TWO WINE MAKERS from the same region in Australia swung into town early in November, both showing off a fondness for agriculture, and first-generation know-how. The pair showed off their wares at a lunch in Makati’s Wine Depot with seven wines from Adam Mark’s Bress winery, and Mark Matthew’s Mount Macleod and Caledonia Australis Wines, all made in the region of Victoria.
Agriculture has been touted as a big winner in the China Australia Free Trade Agreement but a closer look at the deal shows it is unlikely to have much influence on the national economy. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s head of industrials, food, beverage and agriculture, Peter McGregor, said there was plenty of reasons to get excited about the prospects for dairy, beef and wine industries. The tariffs for these products will be slashed from 20 to 25 per cent to zero in coming years. But Agriculture makes up about 8 per cent of Australia’s total exports to China, he said. Of that 8 per cent, about 20 per cent is dairy, beef and wine.
Treasury Wine Estates has appointed former Orica finance chief Noel Meehan as its chief financial officer. Meehan will take up the position on January 1, replacing outgoing chief financial officer Tony Reeves. The position involves leading TWE’s global finance and information technology functions as the company next year integrates its acquisition of Diageo’s US and UK wine businesses, Treasury Wine (TWE) said.
WINERIES in the Macedon Ranges have escaped unscathed from the bushfire that tore through their region last month. The blaze came close to the edge of some vineyards, but there was no damage or smoke taint in grapes, giving Macedon’s biggest wine festival the go ahead. Llew Knight from Granite Hills Winery at Baynton said the Lancefield fire was near his vineyard but his grapes were not affected.
Wine trends show economic positivity in the UK, according to the latest Wine Intelligence UK Landscapes 2015 Report. Findings released today showed that drinkers are drinking wine in formal restaurants more often, but also in bars and pubs – where they’re spending 21% more on a bottle than they did two years ago. Sparkling wine is also shown to be a category in growth – prosecco in particular. The Italian sparkler has gained four million consumers since 2013.
Sonoma State University researchers are testing a new microbial treatment system that could allow greater reuse of winery wastewater for vineyard irrigation plus make electricity without methane combustion. A pilot system was installed at D’Argenzio Winery in the Vintners Square commercial development on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa in October.
A warm, early spring set the clock ticking to make California 2015 the earliest harvest of the new millennium. In many areas, inclement weather during flowering resulted in shattered grape clusters, making small quantities inevitable from the very beginning. Vines fatigued by three years of drought and three consecutive generous vintages (2012-2014) also tended to produce smaller berries than usual.
Other winemakers respect him. Wine drinkers of all levels know his brands. Journalists love him. But winemaker Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard doesn’t need any of it. After more than 40 years in the industry, Graham has maintained his reputation for breaking the mould. He talks like a philosopher with the soul of a scientist, but it’s just as likely that we’ve got the two mixed up.
WineFriend is New Zealand’s first and only online wine retailer to deliver curated cases of wine matched to individual ‘personalities’. The brainchild of NZME wine columnist and Thirsty Work presenter Yvonne Lorkin and wine industry veteran Debbie Sutton, WineFriend takes the hassle and guesswork out of enjoying a great bottle at a reasonable price. Colleen Thorpe asks them some questions and tries some wine …
A new invention is set to revolutionise the wine industry, but it is unlikely to cause much of an explosion in Marlborough. The handheld device, dubbed the Wine Grenade, is designed to accelerate the ageing process of wine by adding oxygen so that vintages can reach the table faster. It promises to cut back the two-year ageing wait to just six months and will also save tens of thousands of dollars by eliminating the cost of shipping barrels from overseas and other production costs.