The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) has welcomed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as an opportunity to grow wine exports and attract future investment. Tony D’Aloisio, WFA president, said the TPP promised to level the playing field for those entering the 12 signatory countries which last year accounted for 45 per cent of Australia’s wine exports – or $837 million out of the total $1.9 billion in total wine exported in 2014.
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The grape vines that grower Frank Leeds tends in Napa Valley stand among the unheralded heroes of California’s drought, producing decade after decade of respected Cabernets and other wines without a drop of added water. In a state where farms and dairies take the biggest gulp of the water supply, Leeds and the owners of his Frog’s Leap Winery are among a minority — but a growing minority — of California growers and winemakers who believe that when it comes to wine grapes, the less irrigation, the better.
China’s wine imports in August surged 28.9% year on year to 44.6 million litres in volume and rose 12.7% to US$154 million in value, but the average import price declined from both a month and a year earlier to only US$3.45 per liter, prompting the nation’s leading wine companies to acquire upstream wineries or related enterprises abroad, reports the Shanghai-based National Business Daily, citing statistics compiled by GrandView, a private think tank in China.
Primary producers in South Australia’s Riverland are set to benefit from a new regional food, wine and tourism branding project. Regional Development Australia has secured a $40,000 grant to develop a collaborative marketing strategy and brand identity, to help promote local premium products and experiences.
Treasury Wine Estates, owner of Penfolds, Wolf Blass and Rosemount, may look closely at buying the Sterling Vineyards wine brand in California but is likely to steer clear of other lower-end brands that British alcoholic drinks giant Diageo is putting up for sale. Diageo, which has a market capitalisation of $43 billion, makes most of its profits from its spirits portfolio which is led by Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff Vodka, Captain Morgan rum and Tanqueray gin, while in the beer category it also sells the Guinness brand.
Lindeman’s is the latest wine brand to embrace millennial drinkers, especially males, who are under-represented in wine sales compared to beer or cider, with the launch of a new product called the Gentleman’s Collection that will hopefully introduce the 172-year-old brand to a new generation of drinkers. It follows on the footsteps of McGuigan, which recently pitched its own generation Y brand called You, with other winemakers set to follow as they attempt to pick up new drinkers and tempt younger consumers away from rival drinks.
Chinese appetite for Barossa Valley vineyards and wineries has cooled. But the lower dollar is attracting new overseas players to South Australia’s premier wine-growing region alongside local winemakers looking to shore up their fruit supply, as drier El Niño conditions loom. “Asian interest has cooled a little bit, possibly because of the new government restrictions on money coming out of the country and because of the slowdown in the Chinese economy,” said Toby Langley, managing director of advisers Gaetjens Langley. “Buyers are a little more cautious.”
Canberra’s winemakers are hoping new weather stations will provide more reliable data for the region. Two weather stations costing $10,000 each have been installed just outside Canberra, one at Four Winds Vineyard in Murrumbateman, and another at Brindabella Hills near Hall. They are capable of measuring basic conditions, such as rainfall, humidity and wind speed, along with agricultural conditions such as leaf wetness and soil temperature.
New Zealand Winegrowers has welcomed the news that Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiators have reached a final agreement. “This is an excellent outcome for the New Zealand wine industry,” said Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers CEO. “Finalising the TPP is strategically very important for our export future as the TPP countries already account for over 60% of New Zealand wine exports.”