Some Adelaide Hills grapegrowers have been forced to abandon their entire vintage after their grapes tested positive to smoke taint from the Sampson Flat bushfire. One of the growers and winemakers, Frank Baldasso, was trapped on his property during the January blaze, and counted himself lucky to have survived as the fire roared through one of his vineyards. He had lost about a quarter of his vines, but he was safe, and optimistic that the smoke – thick enough to block out the sun, but quickly swept away by the wind – could not have ruined the rest of his precious vintage.

The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) has welcomed the federal review announced into the nation’s tax system. Paul Evans, WFA chief executive, said the review would be an opportunity to highlight the role Australian wine plays in supporting tens of thousands of regional jobs.
“Industry profitability, structure, production risks and the economic footprint of Australian wine compared to spirits and beer are very different and clearly justify why wine warrants a different tax rate,” Evans said.