People in Vanuatu are desperate to find work in Marlborough following the devastation left by Cyclone Pam, a Blenheim vineyard contractor says. Vinepower co-director Jono Bushell has been in the island nation since before the storm, and said he had been hounded by people asking him to find them work. Many of the ni-Vanuatu vineyard workers who were in Blenheim at the time of the cyclone returned home to see their families after it hit on March 14. Speaking from Vanuatu on Thursday, Bushell said he warned the workers still in Marlborough not to return, despite knowing they wanted to check on their families.

Three of the Adelaide Hills’ top wineries will feature prominently at the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival as part of a new partnership to support the iconic event. Sidewood, Somerled Wines and Golding Wines will be served at the Carnival’s food and wine precinct, The Paddock, on Saturday, April 4 and Monday, April 6. Oakbank Racing Club Chairman John Glatz said while the event aimed to work with and support as many Adelaide Hills businesses as possible, this year it has stepped up this promise.

Australian wines have challenged the views of leading wine experts at Italy’s biggest annual wine fair, Vinitaly in Verona this week, who say screw capped wines are inferior. Tyson Stelzer, Australian wine writer and host, presented five mature flagship Australian red wines under both cork and screw cap in a blind tasting. In a surprise twist, a panel of international wine professionals voted the screw-capped wines ahead of the corks. “The result was ground-breaking for Italy, where screw caps remain controversial and until recently have been prohibited on the country’s top wines,” Stelzer said.

OWNERS of Pinelli Estate Winery say a proposal for a service station opposite their vineyard is the final straw for the tourist facility, which is already squeezed by residential development on one side.
To their relief, the City of Swan rejected an application for a petrol station with shop and service area at 40 Bennett Street in Caversham, just metres from homes and Pinelli Estate Winery last Wednesday. At the close of advertising, City of Swan had received 26 objections and 22 letters with no objection to the development.

Taylors Wine is joining forces with Wild Bush Luxury to bring food, wine and travel together in a series of travel experiences. The partnership has come together through a “passion for local produce” as well as a commitment to the sustainability and conservation of South Australia’s natural beauty and heritage. The collaboration starts with an online campaign that will take guests through a sequence of Wild Bush Luxury outback experiences and then encourage them to create their own “Wild Bush Story”.

It may mean more expensive holidays for some, but one ACT-registered company has enjoyed a profitable time thanks to the sharp fall in the Australian currency against the US dollar. Wamboin wine exporter Greg Corra has seen his revenue grow rapidly without sending a single bottle to the US. “We currently have 40 clients in China, and with some of them we set the price at 93 US cents, and they’re contracts written in US dollars,” he said.

The slide in the Chinese wine market has bottomed out, said trade leaders at the 92nd China Food and Drinks Fair (CFDF, also known as Tangjiuhui) which opened today. As the largest alcoholic drinks trade fair in China, the three-day fair has gathered some 3,000 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions including France, Spain, New Zealand, Chile, Australia, Hong Kong Taiwan.
‘The China Food and Drinks Fair has great value in China,’ LI Shiyi, general manager of Import Wine Business Department of COFCO, told DecanterChina.com, ‘as [it provides] opportunities for our brand to meet the clients.’

Marlborough winemakers played the part of host and helper this week as the region welcomed a delegation of 17 representatives from the Ningxia bureau of development of grape and floral industry. The purpose of the trip, according to an article Wednesday by Marlborough Express, was to learn the finer points of wine tourism. “The group of government representatives and industry leaders from Ningxia are visiting New Zealand and Australia to learn how leading wine regions approach wine tourism,” the article said.

A world leading glassware giant has honoured New Zealand wine this week, with the launch of a Central Otago Pinot Noir glass. Riedel Crystal, a 300-year-old leader in varietal-specific glassware, created the “perfect glass” to enjoy Central Otago Pinot Noir after learning of the region’s reputation. Rudi Bauer, Central Otago Winegrowers Association spokesperson, said 10th generation family member Georg J. Riedel ran a sensory workshop in the region in 2013 to discover the perfect glass for Central Otago Pinot Noir.

The Australian liquor sector has called on the Federal and State governments to ban the sale of “powdered alcohol” in Australia. “Palcohol”, which is a pouch of powder to which water is added to make a standard drink, has recently been approved in the US and the ABC reports that its manufacturer is interested in the Australian market. The Australian Hoteliers Association (AHA) has raised its concerns over the product, which it says is “inconsistent with the responsible use of alcohol within Australian society and the Responsible Service of Alcohol codes that apply in every state.”