Bricklayer Tom Hunter isn’t afraid to admit that every now and again he’ll overlook a Carlton Draught beer for a glass of pink coloured wine. And Mr Hunter, 30, is not the only bloke in the country picking up a bottle of Rosé at the local bottle shop. Wineries big and small have noticed Rosé sales are on the rise, and it’s partly because of men. Some now refer to rose as “brosé”.

Move over Champagne, there’s a new kid on the block to take over as the kingpin of sparkling wines in Australia. Ask anyone in the alcohol industry and they will tell you that there is a growing cult-like following behind Prosecco, with local sales of the Italian sparkling going bananas. “Everyone at the moment is talking about the rise of Prosecco,” says Vinomofo co-founder Justin Dry.

Big data solutions company Invigor Group will deploy its Insights Retail platform to Treasury Wine Estates for its alcohol beverage range. Insights Retail is a competitive market intelligence platform across a range of product verticals for retailers and brands. The software collects real-time data across online and offline prices, freight, consumer demand and marketing activity.

Canberra district wine pioneer Edgar Riek OAM has died, aged 95. He has been remembered as a visionary who had a knack for choosing where to build a vineyard and an inspiration to winemakers in Canberra and beyond. Friends say Dr Riek suffered a serious head injury after falling on Monday afternoon. He was taken to Canberra Hospital, where he died on Wednesday.

AN INDEPENDENT review of the Horticulture Code of Conduct has suggested that trading practices within the Australian wine industry should be analysed. The mandatory horticulture code was introduced almost nine years ago to improve trading relationships between growers and traders of fresh fruit and vegetables, following complaints from growers that trading terms were vague and often undocumented, and that growers had no formal dispute resolution process to which they could refer complaints.

Amazon is already well established as the leading e-tailer ready, willing, and able to sell you just about anything (for next day delivery). But there are certain product categories that consumers need to do a bit of research on before choosing to buy. That can be tedious, time consuming, and delays a purchase. Amazon doesn’t want that to happen, so it’s experimenting with doing the research for you.

International wine celebrities and trade visitors have spent the weekend testing their knowledge of Hawke’s Bay wine as they’ve competed in The Hawke’s Bay Wine Amazing Race during the 2nd annual Hawke’s Bay Wine Celebration. Teams traveled around Hawke’s Bay sub-regions making specific pit stops, where they deciphered clues and puzzles as well as competed in a variety of fun and challenging activities.

So, the Sauvignon Blanc conference. Two and a half days focusing on this grape, which New Zealand has made its own. Talks and tastings; dinners and parties. And welcoming Blenheim, shy at first, but then opening up to receive a few hundred guests and locals. Two establishments in particular deserve mention: Ritual, for its morning eggs and coffee; and Scotch, a lovely wine bar with excellent chips, too.

BENNI’S could be the first face you see when arriving at Tumbarumba Wines Escape, 10km south of Tumbarumba in the eastern Riverina’s Mannus Valley. Benni, the Jack Russell, is right at home in this cellar door and function centre, which boasts a decidedly Italian flavour. Owners Garry and Kay Wilson turned to cool-climate wine production seven years ago after a decade as world-leading wool producers.

Recently, a woman was “retrenched” from her longstanding role as a winemaker for a highly reputable business shortly after she announced she was pregnant. To her face, they said they would look for fresh talent. Behind closed doors they panicked at the thought of a second maternity leave. Similarly, a talented and well-known winemaker became pregnant and was immediately dropped from her position as contract winemaker for a large wine corporation. They offered her a role in sales. They couldn’t see how she could make wine and have children at the same time.