Can the rise and rise of cool climate wines from Tasmania continue? It has been the silent juggernaut of the Australian wine industry. With minimal marketing budget, but with a product that consumers increasingly enjoy, Tasmanian wine producers are riding a wave of success. Winsor Dobbin investigates.
A public auction on September 13, will aim to sell the Cassegrain Winery land in Port Macquarie. The land has been rezoned in the hope an investor can purchase it for tourism development. A new and secure 10 year lease for Cassegrain Wines, which will continue to trade from the site, has been established.The sale of the land will not impact on the current facilities which include the winery, Seasons Café-Restaurant, Port Macquarie Horse Riding Centre and the Tesla Supercharger station.
Stewart Byrne, the assistant winemaker at Josef Chromy Wines, has been awarded a $4,500 scholarship that will allow him to refine his palate and sensory skills. The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO) and Seguin Moreau Australasia, have announced Byrne as the 2016 recipient of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) Scholarship.
A dozen members of the Australian wine community are set for a life-changing experience having been selected as the scholars for the 2016 Len Evans Tutorial. To give it some context, James Halliday describes the tutorial as “the most exclusive wine school in the world”.
Ernie Loosen, the exuberant Mosel winemaker, has said that he believes New World Pinot Noir shouldn’t have high alcohol levels which can mask its subtle expression and upset “its balance and finesse.” Popping over to Hong Kong and Macau in what he jokingly calls a “one week Blitzkrieg”, Ernie Loosen said he forecasts steady growth in the Asia region, and is triumphant about the popularity of his Kabinett Riesling among Chinese drinkers in Hong Kong who prefer the lighter, fruitier style which can pair well with Cantonese cuisine.
Congratulations to Jordan Hogg from Seresin – the Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker 2016. The National Final was held on Tuesday 23 August at MRC and the winner was announced at the Bragato Wine Awards dinner on Thursday 25 August. Congratulations also goes to Alex Roper from Mission Estate, Hawke’s Bay who was the runner up. Tom Hindmarsh and Matt Fox were the other finalists, also performing strongly throughout the competition.
Orchardists and grape growers have backed up Prime Minister John Key’s comments on the difficulties of getting beneficiaries into seasonal work. He said the New Zealand Seasonal Workers Scheme, which is designed to give unemployed locals a job as opposed to a separate programme which brings in people from the Pacific Islands, had issues with locals who “just can’t muster what is required to actually work”.
THIS has got to be Australia’s craziest wine. And no — it’s not picked by naked maidens under a blue moon. It’s not even foot-stomped by unicorns. And it’s certainly not some unpronounceable grape variety imported from Outer Mongolia. In fact it is made from an astounding 108 different grape varieties, grown in the Barossa Valley and mashed together into an extraordinary rose blend that defies all winemaking conventions.
Tasmania’s East Coast wine region is booming, with 19 vineyards in operation. Many were started by farmers wanting to diversify and value-add to their land. Businesswomen Helen Bain and Subi Mead are capitalising on the local industry’s growth with their new business, The Farm Shed East Coast Wine Centre at Bicheno.
NSW wine industry personalities including Bruce Tyrrell, Iain Riggs, Darren De Bortoli and Bill Calabria helped launch the inaugural First Planted Lunch in Sydney on Friday. The Langtons-sponsored event featured a live wine auction conducted by Matthew Caillard MW which included a number of rare and unusual items including a barrel of Tyrrell’s 2016 Vat 47 Chardonnay which sold for $12,232 and a double magnum of Lake’s Folly Cabernet which sold for $990.