Tasmanian winery Home Hill wines, which took out the coveted Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for Best Young Red this month, is facing a serious shortage of its prized drop. The Ranelagh winery is only the second Tasmanian operation to take out the award, considered the highest achievement for a one or two-year-old red. Home Hill owner Terry Bennett said the Kelly’s Reserve pinot noir 2014 had a long-lingering back palette, good mid palette and lovely nose.

A group of high-powered wine industry executives including Margaret Lehmann, widow of celebrated winemaker Peter Lehmann, has tipped 34.5 hectares of prime “Grange country” vineyards onto the market in the Barossa Valley with expectations of between $2 and $3 million. The vineyards, on Schneiders Road in the Ebenezer district near Nuriootpa, were first planted by Peter Lehmann “the baron of the Barossa” in 1999.

Australian winery Grant Burge is to end its 10-year distribution deal with Hatch Mansfield. The Barossa-based wine producer was acquired by Accolade Wines in January this year. The acquisition included the Grant Burge brand, business and Krondorf winery. At the time of the acquisition Michael East, Accolade’s general manager for Asia Pacific said “we see this as an opportunity to grow that brand”.

MAX ALLEN OPINION: Seppelt Great Western is one of the most fabulous old wineries in Australia. The wines that Seppelt chief winemaker Adam Carnaby and his team are producing — particularly the scintillating Drumborg Riesling and deeply distinctive St Peters Shiraz — are outstanding. So why on earth did parent company Treasury Wine Estates announce last week that it would be ceasing operations at the winery and closing the cellar door by the middle of next year? Are they mad?

The judges were apparently shocked. In a blind tasting at one of Australia’s premier wine shows, three judges awarded the gold medal to a fine Rosé. The blinders were removed. The brand was Aldi and the cost? $4.99. That’s right, the nation’s best Rosé cost less than a bottle of Passion Pop. Aldi’s wines under $10 have won gongs at the Sydney International Wine Competition, the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards, the Perth Royal Show and more.

ECO TRELLIS ® has won two prestigious categories at the 9th annual Wine Industry Suppliers Australia Awards (WISA) held on Thursday 22 October in Adelaide. These awards highlight wine industry suppliers who clearly demonstrate that they can add value to their clients businesses. The awards won are the Banrock Station Wines Environment & Sustainability Award and the Tarac Technologies Innovation Award.

The Protec XTri sorter is designed to separate out from the winemaking berries anything that might alter the quality of the end product. Xtri has installed a multi camera system, utilising techniques up until now seen only in specialised research laboratories. In Europe and America the Protec XTris is the leading Optical Sorter sought after by premium wineries.

Poster abstract submissions for next year’s Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference are now open! Submit your poster abstract for a chance to win a prize or be selected to present your research in a ‘Fresh Science’ session at the 16th AWITC in Adelaide in July 2016. Posters will be on display throughout the conference. Visit the AWITC website to find out more and submit your abstract online.