Angove Family Winemakers have received the first official order from their Chinese distributor, making them the largest Australian winemaker to export Organic wine to China. The order for Angove Organic Cabernet Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot will soon set sail following years of work and collaboration between Australian Certified Organic, Angove Family Winemakers and their distributor partner in China.
A Mornington Peninsula couple has today launched Australia’s first commercial frozen berry brand. The move comes in the wake of the health scare from imported frozen berries from China, which were linked to 27 cases of hepatitis A in Australia. Wine and cider producers, and third-generation berry growers, Matt and Ruth Gallace have founded Matilda’s Frozen Fruit. It will initially produce frozen strawberries, with plans to expand into frozen mixed berries.
Wine Australia’s new UK head Laura Jewell MW claims the country is on the brink of a renaissance as it “bounces back” with new wines and an increasingly favourable currency for export. Talking to OLN at Germany’s Prowein Show this week, she said her vision for the job, which she took up last month after moving from Tesco, was to put a focus on consumers. “There is a revolution going on in Australia, and the people and personalities are coming over to Europe in their numbers to help create real passion for their products,” Jewell said.
The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) says grapegrowers need to adapt to earlier vintages, which are likely to become more common in the future. Viticulturalist Dr Mardi Longbottom said growers had contacted the AWRI for advice throughout this year’s vintage, which was one of the earliest in memory across many Australian wine regions. But she said there was very little advice to give. “It’s more about managing the logistics around what’s happening with the intake,” she said.
SYRACUSE, NY – You may notice a slight air of fruity Pinot Noir, oaky Chardonnay or sprightly Riesling about downtown Syracuse this week. The largest wine industry event ever held in New York State will take over the Oncenter Tuesday through Thursday. More than 1,500 winemakers, grapegrowers, equipment suppliers and more are attending the annual Eastern Wine Expo, a trade show and conference making its first stop in Syracuse. It’s been held in Lancaster, Pa for the past three years.
Chief Winemaker Nikolai St George added some impressive bling to the Matua awards cabinet on Saturday night at the 2015 New Zealand Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, triumphing over all to take home the Royal Easter Show Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show in addition to the Pullman Hotels Trophy for Champion Syrah for the 2013 Matua Single Vineyard Matheson Syrah. With an additional two gold medals, 10 silver and two bronze, St George then took to the stage again to claim the Royal Agricultural Society Gold Medal for Wine Maker of the Year.
The trend of more and more New Zealanders drinking quality over quantity has seen drinks giant Lion’s profits drop more than 20 per cent. Drinks giant Lion, which has 46 per cent of the New Zealand market, is making less money in the domestic market as alcohol drinkers opt for quality over quantity. Accounts for Lion filed to the Companies Office add to the picture of a declining booze industry, partly offset by a move to “premiumisation” and a push into new, healthy non-alcoholic drinks that was highlighted when its Japanese owner Kirin reported annual results last month.
Winemaking goes back hundreds of years. However in Australia its success has at times been attributed to a willingness to embrace new ideas, as opposed to Europe where some methods have changed little over the centuries. For one vigneron near Murrumbateman, NSW, who has tasted success both in sales and in awards, he is using a method for this year’s vintage that many would think is no longer in vogue. Alex McKay from Collector Wines has a winery between Hall and Murrumbateman, 40 kilometres north of Canberra.
Australia’s most influential wine traders have been invited to head to Tasmania for a two day wine-focused visit in June. Selected trade representatives will taste their way around the Apple Isle, induling in the regions finest wine, cider, whisky and food. Sheralee Davies, Wine Tasmania chief executive officer, said visiting Tasmania was the best way to experience the island’s diverse wine. “We’ll be showing (and tasting) as much of Tasmania as we can squeeze into two days,” Davies said.
In February, Australian wine company Jacob’s Creek announced that it had joined hands with a California winemaker to produce a new lineup of wines, branded “Two Lands,” to be sold exclusively in the US. The collaborative project saw Jacob’s Creek’s head winemaker, Bernard Hickin, pair with Ehren Jordan, a renowned winemaker from the Napa Valley. The joint project comes mainly as an Australian effort to boost wine sales in the US. A once-booming industry, Australian wine sales in the US saw a decline of over 20% from 2008 to 2013.