Adelaide City Councillor Sandy Wilkinson suggested the ban last week, arguing that some liquor stores were profiting from the struggles of vulnerable people – particularly those who drink in the parklands – by selling alcohol early in the morning.
However, East End Cellars owner Michael Andrewartha says his store has never sold cheap liquor, and that a morning ban would have a “severe impact” on his business.
“At least three staff would lose their positions, and for no reason,” he told InDaily.

West Gippsland’s famously wet weather comes in handy for wine growers – some wineries are able to choose not to irrigate.
“A distinctive factor between cool climate varieties and the irrigated varieties is the production level,” Wild Dog Winery owner Gary Surman told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen.
“We would produce about a fifth of the volume of tonnes per acre compared to irrigation vines.”

Visiting international wine judge and celebrated author Stephen Brook believes there is a strong future for specific wine styles and varieties from the Swan Valley but the key is marketing.
“The Swan Valley does certain things very well, but in some cases these are varieties and styles which are not in huge demand, so the challenge for winemakers and marketers is to create markets for them,” he said.

We tend to think of the classic vinifera wine grape varieties as European, meaning French, Italian and Spanish. But vinifera’s origin lies to the east, in the Caucasus region: where Europe and Asia intersect, where ancient trade routes crisscrossed the mountains between the Black Sea and Persia, and near where the Bible says Noah planted a vineyard after the ark settled on Mount Ararat. This is where the oldest archaeological evidence of wine production, vinifera seeds in clay vessels, was found.

Neil McCallum is a pioneer of New Zealand pinot and the Wairarapa wine region, otherwise known as Martinborough. A former research scientist with a PhD in organic chemistry from Oxford University, McCallum and wife Dawn planted the region’s first 100 vines in 1979. They named their vineyard Dry River after a 19th century sheep station in the region, which itself was probably named due to the area’s dry, gravely and free-draining soil.

The Marlborough District Council is to pay a consultant $20,000 to scope out an idea for a research institute in Marlborough.
In the 2015 budget, ministers Steven Joyce and Nathan Guy announced $25 million over three years to support new privately-led regional research institutes.
The Government wants institutes to focus on scientific research relevant to a region, with an emphasis on research into new technologies, new firms, products and services.

Leading the charge to support innovation, Raidis Estate has recently installed South Australia’s first Tesla recharge station at their Coonawarra Cellar Door, enabling Tesla owners to visit the Limestone Coast wine region with ease for the first time.
The idea was sparked by Melbourne-based Tesla owner Keith Wein who visited Emma and Steven Raidis at their Cellar Door while waiting 24 hours for his battery operated vehicle to recharge.

LiraH, Australia’s leading premium vinegar producer, started with some oak barrels on a farm at Ballandean only 10 years ago.
In 2003, Ian Henderson and his wife Robyn launched Australia’s first dedicated vinegar-making facility in Queensland’s premier wine-growing region, the Granite Belt.

Renowned winemakers the Calabria family have snapped up the picturesque Magnolia Vale wine property in the heart of the Barossa Valley for about $1.9 million.
The 12-hectare property on the corner of Magnolia and Light Pass Roads in Tanunda has 10 hectares of vines producing grapes for Treasury Wine Estates. It is also renowned for its 1800s bluestone cellar door and restaurant leased to Artisans of Barossa, run by seven local wine producers.

Australian Vintage Limited has reported an 11 per cent drop in its annual profit to $9.4 million amid tough conditions for the industry globally.
Revenue for the business increased 7.5 per cent on the previous year to $230.9m, which the company said “reflected higher branded sales despite anticipated lower bulk and processing sales”.