A blaze that took every fire crew in the Waikato to put out has done little to taint Vilagrad’s vision. Last week, the Nooyen family sat down to dinner to acknowledge the anniversary of the fire that tore through 60 per cent of their winery. The blaze destroyed the offices, kitchen and other parts of the 100-year-old wine cellar.
QUEENSLAND winemaker Grant Casley has found a way to fight back against the state’s unpredictable weather – and he’s encouraging other wineries to do the same. The owner of Casley Mount Hutton Vineyard and Winery in the Granite Belt said installing solar power on his property had not only helped save his business $6000 a year in electricity costs, it helped see him through when a hailstorm destroyed his entire yearly grape crop.
THEY’RE two of the great joys in life – wine and ice cream – and now one Queensland family has combined the pair to form the ultimate sweet treat. Kingsley Grove Estate is churning out wine ice cream from its small vineyard near Kingaroy to widespread acclaim. “We often have people come to our cellar door just to try the ice cream,” winemaker Simon Berry said.
The Australian Inland Wine Show is an event that showcases wines made from the ‘engine room’ of the Australian Wine Industry and is run by a small group of volunteers in Swan Hill. 2016 marks the 36th year this event has been held. Past and prospective entrants are encouraged to enter their wines that qualify under the regulations.
AUSTRALIA’S oldest wine club is in a world of hurt. The Wine Society has lost money for years, squeezed by discount bottle shops and rival online retailers. Now the non-profit cooperative wants its 25,000-plus members to ratify a restructure that would see external investors provide a $3 million banking facility. The money will be used to help pay down debt, including $4.2 million owed to suppliers.
Treasury Wine Estates has escaped one of two class action lawsuits filed against the winemaker after a shock $160 million writedown and profit warning three years ago, with the Federal Court ruling the pursuit by controversial litigator Mark Elliott was an “abuse” of the court process.
Out with Neusiedlersee-Hu¨gelland and Mittelburgenland, in with Ried, or single vineyard. These and other long-discussed amendments to Austrian wine names have at last been incorporated into official wine law. Appellations and quality designations have been a work in progress for many years, as I discussed last year in Austria wrestles with vineyard classification. (The map shows the work in progress in Kremstal and Kamptal to identify top vineyard sites.)
Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay today announced $400,000 to support a wine grape research program at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Kentville Research and Development Centre.
SINGAPORE — Wine lovers and exporters around the Pacific Rim will have reason to pop the cork after officials slashed red tape on shipments in the region that will ease an expensive bottleneck. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group said in a statement that the 21 member economies had agreed on a standard, simplified certificate, replacing the multi-layered system that had led to losses of about US$1 billion a year in the industry.
Wolf Blass has been named ‘red winemaker of the year’ at last night’s 33rd International Wine Challenge in London. The South Australian based winery topped more than 15,000 entries from over 50 countries, demonstrating their strength and consistency of winemaking across wine styles. Chris Hatcher, Wolf Blass chief winemaker, said he was humbled to receive the award on for the third time on behalf of the winery following wins in 2008 and 2013.