The meticulous record books of Australia’s wine makers detail the minutiae of every vintage — and they’re beginning to show the disturbing effects of climate change. Heat spells, intense frosts and early vintages are becoming more frequent, but viticulturists are rising to the challenge of adaptation. In the wineries north east of Adelaide owned by Temple Bruer Wines, winemaker David Bruer said he noticed the change over the last decade.

Hardys Wines’ global brand ambassador Bill Hardy has announced that he will step down from the role next year, and his daughter Alix will take over. Bill has been with the Hardys company for 44 years and Alix becomes a sixth generation Hardy family member with the winery. In announcing his decision, Bill said: “Making wine for Hardys and representing the brand around the world over the past four decades has been a huge part of my life.”

Some small shareholders are angry at how little time they were given by Treasury Wine Estates to respond to its retail entitlement offer to help pay for the $754 million acquisition of the Diageo wine business. They say it’s typical of the arrogance shown by directors generally towards retail shareholders. The retail entitlement offer of new shares on a 2-for-15 basis closed on November 4, and allowed only eight business days for shareholders to return their paperwork after the offer booklet was mailed on October 23 to shareholders of Treasury.

The fifth recipient of the $10,000 Dr Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Award, presented by the Alcorso Foundation, has been announced as Natalie Fryar of BTD Wine Enterprises. Fryar will undertake a three week study tour throughout Europe, the United States and New Zealand, to investigate wine varieties and grapevine clones most suitable for Tasmania in the changing climate and as the wine sector continues to grow.

Whether to sell a vineyard or winery is one of the most significant decisions an owner will make. There are financial, career, lifestyle, and other factors that go into the choice, and the calculation is different for each person and each situation. Advanced planning and presale activities can make the process smoother and maximize the ultimate sale proceeds.

Introduction of a Bill by Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith enabling geographical indications (GIs) for wines and spirits to be registered in New Zealand has been warmly welcomed by New Zealand Winegrowers. “The Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Amendment Bill will be a significant advance for the New Zealand wine industry,” said Philip Gregan New Zealand Winegrowers CEO.

Twenty-six judges will look, swirl, sniff, sip, gargle and spit more than 1400 wines for this year’s Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The prestigious three-day tasting event, now in its 40th year, is being held at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland. A total of 1424 wines across 16 classes were entered into this year’s competition. Marlborough wines topped entries this year with 588 wines, followed by Hawke’s Bay with 323 entries, Otago with 184 entries and Nelson with 101 entries.

PHILIP WHITE OPINION: Whitey finds the Weatherill Government’s Regional Development Grants are unpopular among all those who haven’t applied for one. Two famous wine companies have set neighbours and rivals seething after successfully securing $2 million each from the South Australian Government’s Regional Development Fund. It should surprise nobody that one of the key presumptions of free enterprise is that governments should always strive to provide better entry to the prize money by making its prisement easier.

Premier Estates Wine’s ad campaign, released in August, showed a woman with a glass of red wine placed in front of her crotch as she utters the line: ‘Australia practically jumps out of the glass – in fact, some say you can almost taste the bush.’ That was the strapline by the way: #TasteTheBush. And, after several complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled in agreement, banning the ad. There were eight complaints in total, including one from Wine Australia.

The introduction of tasting fees at some Margaret River cellar doors has forced tourism operators to rethink which wineries to include on their tours. The region is home to about 187 wineries with close to 40 operators offering visits to them as part of their tours. Following the removal of a cellar door subsidy as part of the WA State Government’s 2015 budget, some wineries now charge between $2 and $16 for tastings.