The wine industry will benefit from changes to the Wine Equalisation Tax and funding for the promotion of Australian wine here and overseas, with spirit producers also gaining from an extension of the excise refund scheme. The changes to the WET, details of which were leaked to The Australian last week, are expected to reform a system which has incentivised large producers, including the big supermarket chains, to flood the market with poor-quality wine

Although it was once home to generic blends, James Lawrence finds plenty of variety in the country’s rejuvenated wine landscape. The pace with which South Africa has transformed its wine industry is one of the most dramatic changes to have occurred in recent times. The widespread air of prosperity and freedom – not to mention more than 500 private wineries – would certainly surprise any South African returning home after 50 years on Mars.

A New Zealand winemaker has fulfilled a lifetime ambition of creating his own wine label following a crowdfunding campaign involving 4,000 UK wine drinkers. Dominic Maxwell, who has previously made wines for Greystone and Muddy Water in New Zealand, as well as winning New Zealand’s Winemaker of the Year award in 2011, appealed to Majestic-owned online retailer Naked Wines to support him in his ambition to create his first solo vintage through crowd-funding.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) has teamed up with Samsung to use virtual reality as the latest tool to attract Asian buyers to New Zealand food and wine. Visitors to Singapore’s Food Hotel Asia 2016, an international exhibition of food and drinks attracting tens-of-thousands of buyers from Asia and the rest of the world, were treated to a virtual trip to New Zealand and taken on a wine tour to showcase the country’s landscapes, the origin of New Zealand wine.

ST LEONARDS VINEYARD, the historic winery in the Rutherglen Wine Region, Victoria has launched a new range of compelling fortified wines. The first wine to launch is the Tawny, which is predominantly made from Shiraz grapes. The wine has a mix of ripe berry and rancio characters on the nose from 2 – 5 years barrel maturation. On the palate there is rich fruit giving a generous mouth feel with hints of vanilla and chocolate. The wine has an attractive dry finish and is perfect with coffee and cheese or mixed into cocktails.

A boutique Adelaide Hills winery will “rationalise” its operations through a shutdown of current operations, including its cellar door, and co-locate with another winemaker. Chain of Ponds Wines will exit its Gumeracha facility after 31 years to move to Project Wine’s Langhorne Creek facility, resulting in the loss of two full-time and four casual jobs.

The future for Tasmanian wine in the UK looks bright, trade representatives have said following a Tas-manian wine tasting in London. Wine Tasmania, supported by Wine Australia, hosted a trade and press master class for more than 50 guests at Australia House on Thursday. Presented by Michael Hill-Smith MW, co-owner of Tasmania’s Tolpuddle Vineyard, the two-hour master class featured 12 premium wines from the cool-climate island state that is making headlines around the world.

For the first time, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) will showcase the red wine variety, Durif, in Griffith on Wednesday May 11, with a view to firmly establishing the wine grape in the Riverina. Darren Fahey, DPI viticultural development officer, said Durif was well-suited to the Riverina and the variety has been making a splash with Australian wine lovers.

A national survey has revealed for the first time the state of workplace gender inequality in the Australian wine industry from the perspective of women working in the industry. The survey, the first of its kind ever undertaken, asked the all-female respondents to report on their experience in four key areas: pay, maternity and child care, sexist behaviour in the workplace and career advancement.

China has come from nowhere to overtake traditional wine countries in terms of land area under vine. So just what is going on in the Far East? If you fancy some crystal ball-gazing into the world of wine, it’s worth keeping up with the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). The intergovernmental organisation, which regulates the science of viticulture, oenology and the wine economy, also releases an annual report on what’s coming down the pipeline in world wine.