Dan Stinton hears the frustration of the hospitality sector when it comes to ordering alcohol and has set about making the task easier. He has established eBev which solves the problems of multiple suppliers by aggregating the portfolios of wine and beverage suppliers in Australia to make it easier for licensed restaurants, bars and retailers to search the wholesale marketplace and send purchase orders to multiple suppliers who are all in one place.
If a husband and wife winemaking team can survive the long days of harvest together, they’ve probably got a pretty solid relationship. Tim and Bec Duffy could vouch for that. Running a small winery nestled in Tasmania’s breathtaking Tamar Valley, the Duffy’s produce quality boutique wines with the help of their two boys and a very opinionated pet pig named Pinot. Emilie Reynolds reports.
Online wine merchant Naked Wines is looking to old-fashioned bricks and mortar as it maps the best way to reach its rapidly expanding customer base. The Australian arm of Naked Wines raises about $1.6 million a month from its network of 40,000 ‘angels’ or customers and in the past year turnover has topped $30 million. Naked Wines International chief executive Luke Jecks said the crowdfunded business was exploring how a shopfront would complement its online business and build on its service-centric model.
In response to a ‘growing interest’ for high end Australian wine in the country, Wine Australia recently held a Barossa Old Vine Heritage masterclass in Taipei. Hosted by Wine Australia and Austrade together with Barossa Grape & Wine Association, the event introduced 34 media and trade guests to Barossa’s unique terroir with 10 exceptional Barossa wines produced from old vines. Martin Walsh, Austrade Taipei senior trade commissioner, said research showed a strong market for high-end wine in Taiwan.
Grape farmers of 22 districts, piqued by the government’s failure to give them financial relief, have resolved to give a week to the Siddaramaiah government to address the issue. The decision was announced at a press conference by Abhaykumar Nandrekar, president, Karnataka State Grape Growers’ Association, here on Friday. “Ever since the Congress came to power, we have been asking them to waive off interest on loans borrowed from banks. The government, except rendering lip service, has not done anything so far,” he remarked.
An international event held at luxury ski resorts around the world has kicked off in Queenstown.
The four-day Clicquot in the Snow celebration ran until August 2. Locals and visitors alike celebrated all things winter with fine champagne in New Zealand’s adventure capital. It was the fifth year Queenstown played host to the luxury event. Restaurant Association of New Zealand Queenstown vice president Cameron Mitchell said the festivities helped boost visitor numbers to the resort town.
Key markets are strong for the New Zealand wine industry, especially in the affluent United States and Canada region. A smaller grape harvest this season meant world demand for kiwi wines was likely to exceed supply, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said. That was positive for pricing and the sharp fall in the kiwi dollar, notable against the US dollar, sterling, and Aussie dollar, would boost returns.
OPINION: There has been political controversy over the free trade agreements (FTAs), especially with China, and the mooted regional Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Dry economists on the right don’t like “trade distorting” bilateral agreements (they don’t even like calling them ‘free trade’ agreements), whilst many on the left are concerned about trade agreements going too far, beyond reducing tariffs and quotas, and getting involved in social policy, labour standards and the provision of public goods.
The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society has launched the Australian Women in Wine Awards, which aim to acknowledge and reward the work of women in the Australian wine industry. The awards also recognise industry leaders who champion equality and fairness for all sexes in the workplace. Jane Thomson, founder and managing director of The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, said: “For decades we’ve been wishing and hoping to see a significant rise in gender diversity in the Australian wine industry.
The many arguments surrounding Australia’s Wine Equalisation Tax, the oxygen transfer rate in oak barrels and whether manipulating vine balance directly affects fruit composition are among the highlights of the just-released July-August issue of the Wine & Viticulture Journal. Regular contributor and wine industry commentator Tony Keys explores the various opinions surrounding the Wine Equalisation Tax, highlighting how it benefits the industry as well as the views of those calling for its removal.