The original Matua winery in Auckland has been bought by a family-owned business. Sutton Group Holdings Lts has acquired the Waimauku winery where Matua claimed to have planted the first Sauvignon Blanc vines in New Zealand. Sutton Group is a family-owned business with a 30 year history of engineering, packaging, food and beverage experience.
The original Matua winery in Auckland has been bought by a family-owned business. Sutton Group Holdings Lts has acquired the Waimauku winery where Matua claimed to have planted the first Sauvignon Blanc vines in New Zealand. Sutton Group is a family-owned business with a 30 year history of engineering, packaging, food and beverage experience.
Wine in New Zealand has become both big business and a big talking point. So anyone arranging an incentive event needs to ‘know their onions’ when it comes to wine. Wayne Harris, general manager of planners Go Conference & Incentive in New Zealand, says Kiwis’ wine knowledge has grown exponentially – and woe betide the planner who does not arrange wine of a quality consistent with the group’s knowledge in any incentive event in Australia.
They are one of the oldest families of wine in Australia, and after more than 120 years in Victoria, Brown Brothers’ decision to expand outside of its traditional growing area because of rising temperatures is paying off. Warm springs and hot summers can affect grape quality and produce lower-quality, more alcoholic wine. Wine companies big and small are scrambling to adapt, with vineyard managers changing things like the way they prune, how they sit the vines on the trellis, different grape varieties, and the location of vineyards.
RULES were meant to be broken, or so the old saying goes. Winemaker Chris Archer certainly thinks so. The Tyrrell’s protégé who gets a kick out of “blending” glasses of wine at restaurants to improve the flavour has gone one step further and blended Australian and New Zealand Riesling grapes to create a consumer-friendly sparkling wine in a 250ml bottle. Archer describes it as “the first Australasian sparkling” and in direct competition with so-called lifestyle drinks.
Andreas Clark, Wine Australia chief executive officer, today announced Aaron Ridgway has been appointed as Wine Australia’s new Head of Market, Americas. Clark said he was delighted Aaron was joining the Wine Australia team. “He is a dedicated and passionate advocate for Australian wine with a sound track record in our important US market, Clark said.
Oatley Fine Wine Merchants announced they will manage the Australian distribution of Rymill Coonawarra wines from July 1, 2016. Oatley Fine Wine Merchants has established a strong foothold in the Australian on-premise market – a key reason why Rymill Coonawarra has joined the Oatley portfolio. John Rymill, Rymill Coonawarra owner, said the wine company was looking to grow with a new and supportive distribution partner.
Samuel Smith & Son and Negociants Australia have announced changes to their portfolios effective from 1st July 2016. After a 23 year distribution partnership with Negociants Australia, Wirra Wirra is moving to the Samuel Smith and Son portfolio, effective 1 July 2016. They will be the first McLaren Vale winery to be featured in the Samuel Smith & Son offering. Paul Midolo, director strategy and trading, said the Samuel Smith & Son team were excited to add the iconic McLaren Vale brand to their portfolio.
Chinese authorities have agreed to protect the legal status of nearly 50 Bordeaux wine appellations in what could prove a landmark deal in the country. China appears increasingly willing to recognise the concept of geographical indications (GI), which restrict rights to certain names for specific products. Chinese authorities recognised Bordeaux as a protected GI in June 2015 recognition and Beijing this week officially recognised all still wine appellations within the Bordeaux region.
“Contains sulfites” is a fairly off-putting statement on a bottle of wine that you hope to enjoy with a meal, gift to a friend, or share with a loved one. Um, you mean, there’s chemicals in here? So, are they bad for me—is that why wine sometimes gives me headaches? And can wine be made without these sulfites? First of all, it’s important to point out that what’s on the label is simply letting you know that naturally occurring sulfites occur, in every single bottle of wine.