Philip White makes his second vintage report of another freaky year: some of it’s very good; some better forgotten. It seems like months ago that we sat around the tables of Fino Willunga for the last time. Proprietors Sharon Romeo and David Swain were off to concentrate on their new business in the Barossa; serendipitously, it was the Feast Day of St Vincent, the namesake of our bonnie Gulf, and patron of vignerons, viticulturers and, cough, vinegar makers.
Australian winemakers can expect to sell greater volumes of red wine into China but not so many whites because “white is the colour of death in China”, a leading wine industry exhibitor says. Vinexpo CEO Guillaume Deglise said a growing demand for wine from the Chinese should help reverse a slump in Australian wine export volumes in recent years. Speaking in London on Tuesday, Deglise released figures from a study showing that Australia remained the world’s fourth largest wine exporter behind Italy, France and Spain.
The sale of the Monterey-based Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producer completes the sell-off of UK-based Diageo’s main wine interests – aside from Justerini & Brooks merchant – and adds to Foley’s fast-growing portfolio of wine estates in California, Washington State and New Zealand. Foley has bought the Chalone Estate Vineyard and Gavilan brands, along with nearly 405 hectares (1,000 acres) of land, 97ha of which is planted to vines. Financial details were not disclosed
New Zealand’s Ara Wines is rumoured to be selling its entire 1,600 hectares of land in Marlborough to Indevin in a deal potentially worth £130 million. Should the alleged deal be completed, Indevin – which is New Zealand’s largest wine producer – will acquire 600 hectares of vines in the Upper Wairau as well as 1,000ha of adjoining bare land: the biggest single unplanted site in Marlborough.
One of Marlborough’s best-known wine producers has partnered with a venture capitalist company to find the next big idea that changes how consumers approach wine. Brancott Estate, which pioneered the planting of Sauvignon Blanc in the 1970s, is working with Sydney company BlueChilli on a project called Winexplorer. The idea behind the competition is to encourage innovation that might change the way people enjoy wine, either through digital applications or tangible objects, like glassware.
Wine Australia is encouraging everyone in the wine community – including wine regions, wineries, restaurants, bars and retailers – to get involved in Aussie Wine Month 2016, the biggest annual celebration of Australian wine held in May each year. Registrations of wine-focused activities and events are now open and will support the month-long promotion of Australian wine, which aims to raise awareness among consumers of the exceptional quality and diversity of the wines made in their own backyard.
JUST 1km from the state’s main export hub, a group of entrepreneurs has set up a new wine venture to help slake the massive Chinese thirst for South Australian wine. Harbour Bottling represents a $5 million investment by the four backers behind AWTE Enterprise, who hope to take advantage of the growing popularity of Australian wine, bolstered by the recent introduction of the China Australia Free Trade Agreement.
ONE of the largest vineyards in Australia is this month on the market for sale or lease. The offering of Del Rios in Victoria is the biggest vineyard listing this year. Commercial real estate company Colliers International agents Tim Altschwager and Nick Dean have been appointed by Belvino Investments to offer the Del Rios vineyard for sale or lease by public tender.
This month brought good news from Wine Australia with the value of exports rocketing by 14% to $2.1 billion in 2015. These figures represent the best result since 2007. However, a different picture of the wine industry emerges from submissions made to the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee Inquiry, due to report on 12 February 2016. Change is clearly needed but given the wide gap in views is the industry’s future sustainable?
WINE industry experts and researchers from across the globe will come together in South Australia this month. The University of South Australia’s Business School and the Ehrenberg-Bass institute of Marketing Science will host more than 140 wine industry representatives in Adelaide on February 16. The inaugural Wine Industry Marketing Conference, organized by Professor Larry Lockshin from the University of South Australia, aims to deliver cutting-edge wine marketing insights and the strategies of leading wine brands.