A Central Otago Pinot Noir won the top prize at the 30th Air New Zealand Wine Awards at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre last night. The Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir Central Otago 2014 won the prestigious Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show Trophy, as well as the JF Hillebrand New Zealand Champion Pinot Noir. Chair of Judges and Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich said the Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir Central Otago 2014 was one of the more complex Pinot Noir wines in this year’s competition.

Fine wine, fine art, fine gardens and fine homes – all accompanied by fine weather meant plenty of fine smiles for the organisers of three major Cranford Hospice fundraising events over the past five days. For the organiser of the 25th annual Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction, Annabel Tapley-Smith, the generosity displayed by guests at the event which was staged at the Hawke’s Bay Opera House Plaza in Hastings on Saturday was “overwhelming”.

A decade ago, no one would have thought of making wine in Chile’s windswept southern Patagonia region. But now it is warming, and winemakers are seeking their fortune here while the country’s production falls overall. Traditionally cold and wet, the region now has enough sunshine to grow high-quality Pinot Noir grapes. “We have managed to make the grape mature,” says Sergio Subiabre, head of sales for Villasenor Wines.

New varietals marketed through Chinese online service providers and retailers including WeChat and Tmall are the next frontier for Australians entering our largest export market, one local winery believes. Blue Pyrenees chief winemakers and CEO, Andrew Koerner, told TheShout he has developed a plan which specifically targets younger Chinese consumers which he sees as the next key platform for Australia’s largest export market. According to Koerner, the first part of the plan is to introduce rosé to China, which he announced at this week’s ProWine China exhibition in Shanghai.

The inside story of Australian wine is a heartbreaking tale of boom and bust. Veterans still shake their heads over “The Great Vine Pull of 1987.” After five years of uncontrolled surpluses, the government actually paid growers to remove Shiraz vines and leave their land barren. The result was the loss of thousands of acres of the best old-vine Shiraz. The industry recovered and another boom ensued, only to come crashing down in the recession of 2007-2008. Then a strong surge in the value of the Aussie dollar made entry-level wines such as Yellow Tail no longer seem like appealing bargains.

Wine Australia is inviting Heathcote’s grape and wine community to submit new, bold, exciting and engaging ideas to help increase wine exports and inbound tourism to the region. Submissions are sought from the wine sector and wine-region tourism operators to contribute to Wine Australia’s activities under the Australian Government’s $50 million export and regional wine support package. Wine Australia chief executive Andreas Clark said the consultation would help shape how the support package would benefit regional wine producers and assist export-focused businesses to continue to grow.

Crop losses from severe weather late last week are being assessed by growers in the South Australian Riverland, as state politicians head to the region to consider what can be done to support hard-hit primary producers. Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell flew to the area near the state’s eastern border for talks with primary industries officials and Opposition Leader Steven Marshall also headed there to discuss crop damage with regional MP Tim Whetstone and growers. The industry body representing grape growers said some had lost up to 80 per cent of their crop as severe winds and hail lashed the region on Friday.

Two North Coast wine businesses made this year’s list of Wine Star Awards-winners from Wine Enthusiast magazine. Hopland-based Bonterra Organic Vineyards was named American Winery of the Year. Also, Michael Clarke, managing director and CEO of Australia-based Treasury Wine Estates, was named Winery Executive of the Year. In Treasury’s global portfolio are North Coast brands Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Acacia, Stags’ Leap, Sterling Vineyard and Chateau St. Jean.

Just when you thought it had sunk without trace, shiraz is back with a bang. t’s not often that you spot a marked trend in the wine world. Mostly things trundle along much the same as usual. Prosecco, New Zealand sauvignon blanc, malbec, yada, yada, yada… But what’s this? Suddenly a whole load of delicious shiraz is hitting the shelves. This is particularly welcome from Australia, whose output had shrunk to a choice between sickly-sweet cheapies and overextracted, chewy monsters that were practically a meal in themselves.

The Limestone Coast and Coonawarra wine regions will reap the benefits of a new $1.8 million State Government scheme designed to attract visitors and grow our wine industry. Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Leon Bignell said the South Australian Wine Industry Development Scheme would help to ensure growth in the state’s wine sector and further cement South Australia’s reputation as a producer of premium wine. “Funding from the scheme will not only directly benefit individual cellar doors but also extend to grape growers, winemakers, individual wine brands, culinary tourism operators, restaurants as well as regional food and wine events,” Mr Bignell said.