News of the passing of the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Amendment Bill in parliament last night has been welcomed by New Zealand Winegrowers. “The Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act will be a significant advance for the New Zealand wine industry,” said New Zealand Winegrowers CEO, Philip Gregan. “Our ‘Geographical Indications’ – the names and places where our wines come from – are at the very heart of the New Zealand wine story and this new law provides an additional level of protection for them.”

Monday’s quake has hit the rural community hard, leaving farmers without power and affecting vineyards in the busy bottling period. The earthquake has struck at one of the busiest times for vineyards in Marlborough and North Canterbury who are bottling wine for export. Part of the land at Trevor Burkhart’s vineyard in Blenheim that backs on to the Opawa River has slumped about a metre. “There are big cracks through the vineyard, we’ve got to try and figure out how to fix that. The problem we’ve got with the vineyard is with ongoing spraying – you can’t actually get the tractors in now.”

Aldi is poised to sell wine online in China in the second quarter of 2017 using its Australia business as a base. The discounter has been rumoured to be mulling a launch in mainline China since 2014, when it was reported by the Guardian, however a report in German trade publication Lebensmittel Zeitung announcing the online-only move last week has been confirmed to the Australian media by Aldi. The Aldi spokesman quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald said the discounter had been researching the market and undertaking feasibility studies for several years and was now ready to launch an e-commerce site in mainland China during the early part of 2017.

Winegrape growers are urged to continue to lodge damage reports to trigger additional support under Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). Following last Friday night’s destructive hail and gale-force winds, growers have been lodging damage reports with Murray Valley Winegrowers (MVW). These have been passed on to government assessors, and as at Wednesday afternoon (November 16), damage to wine grapes covered more than 1100 hectares, with probable losses of around 25,000 tonnes.

Yealands Wine Group Founder and Principal, Peter Yealands, has been recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Drinks Business Green Awards 2016 for his continued innovation and commitment to sustainable practices. His company, Yealands Wine Group (Yealands), on the same night received a Renewable Energy Implementation runner-up award for the installation of the largest solar array in New Zealand on their winery roof. The Drinks Business Lifetime Achievement Award looks for an individual who has “excelled throughout their career in furthering environmental, sustainable or ethical practices in the drinks industry to the benefit and education of others.”

Californian wine producer Jackson Family Wines has renewed its sponsorship of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW), the institute has confirmed. Jackson Family Wines became a ‘Supporter of the Institute’ in 2013 and joins a host of key industry players, including Constellation, Riedel and Santa Rita Estates, who act as major supporters. The family-owned Jackson Family Wines crafts award-winning wines with a focus on sustainable viticulture, and responsible vineyard and natural resource management. The family’s portfolio comprises more than 40 wineries.

Barossa Valley estate Seppeltsfield has been crowned Global Best of Wine Tourism at the 2017 Great Wine Capitals awards, announced in Portugal last week. Seppeltsfield is the first Global Wine Tourism Winner to represent Adelaide, South Australia – a new member to the Great Wine Capitals network this year. The award of excellence graces Seppeltsfield as Australia’s leading property for wine tourism services. Representatives from Seppeltsfield joined South Australian government primary industry and tourism delegates in Porto, Portugal to accept the award.

WFA announced today that Mr Sandy Clark, former Chairman of Brown Brothers Group and Mitchelton Wines, has been appointed by the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) as its new President. Mr Clark will succeed Mr Tony D’Aloisio AM, whose second and final permitted term as President concludes at the close of today’s AGM. Mr D’Aloisio congratulated Mr Clark on behalf of the Board and said “I am delighted that such a qualified and experienced individual as Mr Clark is taking over as President. He brings an xtraordinary wealth of business acumen spanning various sectors. I wish him well.’

Jacob’s Creek Chief Winemaker Ben Bryant today announced the appointment of Trina Smith to the position of Group White & Sparkling Winemaker, based out of the brand’s home in the Barossa Valley. With over 20 years of winemaking experience and completion of international vintages in California, Italy and South Africa, Trina’s vision for Jacob’s Creek will be driven by her diverse background and specialist winemaking expertise. “Jacob’s Creek is a proudly Australian brand of world-class standards, with a strong heritage of some of the finest winemakers in the country, who continually inject their passion and knowledge into building the brand into what it is today.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU was “a slap in the face” but it doesn’t lessen Britain’s importance as a key wine market according to Australian producer Neil McGuigan. Speaking to the drinks business during a visit to London, McGuigan said: “Brexit was a slap in the face and caused us a lot of stress due to the devaluation of the pound but you’ve got to get on with it. “There are a lot of issues at the moment with wine brands coming into the UK from around the world but the longterm outcome could be positive if Australia negotiates a good free trade agreement with the UK, which could accelerate the change of a shift of emphasis from the Old World to the New World.