CASELLLA Wines is continuing its Australian expansion with the acquisition of Dunvar, one of NSW’s biggest vineyards. It is the latest acquisition for Casella Wines, which recently acquired full ownership of Morris Wines at Rutherglen from Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Real estate agency CBRE recently offered the prominent Riverina District vineyard near Darlington Point for sale on behalf of Belvino Investments.
Farmers have welcomed a partial backtrack on CSIRO cuts, but have called on the Government to invest more in climate change adaptation research for agriculture. Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Greg Hunt, has instructed the CSIRO to renew its focus on climate science, promising it would be a “bedrock function” of the organisation. He has revealed the CSIRO will create 15 new climate science roles.
Accolade Wines is set to appoint investment banks for a dual-track process within the next month, according to sources, as the company becomes the latest target of Chinese conglomerates in search of opportunities in the Australian food and healthcare space. Suitors from China for some months have been courting the private equity-owned operation that counts Hardys as among its brands, as first reported by this column.
Wine writer and broadcaster Oz Clarke has been named English Wine Producers’ Communicator of the Year for 2016. Presenting the award at Vintners’ Hall, Simon Robinson, English Wine Producers (EWP) chairman, not only praised Clarke for his efforts to promote English wine, but also credited him with being the inspiration behind his own decision to establish the Hattingley Valley wine estate in Hampshire.
Meet two of Argentina’s “Now Generation” of winemakers, Sebastian Zuccardi and Santiago Mayorga. Both come from families with long legacies in the wine industry, born to winemaking fathers and grandfathers and growing up amidst vines and viticulturists. Editor Michael Schachner sat down with these two pioneering industry minds at Total Wine to taste, discuss the wine making process and take a look into the future of Argentinian wines.
A small coastal town in France has been literally flooded with wine after a suspected sabotage by a so-called group of ‘wine terrorists’. The streets of Sète was submerged with wine on Tuesday evening as thousands of litres of quaff poured out five huge vats onto the Avenue Maréchal-Juin – the street that the wine merchant resides on.
It’s hard work coming up with a good wine but UK talk show host Graham Norton has come up with the perfect recipe while enjoying a boozy afternoon with Kiwi winemakers. Wine company Invivo brings out its latest celebrity collaboration – Graham Norton’s Own Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – on Friday. Norton and Invivo co-founder Tim Lightbourne and winemaker Rob Cameron travelled over 20,000km to Norton’s holiday home town – Bantry House in County Cork, Ireland.
Burgundy wines can be insanely expensive. However, for wine lovers willing to explore further afield, less pricey substitutes can be found. In May last year, a New Zealand vs Burgundy blind tasting was organised in London, testing Kumeu River chardonnays against their Burgundy equivalents. The Burgundy line-up included such highly regarded names as Comtes Lafon, Leflaive, Drouhin, Girardin, Sauzet and Fontaine-Gagnard.
For as long as he can remember, Randall Cummins’ dream was to be an agricultural scientist. It came as a surprise even to him when he found himself in a library reading books about wine while completing work experience at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, which was also home to the Australian Wine Research Institute.
Australia’s wine industry is growing on the back of surging exports to a Chinese market that is increasingly seeking a top quality drop, wine critic James Halliday says. Australian wine exports have grown to $2.1 billion per year, and the average price paid for wine grapes has grown by 14 per cent to $526 per tonne — the highest level since 2009.