Rotundone continues to both baffle and delight the experts. Since 2007, when an AWRI team revealed that this compound found in grape skins is responsible for the distinctive black pepper flavours in many Shiraz wines, scientists have been working to understand the factors that influence its presence and potency. However, each new discovery brings new questions. Why, for example, is the impact greatest in cool climate regions and on the cool side of the grapes when standard chemistry tells us that chemical reactions typically run faster when it is hotter?

McLaren Vale winemaker Jodie Armstrong comes from a long line of dressmakers. “I sew, my mother sewed, my grandmother sewed and my daughter sews,” she says. “With winemaking, you need that same attention to detail to get your grapes right and it’s exactly the same in the winery.” Armstrong is primarily a horticulturalist, taking care of vineyards in both the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale.

RUTHERGLEN is set to make its mark over the next year following the introduction of a new tourism board just days after the town received a federal government funding boost. Destination Rutherglen welcomed three new board members to carry on the work of last year’s leaders. Executive Officer for Wine and Tourism Natalie Ajay said they would work to put the town “back on the map”.

Clare Valley wine grape growers have struck a deal with SA Water which will allow them access to irrigation water from the River Murray. The deal is the result of six years of lobbying and will allow grape growers a 400 megalitre allocation of water a year. Over 50 irrigators across the Clare Valley have signed up to the scheme with the region’s biggest producers taking up the bulk of the available allocation.

They are known from Bordeaux to Champagne to Napa; Jane Anson meets the duo leading a team of Italian vineyard pruners who have been helping fine wine estates around the world to refine their skills. Proving that there is no corner of wine too humble to receive a makeover, step forward Simonit & Sirch, the Italian duo who are taking the art of vineyard pruning to a whole new level.

“It’s a vintage for the gin and tonic lover,” said Cuisine wine panellist Jack Glover about the 2015 Sauvignon Blancs. These new release wines certainly share freshness, vigour and flavours with the cocktail on which the sun never sets. No one on the panel picked up any juniper notes, but coriander, dill, fennel, citrus peel – all botanicals used in gin – were bountiful. The 2015s also had plenty of concentration and energy, with ripe acids driving depth and focus.

A former Australian based manager and mother-of-two has opened a tasting room for Allan Scott wines in Cromwell. Carolyn Murray, 37, has taken over the management of the Scott Base cellar door, which overlooks the Cromwell township and Lake Dunstan on McNab Rd off State Highway 6. Murray said she moved to Cromwell a year ago from Brisbane with her husband and two young children, wanting to return home to New Zealand.

Several years ago the Monash winery (as it is known), found itself in the hands of (another) new owner, David Harris. Little known in the region, David arrived and set about tidying up the facility and building a new wine business, Riverland Vintners. Many observers muttered… “Good luck old son, if you can overcome the voodoo of that place, you’ll be a miracle worker”. Now, with sleeves rolled up, ready for the 2016 vintage David has developed a loyal group of followers, prepared to be bold and willing to have a go.

A few months ago, fast-growing Australian startup Vinomofo embarked on a “weird” experiment. For the last four years, co-founders Justin Dry and Andre Eikmeier have measured their success the same way most companies do – through revenue and profits. But the online wine retailer prides itself on its core values – of stepping up, caring more, keeping it real, doing some good and having some fun, and the focus on profits often was often in contrast to this credo.

Whitey’s happy that three of the best reliable annual bargains have hit his funnel just in time for the holidays. Just feast your eyes on them weenie little alcohols. Then get cross-eyed over the price. That must embarrass and annoy many more pretentious practitioners of the gris arts. Always up the top end of my bottom spend sector, the wines of Dominic Torzi, Tracy Matthews and Tim Freeland come in three brands and it’s a sweet thing that these Longhop ones have lobbed in time for the birthday of Our Lord.