The inaugural Down to Earth Wine Celebration is proving to have a strong wine and food matching theme with 56 food and wine events including seven degustation dinners over the 12 days of the event. It all kicks off on Saturday 24 October with the Gibbston Valley Wine and Jazz Weekend degustation dinner featuring celebrity chef Simon Gault and winemaker Christopher Keys. On Tuesday there is a feast which combines the cuisine of celebrated award-winning chef James Stapley and the passion of Maude Wines winemaker Vanessa Robson at Bistro Gentil in Wanaka.

A Marlborough delegation has returned from a trip to an emerging winemaking province in China.
Four wine industry representatives travelled to Ningxia, along with Marlborough District Council economic development officer Cathie Bell and Marlborough Research Centre chief executive Gerald Hope. The group attended the Ningxia Wine Expo, where Marlborough wine equipment company Vitis had a display. They were hosted by the Ningxia Wine Bureau, which met the cost of accommodation and transport in China.

Judging for the Hot 100 South Australian Wines competition is under way, and organisers have one simple goal: to find and celebrate the most drinkable wines in South Australia. Its goal may be simple but it’s the manner in which they judge, collate and celebrate these wines that’s captured attention and caused a stir in the traditional realms of wine shows and judging. Entries opened in June for the ninth annual Hot 100 SA Wines competition, created and hosted by The Adelaide Review.

Cashed-up New Zealand businesses could give Hunter tourism operators a welcome boost on top of what’s already proved a bumper year. Domestic business tourism to the Hunter increased 99 per cent in the past year Destination NSW figures reveal. To further capitalise on these gains Hunter tourism stakeholders will co-fund a targeted marketing campaign worth $230,000 to promote the region to Kiwi businesses.

Global drinks giant Pernod Ricard is riding the global sugar backlash and trend to healthier foods and drinks to try to reignite sales of the much-maligned alcopops segment after years of big declines. Pernod Ricard hopes lower-alcohol and lower-sugar products will kick-start growth in the segment for the first time since Kevin Rudd introduced an “alcopops tax”. “Our aim is to turn around category performance from decline to growth,” Pernod Ricard managing director Julien Hemard said.

This September Perth will be the focus of The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society’s mission to celebrate and give profile to women behind the wine. The Perth Fabulous Ladies Wine Soiree on 24 September at The Terrace is set to showcase Western Australia’s own Joanne Bradbury and her label 3drops wine. The timing is particularly significant as this event – which is part of a successful national series – will be held just two weeks before entries close in the first ever Australian Women in Wine Awards. And entries from Western Australia are currently far outnumbered by those from the eastern states.

Hunter Valley’s Silkman Wines impressed at the annual James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge, with their 2014 Reserve Chardonnay named as the best with a score of 98. With 600 wines from 355 producers representing more than 50 Australian wine regions, James Halliday, wine critic, together with new judge Philip Rich praised the quality of wines entered into the competition, with more than 41 receiving 95+ points. “We are continually amazed by the quality and diversity of Australian Chardonnay which only a competition like this can truly bring out,” Halliday said.

Taltarni Taché was awarded Australia’s Best Sparkling Rosé at The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships 2015 held on 2 September. Competition founder Tom Stevenson and fellow judge Essi Avellan MW announced the award at Vintners’ Hall in London, in front of over 100 international winemakers, producers and journalists. Adam Torpy, Taltarni chief executive officer, was extremely excited to receive news of the award back in Australia.

The September 2015 issue of the Grapegrower & Winemaker magazine is out now – and is available online for all subscribers. This month features an in-depth look at how biosecurity is being tackled by the wine industry with Stuart Pettigrew describing his role in WGGA’s two new projects set to benefit wine grape growers across Australia. We also bring you the latest on Treasury Wine Estates’ profit turnaround and the newest sparkling trend taking over in Australia and Europe.

Wine prices are sliding as multiple grocers take on the discounters in a price war, the latest Nielsen figures have revealed. In the past quarter, just two countries – the US and France – saw the average price for a 75cl bottle grow by 1% in the 12 weeks to June 20, according to Nielsen figures in the WSTA Market Report. South Africa and Germany held their price – and the rest of the countries saw it fall.