The countdown has begun to one of the South Burnett’s most anticipated annual foodie events and this year promises to be bigger and more delicious than ever before. The South Burnett Wine and Food in the Park Festival sponsored by Thiess will be held in Kingaroy on Saturday 10 March 2012 and will showcase the best local produce this fertile region has to offer, reports Toowoomba Chronicle.

When Greg Penman bought Camden Estate Wines 16 years ago, he also bought a story.
The property on which he produces Camden Estate Wines has played a leading role in the tale of Camden. Grapevines were first planted by the Macarthur family in 1817 from European cuttings and grown by six German families,reports the Camden Advertiser.

Winemaker Quintin Quider is rolling out the barrel. But it is not what you might expect, Charmian Smith reports for Otago Daily Times. A row of barrels outside the cafe at the Goldfields Mining Centre in the Kawarau Gorge is a sign of new things happening. Late last year Quintin Quider, of Wild Earth Wines, opened his tasting room, cafe and restaurant there. But the barrels are not for wine, they are cookers.

With the Pyrenees mountain range firmly set on the southern horizon, a few enthusiastic vintners are trying to resuscitate a local wine-growing tradition that has been lost for many decades, reports Reuters.
“We were four at the start. Only one of us was already a wine-maker, I was in agriculture. We just could not understand why Ariege was the only area in France without vines while it had been an important producer in the past,” said Philippe Babin, one of the pioneers and a former vegetable seed grower.

Swings & Roundabouts is a medium-sized boutique winery at Yallingup at the very northern end of the Margaret River wine region, writes John Jens. ‘Swings’ is owned by various Perth business people but the day to day operations are handled by Andrew Moore (a former senior wine industry executive and deputy chairman of the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation) and Howard Cearns (of Braincells Brand Marketing and Little Creatures Brewing).

The EU’s Standing Committee on Organic Farming (SCOF) has agreed new rules for organic wine that it claims will raise its profile within the bloc and worldwide. It’s a move welcomed by a prominent group representing organic producers, despite their warning about ‘challenging’ new sulfite reduction targets,reports Beverage Daily.

Ever wondered why people, some dressed in traditional costume, gather in Tanunda on a particular Sunday each February? It’s because they are keen to celebrate Barossa’s Declaration of Vintage.
This Sunday, February 19, again marks the blessing of the Barossa’s first crush of grapes and everyone is invited, reports Barossa Herald.

Global success of Yellow Tail has helped owner Casella Wines buy 11 vineyards covering 1370 hectares in South Australia over the past six years. Director John Casella said the purchases had allowed the company to expand through the downturn and reach 15 per cent of Australia’s bottled wine exports. While some major corporations had pulled out of grower contracts and sold vineyards, he sees a bright future, reports Adelaide Now.

The Marlborough District Council is studying whether winery wastewater disposal is damaging soils. Council soil scientist Colin Gray told the council’s environment committee on Thursday that the aim was to develop wastewater quality guidelines that could be included in resource management plans. Committee chairman Peter Jerram said soil health, plant health and ecosystems could suffer if this was not carefully managed, reports The Marlborough Express.

Two more Awatere Valley vineyards are up for mortgagee and receivership sale, almost 18 months after a still-to-be-sold 128-hectare vineyard was first listed for sale by the receivers of failed wine company Awatere Vineyard Estates. Tetley Brook Vineyard, a 50-hectare Sauvignon Blanc holding near Seddon, is up for mortgagee tender closing March 1, while tenders for the nearby Sedgebrook Estate’s 47ha vineyard close a week later, reports Business Day.