The Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013 has just been awarded Best Australian Red Wine at the International Wine Challenge in the UK. The Tolpuddle Vineyard is located in the Coal River Valley just 20 minutes outside of Hobart and is recognised as one of the finest vineyards in the island state. Michael Hill Smith, Tolpuddle managing director, said the winery’s aim was to establish Tolpuddle as one of Australia’s great single vineyard wines. “This vineyard produces wines of amazing aromatic intensity and flavour. It’s a wonderful result.”

The largest contingent of Greek winemakers ever to visit Australia will arrive at the end of June to showcase the newest and most innovative wines from the world’s oldest winegrowing region. More than 20 winemakers, educators and grape-growers will visit Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide for a series of tastings, dinners and masterclasses that have previously only ever been held in the USA and Canada.

A wine industry leaders’ forum held in August will unite industry bodies to discuss key issues and offer solutions. With two main objectives, ‘Grape and Wine 2015 – A Focus for Action’, will call on representatives to decide on ways to accelerate return to profitability and reach agreement on an optimal future representative industry structure that presents a united industry voice on key issues and maximises industry’s resources and influence and at the same time values state and regional representation.

Canada has a beef with the US. They’re pawing the ground and seeing red. Red wine, that is.
Such a dispute is rare for the two NAFTA countries that share the longest undefended border in the world. The meat of the matter is, well, meat. Canada–and Mexico–complained last year to the World Trade Organization that US regulations were burdensome and discriminatory. The regs require that certain cuts of meat state on the label where the meat was raised (they are known as “country of origin labeling,” or COOL in the language of trade negotiators).

After a successful debut in 2014, the New Zealand Organic Wine Awards has enjoyed large growth in terms of both participating vineyards and media interest for the 2015 awards. We believe that the increased participation is due to both a successful debut season, but also an increase in organic certifications and conversions from both existing and new wineries. Organic wine is a fast market growth area, with consumer demand and interest growing exponentially.

A new boutique winery outside Renwick designed by The Hobbit’s art director has been granted resource consent by the Marlborough District Council. Jackson Estate, one of the oldest wineries in Marlborough, is behind the winery on vineyard land at Jacksons Rd. It will be capable of producing 250 tonnes of grapes per year. A council resource hearing committee heard the application in April and has granted the application a five-year consent. The Hobbit trilogy’s art director Brian Massey is designing the hosting centre which will look like a 1850s settlers’ hut.

Recently announced tax breaks for small businesses are expected to attract more interaction and investment at WineTech2015. Matthew Moate, Wine Industry Suppliers Association (WISA) executive officer, said the tax incentive could be “a major new driver of investment in plant and equipment supporting the wine sector and it is a very welcome development in the lead-up to WineTech2015.” Businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million can now claim a tax deduction on capital purchases for business assets of up to $20,000.

A new centre launched at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus will help the wine industry address key challenges while producing the wines that consumers want and the market demands. Supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and 12 partner organisations, the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production aims to build knowledge and technologies that will help the wine industry face the challenges of climate warming, water limitations, changing consumer preferences and increasing production costs.

A submission from the wine industry to the Productivity Commission’s national workplace relations review has highlighted the need for comprehensive reforms to the federal workplace relations laws.
The detailed submission prepared by the South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) in collaboration with the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) contains 22 recommendations.
“We have identified a range of changes that need to be made to get flexibility and balance back into the system, lift productivity and cut red-tape and compliance costs, particularly for many of the small businesses in the wine industry,” Brian Smedley, SAWIA chief executive, said.

Yellow Tail is the fastest growing wine in the UK, according to Casella Family Brands, after selling 12 million 750ml bottles during the past fiscal year. John Casella, Casella Family Brands managing director, said the UK was the second largest market for Yellow Tail by volume. “We are grateful to our distributor partner, Percy Fox & Co, and our customers, for all their effort and commitment in helping us reach this milestone and we are very excited about what the future holds for the brand,” Casella said.