The Oamaru Wine and Food Festival on Sunday kept its no-cancellations record intact, despite rain on Saturday night threatening to ruin the event. About 1500 people attended the festival, including about 100 who came up on the Tasty Tours train from Dunedin, despite cool overcast conditions. This year’s event was in doubt after its organising committee resigned en masse late last year. However, a new committee took over to keep the event alive, taking it back to its roots with a focus on wine, food and local entertainment, rather than big-name stars, reports Otago Daily Times.

Arguably the world’s most respected wine commentator has given Tasmania a huge thumbs up. Leading United Kingdom wine expert, and wine adviser to the Queen, Jancis Robinson, has given the local wine industry a glowing endorsement. The celebrated wine writer describes local Chardonnays as “stupendous”, Pinots as “very promising” and wines produced by an ambitious “new wave” of young smallholder-winemakers as as having “an intensity that transends the norm”, reports The Mercury.

In the past couple of years, Sydney’s drinking scene has undergone huge changes, with the explosion of small bars throughout the city run by young, switched-on proprietors. In restaurants, a quieter revolution has occurred. There is a far greater number of sommeliers, a role traditionally filled by more mature types, and they are getting younger. At some fine-diners, wine recommendations are made by highly trained and knowledgable sommeliers younger than 35. Many bright, young things are making their mark in the industry, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Billionaire James Packer has secured a 5 per cent stake in the company that owns South Australian wine brands Penfolds, Wolf Blass and Wynns. It has been revealed that the Packer family’s investment fund Ellerston Capital already held a 4.6 per cent stake in Treasury Wine Estates, which split from brewer Foster’s Group in May last year. Yesterday it reported to the market that it had invested another $123 million, lifting its stake to 5 per cent, reports News.com.au.

Seguin Moreau Cooperage, the leader in research on wine and wood exchanges, has mobilised its know-how, bringing your creativity to life and personalising your wines. Three new products join the Seguin Moreau Range: Oenostave, Oenostick and Oenoblock, all derived from the same wood selection and undergoes the same ageing procedures as the rough staves used for making Seguin Moreau barrels.

Grey days and cooler temperatures in Marlborough could set back this year’s grape harvest by up to 14 days, experts say. Sunshine hours in Marlborough, regarded as one of the sunniest spots in New Zealand, were down on the 30-year average of 483 hours for December and January. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research principal scientist Dr James Renwick said Marlborough recorded 437 sunshine hours during December and January, compared with 451 hours for the same months last summer, reports The Marlborough Express.

A new laboratory in Christchurch is promising to revolutionise New Zealand’s wine industry. Hill Laboratories have partnered with an American company to offer technology they say will aid the winemaking process from vine to vintage. The one-stop wine testing facility is the first of its kind in the country because it can conduct all of the tests that winemakers require under one roof, reports 3 News.

A new laboratory in Christchurch is promising to revolutionise New Zealand’s wine industry. Hill Laboratories have partnered with an American company to offer technology they say will aid the winemaking process from vine to vintage. The one-stop wine testing facility is the first of its kind in the country because it can conduct all of the tests that winemakers require under one roof, reports 3 News.

There is a new name about to hit the wine shelves in a store close to you, and while Harakeke Farm may be a new label there is a wealth of experience behind it. This is the latest venture for husband and wife team Andrew Sutherland and Joanne Coster. The couple also own The Old Post Office country store at Upper Moutere, and as part of that business Joanne has been producing a range of premium products under the Moutere Gold brand. And while this energetic couple have been doing this they have also planted a vineyard and had three children, reports the Nelson Mail.

Wine writer James Suckling has hailed 2009 Bordeaux as possibly the “best ever modern vintage” with the release of his in-bottle scores. Writing on his site he said: “It’s seldom that a vintage such as 2009 comes to Bordeaux. The last time may have been 1989, or even 1982”. Nine wines are now rated at 100 points, down from an original 14. The first growths, with the exception of Mouton Rothschild which is now on 98, all made the grade, reports The Drinks Business.