A group of leading businesses are the toast of the Australian wine sector as winners
of the inaugural Wine Industry Impact Awards.
The awards, an initiative of Wine Industry Suppliers Australia (WISA), were
presented in a glittering ceremony at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide last night
(Thursday 20 October). The gala event showcased business excellence and
innovation in improving the competitiveness and capability of the nation’s grape and
wine industry.

Judging for the country’s premier wine competition kicked off earlier this week in Auckland, with today marking the end to an intense three days of selecting New Zealand’s top drops for 2016. The Air New Zealand Wine Awards is widely considered to be the country’s most prestigious wine competition, which recognises excellence in winemaking. 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the partnership between New Zealand Winegrowers and naming rights sponsor Air New Zealand.

Judging for the country’s premier wine competition kicked off earlier this week in Auckland, with today marking the end to an intense three days of selecting New Zealand’s top drops for 2016. The Air New Zealand Wine Awards is widely considered to be the country’s most prestigious wine competition, which recognises excellence in winemaking. 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the partnership between New Zealand Winegrowers and naming rights sponsor Air New Zealand.

The massive growth in China’s middle class has been a godsend for the Australian wine industry, with exports jumping 51% in the last year to $474 million, making it the top export market by value for the first time. The rise of China is no more apparent than in the fact that just a decade ago, sales there were worth just $27 million. Wine Australia’s Export Report, released today, reveal double digital growth for local exporters in the 12 months to 30 September 2016, up 10% to a total value of $2.17 billion.

IT’S the colour of Smurfs and trendy lattes, now wine has got the blues, too. Blue wine has hit Australia for the first time following the trend that swept the European summer and featured widely on Instagram feeds. Made for Liquorland by Idyll Wine Co near Geelong, The Blue Bird is a blend of white grapes (predominantly moscato) from Australian vines, but must be labelled a wine product because it has had anthocyanins — a natural compound that gives red wine its colour — and indigo food colouring added to give it its blue hue.

Wine tasting tours in South Australia are set to get even better with the state government putting up $1 million in grants for wineries looking to improve their cellar door experiences. The Cellar Door Grants Program was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a $1.8 million funding package aimed at boosting wine sales and visitor numbers in SA. Grants of up to $25,000 are available to all SA wineries for cellar door upgrades and diversifications like new tasting rooms or bed and breakfast facilities.

A former New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year has taken out the title of New Zealand Winemaker of the Year. A panel of four international wine judges picked Patrick Newton of Mudbrick Vineyard as the inaugural winner on 15 October. The competition replaces the New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year as part of the New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition, administered by the Canterbury A&P Show. The Waiheke Island winemaker was thrilled with the award.

Yealands Wine Group has added 918 photovoltaic (PV) panels to its winery roof, making it the largest solar panel system in New Zealand. Meanwhile, in Australia, work has begun to expand sustainable energy sources at Yalumba winery. Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, together with AGL energy limited is currently installing the largest solar photovoltaic system installation at an Australian winery.

Calabria Family Wines (CFW) has bought a large Riverina facility, which has seen the family-owned wine company has double its capacity overnight. The transaction, which is due to settle later this month, includes the winery, cellar door and warehousing and was purchase to assist the family with storage and production facilities. CFW’s Sales and Marketing Manager Andrew Calabria told TheShout: “It’s a big step for us, what it has done is double our capacity as a winery overnight. The wine business, for us, is something that is long-term so we are in a bit of a transition at the moment, where my dad built the business to where it is today. Then my brothers and my sister and I decided that we have no intentions to sell, we love what we do and anything in our wine business is about the long-term.

Just a few years ago, pretty much all Ben Jones knew about wine was that came in two colours – white and red. The American, a second-year wine science and viticulture degree student at EIT, is now being feted as the Hawke’s Bay A & P Bayleys Wine Awards’ Young Vintner of the Year. The prestigious title is a significant kick-start to any young winemaker’s career. Ben also benefits from a prize package that will see the Hawke’s Bay A & P Society, sponsor of the Young Vintner award, helping with his study fees, and he will be offered valuable work experience at Craggy Range.