The wine industry in Victoria will conduct a four-day trade mission for international buyers, including those from China, Japan and South Korea, who will visit local vineyards to get a taste of the state’s best wines. The event, launched by the Victorian government on Monday, is aimed at attracting more than 150 potential buyers to visit Victoria’s wineries and cellar doors, in a program called “Meet the Winemaker,” which aims to allow local businesses to grow and exercise new export opportunities.

Traditional methods for hygiene monitoring take days. Now with MVP ICON from AMSL Scientific you can check contact surfaces or CIP fluids for ATP residues to verify if cleaning has been effective. Results are available in just seconds, and can be tracked and trended using the system’s powerful Dashboard software. The system is easy to use with its new intuitive colour touch screen interface.

A Prosecco shortage is expected as a result of high demand and exceeding rainy conditions in Italy. Robert Cremonese is the export manager for Prosecutor manufacturer Bisol, and talks about the wine failing to meet demand in 2015, USA Today reports. “Last year’s harvest was very poor, and down by up to 50% in some parts, so there is a very real possibility of a global shortage,” Cremonese said in an interview with The Drinks Business.

Four large wine blending tanks are being built in Blenheim and transported to a winery in three sections because they are too big to be trucked as a finished product. Crown Sheet Metals is building the 500,000 litre tanks for Drylands Winery, in Blenheim, over the next two months. Crown Sheet Metals site manager Crichton Purdie said the 11-metre high by 9-metre wide stainless steel tanks were too big to fit on a truck in one piece so were being trucked in three sections before being assembled on site at Drylands.

The reduced 2015 crop in New Zealand has exacerbated the on-going squeeze of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grapes, says Cloudy Bay Estate Director Ian Morden. “The Wairau valley is changing and Marlborough is not infinite. So it’s more important than ever for us to secure good grapes because there are only certain places that are suited to our classic cool climate style such as Renwick, Fairhall, Brancott and Rapaura,” he told Decanter.com in London.

A submission from the wine industry to the Productivity Commission’s national workplace relations review has highlighted the need for comprehensive reforms to the federal workplace relations laws, according to the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA). The detailed submission prepared by SAWIA in collaboration with the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) contains 22 recommendations. “We have identified a range of changes that need to be made to get flexibility and balance back into the system, lift productivity and cut red-tape and compliance costs, particularly for many of the small businesses in the wine industry,” Brian Smedley, SAWIA chief executive, said.

Chinese vineyards might be young but the local investment in them is further confirmation from those on the ground, which an emerging middle class is ready to splurge on a quality drop of wine.
The crowded domestic market in Australia has prompted many wineries to look north, with hopes to target a new Chinese consumer base. Others see opportunities in production, utilising a much cheaper workforce. In the northwest region of Ningxia a major facelift is underway. Quiet villages are experiencing double-digit growth as they work to establish modern cities.

Following a record number of entries, the 2015 Future Leaders program has singled out 15 individuals from the Australian grape and wine community to become the industry’s ‘next’ thought leaders. An initiative of the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) in partnership with Wine and Grape Growers Australia (WGGA) and Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA), the program is designed to develop participants’ leadership capabilities and encourage innovation and thoughtful debate on the future of the sector.

After a successful 2014 #7peaks7Days, The Wine Peloton are at it again, announcing a 2015 #TourofTassie. The group will cycle around Tasmania between 22-28 November to raise funds for wine writer Tyson Stelzer’s Teen Rescue Foundation. While the group can’t replicate the mountain climbing feats of the 7 peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge, the Tour of Tasmania will cross Hobart’s Mt Wellington and the Peak of Cradle Mountain as they cover more than 1,000km in seven days.

The Wrattonbully wine region has been praised for its quality wines and unique sense of place after last week’s visit of highly influential Australian sommeliers. Ten guests representing some of the country’s best restaurants gained a unique view of the region’s geology by delving deep beneath a vineyard during an underground tour of Schultz Cave. Members of the SIP (Sommelier Immersion Program) Tour organised by Wine Australia were also given a comprehensive insight into the importance of the soils of Wrattonbully by geologist and Peppertree Wines owner John Davis, with a structured tasting at Pavy Wines and dinner at Struan House capping off the day.