Winemakers plan to protect New Zealand regional names in Europe, with a proposal about geographical origins moving a step closer to becoming law. Parliament has now had its first reading of the Geographical Indications Amendment Bill. Wine industry lawyer John Barker said, once the bill passed into law, exporters would be allowed to head to Europe to register the likes of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Here’s a great trick I learned early on in my wine career: just close your eyes. The next time you stick your nose into a wine glass, or take a sip of something you’ve never tasted before, let those eyelids fall and concentrate on your other senses: think about the aroma molecules jostling for attention in your nostrils; pay attention to the flavour molecules tumbling around on your tongue.

A new wine centre, a top-notch restaurant and brilliant over-water villas make Crittenden Estate a must-stop in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. With its enviable position in Melbourne’s “dress circle,” the Mornington Peninsula is perfectly situated for a weekend escape for those seeking fine food and wine. The recently opened wine centre, combined with the restaurant and accommodation at Crittenden Wines near Dromana, has taken the region’s appeal to a whole new level.

A State Government push to formalise Adelaide as one of the world’s “Great Wine Capitals” has finally come to fruition, despite previous industry concerns. The Great Wine Capitals scheme is a network of international cities which, according to the group’s website, “share a key economic and cultural asset: their internationally renowned wine regions”.

Low prices, lack of demand and high costs are forcing many owners of hobby farm wineries to plough up their vines or create an outlet for their home-grown labels, agricultural specialists say. Sam Paton, a valuer with Agribusiness Valuations Australia, said dreams of creating a flourishing winery had routinely turned sour for a generation of vintners. “Most of them were city professionals, like lawyers, doctors, or dentists, with plenty of cash but little business savvy,” Mr Paton said.

It was just after Christmas when I realised the rose revival had well and truly arrived. Strolling through my local wine barn, I turned into the pink wine aisle and was met by a scene of pillage and plunder. The normally neatly stacked shelves were half empty; cardboard wine boxes had been broken into, their contents raided. It was if a mob of thirsty shoppers in a rose rage had descended on the store, buying bottles faster than staff could restock.

Fulfilling online wine orders is “the single biggest problem” for wine e-commerce and online retailers need to get more savvy and creative to solve it, industry experts have warned. The cost of fulfillment has always been a problem, according to Negociants UK md Simon Thorpe – and this has been boosted by the consumer’s expectation that products bought in different channels should cost the same.

A proposed new law that will enable wine and spirit makers to register the geographical origins of their products is a step closer says Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith. The Geographical Indications (Wines and Spirits) Amendment Bill was debated for the first time today and will now go through the select committee process, including public submissions.

The world was almost denied the chance to drink Ohau Wines Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Initially in the early 2000s the group of Horowhenua property investors who owned the land alongside the Ohau River wanted to create lifestyle subdivisions, but when they consulted viticulturist Kate Gibbs for advice on fencing plants, she pointed them in a different direction. “I said, it’s too good for that, don’t cover it in houses.

New industry body Alcohol Beverages Australia (ABA) has a lot of work ahead of it to build trust between its different stakeholder members, acknowledges Lion Beer Wine & Spirits Managing Director James Brindley. Lion is one of seven companies to directly join ABA, the new body that supersedes the National Alcohol Beverages Industry Council (NABIC). Also on the board are Taylor’s Wines MD Mitchell Taylor as Vice Chair, Woolworths Liquor Group executive Shane Tremble as Treasurer and ALSA CEO Terry Mott as Secretary.