New Zealand’s Mount Brown Estates was the big winner at this year’s Boutique Wine Awards, claiming the Red Wine of Show, Estate Grown and Produced, and Wine of the Show gongs. The awards were in recognition of the winery’s Grand Reserve Pinot Noir 2013.
We’re in a vineyard with Mark Lloyd, who’s pretending to prune. A biplane flies over low; he looks at his tank watch, drops everything and heads off to lunch, which explains why he’s pruning in his dinner jacket at the wrong time of year with a watch you could swap for a house. Because movie.
Impressive growth in the demand for cider in the global markets has put it squarely back on the beverage alcohol map, attracting a younger, more affluent consumer, says agribanking specialist, Rabobank. In its latest report on the international beverage sector, Rabobank’s Wine Quarterly highlights the relative appeal of cider to younger, more well-heeled, both male and female consumers.
Maintaining premium wine prices and reacting to trends similar to the latest “handbag”, are some of the ways the wine industry can recover from struggling production profitability, according to some New South Wales wine makers. Canberra winemaker Ken Helm is adamant that it is fatal to be price driven.
The brothers responsible for an innovative trailer have been awarded the inaugural ‘Vinnovation’ award for winegrape growers in South Australia. Bill and Phil Longbottom, independent winegrape growers from Padthaway in the South East, were selected ahead of the other finalists for the trailer’s potential for adoption across all growing regions, its ability to directly improve profits and its relatively inexpensive cost.
One of the Californian wineries and brands which came into the Foster’s Group stable after it shelled out a whopping $2.9 billion to buy the broader Beringer Wine Estates business in 2000 has been sold by Treasury Wine Estates at a loss of US$7.5 million, as chief executive Mike Clarke moves to re-shape the operations.
Hunter’s Wines have become the official wine sponsor to the New Zealand Breakers for the upcoming NBL season. The sponsorship deal reinforces Hunter’s on-going support of basketball in New Zealand. Hunter’s have been gold sponsors of the Nelson Giants for many years and are supporters of Marlborough Basketball. Hunter’s Wines Managing Director and New Zealand wine icon, Jane Hunter said “we are very pleased to grow our association with basketball in New Zealand”.
Pic: Hunters
Cap: Jeremy Adsett – Marketing Manager, Jane Hunter – Managing Director, Peter Macdonald – General Manager.
Is it possible that sweet red wine sales totaled one-third of all the Chardonnay sold in the U.S. across the past year? And did slightly better against Cabernet Sauvignon? Or that sweet red wine outsold Syrah, Zinfandel, and Malbec over that time period, and almost overtook Merlot? Hard to believe, but apparently true. A leading wine industry analyst, working with proprietary data, has estimated sweet red wine sales in the 52 weeks ending April 25 were about $534 million.
Pic: sweet red
Cap: Sweet red wine is leading the way in popularity in the US.
Congratulations to Mike Winter from Amisfield who has just become the Bayer Central Otago Young Viticulturist of the Year 2015 and now goes through to the National Final. After a challenging day of activities on Friday at the Central Otago Polytechnic, the contestants’ final task was to deliver a speech at the Annual Winemakers Feraud dinner on Saturday night at Northburn. It was a very close competition with Annabel Bulk taking 2nd place and Cliff Wickham coming 3rd, both from Felton Road Vineyard.
Accolade Wines has launched a new fine wine business, Distinction Wines, representing brands from Australia, New Zealand and Italy in the on-premise market nationally, from this month. Distinction Wines comprises a portfolio of wines from key premium regions across the three countries, including South Australian Hardys and Grant Burge Wines; Tasmania’s House of Arras and Bay of Fires; Leasingham from the Clare Valley; and Western Australian brands, Houghton and Brookland Valley.