Australian sommeliers from some of the country’s best restaurants have today ventured off to spend eight days in wine regions across three states for Wine Australia’s fourth annual Sommelier Immersion Program (SIP) trip. The 10 guests, including Romaine Cauvin from Sydney’s prestigious ARIA restaurant and Tim Briar from The Botanical/ Colonial Leisure Group in Melbourne, will develop a deeper understanding of the fine wines being produced in their own backyards by taking in the regions of King Valley, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Langhorne Creek, and Margaret River.

SOUTH Australian businesses have the potential to create jobs and double in size by embracing exports to China, Trade Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith says. THE minister is about to lead the state’s largest trade mission to China, which is South Australia’s biggest trading partner. Hamilton-Smith says local products and services are in high demand and the Chinese are willing to pay premium prices.

Sydney Morning Herald takes an in-depth look at he 2015 budget and explains how to claim your share. If you are registered business, i.e. you have an ABN, and it turned over less that $2 million you can claim. Businesses can buy any machinery or equipment related to their business if each item is valued at less than $20,000. You can claim the full amount from your income to reduce your tax bill. There is no limit on the number of items a business can claim. A long list of machinery and general appliances will be 100 per cent tax deductible.

BARNABY JOYCE: Here’s a little story about Jack and Diane. Two young farmers doing as best as they can. And if they sell $1.9 million of cattle and grain a year, or grapes and wine, or wool and lamb and their turnover is under $2 million then they have the benefit of record commodity prices and now have an overwhelming reason to invest in their farms to make it bigger for them and better for Australia. From 1, July 2016, the fences they build are 100 per cent deductible in the first year. The water infrastructure and dams they put will also be immediately 100 per cent tax deductible.

Constellation Brands, Inc., leading beverage alcohol company, announced Jared Fix has been appointed as chief marketing officer reporting to Jay Wright, president, Wine & Spirts Division. Fix will join the company effective June 8, 2015, replacing Chris Fehrnstrom who will be returning to a marketing and leadership consulting business he owned prior to joining Constellation. “Jared brings extraordinary business expertise and marketing leadership to Constellation Brands,” said Wright.

After the successful launch of a drink made from kiwi fruits grown in Arunachal Pradesh, experts have suggested that the state government venture into making fruit wine from the various fruits which are abundant in the northeastern state. Arunachal, which enjoys the distinction of being the largest kiwi producing state in the country, annually produces an average of 30,945.2 MT of apples, 4,720.5 MT of kiwi, 1,76,707 MT citrus and 67,580 MT of pineapples.

Wine or Champagne is no longer limited to imbibing; hotels and wineries around the world are giving their guests the chance to customise their own blends. Artéis & Co., a vintage Champagne brand in France, for example, offers disgorging of a half-dozen bottles. Visitors work with the winemaker, Jean-Philippe Diot, to remove the yeast from the bottles, add a reserved wine that has been sweetened to their liking, and design a custom label.

Wine Communicators Australia is hosting an Australian rosé tasting and panel discussion in Sydney on Thursday, 21 May. The event will explore the appeal of Australian rosé including the breadth of style, regional variation, consumer preferences and will aim to shed some light on potential for growth, not just in summer but throughout the year. As the popularity of rosé increases around the world, what opportunities are there for Australian rosé both domestically and abroad?

A new free trade agreement with Korea and “global renewed interest” in its fine wines has made Australia hit the headlines of late. But what are the names to look out for? In In a recent Wine Classification seminar in Hong Kong by Langton’s, founder Andrew Caillard guided members of the trade through the highest-rated wines as considered by Langton’s, based on auction demands and track records since its establishment in 1989.

Twenty-five vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, with grapes that have tested positive to smoke taint, are unlikely to receive compensation. Smoke-affected grapes have been a concern for wineries following the Sampson Flat bushfire, which burnt through thousands of hectares in January. Adelaide Hills Wine Region president Tom Keelan said growers had not been able to receive financial assistance.
“Nothing other then the government-assisted packages that were worked up for all the fire-affected victims, so nothing specific for our industry” he said.