This week’s column is being filed from South Australia. I’ve been on the other side of the world for a few days now to taste through an array of Hunter Valley Sémillons and Canberra Rieslings. The trip with Wine Australia began in sunny Sydney on the east coast. Hopping on a plane the next morning, our small crew arrived in Adelaide, zipping off to spend a couple of days in the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, and, today, McLaren Vale. Over the next few weeks, we’ll cover many aspects of the Australian wine industry, but for now let’s start with something refreshing and bright.

Wolf Blass is proud to extend their AFL relationship as a foundation sponsor of the AFL Women’s League kicking off this Friday night, with a clash between Carlton and Collingwood at Ikon Park. Angus Lilley, Marketing Director for Wolf Blass, said this sponsorship is an evolution of the brands ongoing relationship with the AFL which started in 2015 with Wolf Blass named Official Wine Partner,“Wolf Blass is pleased to be continuing a tradition of involvement with the AFL and we are really proud to be a part of this exciting new era of football” he said.

Registrations are open to express your interest in Stewarding at the 2017 KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show, which will be held at Sydney Olympic Park from 17-20 July. Michael Quirk, the Chief Wine Steward for the KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show, told TheShout that volunteering as a Steward provides an excellent opportunity for those in the industry to build on their wine knowledge and palate. Not only does Stewarding add to your formal wine training through listening and watching the process of judging, but it also gives you the opportunity to understand how the wine show system works,” said Quirk.

The Trump administration’s foreshadowed plans for a new tax on imports would hit a range of Australian companies including those selling wine, medical supplies, software and clothing, according to analysis by Citi. The border tax, said to be 20%, would cause major changes in trade flows across the world, especially for those countries where the US is a key market. However, Australia buys more from the US than it sells back. In 2015, Australia’s exports were $14.2 billion, while imports from the US were $33 billion.

According to analysis at Citi, many of the larger Australian companies which have expanded to the US have significant local production which would cushion them from any new border tax

A Goulburn Valley-based wine producer has slammed the decision of President Donald Trump to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a step backwards for global trade. Andrew McPherson from Nagambie-based McPherson Wine said the new United States President was talking up ‘‘isolationism and trade barriers’’. President Trump lived up to his campaign promise on his first full day on the job on Monday last week when he signed an executive order to pull the US out of the contentious trade deal. The proposed trade agreement was to include 12 Pacific Rim countries, including Australia, in a mass trading bloc that would have included 40 per cent of global GDP.

Ireland is synonymous with Guinness and whiskey, but now Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon can be added to the list of native drinks. Vineyards are traditionally associated with the south of France or the Napa Valley in California, but a farm in Lusk in North County Dublin has resulted in Ireland being officially classed as a wine-growing nation. This corner of Leinster is a 21st century addition to the world’s vine growers thanks to global warming. RTE’s Eco Eye series is set to shine the spotlight on how the temperature rise across the planet could see Ireland becoming an unlikely wine region, while the potato could fail due to drought.

A GISBORNE winery, and a sheep and beef farm have been named among five finalists for the 2017 East Coast Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The awards will be presented in Gisborne at the Bushmere Arms on March 1, where the regional supreme winner will be announced. Eugene and Pania King from Kiriroa Station at Matawai, a 347ha sheep breeding and beef finishing property have become finalists along with Wrights Vineyard and Winery, operated by Geoff and Nicola Wright.

Wine & lifestyle company Sip NZ is collaborating with New Zealand wine producers again this February to create another successful Dare to Pink #sipnzrose campaign. “The aim of the initiative is to celebrate the pink lifestyle and the great diversity when it comes to New Zealand Rosé wines. That’s why we’re launching New Zealand’s first Rosé directory on sipnzrose.com to help wine lovers find their perfect pink drink and introduce them to producers around the country,” says Caro, co-founder of Sip NZ. With over 60 pink wines on board, the collaborative campaign has more than doubled in size from last year.

Leading global luxury wine and spirit business Moët Hennessy Australia has picked Havas creative group as its digital and social agency of record following a competitive pitch that took place at the end of 2016. The win comes off the back of the successful work Havas owned PR, experiential and social agency, Red Agency, has been doing over the past year for Moët Hennessy. Havas and Red Agency will work together to deliver on a number of the brand briefs.

Penfolds is paying tribute to their most influential wine maker, Max Schubert, with a new collection of wines that are aimed at millennials who want good and affordable wine that they can drink straight away. “The wines have between 5 percent and 10 percent oak with really low tannings; they feature fresher fruity flavors,” said Southeast Asian Penfolds ambassador Patrick Dowling during the luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta recently. The luncheon revolved around the innovations by its former chief winemaker Schubert who was the creator of the iconic Australian red, Grange. The low tannins and oak contrast with Penfold’s usual deep red wines.