in the federal budget will not threaten the $25 million a year the government pays to New Zealand wine producers. In a move that has disappointed the local industry, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday announced the government would not swiftly overhaul the controversial Wine Equalisation Tax. Instead of moving in the budget, as some in the industry had hoped, Mr Frydenberg said the government had instead asked Treasury to prepare a discussion paper as part of the broader tax white paper process.

The winery-to-consumer direct shipping market experienced a year of robust growth in 2014. We’ve discussed some marks of this growth with our coverage of the average wine bottle price and the increasing popularity of Pinot Noir from the information in our Direct Shipping Report. Another example of the progress 2014 saw comes from the success that medium-sized wineries experienced. Medium-sized wineries are those that produce 50,000 – 499,000 cases per year.

New Zealand wines are witnessing a surge in demand and are in top gear in many export markets. The exports marked a record high of NZ $1.29 billion in 2014, which was up by 8.2 percent over the previous 12 months, according to New Zealand Winegrowers. New Zealand wine producers have reason to cheer as the good times are coming after a long slump in prices the past few years because of overproduction.

The trial of former New Zealand Wine Company chief executive Peter Scutts over allegations of kickbacks continues today in the High Court at Auckland. In a case brought by the Serious Fraud Office, Scutts is facing 16 Crimes Act charges of dishonestly using a document and one Secret Commission Act charge of receiving secret reward for procuring contracts. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Hunter Valley Wine Festival will be moving from its previous October date to Saturday 20 June to join the Hunter Valley Wine and Food Month line up. The festival will be staged at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley boasting over 40 exhibiting vineyards including the Valley’s major wineries, as well as boutique producers. Beer and cider tastings from the on-site Lovedale Brewery, along with a host of food options will also be on offer.

Mudgee will tonight begin its annual campaign in Sydney to raise awareness about wines from the New South Wales Central West district. The annual Pyrmont Festival will be launched tonight. This year’s event will include a two-day festival on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The chair of Mudgee Region Tourism, Russell Holden, said the event was about getting more Sydney restaurants to stock the region’s wines and attract more visitors to the Central West.

Tourism operators across the Hunter are being urged to take part in a survey designed to assess the economic impact of last week’s devastating storm. Tourism Hunter says many businesses have suffered devastating damage to property and infrastructure. There has also been a severe decline in the visitor economy that it says will impact on operators long after the flood waters recede. It says business and wine tourism has been particularly hard hit, with the perception by many outside the region that the Hunter is still not capable of handling visitation.