Wineries have until February 13 to enter the Australian Highlands Wine Show – Australia’s only wine competition exclusively for wines made from grapes grown at high altitudes. The inaugural wine show will be held from 1-2 March in Bowral in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales. The show aims to highlight the expressive nature, balance, subtlety and longevity often exhibited in wines grown in the cooler climates of Australia based on their higher altitude.

An Upper Hunter winemaker says the possible transformation of the old Rosemount Estate winery in Denman into an ammonium storage facility would be “a sad day” for the wine industry. Chemical giant, Orica has lodged a development application stating its intention to store up to 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the site. Upper Hunter Winemakers Association Treasurer Brett Keeping says there is a sense of nostalgia attached to the former landmark winery, reports ABC Newcastle.

Scientists in New Zealand have proved for the first time that wine yeasts vary from region to region. The research, conducted by Velimir Gayevskiy and Dr Matthew Goddard of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, detected distinct differences between indigenous yeast strains in different regions. The study, which has been published in the Journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology, investigated yeasts present on Chardonnay and Syrah grapes, and their spontaneous ferments, in vineyards in three distinct wine regions in New Zealand, reports Decanter.

Makers of a documentary series showcasing New Zealand and its wine industry are set to hit Queenstown next month to film two episodes. Supported by Tourism New Zealand, The WINERAM Experience web series travels the country to show off its wine, culture and adventure activities. The aim of the series is to change the way the wine industry is perceived by young people and producer Colin West believes Queenstown’s adventure atmosphere is the perfect place to do this, reports Otago Daily Times.

Carmenere, the indigenous Chilean grape variety, can now claim to have gained promotion to the so-called “Premiership” of first class wine varieties, according to wine critic and broadcaster, Tim Atkin MW. Speaking at wine producer Santa Rita Estates first South American Wine Workshop at London’s Altitude venue in Millbank Tower yesterday, Atkin said after that a chequered history, advances in the Chilean wine industry, which he likened to Carmenere getting a new manager, had now elevated Caremenere to Premiership status, reports Harpers Wine & Spirit.

London will host a high profile photographic exhibition of leading winemakers from Burgundy and Champagne in April. A series of 21 portraits have been taken by Colin Hampden-White over the course of last year following the photographer’s success with The Greatest Winemakers, a show which comprised 20 pictures of Bordeaux’s top vintners. Like Colin’s previous exhibition, held in December 2010, the upcoming one in springtime this year will be held at Rebecca Hossack gallery on Fitzroy Square, reports The Drinks Business.

A Bordeaux wine merchant is guaranteeing the provenance of every wine it sells via its new online trading platform. Bordeaux Wine Bank is based in Bordeaux and organises provenance-guaranteed auctions with Sotheby’s. It launches its trading platform this week. The Bordeaux Wine Bank Exchange (BWB-EX) will offer only 100% provenance-guaranteed wines, with certificates of origin, delivered in tamper-proof cases, reports Decanter.

Oregon Pinot Noir has revealed itself as particularly subject to misconceptions and an uncertain image among the UK trade. Two wines from the state featured in yesterday’s Stonier International Pinot Noir Tasting (SIPNOT), the second London version of the event. In a tasting which above all offered a reminder of the subjective element to wine criticism, the event also flagged up widespread uncertainty within the trade about what to expect from Oregon Pinot Noir, reports The Drinks Business.

To drink only the best-known wines from time-honored regions is a little like eating in the same restaurants over and over. You can’t go wrong, perhaps, but without the rewards of exploration, you are missing out on so much more. This has never been truer for wine lovers than it is today. Yet of all the world’s wine regions well off the beaten path, none is farther removed than the Canary Islands.There, on a scattering of volcanic islands, lie some of the most unusual, visually striking vineyards seen anywhere on earth, reports The New York Times.

A Luxembourg wine merchant has been has defrauded of thousands of Euros of wine by a man posing as the agent for a premier league footballer. Some of the stolen wine – €26,100 of Ausone, Latour, Lafite, Petrus and Margaux – has subsequently been offered to the UK fine wine trade, reports Decanter.