The world’s most influential wine commentator Jancis Robinson, OBE, MW, is heading to New Zealand for Pinot Noir NZ 2017. Bringing Robinson to New Zealand, with her world leading reputation as one of the most authoritative wine critics and writers, is seen as a major coup for the country’s Pinot Noir producers. It is the biggest international wine conference held in the southern hemisphere. Robinson is the first in a leading line-up of 15 guest speakers to be announced for the highly anticipated three-day event being held on Wellington’s waterfront from 31st January 2017.

Winemaker Alex Giesen is tipping the United States to become our biggest export market in one to two years, but it may happen even faster. Giesen predicts the US will overtake Australia and the United Kingdom as the biggest quaffers of New Zealand wine in 12 to 24 months. Giesen and his brothers founded Giesen Wines in 1984 in Canterbury. Now much of its grape growing is in Marlborough. He said New Zealand wine exports to the US had doubled in five years to 5.88 million cases in the year to April 2015.

A French criminal court has launched an unprecedented inquiry into the “involuntary homicide” of a Bordeaux wine grower who died of lung cancer after using a toxic pesticide on his grapes for 40 years. James-Bernard Murat, died in 2012 after spraying his vineyards in southwestern France with three pesticides containing sodium arsenite, which is now banned as a carcinogenic poison. His cancer was officially confirmed to be “linked to his profession” in 2011.

New Zealand wine exports to the United States are growing faster than to our traditional international markets of Australia and the UK, and that pace is being matched by increasing recognition at the top competitions. In the five years from 2010-2015, exports of Kiwi wines increased three times faster than the UK and Australia. For the 12 months ended April 2015, New Zealand exported 5.88 million cases of wine to the US – up three million since 2010. During that period, exports to Australia increased to 6.4 million (4.8 million five years ago).

For Craggy Range viticulturist Caleb Dennis it was a case of third time lucky when he picked up the Bayer Hawke’s Bay Young Viticulturist of the Year title last week. “I was pretty ecstatic to have won this year as it was the third time I had entered,” was how he summed it up. The 27-year-old beat seven other contestants at the Te Awa Winery-staged event to take the Hawke’s Bay title and now goes through to the national final against the rest of the industry’s best young viticulturists.

For the first time in Penfolds 171 year history, Peter Gago, chief winemaker, delivered the Penfolds Re-corking Clinic to fine wine collectors in Taipei. The ultimate in after-sales service, the winemaking team inspected Penfolds red wines aged 15 years and older, by appointment, at W Hotel Taipei on 7 July 2015. Highlights of the collections assessed included rare Grange vintages dating back more than four decades as well as well-cellared collections of Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Henri Shiraz, and Special Bin Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon wines collected in Taiwan from around the world.

A new two-year study led by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher will aim to change the way the Australian wine industry puts research into practice. The Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project was announced on Tuesday 6 July by the Minister for Education and Training, the Hon. Christopher Pyne MP. It will receive ARC funding of $191 394. The study, Information Seeking and Research Adoption: Assessing Communication Strategies will be led by CSU Professor of Information Studies Lisa Given.

Online wine sales have become more popular than direct purchases for the first time ever, according to a recent report by Wine Intelligence, with one-in-five wine drinkers shopping online. Market estimates put the size of the Australian online wine market at about $500 million with annual growth at 20 per cent. While the numbers are up, many online wine channels drive prices down, and the returns to the winery in a heavily discounted environment are meagre.

There are positive global signs for the Australian wine industry through potential new markets, but the sector could be facing a major dilemma through lost talent as its ageing growers and winemakers enter retirement. Mary Retallack, viticulturist and industry leader, said the vast majority of people running vineyard properties and making wine were aged 55 and above. “As these people transition into retirement, there is a real possibility that we will lose an immense amount of knowledge and experience from the industry.”

Following a successful inaugural event last year, the National Moscato Challenge is returning this year and organisers are looking to make the event bigger and better. Entries are open now to any winery in Australia who produces a Moscato style wine, giving them an opportunity to benchmark their Moscato’s against wines of similar style in a class all of its own. Chris Dent, National Moscato Challenge organiser, said the lure of Moscato’s sweet, fruity and low alcohol style has seen dramatic growth in the marketplace in recent years.