AN award-winning winery wants to relocate to the Surf Coast this summer, where it would establish a new vineyard and cellar door facility. Premium boutique firm Pondalowie Vineyards, which has been based in Bendigo for almost 20 years, has lodged plans to set up a new home in Bambra. Owners Dominic Joseph and Krystina Morris said the 40ha site on Bambra School Rd would replace their Bendigo complex.
As CEO of the Barossa Grape & Wine Association back in 2011, Sam Holmes didn’t seem like an obvious candidate to apply for the Australian Rural Leadership Program. He’s glad he did however, describing it as ‘an amazing opportunity’. ‘At the BGWA we were annually circulating and promoting the program to local wineries and grapegrowers and the feedback was always how amazing the program was and that it was actually life changing,’ he said. ‘When our Chair, Linda Bowes, encouraged me to make time for personal development, I applied and was lucky to be accepted.
Innovative approaches to vineyard management will feature at a free National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) vine health workshop in Mudgee on Tuesday August 23. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) viticultural development officer, Darren Fahey, said local vignerons will gain insights into the latest technology available to keep their vineyards productive and business on track.
Ways to recycle the vast amount of plant waste produced by the wine industry are under investigation by chemistry and biotechnology researchers at Swinburne. Grape pomace is the skins, pulp, seeds and stems remaining after the fruit has been pressed for juice. While pomace contains tartaric acid, a common additive used to balance the acidity of the wine, it is of limited nutrient value. It is also too hard for animals to digest so can’t be used as feed, and degrades too slowly to be useful as compost.
When grapegrowers look back on the hot, dry summer of 2016, they may raise a glass to toast one of the best growing seasons they’ve had in a while. The sun has baked much of the land in southern Ontario this summer to the point where most farmers are crying for mercy. But for those looking to harvest grapes to produce wine, the sun is a grape grower’s best friend.
California’s Carneros region may have been overshadowed by other appellations, but a small group of vineyard owners and vintners are looking to restore youth and excitement. One time, not so long ago, the most famous and sought-after place to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in California was Carneros. The region, which lies partly in Napa and partly in Sonoma, showed so much promise that big-name sparkling-wine producers from France and Spain opened Carneros outposts. Today, the former hot spot has been overshadowed by newer, cooler appellations.
In an extended family group every member brings a different and distinct set of experiences and skills to the family table. To this end The Family of Twelve rotate the role of chair to ensure it benefits from the full range of talent and experience available to it. On July the 19th, the chairship passes from Mr. William Hoare of Fromm Winery in Marlborough to Mrs. Judy Finn of Neudorf Vineyards in Nelson, the first woman to be elected to the position.
For many including your correspondent, the news in June that Pernod-Ricard, owners of Jacob’s Creek, was to close and sell off the stocks of Morris of Rutherglen hurt more than the announcement from Treasury Wine Estates late last year that it was shutting the doors of Seppelt Great Western. The venerable wine producer, established in 1859, is of considerable cultural and vinicultural significance to both its region and the country.
YES, it has been a wet windy winter. In combination with months of soaking rain it has meant many big old trees have succumbed – I have days on the chainsaw to show for it. The wet weather has put many gaps in the pruning schedule for vineyards around the region. The risk of disease means you can’t prune in the rain. It has also restricted machinery movement. Taking a heavy machine onto waterlogged ground will have you bogged to the axles in no time at all.
When Dr Jacqui McRae reveals what she does for a living, most people are overcome with professional envy. As a research scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute, Dr McRae spends her days studying the finite qualities of some of Australia’s best drops. So does she ever get to taste what’s in the beaker? “Ah no,” she said. “That would be nice, but no.”