A Marlborough wine company has put a brewer’s twist on the region’s flagship wine variety by blending grapes and hops. Green Hopped Gooseberry Bomb Sauvignon Blanc, made from Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grapes and green Sauvin hops from Nelson, is one of the first “craft wines” to come out of Allan Scott Family Winemakers, near Blenheim. Winemaking director Josh Scott said craft wines were a twist on conventional winemaking.

Iron ore has been Australia’s largest export, but as minerals prices plunge, Australia’s economy is under pressure to pivot away from mining and toward the next big boom. With the exception of Rio Tinto and BHP, the whole Australian iron ore industry is now digging dirt for a loss. The fourth largest iron ore producer, Atlas Iron, will suspend its entire production by the end of this month. Chinese demand for Australian minerals may be slowing but demand for Australian food and agricultural products is predicted to grow.

CHINA will be “by far the most dominant player in Asia, and … change global markets for wines dramatically’’ in coming years, a new study from the University of Adelaide’s Wine Economics Research Centre says. The working paper, Asia’s Evolving Role in Global Wine Markets, by Kym Anderson and Glyn Wittwer, forecasts China’s wine consumption to increase by 40-60 per cent between 2011 and 2018.

Australians appear to be drinking less alcohol now than at any time in the past 50 years, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The ABS found there were 9.7 litres of pure alcohol available for consumption for every Australian aged 15 years and over in 2013-14 – the equivalent of 2.1 standard drinks per person per day. ABS spokeswoman Louise Gates said this was the lowest level of alcohol consumption since the early 1960s.

The Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) Rebate will not be changed through the 2015-16 Federal Budget reform will remain on the agenda according to Josh Frydenberg, the Assistant Treasurer. Eligibility for New Zealand wine producers will remain, while bulk and unbranded wine will not be phased out through the budget process, despite calls from the Winemaker’s Federation of Australia (WFA) to adjust both these areas.

Last night Wine Australia’s City Cellar Door popped up in Sydney’s CBD for the first of a two night run to celebrate the fourth annual Aussie Wine Month. Winemakers from regions across Australia poured a selection of their wines to Sydneysiders while Oysters Australia served freshly shucked oysters and Salumi Australia offered charcuterie. After a couple of weeks of wild and wet weather conditions, Sydney played its part and provided blue skies and sunshine for the event.

Last week’s column about the rise and fall of the Taylor Wine Company of New York raises a number of interesting issues and one of them is the singular importance of family-owned and privately-held businesses in the U.S. wine industry and the very mixed record of publicly-listed wine corporations. In retrospect, a case can be made that Taylor’s downfall began when they made the initial move from family ownership to public corporation.

Global total volume growth remains subdued for a second year running, setting it up to be among the three lowest in the last decade, writes Spiros Malandrakis, senior alcoholic drinks analyst at Euromonitor International. Beyond the usual Western European patient that ended the year flat-lining, the Chinese slowdown – at just 1.2 per cent growth – is now the most sobering growth figure coming out of the country since the 90s.

Young Marlborough winemakers will have to opportunity to show off their skills and knowledge with a new, long-awaited Young Winemaker of the Year competition. The event, organised by a group of wine delegates and Wine Marlborough, with support from New Zealand Winegrowers, will complement the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition, now in its 10th year. It will include three regional competitions, one in Marlborough, one in Central Otago and one in the Hawke’s Bay.

The world has never seen a revolution in wine taste like Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. It turned the accepted benchmarks upside down. The old world classics were threatened. Sauvignon Blanc had never tasted like this. So pungent; so fruity; so excitingly vibrant; almost shocking to the senses.
It was such a revolution that winemakers from France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria came to Marlborough, New Zealand, to be a part of it.