Three years after its crackdown on corruption, China is beginning to behave like any other major wine market – a change that many believe is for the better. Speaking at ProWine Shanghai last week, Richard Halstead, CEO at Wine Intelligence, said that China was morphing into a more “normal” drinks market, without the distorting influence of state-funded banqueting or the “gifting” of fine wine.
More than two decades of soil science work in the Waipara area has been brought together in a document launched at a Vineyard Soils Day at Black Estate Vineyard this week. The document was received with enthusiasm as an invaluable resource by local winegrowers, who acknowledged the potential for far greater collaboration in research initiatives between wine growers and Lincoln University.
Staff at MediaWorks have been urged to boycott the wine business of chief executive Mark Weldon, according to a leaked malicious email. An email sent to MediaWorks’ and TVNZ staff, and forwarded to other companies urged people to contact Weldon and “say no” to his award-winning wine. Sources confirmed the email was widely circulated on Friday afternoon. The email said: “Do not support Mark Weldon because he doesn’t support journalism.”
“WHO wants some of this?!” yells a guy wearing blue denim jeans and a ripped, red flannelette. He passes a long skinny bottle of white wine with a strange-looking label over a seething mass of partiers’ heads. A hand reaches up from the mob, grasping desperately for the vessel. It finally finds its way into the clutching paw and disappears.
One abiding problem of the Australian wine market is the dearth of 30- to 40-year-old wines on restaurant wine lists or in fine wine retailers. They come up in auctions but disappear into cellars, leaving no trace. It is easier to buy a French wine of this age for birthday celebrations, but you need to have very deep pockets wherever you look. The law of supply and demand can result in Australian wines being even more expensive than their French counterparts.
Wine grape growers say a lack of basic business data is putting them at a disadvantage in the highly competitive water market. Growers, real estate agents and irrigation trust representatives met in South Australia’s Riverland region this week, to discuss issues surrounding water availability, pricing and property values.
A Tasmanian sparkling wine has made history by being named Champion Wine at the National Wine Show of Australia. It is the first time a sparkling wine has won the overall champion title, taking out the Len Evans Memorial Trophy for Champion Wine of Show. The winning drop, a 2006 House of Arras Blanc de Blanc, is a 100 per cent Chardonnay wine.
More than 5000 varieties of grape vines are grown around the world. According to Jancis Robinson, co-author of the authoritative book Wine Grapes, 1368 of these are used in commercial wine production, from the household names of Chardonnay and Shiraz to the deliciously obscure Charbono and Scuppernong. It’s an incredibly diverse array of options for the winemaker – so many flavours and characteristics to choose from.
From grape varieties with strange names to low alcohol and preservative free wines, to labels inspired by CD covers, the highly competitive Australian wine industry is constantly innovating in a bid to capture the imaginations of consumers in a nation where New Zealand sauvignon blanc is among their favourite wines.
Australian wine producers will better understand how they can access the finance they need to maximise their export opportunities after Wine Australia signed a partnership agreement with Efic (Export Finance and Insurance Corporation), Australia’s export credit agency. Efic operates on a commercial basis and partners with banks to provide financial support to Australian small and medium enterprise (SME) exporters and those in an export supply chain.