Chinese appetite for Barossa Valley vineyards and wineries has cooled. But the lower dollar is attracting new overseas players to South Australia’s premier wine-growing region alongside local winemakers looking to shore up their fruit supply, as drier El Niño conditions loom. “Asian interest has cooled a little bit, possibly because of the new government restrictions on money coming out of the country and because of the slowdown in the Chinese economy,” said Toby Langley, managing director of advisers Gaetjens Langley. “Buyers are a little more cautious.”

Canberra’s winemakers are hoping new weather stations will provide more reliable data for the region. Two weather stations costing $10,000 each have been installed just outside Canberra, one at Four Winds Vineyard in Murrumbateman, and another at Brindabella Hills near Hall. They are capable of measuring basic conditions, such as rainfall, humidity and wind speed, along with agricultural conditions such as leaf wetness and soil temperature.

New Zealand Winegrowers has welcomed the news that Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiators have reached a final agreement. “This is an excellent outcome for the New Zealand wine industry,” said Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers CEO. “Finalising the TPP is strategically very important for our export future as the TPP countries already account for over 60% of New Zealand wine exports.”

For the first time in 30 years, a group of 45 Masters of Wine will visit Australia on an action packed visit to 10 wine regions across the country. Hosted by Wine Australia in collaboration with Tourism Australia, the group will kick off their tour with a breakfast and tasting of local fine wines at Bennelong Restaurant in the Sydney Opera House this Sunday. Guests will enjoy breakfast canapés such as shaved culatello with barley toast and truffle butter, and mud crab congee, matched to some of Australia’s finest sparkling wines.

The Board responsible for protecting South Australian vineyards from pests and diseases since 1899, has unveiled a new name and identity. The Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia will now be known as Vinehealth Australia a move which comes as part of the board’s five-year strategic plan. Vinehealth Australia will continue collaborate nationally to safeguard South Australia’s $1.79 billion wine industry from diseases, pests and other conditions that may affect vine health and, importantly, to help maintain South Australia’s phylloxera-free status.

New Zealand’s first ever International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration, from 1 to 3 February next year, promises to WOW attendees with a unique line up of activities. Media, winemakers, marketers and trade representatives from around the globe will converge on Marlborough to celebrate a wine variety that has captivated consumers world-wide. The popular variety will be explored by international guest speakers, as they dissect what has made Sauvignon Blanc one of the most loved white wines in the world.

Asahi Holdings (Australia) has bought Melbourne-based craft brewer, Mountain Goat Beer. Owners, Cam and Dave said on Monday night: “We’ve been contract partners with Asahi for three years now, and with their expert help, our beer has grown in demand, expanded nationally, and found a special place with beer lovers. We are confident with Asahi on board, we will be able to convert many more people to craft beer than we could do on our own.”

An England versus Australia “wine-off” held by the WSTA saw a “shock” win for an English Bacchus against its Aussie Chardonnay counterpart. Hosted by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) and former England rugby star Andrew Sheridan, the head-to-head blind tasting pitted three English wines from Bolney Wine Estate against three Australian counterparts from Wolf Blass. he wines were tasted by four English and four Australian rugby fans.

HOW 280,000 litres of wine – the equivalent of 373,333 bottles – ended up on the ground and in the drainage system of a Riverland storage facility is at the centre of a million-dollar claim by an SA-based international wine company. In Supreme Court civil proceedings, Accolade Wines is seeking $789,669 plus costs from family-owned SA winemaker Kingston Estate and Berri engineering company Monash Property. The claim is not for the value of the wine, but for damage caused to its property by the wine’s escape on August 16 or 17, 2013.

Diageo, the company behind Captain Morgan rum and Smirnoff vodka, is believed to be pressing ahead with a sale of its wine brands, including Blossom Hill, as its under-pressure boss Ivan Menezes continues his sell-off of the group’s peripheral businesses. Australian firm Treasury Wine Estates was named as a leading suitor for the FTSE 100 company’s wine business, which also encompasses the Piat d’Or and Rosenblum brands.