A new boutique winery outside Renwick designed by The Hobbit’s art director has been granted resource consent by the Marlborough District Council. Jackson Estate, one of the oldest wineries in Marlborough, is behind the winery on vineyard land at Jacksons Rd. It will be capable of producing 250 tonnes of grapes per year. A council resource hearing committee heard the application in April and has granted the application a five-year consent. The Hobbit trilogy’s art director Brian Massey is designing the hosting centre which will look like a 1850s settlers’ hut.

Recently announced tax breaks for small businesses are expected to attract more interaction and investment at WineTech2015. Matthew Moate, Wine Industry Suppliers Association (WISA) executive officer, said the tax incentive could be “a major new driver of investment in plant and equipment supporting the wine sector and it is a very welcome development in the lead-up to WineTech2015.” Businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million can now claim a tax deduction on capital purchases for business assets of up to $20,000.

A new centre launched at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus will help the wine industry address key challenges while producing the wines that consumers want and the market demands. Supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and 12 partner organisations, the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production aims to build knowledge and technologies that will help the wine industry face the challenges of climate warming, water limitations, changing consumer preferences and increasing production costs.

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.
The detailed submission prepared by the South Australian Wine Industry Association (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.

Yellow Tail is the fastest growing wine in the UK, according to Casella Family Brands, after selling 12 million 750ml bottles during the past fiscal year. John Casella, Casella Family Brands managing director, said the UK was the second largest market for Yellow Tail by volume. “We are grateful to our distributor partner, Percy Fox & Co, and our customers, for all their effort and commitment in helping us reach this milestone and we are very excited about what the future holds for the brand,” Casella said.

Australian wine producers are set to save valuable time this year with the introduction of a combined Wine Sector Survey to streamline the annual collection of data across the wine community. In a first for the Australian wine community, the Wine Sector Survey 2015 will combine the annual data collected by the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) Price Dispersion Survey, the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia Vintage Survey, the South Australian Crush Survey and the Murray-Darling / Swan Hill Wine Grape Crush Report. Andreas Clark, AGWA chief executive officer, said the move should help lighten to load on wineries this year.

Online wine sales are set to increase to around 15% by 2018, according to new data from the Wilson Drinks Report. Tim Wilson, Wilson Drinks Report managing director, said online sales currently make up around 11 per cent of the market, compared to the off-trade, but the trend was likely to grow over the next three years. “It shows online wine is both here to stay and likely to take a bigger share of the market,” he said.

Wine is one of Central Otago’s most important industries and people interested in making it their career will get a chance to learn all about it. As part of the 2015 Otago Careers Festival, the Central Otago Winegrowers’ Association, with the support of the Otago Polytechnic, is hosting a seminar called “Introducing the Wine Industry” for anyone interested in becoming involved in the industry.

For lovers of world class wine, the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea (Kiwi Chamber) will host two New Zealand Wine Festival events in Seoul and Busan. The Seoul tasting will take place on May 30 at the Waterfall Garden of the Grand Hyatt Seoul, with the second of the wine extravaganzas being held at the Grand Ballroom of the Park Hyatt Busan on June 13. This will mark the seventh-annual New Zealand Wine Festival in Seoul and third in Busan, offering enthusiasts more than 75 premium New Zealand red and white wines from more than 25 participating vineyards.

New Zealand Wine, in partnership with Bayer, has begun its search for the 2015 Young Viticulturist of the Year. The 2015 contest marks the 10th year the event has taken place, according to the competition’s website. “Since the inception, this competition has attracted a high calibre of entrants from throughout the country and is now recognized within the industry as being a leading accomplishment for young viticulturists to aspire and achieve,” the site said.