There are many not quite empty wine bottles hanging around my kitchen. They are remnants of recent tastings; a brilliant Clare Riesling here, a blockbusting Barossa Shiraz there, both mega trophy winners and priced accordingly. They now queue up beside the stove or barbecue, waiting for a marinade. The perennial advice is always: don’t cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink. This seems fair if you drink el cheapo de plonko, but what if you fancy a bottle over dinner for $30 or $50, asks News Limited’s national wine writer Tony Love.

Costco cemented its name as the biggest wine retailer in the US by selling bottles of Dom Perignon for $US100 a pop in 2006. That little bit of marketing chutzpah reportedly moved more than 100,000 cases of Dom that year and helped propel what had been regarded as simply a “big box” discounter into the orbit of the serious wine drinker. It was like honey to a bee. Has Costco’s first venture into Australia provided the same alluring honey? It’s not $100 but relative to its competitors (the ’02 ranges from $199 to $332 in Melbourne) it’s a bargain, writes Jeni Port in The Age.

Patience is a virtue in the slow-moving world of wine, but few take the principle as far as the R López de Heredia bodega in Rioja. When the López de Heredia family were harvesting the grapes for the most recent vintage of what many regard as Spain’s best white wine, Barcelona was preparing to host the Olympics, and Neil Kinnock was still looking like a prime minister in waiting. That wine, the 1991 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva (£65, Berry Bros, bbr.com), was finally released a year ago, but like all the bodega’s production it was worth the wait, reports The Guardian.

Villa Maria Estate’s managing director and founder, Sir George Fistonich, was honoured with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his services to the New Zealand wine industry at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. This award follows Sir George’s induction into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame at the same show last year. In addition, Villa Maria Estate also received two trophies and the Heritage Rose Bowl at the awards dinner on Saturday night, reports Voxy News.

When the seventh edition of the World Atlas of Wine comes out next year, Queensland winemakers will be saying cheers, because for the first time the Granite Belt will be mentioned as a wine region in its own right. It follows a recent visit by English wine writer, Sarah Ahmed. Dubbed “The Wine Detective”, what she says about this cold climate enclave will be read by millions of wine buffs around the world, reports ABC’s Landline.

The first London tasting of 2011 right bank wines has confirmed oenologist Denis Dubourdieu’s comments that the vintage is as varied as the bizarre weather patterns that produced it. In his annual report the renowned consultant talks about the ‘unpredictable consequences’ of the incredibly hot spring, cool July, rainy August and Indian summer. Winners this year are Merlot-based wines on clay and limestone soils, Cabernet Sauvignon on gravel and clay-gravel, the Botrytised sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, and the whites of Pessac, reports Decanter.

Wine critic Robert Parker has admitted that sometimes he finds his own influence “scary”, referring to himself as “just the messenger”, reports The Drinks Business. Speaking to Liv-ex, Parker said of his potential to impact on the market: “I don’t have any hidden agendas and I try and be as fair as possible to both the producer and consumer when I taste the wine. But I do know the impact my scores can have, particularly in Bordeaux. It’s scary sometimes; no one should have that kind of influence. It’s also a double-edged sword. It creates a lot of criticism of me when in fact I’m just the messenger.”

The California wine market is experiencing a structural shortage and likely won’t return to balance for at least four years, according to Matt Turrentine, who spoke Thursday during the Central Coast Insights Conference. The partner with Turrentine Wine Brokerage said, “We’ve undisputedly entered a period of shortage for all areas and varieties,” reports Wines & Vines.

The reputation of Central Otago wine, along with a carefully limited volume of fruit and good marketing, is keeping the industry alive in the region despite signs it is facing tough times in other parts of New Zealand. The twice-yearly survey by business advisers Markhams said adverse weather, bulk wine sales and exchange rates were “dealing blows to an already fragile industry”. A lack of confidence in government policy and vagaries of fruit supply were adding to the situation. However, the survey showed that 67% of Central Otago respondents were positive about the coming year, reports Otago Daily Times.

Brown Brothers released three award-winning wines from its Patricia range on St Patrick’s Day on the weekend, a significant date for the family-owned wine company. The Patricia range of wines was launched in 2003 as a tribute to Brown Brothers’ much-loved matriarch, Patricia Brown – who celebrated her birthday on St Patrick’s Day – in recognition of her love and passion for the business, reports The Shout.