Thirteen new members from eight different countries have joined the Institute of Masters of Wine, including Bree Boskov from Australia. Boskov started out as a sommelier in Canada before moving back to Australia and spending a decade in key account sales and brand management with De Bortoli Wines.
Current and future adaptation strategies will be crucial for the wine industry. Recently more than 150 scientists from around the globe gathered at the ClimWine2016 Symposium in Bordeaux. One of the participants at the conference was Dr Amber Parker, Lincoln University viticulture lecturer, who is exploring changes to the lifecycle (phenology) of grapevines in response to temperature.
The US Congress’ ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is in serious danger. But running alongside the crippled TPP, and potentially of more importance to Australian trade, has been the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Essentially, the partnership is a free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN members and the six countries with which ASEAN has existing FTAs.
Marlborough wine companies and grapegrowers have sustainability guidelines around how they manage grape marc. The majority of companies in the region are members of Sustainable Winegrowing in New Zealand, a program set up by industry body New Zealand Winegrowers.
Pernod Ricard’s UK managing director Denis O’Flynn, who has been with company for 16 years leaves at the end of the month following another good year of growth.
A public auction on September 13, will aim to sell the Cassegrain Winery land in Port Macquarie. The land has been rezoned in the hope an investor can purchase it for tourism development. A new and secure 10 year lease for Cassegrain Wines, which will continue to trade from the site, has been established.The sale of the land will not impact on the current facilities which include the winery, Seasons Café-Restaurant, Port Macquarie Horse Riding Centre and the Tesla Supercharger station.
Can the rise and rise of cool climate wines from Tasmania continue? It has been the silent juggernaut of the Australian wine industry. With minimal marketing budget, but with a product that consumers increasingly enjoy, Tasmanian wine producers are riding a wave of success. Winsor Dobbin investigates.
A dozen members of the Australian wine community are set for a life-changing experience having been selected as the scholars for the 2016 Len Evans Tutorial. To give it some context, James Halliday describes the tutorial as “the most exclusive wine school in the world”.
Stewart Byrne, the assistant winemaker at Josef Chromy Wines, has been awarded a $4,500 scholarship that will allow him to refine his palate and sensory skills. The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO) and Seguin Moreau Australasia, have announced Byrne as the 2016 recipient of the Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) Scholarship.
Congratulations to Jordan Hogg from Seresin – the Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker 2016. The National Final was held on Tuesday 23 August at MRC and the winner was announced at the Bragato Wine Awards dinner on Thursday 25 August. Congratulations also goes to Alex Roper from Mission Estate, Hawke’s Bay who was the runner up. Tom Hindmarsh and Matt Fox were the other finalists, also performing strongly throughout the competition.