DISTILLATION is not a completely forgotten extension of a winemaker’s skill set. Undergraduate winemaking students still take part in theoretical and practical lessons in distillation and there are several wine industry links to an emerging local ‘craft’ spirits industry. Graham Jones, University of Adelaide adjunct associate professor, has guided many students through the process of distillation and says although it’s less common for graduates to put this part of their education into practice, this doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm.

Australian researchers have offered a glimpse of a future that could see viticulturists do much of their work remotely, thanks to three new pieces of technology. The first system put forward by the team from the University of Adelaide is an iPhone app that allows producers to measure canopy growth. The device is currently undergoing further tests by a “leading wine company” prior to its planned release via iTunes.

Hate campaign, the new Temperance, a joke or a misguided attempt to turn wine into water? A campaign targeting halal certified products missed the mark completely when it tried it took on one of Australia’s best known wine brands, Jacob’s Creek. The anti-Muslim Facebook group, Boycott Halal in Australia, accused Jacob’s Creek of trying to have its wine certificated as halal. The accusation came on the eve of Sunday’s halal food expo at Fairfield – Australia’s first – when police were called to break up fights between anti-Islam and anti-racism protestors.

Pernod Ricard is ramping up activity on Jacob’s Creek and launching new campaigns for Malibu and Cuban rum brand Havana Club. It is launching a second burst of its ATL ‘Made by Australia’ campaign for Jacob’s creek, to tie-in with its fifth year sponsoring Wimbledon, and supported by a new Wimbledon-inspired limited edition bottles and neck collar promotions. The investment is the second tranche of a multimillion dollar investment in the brand during 2015.

British wine retail chain makes major acquisition. UK retailer Majestic Wine has bought internet retailer Naked Wines with a clear ambition to exploit new markets in the US and Australia. The deal, which is worth £70m (A$133m), “opens up attractive international growth in the USA and Australia,” Majestic said today. Majestic was the darling of the financial sector for a decade, showing seemingly unstoppable year on year growth and – with the demise of Oddbins – dominance of the UK independent wine retail landscape.

The New Zealand dollar’s rise to near parity with the Australian dollar may impact wine sales across this ditch, Marlborough wine exporters say. With the Kiwi dollar closing in on A$1, after reaching a record post-float high of A99.78c on Monday, some Marlborough exporters are becoming concerned about their sales in one of New Zealand’s main wine export markets. Saint Clair Family Estate director Neal Ibbotson said if the New Zealand dollar broke even with the Australian dollar it could cause problems.

WELLINGTON – New Zealand’s wine industry is looking beyond its biggest export market Australia as the “kiwi” dollar’s unprecedented strength against its Australian counterpart dents export earnings from the island nation’s closest trading partner. Australia sources more than half of its foreign wine from New Zealand. The popular Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc dominates around 70 percent of Australia’s Sauvignon Blanc market.

Wine Australia is encouraging Australian sommeliers, venue managers and restaurateurs to support Aussie Wine Month in May. Venues can get behind the initiative, described as the country’s biggest celebration of wine, by creating an all Australian wines-by-the-glass list throughout May. In a statement, Wine Australia said: “We’re calling on sommeliers, venue managers and restaurateurs across Australia to get behind our local wines and winemakers.”

THE annual vintage brings lots of anxiety and hard labour to Hunter vineyards and wineries and also attracts a ‘‘foreign legion’’ of workers. As vignerons battled against the rain that threatened the 2015 harvest and restricted the use of mechanical harvesters, they relied on an all-nations army that included Australian regulars and hand-pickers from Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, England, Wales, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

SOUTH Australia’s reputation for superb wines and beaches has again been recognised, with two of our leading tourism experiences crowned the best in the nation. Pindarie Cellar Door in the Barossa Valley was last night named Australia’s Best Tourism Winery for the second consecutive year. It is now one win away from entering the national Tourism Hall of Fame. The announcements were made at a gala dinner for 800 guests at the Adelaide Convention Centre to celebrate the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.