Two of Nelson’s leading winemakers are challenging the proposed funding of a planned $42 million water storage scheme for the Waimea Plains. The Waimea Water Augmentation Committee and the Tasman District Council are proposing a compulsory rate to pay for the scheme that backers say will drought-proof the plains outside Richmond. The project has been eight years in the planning, but revelations of the compulsory and standard rate of about $600 a hectare has some opponents fuming, reports Radio NZ News.

A local wine label is gaining strong sales growth from its low-alcohol Sauvignon Blanc, with output expected to hit the 60,000 bottle mark this year. Auckland-based Invivo Wines launched Bella by Invivo in 2010, and the first vintage – made up of 6000 bottles – quickly sold out, says co-founder Tim Lightbourne. He said the second, 24,000-bottle vintage of the low-alcohol Sauvignon, released late last year, was snapped up by retailers in New Zealand and around the world, reports the New Zealand Herald.

The January 2012 issue of Grapegrower & Winemaker is now available. This month in our special ‘winemaking’ issue we feature a wide range of issues and topics that encompass Australia’s dynamic wine industry. Leading the issue is an early season tour around some of Australia’s warm inland wine regions to see how Vintage 2012 is shaping up, as well as a brief look at New Zealand’s strategy for a prosperous wine future. Canberra features in the regular Regional Roundup, and the Murray Darling Basin Plan is discussed in the monthly My View.

Hunter wine industry leaders say they hold Premier Barry O’Farrell accountable for a “promise” they said he made before the 2011 election to protect vineyards by removing them from coal seam gas exploration areas. Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association president Andrew Margan said the verbal assurance was made during a formal meeting with Mr O’Farrell, Nationals leader Andrew Stoner, present Planning Minister Brad Hazzard and Environment Minister Robyn Parker in November 2010, reports the Newcastle Herald.

Hunter wine industry leaders say they hold Premier Barry O’Farrell accountable for a “promise” they said he made before the 2011 election to protect vineyards by removing them from coal seam gas exploration areas. Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association president Andrew Margan said the verbal assurance was made during a formal meeting with Mr O’Farrell, Nationals leader Andrew Stoner, present Planning Minister Brad Hazzard and Environment Minister Robyn Parker in November 2010, reports the Newcastle Herald.

Tasmanian wine producers hope a three year study will help them add value to the state’s globally renowned sparkling wine and Pinot Noir. The industry has spent $1.8 million from producers and the federal government to improve the quality of the wine. It is unveiling the results at this month’s global symposium for cool-climate producers in Hobart, reports ABC News.

The nation’s early-bird wine region is braced to start harvesting this week with big hopes for a bumper season as the year’s fruit and wine export prices look ripe. The value of Australian wine exports increased by 1 per cent to $2.69 per litre in 2011, according to Wine Australia figures released last week, marking the first value rise in five years. But the volume of exports was down 10 per cent, which Wine Australia attributed to production falls over recent years from 1.42 billion litres in 2005 to 1.07 in 2011, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Austrian wine achieved record exports of €126 million last year, despite a 25% drop in volume. Latest figures from Statistik Austria reveal that, despite exports falling to 46.5m litres in 2011, the country achieved a 2.6% increase in value exports. This resulted in a surge in Austria’s average price from 2010’s figure of €1.98/litre to €2.71/litre in 2011, reports The Drinks Business.

The 23rd Annual Wines from Spain Trade Fair will take place on March 1, in Old Billingsgate. Fifty-eight Spanish wine importers will present new releases from the 2011 vintage as well as exciting new finds from less familiar corners of Spain. They will be joined by over 30 exporters seeking UK distribution from a number of regions, all first time exhibitors, reports Harpers Wine & Spirit.

Yannick Evenou, managing director of Chateau La Dominique, Chateau Fayat and Chateau Clement-Pichon, has bought a Cotes de Bordeaux estate in his own name. Part of a 12-strong consortium, Evenou bought the 26ha Chateau Réaut (formerly Chateau Réaut la Gravière) in Cotes de Bordeaux from Champagne Roederer. The deal was completed via the creation of a property sharing group or GFA (Groupe Foncier Agricole), with 400 members of the public taking shares in the property. The scheme had used social networking site Facebook to attract potential investors, reports Decanter.