A suspicious leak has left two workers in hospital in Marlborough this morning. The Fire Service were called to a gas leak at 4am at Blenheim’s Arwa Winery, where they forced entry into the property. They were unable to find the source of the leak, which was initially believed to be a possible ammonia leak. The condition of the workers admitted to Wairau Hospital is unknown.
The ABC’s Vote Compass has revealed that 80 per cent of voters do not support the sale of agricultural land to foreign investors, but what happens when farmers want to sell and no Australians are interested in buying? Jan and Merv Smith have worked their 230-acre family farm in Western Australia’s Margaret River wine region for 44 years and are hoping to sell up and retire.
Australian wine-making legend Brian Croser, founder of Petaluma wines, has sold his lamb-rearing Maylands Farm on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula for $6.9 million. The sale was a strong result for the 735 hectare highlands property near Parawa – about an hour from Adelaide – after it had been listed with a $6 million asking price. It is understood the buyer is an Australian expat who comes from Adelaide. It was sold on a walk-in, walk-out basis.
SWIFT Sparkling has been inducted into the prestigious new Hall of Honour for sparkling wines, after being recognised as the highest-ranking brand producing sparkling in the state. The Hall of Honour was created by acclaimed sparkling wine reviewer and writer Tyson Stelzer who has just released the Australian Sparkling Report 2016 saying he was inspired to do so by the high calibre of Australian sparkling wines.
RIVERLAND growers say they will have no choice but to turn off irrigation to parts of their orchards and vineyards if action is not taken to address plummeting flows into the River Murray. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority said this year’s water inflow was in the lowest five per cent on record, prompting calls fora Drought Task Force to help landowners still recovering from the millennium drought.
THE University of Adelaide will run a business incubator in the heart of the Champagne wine region in France for the next five years following an agreement signed overnight. ThincLab Chalons will be set up in the French city of Chalons-en-Champagne, with the aim of supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. It will be based on the University’s ThincLab business incubator model.
Britain’s place in the international wine industry supply chain could be drained out if the UK votes for Brexit, an industry body has warned. Exchequer Secretary Damian Hinds, who visited Europe’s biggest bottling plant today with the WSTA, was warned by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has warned that exports of wine produced and bottled in the UK may fall if the UK leaves the EU and loses its access to the single market.
Sacre bleu! Hawke’s Bay has led New Zealand to a win over France at an international blind tasting of Syrah in China. Three Hawke’s Bay Syrah were placed in the top five in a comparative tasting in China, with Elephant Hill’s Airavata 2009 judged best in the competition, beating French heavyweights. “This proves that Hawke’s Bay Syrah has a real place at the table of premium Syrah-producing regions of the world,” said Michael Henley, Chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Association.
“ALL have been pretty strong vintages, so I suspect there will be a real array of delights for us,” said Gisborne Regional Wine Awards chief judge Simon Nunns of Coopers Creek at the start of judging yesterday morning. It is the sixth annual awards and while numbers are slightly down on previous years, there are high expectations of quality. Event director Prue Younger said the awards are a chance for wineries to pitch themselves against their peers.
De Bortoli Wines’ Senior Winemaker and the creator of the company’s famous Noble One dessert wine has been shortlisted for Sweet Winemaker of the Year at the 2016 International Wine Challenge in London. These awards are considered to be the “Oscars of the Wine Trade” and finalists will be announced at a special event on 7 July.