Protecting historically important sites does not need to come at the expense of commercial development, members of a Marlborough iwi say. Last week two Rangitane o Wairau members, wine company owner Haysley MacDonald and his father Phillip MacDonald, reached an out-of-court settlement with Heritage New Zealand after facing charges for clearing scrub and constructing a fence near a historic pa site without permission.

The grape arrived in New Zealand in the 1830’s, brought by Roman Catholic Missionaries. Wine production began but it was mostly for religious use or family consumption. It wasn’t until the 1960s when people were in a position to travel more and more easily (why? Passenger jet airplanes!), that some Kiwis began to contemplate a self-produced wine that would pair with local cuisine rather than importing from Europe.

The price of Western Australian wine overseas has gone up, with the export market seeing a 13 per cent increase in value in the last financial year. While overall production increased five per cent, the value of WA wines increased by more than $4.6 million to just under $42 million in the 12 months to the end of June 2016, according to Wine Australia’s export report.

South Australian winemakers the Conte family have sold their long-held premium vineyards in McLaren Vale. The three Conte Estate Wines vineyards on California Road and Bayliss Road near Aldinga, planted by the family in 1965, were put up for sale last year with a $2.5 million price tag. They cover 53 undulating hectares, of which 35 hectares are planted to Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay varietals.

TWENTY years ago, a 55-acre expanse of land at Glenlyon lay barren, with nothing more than blackberry weeds and the odd piece of floating tumbleweed. But a Melbourne couple saw more than simply dormant land when they gazed over the site at Green Gully Road. They had a vision, and for the coming two decades, put in the backbreaking work of cleaning, planting and building.

No one could accuse Peter Fraser of resting on his laurels. Since being named James Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year for 2016, the laidback McLaren Vale winemaker has been busier than ever, representing Yangarra Estate at events across the world and guiding the winery through a “fast and furious vintage”. When the Halliday team caught up with Pete recently, we asked if being named Australia’s best winemaker last July altered the trajectory of the 12 months that followed. “Well, I’ve done a lot more dinners,” Pete quipped.

Residents in the United States are being warned that the re-emerging trend of smoking alcohol is more harmful than just drinking. A number of videos have recently appeared online apparently giving youngsters tips on how to vaporise alcohol to inhale it, and more dangerously, there is no need for any kind of device to implement this. However, there are alcohol bongs, dry ice cocktails and people even free-base alcohol over an open flame, according to 10News WTSP.

Bannockburn vineyard owners are putting themselves on the map. In a five-year collaboration, they have produced a highly detailed map of their vineyards of a type commonly found in the world’s fine wine regions. The map shows details of the Central Otago wine subregion – just south of Cromwell – such as vineyard ownership, varieties planted, topography, row orientation and individual vineyard blocks. Felton Road winemaker Blair Walter has been driving the project, which was instigated by the winery’s owner, Nigel Greening.

Treasury Wine Estate could boost its margins from 14 per cent to almost 20 per cent by the middle of 2020 if it can continue to build its strong sales momentum in China. That’s the view of JPMorgan analyst Shaun Cousins, who set a fire under Treasury’s share price on Thursday by slapping a target price of $10.25 on the stock. Treasury shares leapt 5.4 per cent to $9.72 on Thursday and have now climbed 89.6 per cent over the past 12 months.

Margaret River winemaker Josephine Perry is on the nose, literally. With no equipment to check PH and TA levels that are critical to nearly every aspect her wine, the 37-year-old uses her senses to get the chemistry right, sending samples to a lab only if she thinks something is amiss. Margaret River winemaker Josephine Perry is on the nose, literally. With no equipment to check PH and TA levels that are critical to nearly every aspect her wine, the 37-year-old uses her senses to get the chemistry right, sending samples to a lab only if she thinks something is amiss.