A former All Blacks coach, an ex-Olympic rower and rich-lister, and a high-profile chairman went in to bat for former wine boss Peter Scutts who was sentenced to eight months’ home detention yesterday. Scutts, 59, a former chief executive of the Auckland Blues rugby franchise, will serve that sentence at an undisclosed address. He had references when appearing in the High Court at Auckland yesterday from former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry, broadcaster Murray Deaker, former Olympic rower Peter Masfen and high-profile businessman Michael Stiassny.

California has had so many “early harvests” lately that we’re going to have to redefine what the word “early” means. Maybe “early” is the new “normal.” It seems like the last two years, 2013-2014, were mind-blowingly early. The 2013 vintage was “Early [with] exceptional quality vintage throughout the state,” said the Wine Institute. Then, in 2014, Wine Spectator said that, in 2014, “Everything was ready to go in early- to mid-August, even Cabernet Sauvignon, which usually ripens much later.”

Australian producers Wine Insights and Cumulus Wines have merged to “capitalise on changing market and sector conditions and emerging market opportunities.” The merger brings together brands including Rolling and Climbing from New South Wales, Moss Bros from Margaret River, The Riddoch Run from Coonawarra and multi-regional brands Beelgara Estate and The Habitat. It creates a combined gross revenue of AUD$20 million (£9.6m) with sales of over 400,000 cases of wine across 27 markets.

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui on Monday directed the excise and other relevant departments to launch crackdown against production and sale of unprocessed wine in the city. “Police, excise and relevant departments of anti-narcotics should monitor the production and sale of prohibited wine in the city. They should spread their patrolling and take strict action against the people involved in selling such wine as it has taken many lives during previous Eid,” he said in a letter sent to the excise department.

A Co. Derry wine distributor has secured the exclusive rights to sell Lisa McGuigan Wines in Northern Ireland. The company expects to sell 12,000 cases of the wines worth £300,000 in the first year of the deal. The McGuigan Family are one of Australia’s most distinguished wine making families and one the fourth generations jetted in to Northern Ireland recently to launch her own label distributed by Magherafelt based Cabroso Wines.

The slowdown in the Chinese economy and government austerity and anti-corruption measures are creating an opportunity for producers of entry-level and mid-priced wines, a new China Wine Market Landscape Report from Wine Intelligence has revealed. The market for imported wine continues to grow but average prices paid for a bottle of wine in both the on and off-trade environments has fallen, creating space for cheaper wines to thrive.

More questions are being asked on the purchase of Yealands Wine Group by Marlborough Lines. Both Kaikoura MP, and former New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith, and winegrower John Forrest, remain unconvinced the deal was in the best interests of the community. The pair say a number of questions remain unanswered from the lines distribution company board of directors after $89 million was paid to buy 80 per cent of YWG a fortnight ago. The purchase was made about the same time as two Marlborough Lines directors, James Hay and Anthony Beverley, resigned from the board.

Celebrating 10 years in 2015, the Orange Wine Festival continues to be a standout showcase of the high quality wines that are being produced in the region. Kicking off on October 16, the festival will be held over three weekends and will also include an array of mid-week activity with a general focus on celebrating the regions wines. “The three-week format worked well in 2014, allowing visitors more time to venture out of the city to Orange for the festival,” said Michelle Stivens, festival chair. “Spring is also such a lovely time of year in Orange, with the leaves returning to the vines and the blossom in full bloom.”

Turning a waste left over from the wine-making process into a sustainable industry is the aim of new University of Adelaide wine research at the Waite campus. Researchers are looking at ways of improving the processing of grape marc – the solid waste left after crushing the juice from grapes – for increased alcohol production for use in spirits such as brandy, and for fortifying wines. “The amount of red and white grape marc produced (including skins, stalks, and seeds) depends on the size of the winery and wine-making technologies used.”

How many vegans are there in Australia? More than a quarter million people say they are vegan, more than one percent of the population. Worldwide, some vegan converts might surprise you, like Mike Tyson and the co-founder of Twitter, Biz Stone. They all have in common a desire to live a more healthy life with a plant-based diet, and for many vegans that includes wine. Options for vegan wine have just increased in Australia, with the addition of Smidge Wines of McLaren Vale.