Grapes are ripening earlier and more quickly around the world, putting pressure on winemakers

Australians know their history well – and whether they like it or not, the continent’s earliest immigrants were often young British men sent ‘down under’ in shackles to serve out convictions in the country’s extensive penal colonies. There were 19 Crimes that could land one on a ship to Australia.

One winery is seeking inspiration from the man who landscaped Hobbiton, at least three are opening new or refurbished tasting rooms and another is renovating a restaurant. It’s all part of a plan to lure tourists to New Zealand’s premier wine region.

Chardonnay seldom sets the wine lover’s heart into overdrive. More often, it sparks ‘been there, done that’ thoughts. The swinging ‘like it/loathe it’ pendulum has often meant that Chardonnay has been consigned to the spectrum of wine being avoided if you’re trying to impress a dinner date or a legion of wedding guests.

The wine industry needs to act now rather than waiting for Brexit, the WSTA has told members on the day of its annual conference.

Stanko Radikon of Radikon Wines in Friuli, north-east Italy, has passed away. The winemaker was a trailblazer for the natural wine movement who inspired a new generation of winemakers in Friuli, Australia and beyond.

An election is currently in progress for the vacant position on the AWRI Board of Directors in the small producer category (less than 2,000 tonnes). The AWRI’s Constitution provides that there will be between seven and eleven directors on the AWRI Board. Six of those directors are nominated and elected by organisations that pay the Wine Grapes Levy (levy payers), divided into three categories divided by the size of production.

An election is currently in progress for the vacant position on the AWRI Board of Directors in the small producer category (less than 2,000 tonnes). The AWRI’s Constitution provides that there will be between seven and eleven directors on the AWRI Board. Six of those directors are nominated and elected by organisations that pay the Wine Grapes Levy (levy payers), divided into three categories divided by the size of production.

ONE of the oldest cellar doors in Australia is celebrating its 150-year history, the 50th anniversary release of its St Peters Grampians Shiraz and the fact it did not close this year.

A couple of months before he died in 2001, I interviewed veteran wine merchant Dan Murphy, then a frail 84-year-old living in a small unit in suburban Melbourne. Dan told me about his early years selling wine, first in the early 1950s from a small licensed grocery in Chapel Street, Prahran, then in the mid-60s from the much larger Prahran Arcade next door.