The wine industry has experienced significant volatility over the last decade and, at times, widespread hardship and poor profitability. The emergence of certain recent macro-economic structural changes has finally created positive signs for Australian wine producers. The key structural drivers behind these shifts include the weakening Australian dollar, the emergence of new export markets (or improved access to existing markets) underpinned by Free Trade Agreements, strengthening consumer demand in some key market segments (particularly the premium wines segment) and a re balancing of supply and demand towards the equilibrium. Overall, the near-term industry outlook has improved which is reflected in the findings of Wine Australia’s 2016 Vintage Report.

For the first time the ultimate title of ‘2016 Pier One Sydney Harbour NSW Wine of the Year’ will go to a wine made by a Cowra based winery. Tom Ward, President of the NSW Wine Industry Association, says, “The NSW Wine Awards never cease to delight me; showcasing the finest wines from our well-known, legendary local winemakers and also unveiling and highlighting some true hidden gems from some of our smaller wine regions in terms of production – but not quality! The 2016 Awards also really proved that quality is being backed up by variety. I have not seen such a diverse range of wines from styles to regions be awarded and it gives me great pleasure. NSW Wine is really starting to lead across many areas and it is an exciting time to be a part of.”

Galli Estate’s Camelback Heathcote vineyard swept the pool at the newest wine show on the Australian circuit. The inaugural Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards saw Galli Estate take out the champion wine of the show – and collect best red as a bonus. Its big award was for the 2015 Camelback Montepulciano — and that wine also took out the best red. The launch of a new wine show has highlighted the increasing quality and popularity of wines produced from Italian grape varieties grown in Australia.

Argentina, Chile and New Zealand have bucked the downward trend in wine sales in the UK for the major producing nations, according to figures quoted by Concha y Toro this week. The wine company, which is Chile’s largest, cited IRI figures that show wine from the country increased its sales in the 12 months to 8 October by 4.5% on the corresponding period a year earlier. The rise, to GBP441.3m (US$538.2m), pushed Chile ahead of South Africa into fifth position. Overall, UK sales from the top ten producing nations were down in the 12-month period by 2.6% year-on-year, coming in at GBP4.8bn.

A former New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year has won the title of NZ Winemaker of the Year.
Four international wine judges picked Patrick Newton of Mudbrick Vineyard as the inaugural winner on October 15. The competition replaces the New Zealand Young Winemaker of the Year as part of the New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition, administered by the Canterbury A&P Show. The Waiheke Island winemaker describes the award as “quite an honour”.

Prices offered in a number of major wine regions this year were not enough to cover the cost of growing the crop and vines have since been removed. The Riverina Winegrapes Marketing Board in (RWGMB) southern New South Wales represents more than 300 growers in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and surrounding districts. RWMG CEO Brian Simpson said many of its members were stretched financially from years of low prices. However, he is encouraged by early price signals. “The domestic focused wineries, once one moves, they’re all going to jump and they’re all going to push to increase,” he said.

The initial results of the 2017 Sydney International Wine Competition were announced recently and Waimea Estates was delighted that four of their winestyles caught the eye of the judges. This wine show is a little different in that the wines are judged twice – once in a formal setting and the second time judged with a dish created by the competition’s in-house chef so as to gauge the wine’s food-matching ability. Waimea Grüner Veltliner 2016 and Spinyback Pinot Gris 2015 were both awarded Gold Medals – placing them in the top 15% of the wine show’s 2000 entries. Waimea Sauvignon Blanc 2016 and Spinyback Riesling 2016 went one step further to be awarded a Blue Gold Medal plus a placing in the TOP 100 wines overall which places them in the top 5% of the show.

Forget the cork, screw cap or even a glass – ‘cracking one open’ isn’t just for beer drinkers anymore. Misty Cove in Blenheim is the first winery in New Zealand to start canning wine, and says it’s not only convenient, but also good for storing the drink. “The can in itself as a vessel is brilliant,” winemaker Andrew Bailey told Newshub. “There’s no light strike, there’s no oxygen getting in there. It’s absolutely perfect for wine really.” He says the can has a protective lining, so the aluminium doesn’t tamper with the taste.

The results of Sopexa’s 2016 Trade Monitor have revealed that while the trade still sees France as the world’s most prestigious wine producer, sales of Spanish wines are expected to rise. The Trade Monitor is the collected two-year forecasts of 1,100 members of the international trade – importers, wholesalers and retailers – and how their clients and customers view wine. According to their responses, France remains the most popular wine-producing country with 94% of respondents having French wines in their portfolios.