Good things happen when like-minded people gather, share ideas and passion, and often try to outdo each other. Such groups are sometimes called “schools”. With enough momentum they can become movements. The collection of painters that congregated in Paris in the 1920s, a group that included Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Modigliani, and Mondrian, come to mind. At home, think of that cabal of 1970s Olympic medal-winning middle distance runners – Walker, Quax, and Dixon.

Wine is a fragile product that’s susceptible to all sorts of problems, most of which can ruin the enjoyment that wine makers intend. Most of the bottles we buy look fine. Only in a few cases are there indications that the bottle has had problems.

Today, Australia’s oldest family owned winery, Yalumba Wine Company, together with AGL Energy Limited (AGL), celebrate a milestone in the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) system installation at an Australian winery. The 1.4 MW Solar PV System, one of the largest commercial solar system installations in South Australia, will consist of 5,384 panels, installed across three Barossa locations: Yalumba Angaston winery, Oxford Landing Winery and the Yalumba Nursery.

QUEENSLAND winery Sirromet has taken home a large haul of awards from recent international wine shows. The Mount Cotton winemaker has won over international critics at both the Austrian Wine Challenge in Vienna and China Wines and Spirit Awards, bringing home 14 gold, silver and bronze awards. The awards included a double gold for its 2014 Signature Collection Merlot and its 2016 Vineyard Selection Verdelho at the China Wines and Spirit Awards, as well as a gold medal at the Austrian Wine Challenge for its 2014 Sirromet Le Sauvage Pinot Noir.

THE 14th annual Blackwood Valley and WA Boutique Wine Show will showcase the premium wines being produced by smaller wineries and growers both locally and from across the state. The show continues to grow each year and develop its reputation as the only show in WA specifically catering for boutique wineries from across the state who crush less than 250 tonnes of fruit per year.

A PROMINENT South Australian winemaker has been recognised as a leader in science for his contributions to oenology. The Royal Institution of Australia today awarded Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago a prestigious Bragg Membership for his contributions to the science of winemaking. The award is named after the South Australian scientists Sir William Henry Bragg and Sir William Lawrence Bragg, a father and son team who won the Nobel Prize in 1915 for establishing X-ray crystallography, a scientific technique still widely used today.

South Australia’s Riverland region will benefit from a $40 million investment by one of Australia’s largest wine companies. Accolade Wines will spend between $35 million and $40 million setting up a new glass bottling plant and warehouse facilities at its existing winery in Berri.

Australian sparkling wine has never been better, particularly if it’s from Tasmania. Although many people think of Australia as a hot country, Tasmania – the island at the bottom of the continent – not only has a moderate maritime climate, but is the gateway to the Antarctic. Temperatures rarely rise above 24°C, and thanks to its mild summers and long autumns, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive. Since the turn of the century, Tasmania has attracted Australia’s top sparkling winemaking talent, and their wines have won multiple accolades, trophies and critical acclaim.

Successful clusters of competing, complementary and interdependent businesses can boost the wealth of regions – including South Australia – if they are developed and supported in the right way, writes Richard Blandy. The wine industry is our classic economic cluster, of course: myriad small, high-tech firms, networked together with strong intellectual and research foundations, and brilliantly marketed. Collectively, they produce a world-class product that sells competitively all over the planet.

A second man has appeared in court following a $50,000 wine heist in Marlborough, denying a charge of receiving stolen wine. Robin Glen Hauwai, 49, of Blenheim, denied a charge of receiving stolen property at the Blenheim District Court on Monday. Police allege Hauwai received wine worth $4455 from persons unknown on September 7.