Hugh Hamilton Wines have topped the annual McLaren Vale Cellar Door of the Year awards on October 26th, taking out two awards. They have been awarded the top gong Cellar Door of the Year award and an individual recognition was awarded to Sabine Delago, one of their team members. Sabine Delago was announced as one of four Cellar Door Stars of the Region. Sabine has been a part of the Hugh Hamilton team for over 8 years and is known for her warm welcome, her genuine wine knowledge and her passion for McLaren Vale and the wider Fleurieu region.

“WASTE of space” was how one South Australian grower described the Horticulture Code of Conduct during the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) regional engagement workshops earlier this year. A Tasmanian grower representative suggested there had been no genuine change in industry practice since the Code’s introduction, while a New South Wales grower representative said he didn’t know a grower that operated with a Horticulture Produce Agreement, something that is required under the code. The comments came out of the ACCC’s report, “Perspectives in horticulture and viticulture – Industry views on competition and fair trading issues”, released this week.

The 2016 Pier One Sydney Harbour NSW Wine Awards has just announced the main Trophy winners for this year’s Awards and yet again the results have excited judges, industry professional and wine lovers alike. 2016 Chair of Judges PJ Charteris commented on how the overall medal count was up again this year and said, “The most exciting thing was seeing the diversity in region and variety. NSW winemakers are having a red-hot crack at producing high quality wines from old and new varietals and this is a tribute to the passion and strength of the NSW wine industry.”

Wine professionals who excel in promoting fine Australian wine in China have been celebrated at a gala dinner and ceremony at Space by Three in Shanghai. Days after its latest Export Report confirmed that mainland China is now Australia’s number one export market by value, Wine Australia has announced 13 worthy winners at its 4th annual China Awards on Monday 24 October. Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark was in Shanghai for the event and said, ‘The Wine Australia China Awards offer a fantastic opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the people and businesses who are helping to promote fine Australian wine in China.

The world-class judges of the National Cool Climate Wine Show have tasted well over 800 wines from 150 entrants all over Australia, and the results have been finalised just hours before the public tasting. This year exhibitors were rewarded with a total of 292 medals. That is a 36% strike rate with 35 Gold, 64 Silver and 193 Bronze medals awarded. Special mention to the excellent class of Sparkling Wines and the great results from the Central Ranges with many wines from Orange and Bathurst excelling. The Champion Wine of the Show was awarded to Josef Chromy Wines for their 2010 Pinot Chardonnay Sparkling.

Wairarapa may only have one gold medal winner at this year’s Air New Zealand Wine Awards, but that is not a reflection of the quality of wine in the area. That’s the view of the competition’s main judge, Michael Brajkovich, who said it made sense that Wairarapa would be underrepresented. “It really depends on who enters and what they enter,” he said. “Some top producers from Wairarapa don’t enter, which can throw off the statistics.

The Sileni Estate Selection ‘Plateau’ Pinot Noir will be served to British Airways first class customers. The wine is now available in international first class cabins on routes across Asia and the Pacific. The selection is a further endorsement for Hawke’s Bay grown Pinot Noir, a region which, until now, has not received the same recognition as other Pinot Noir producing areas within New Zealand. “I don’t think that many people understand how much Pinot Noir is grown in Hawke’s Bay, or the quality of it. The varietal is our largest red wine export, appreciated in more than 80 markets around the world for its food-friendly style,” says CEO Nigel Avery.

The Turnbull government has quietly begun a review of Australia’s safe-drinking guidelines after the “low risk” level of alcohol intake was halved overnight amid accusations of nanny statism. The five-yearly review of the guidelines, running behind schedule, was kicked off by the government this month with the selection of a 14-member panel to scrutinise the guidelines for the National Health and Medical Research Council. There are rumblings the process is captive to anti-alcohol public health advocates who will ensure the review maintains or even stiffens the current standards.

A LEADING Australian winemaker will soon open a cellar door that promises to thrill all the senses to improve the bottom line. For d’Arenberg Winery’s Chester Osborn, the five-storey AUD$14 million glass-encased steel and concrete structure inspired by Rubik’s Cube is the realisation of a 13-year dream. Osborn, 54, is the chief winemaker and futurist for the company his great grandfather Joseph Osborn founded 104 years ago but is equally well known for his love of art and his eclectic and eccentric collection of shirts.