Regular readers will know that for over two years now Amphora has been sending executives out to India every three months or so with a view to spreading the fine wine investment message. Last week we were lucky enough to be able to spend a day at the delightful Sula Vineyard, a hair-raising three hour drive north east of Mumbai. What has that got to do with wine investment, you may ask? Or was it simply an arduous perk?
EIT researchers may have achieved a breakthrough in ‘making’ quality low alcohol wines in the vineyard. Over two seasons, a School of Viticulture and Wine Science research team investigated the use of antitranspirant spray on vines to reduce photosynthesis and, as a consequence of that, the influence on berry ripeness including sugar accumulation in the berries.
In the spirit of collaboration the wine community is famous for, Australia’s First Families of Wine’s (AFFW) ‘Next Gens’ will be heading over the ditch in just over a week’s time, immersing themselves in New Zealand’s most famous family owned wine businesses. The three-day tour, hosted by New Zealand’s Family of Twelve, starts in Auckland on 13th of October, when 19 of AFFW’s ‘Next Gens’ hit the ground running, starting their journey through Aetearoa, learning, tasting, talking and tweeting about their experiences.
Hugh Hamilton Wines are pleased to announce that talented winemaker Nic Bourke has joined the team. Nic comes to this iconic family business at an exciting time as 2017 marks that 180th anniversary of the Hamilton’s arrival in South Australia.
The price of Penfolds Grange, a golden goose made from grapes for Treasury Wine Estates, will jump another 8.3% to a new record of $850 when the 2012 vintage is released on October 20. It’s the first price increase in two vintages, when Penfolds shifted the release date from Autumn to Spring and increased the cost to $785. The 2012 is the 62nd consecutive vintage of the nation’s most famous wine.
Historic Australian producer St Hugo is aiming to take wine tourism to the next level with a range of luxury tourism experiences at its new home in the Barossa Valley. St Hugo was created in 1980 to celebrate the legacy of Hugo Gramp, the Aussie wine pioneer and managing director of Gramps & Son’s winery from 1920 to 1938. The new brand home honours the wine magnate who was born, lived and worked his entire life in the Barossa Valley.
A cheap dessert wine from Aldi has won a top international award – beating out bottles that cost three times as much. The budget supermarket’s £5.99 Berton Vineyards Botrytis Semillon from Australia took out the gold medal, awarded by industry experts at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.
Dogs can be used as pest and disease detectors in vineyards, according to a Melbourne University researcher. Sonja Needs, a lecturer and tutor in wine, climate change, adaptation and animal science, says dogs can detect for beehive collapse, termites and fire ants.
Jackson Family Wines’ latest purchase continues a trend of big corporate players entering Oregon’s wine scene, but observers aren’t worried the newcomers will dilute the industry. Jackson Family, based in Santa Rosa, Calif., and perhaps best known for its familiar Kendall Jackson label, is buying WillaKenzie Estate winery in Yamhill, Ore.
The Six Nations Wine Challenge is a Sydney-based wine show that uses an international judging panel to compare the very best wines from six countries (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Canada and the US). This is the 14th year of the competition.