There were raised glasses at Ash Ridge Wines at Bridge Pa this week as the crew toasted Lauren Swift who has taken out the inaugural Hawke’s Bay Young Winemaker of the Year title – although she was pretty relaxed about what was coming next. By taking the title, from five other young winemakers she described as “really top people”, she will now take part in the New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year competition set to be staged as part of the 2015 Romeo Bragato conference being held at the Pettigrew Green Arena later this month.

New Zealand wine and design combine to celebrate the perfect partnership once again this year as Brancott Estate release the new vintages of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in limited edition bottles ahead of the 2015 World of Wearable Art (WOW) Awards Show season. Having supported WOW since 1998 and released limited edition bottles annually since 2012, this year’s Brancott Estate WOW Series includes the Brancott Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 and Brancott Estate South Island Pinot Noir 2014.

Clark Island in Sydney Harbour will be turned into mecca for all things wine and food this November as part of the inaugural Wine Island Festival. Spanning over three days, the festival will boast an impressive line-up of winemakers, sommeliers and chefs who will showcase some of the best food and wine that the nation has to offer through wine cellar door experiences, gourmet food huts, a VIP Island Bar and complimentary master classes hosted by Wine Australia.

Three Mudgee wineries have been named among the best in Australia by the 2016 James Halliday Wine Companion. Huntingon Estate, Robert Oatley Vineyard and Robert Stein Winery all received red five star status for the 201516 season, joining 279 other wineries from across the various wine regions at the top of the list. Red five star status was awarded to only 10 per cent of wineries in Australia this year for an “outstanding winery regularly producing wines of quality and typicity”.

Washington State is known for its greenery, apples and wine. In fact, Washington wines could be sitting at Australian dinner tables one day soon. Right now, Australia only imports about $3 million of its $600 million dollar wine market, from the U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse met with winery owners and a member from the U.S. Embassy in Australia to talk about the possibly of more exports.
Doug Hartley, with the Department of Commerce in Australia told NBC Right Now starting with local wineries in the state is important, because we can all reap the benefits.

THERE were some excellent snowfalls around the Orange district in July. Snow is great – it looks pretty, it fills dams and snow puts moisture deep into the subsoil. With over 150mm of precipitation, half of which was snow, the soil moisture profile is close to saturation. This is very good for vine growth as we head into spring. The only downside is that these classic Orange winter conditions mean that pruning is challenging.

Bernard Hickin has announced his intention to retire as chief winemaker for the Australian branch of Pernod Ricard Winemakers, handing the reins over to Ben Bryant in June 2016. Joining the business in 1976, Hickin has made many significant contributions to the business and its brands throughout his 40 years in winemaking. Brett McKinnon, Pernod Ricard global operations director said the company were extremely grateful for the contribution Hickin made towards their success.

Korea is importing more wine than liquor for the first time ever. The Korea International Trade Association says wine imports rose five per cent from the year before to 94 four million U.S. dollars in the first half of the year. Imports of the hard stuff like whiskey, vodka and gin, came in at 91.seven million dollars. Spirits once took up two-thirds of booze imports, but wine now has the highest share at nearly 25 per cent. Liquor fell to just over 24 per cent.

Organisers of New Zealand’s oldest and most prestigious charity wine auction have secured the talents of Michael Boulgaris as their 2015 auctioneer. Boulgaris is a household name in luxury Auckland real estate, yet to the rest of New Zealand, he is the smooth-talking star from the TV series, Location, Location, Location. “I feel privileged and am very much looking forward to contributing my time and expertise towards the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction for Cranford Hospice,” Boulgaris said.

Up from the cellar came a village Chambolle-Musigny 1978, a Cru Bourgeois 1981 from Bordeaux and, for a bit of fun at the end, a Mumm Brut NV Champagne that had been resting quietly since the early 1980s. None of them were expensive wines, but all were rendered more interesting by having been cellared for more than 30 years (the calm, golden, chamomile-infused non-vintage Mumm being a particular revelation).