Top UK sommeliers have called for Chile to show greater consistency and less extraction if it is to boost its representation in the fine dining sector.The comments arose during a tasting of a range of Carmenere wines produced by Concha y Toro in Peumo, a sub-region of Cachapoal, where the variety dominates along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, reports The Drinks Business.
The state government was hoping a spirit of compromise might prevail when it launched its new plan for mining and gas drilling yesterday, but it fell flat in much of the state’s rural heartland. ”I am embarrassed to be a New South Welshman,” Andrew Margan, the head of the Hunter Wine Industry Association, said. ”What we were seeking was certainty and protection of the vineyard areas. Co-existence [with mining and coal seam gas] is not possible.” Farmers, winemakers, horse breeders and the state’s peak conservation group rejected the new guidelines outright yesterday, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Wairau River Wines is on some flash new wheels. The Marlborough wine company has bought a 1980 Excella American Airstream caravan, transforming it into a mobile wine-tasting venue. General manager Lindsay Parkinson said he wanted to create a unique experience for guests, either hosting a small group on board, or closing the caravan off to serve a larger crowd from the bar, reports The Marlborough Express.
New Zealand Winegrowers has pulled out of London International Wine Fair – but organisers insist it is no reflection of how Kiwi wines are performing in the UK. David Cox, European director at New Zealand Winegrowers said producers were finding it too difficult to justify the investment. But Cox didn’t rule out a return to the show in 2013, reports Harpers Wine and Spirit.
Wine Business Solutions will present a two-day workshop on growing the most profitable customer base for wine businesses, around Australia in April. Taking the Direct Route is the name of this year’s round of workshops, which are set to take place in McLaren Vale, the Barossa and Western Australia as well as NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
Australia should promote expensive wines in China to change a perception that Australian wine is cheap and therefore not good. Australian wine exports to China were worth $181 million in 2010-11, well up from $21 million in 2005-06, figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences show. Professor Zhangyue Zhou, director for the Centre for AusAsia Business Studies at James Cook University, there were significant export opportunities for Australian winemakers in China, but the product suffered from an image problem, reports News.com.au.
The former chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Tony D’Aloisio, has been appointed the next president of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia. Mr D’Aloisio will succeed Barossa winemaker Peter Schulz, whose term at the WFA ends in March, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. “The Federation conducted a wide search for a president who can represent us at the highest level and provide strong leadership at a time of significant challenges for the industry,” said vice president Robert Hill Smith.
One of WA’s biggest wine producers has been fined $60,000 after a worker suffering severe head injuries after falling off a ladder. Frankland River’s Ferngrove Vineyards pleaded guilty in the Albany Magistrates Court for failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and causing serious harm to a worker, reports Perth Now.
The best wine brains across the globe have voted Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago their Winemaker’s Winemaker of the Year. Recognised by the Institute of Masters of Wine this week at the world’s largest wine fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, Mr Gago was rewarded for his body of work with the premium SA-based Penfolds brand, makers of leading lights such as Grange, Bin 389 and Yattarna chardonnay, writes News Limited national wine writer Tony Love in Adelaide Now.
English winemakers are planning for a summer celebrating wines from the UK. The English Wine Producers (EWP) has confirmed two key events for this year that should help the industry and trade capitalise on the Queen’s jubilee and London Olympics. With the annual EWP trade and press tasting taking place on 3 May and English Wine Week (Saturday 2 – Sunday 10 June) beginning on the Jubilee bank holiday weekend, it is hoped that the trade will seize the opportunity to promote the country’s wines, reports The Drinks Business.