Winemakers and horse breeders in the NSW Hunter Valley have demanded both the coalition government and Labor opposition commit to new measures to protect their industries from coal mining. Just days out from Saturday’s state election, the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association have joined forces to call for a ban on all coal and coal seam gas mining within 10km of critical industry areas.
Leading New World wine producer Accolade, which counts brands like Hardys and Echo Falls as part of its portfolio, has chosen not to take part in the London Wine Fair this year. Announcing the “difficult decision” not to attend, Amy White, Accolade’s marketing director, told Drinks Business the company is instead “significantly increasing [its] commitment to consumer tastings and experiential marketing across the core branded portfolio.”
Tesco’s recently reinstated global wine boss, Dan Jago, has questioned the commercial value of Germany’s Prowein trade show and urged producers to focus on more innovation. He told Off Licence News: “It is brilliant to have every producer from around the world at Prowein laying out their wares. But if I added up all the costs of coming, you must question how visitors get value for money. You have to work really hard to get some kind of commercial advantage to being here.”
OPINION: Last week I drew attention to the New Zealand Government’s goal of doubling agri-food exports between 2012 and 2025. I pointed out that our success over the last fifteen years has been fuelled by product price increases, and that we cannot rely on the next decade being so fortunate. So how are we going to make the quantum leap we need? In recent days I have been in Marlborough, supporting my colleague Marvin Pangborn as he led a group of Lincoln University students studying land use. Inevitably, our field tour included a focus on the Marlborough wine industry.
A packaging firm embroiled in an industrial dispute with 240 workers says it’s disappointed staff will strike so early in negotiations. Workers at Orora Kiwi Packaging in Auckland, Hastings and Christchurch have voted to take a two-week overtime ban after collective bargaining with their employer broke down. The action could threaten the supply of boxes for the kiwifruit, wine and meat industries. The EPMU said members had been bargaining for a fair wage increase above the “paltry” 1.8 per cent on offer from the Australian-owned employer.
The Institute of Masters of Wine has named five new Masters of Wine, including Australian Miles Corish MW. Corish joins just 20 other Australians to have been named MW, and this group of five brings the total number of MWs to 323, based in 24 countries. Sarah Jane Evans MW, Chairman of the Masters of Wine, said she was delighted to welcome the new members into the community. “Today is a memorable day for them – each one of us can remember that special moment when we received the news that we had become MWs.”
Investigators will today try to determine the cause of a shed fire at a Taylorville vineyard, which caused at least $2 million damage. Country Fire Service crews were called to the property, west of Renmark, just after 1:00pm (ACDT) yesterday. The large shed contained farm equipment, vehicles and chemicals. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to nearby vineyards but the shed was destroyed.
Large Boston-based fund manager Wellington Management, instrumental in convincing the board of Treasury Wine Estates to reject private equity takeover proposals last year, has offloaded $40 million in shares in the past 10 days to drop below the substantial shareholder threshold of 5 per cent. Wellington’s sale of a large chunk of its Treasury shares comes as another intriguing name pops back up as a large shareholder of the owner of Penfolds, Wolf Blass and Rosemount wines, with Ellerston Capital, the fund manager 25 per cent-owned by James Packer’s Consolidated Press Holdings, now sitting at 5.07 per cent.
The AFL yesterday announced Wolf Blass had been named as the official wine of the AFL. Following existing relationships with the Brisbane and Essendon Football Clubs, the move will see Wolf Blass further expand the brand’s AFL footprint. Darren Birch, AFL general manager commercial operations, said Wolf Blass was another high calibre addition to the AFL’s stable of partners. “The AFL has enjoyed a successful relationship with Treasury Wine Estates over the past three seasons.”
Roberto Conterno’s successful purchase of a neighbour’s Barolo vineyard was down to local law, not anti-American sentiment. The Italian wine world was gripped last week by rumours of a mysterious American financial group attempting to buy historic vineyards in Barolo. A series of sensationalist articles by some of the country’s leading newspapers followed, including a piece published by Il Sole 24 Ore, one of Italy’s most respected media outlets.