Brancott Estate Letter Series ‘B’ Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2013 was awarded the Trophy for Champion Sweet Wine at the Easter Show Wine Awards dinner on Saturday 14th March, held at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland. This is the second vintage for the Brancott Estate Letter Series ‘B’ Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, with its inaugural 2011 vintage winning five trophies at international competitions as well as a slew of Gold medals.
My Wine Journey features leading buyers and other travel retail executives discussing their love of wine and its presentation and prospects in travel retail. This week we present an in-house view of the category from The Moodie Report Founder & Chairman (and Kiwi wine-lover) Martin Moodie. “Story of my life – a woman was to blame… I was working in a bar and what we called a ‘bottle store’ (off licence) at a hotel opposite Christchurch Cathedral (sadly both now gone, the latter destroyed by the February 2011 earthquake) and was smitten by the receptionist.”
If you love wine, but hate hangovers then prepare to get the next round in… because hangover-free wine could soon be on the menu. Scientists believe they may have discovered the key to reducing that awful morning-after feeling, by removing toxic byproducts found in fermented goods, such as beer and wine, using a “genome knife”. And the breakthrough may not just ease hangovers, but could boost the health benefits of wine and even make it smoother to the taste.
Got your attention? Thought so.
Grapes grown at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Orange campus vineyard will no longer be used in the university’s wines, as CSU shuts down its commercial winery operations. A university spokesman announced yesterday it would instead focus on its experimental winery at the national wine and grape industry centre in Wagga Wagga, in response to market pressures and uncertainty around higher education reforms. Professor of food engineering at CSU Wagga Wagga John Mawson said cellar doors would remain open for the foreseeable future.
Casella Family Brans, owner of Yellow Tail and the recently acquired Peter Lehmann Wines, is capitalising on its strong distribution partnerships helping to drive double digit growth in most of its key markets. Matt Tallentire, senior export manager of CFB told Hapers.co.uk at ProWein that there is a lot of opportunity for Yellowtail, but also other Casella brands as well. “It is really about how we capitalise on that in the future and use out distribution network to continue growth.”
Australian wine has made a lasting impression on wine palates in North America with an impressive showing as the theme country at the 36th Vancouver International Wine Festival (VIWF), Canada’s preeminent trade and consumer wine event. It’s estimated that 25,000 wine drinkers (encompassing media, wine trade and consumers) enjoyed Savour Australia, Wine Australia’s packed program of epicurean events and experiences. Guests sipped their way through Australian wine regions, discovering the ‘history, evolution and revolution’ of our wines along the way.
Wine Australia’s ProWein stand in Germany this week was a continuous hub of activity with more than 400 wines on show, food and wine matches, and an in-depth exploration of the past, present and future of Australian wine. During the three-day Fair, held from 15–17 March, ProWein attracted more than 52,000 international trade visitors to the Messe Hall in Düsseldorf. A total of 5,970 exhibitors from 50 nations were on show in the Fair’s nine exhibition halls, including 39 dynamic producers on the Wine Australia stand.
CANADA: The British Columbia (B.C.) government faces another trade concern over its liquor reforms. Brian Walsh, chair of the Australian Grape and Wine Authority has written to B.C. Premier Christy Clark raising objections to reforms that favour B.C. wines. Walsh stated in his March 5 letter that B.C. VQA wines had a 20.9 per cent market share last year in B.C., generating gross sales of $217 million. He noted that this was 12 per cent up from the previous year. Australia, had a 7.9 per cent market share in B.C. wine sales last year, according to his letter.
Bordeaux (AFP) – Chinese investors now rival the French in buying vineyards in Bordeaux: a sign both of the region’s global prestige and China’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for wine, according to local property agencies and industry associations. More than 100 properties in France’s southwest wine-producing area are today owned by Chinese tycoons looking to diversify fortunes built upon real estate, jewellery, industry or tourism holdings.
Fast-growing wine company Invivo Wines raised more than $1 million in the space of a few hours after its equity crowdfunding campaign opened yesterday. Auckland-based Invivo’s capital raising began on the Snowball Effect platform at midday and had secured more than double the $500,000 minimum funding target by 5.30pm. The company is looking to raise up to $2 million, the maximum allowed through a crowdfunding campaign, and has said it will use the capital to ramp up its expansion in international markets.