FOR some time now, Tasmanian sparkling wines have been declared, by people who should know, to rival the quality of Champagne. Australian wine judge James Halliday encouraged us by describing House of Arras sparkling wines as having “the complexity, texture and structure … akin to Bollinger RD and Krug”.
The new State of the Industry Report from the Australian Liquor Stores Association and IRi has revealed that Australia’s take-away packaged liquor sector is currently valued at $16.2 billion. The report, which has been released by ALSA and IRi today, provides a detailed analysis of Australia’s retail liquor market, giving retailers much-needed information about what is happening in the industry.
Can’t tell the difference between a glass of “Two Buck Chuck” and a $100 bottle of wine? Don’t worry — you are far from alone. A study conducted by a psychologist at Hertfordshire University revealed that when asked to distinguish between inexpensive and expensive wines, people guessed correctly just about half of the time, reports wine writer Mike Peterson for Quartz.
You find a spirit of generosity at the heart of many wonderful things. It’s certainly the case with two wonderful things I have an interest in – Pinot Noir and basketball. Basketball’s birthplace is America. Even before I played there in the 1970s, I was aware of the givingness of United States coaches and other basketball people. They kept nothing to themselves, but were always quick to share every basketball truth and insight they knew with anyone who was interested. I had the sense they felt the game deserved no less.
A golden summer promises a golden vintage for Nelson wineries this year. Local grape growers are anticipating a quality harvest due to the abnormally warm summer the region experienced. Nelson Winegrowers Association chairman Jonny Hiscox said harvest was about to “start kicking off” with grapes looking to be in good condition, even after the heavy rain spells that hit the district earlier in the year.
WOMEN and their beloved wine have turned the booze-popularity table on its head. Forty years ago, beer was the Aussie drink of choice. About 70 per cent of drinkers chose beer, 20 per cent drank wine, and 10 per cent had spirits. According to Australian Hotels Association SA general manager Ian Horne, times have changed. He believes a huge shift in women’s incomes, social and drinking habits over the past four decades, their drinking “presence” and preference for wine has toppled beer as the bar favourite.
Teaming fast cars with fashion, fine dining and luxury, it was only natural one of Australia’s leading sparkling wines would step up to the plate for the 2016 Grand Prix, launching in Melbourne on March 17. This year, the McLaren-Honda team will partner with Chandon for celebrations on and off the track. Chandon is set to be a major player at the 2016 Formula 1 Grand Prix, with the race marking the official launch of its partnership with the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team.
Australia increased its stand space at Prowein by 30 per cent this year, with some 46 exhibitors showing wines from 21 producing regions, aiming to build upon a renewed confidence rooted in growing global exports, including strong premium sales to Asia and growth in the US. Speaking to Harper’s at the show, Wine Australia’s general manager for marketing, Stuart Barclay, highlighted the positive trend in exports.
In your mind, picture an Australian wine region. Presumably, that mental image won’t look like South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Most likely, your image resembles the flatter, more sun-baked terrains of the regions flanking “The Hills”. But perhaps most unexpected is the small but growing number of artisanal winemakers transforming this bucolic region into a leading light of modern-day winemaking, changing the face of the Australian wine industry along the way.
A new ‘Wine Flavours Card’ aimed at helping Chinese wine drinkers better understand Western wine terminology around tastes and aromas has been released by Wine Australia. The one-page Australian Wine Flavours Card has been created based on research by the University of South Australia linking an Australian wine descriptor with an equivalent taste identified by Chinese consumers.