A special visitor touched down on the tarmac at Hawke’s Bay Airport yesterday – and the high-flying plane will soon be connecting the country’s biggest wine-producing regions. A group of wine-industry representatives was given a test flight in the nine-seater Pilatus PC12 plane, which is set to fly direct between Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. Sounds Air managing director Andrew Crawford said his company was in the “final stages” of sealing the deal with Hawke’s Bay Airport, with the service proposed to start in early August.

A boutique Marlborough winemaker has signed up as a sponsor of the National Whale Centre in Picton. Johanneshof Cellars founder and winemaker Edel Everling said when she was contacted about sponsoring the centre she was keen to help out. “We try to stay local with our support because that’s where we live and where we want to help.” The Whale Centre was an amazing initiative, Everling said. “Even though it’s local it reaches far. It’s quite a global thing.”

Going on a journey is a bit of a buzz concept today’s culture and it’s no different with wine where customers want to engage with the story, colour and life behind what’s in their glass. Simon Forsythe runs a wine bar and cellar door offering only wines from Orange in central west New South Wales and he’s well aware of how customers choose their drop. With a background in marketing and having worked to change the image of several well-known international food brands, he believes the colour, life and story of the wine as portrayed in the label is key.

THERE’S nothing better than teaming a prime cut of beef with a bold South Australian read. It’s part of the reason why Texas — heartland of the United State’s cattle country — is the target of a State Government strategy to reignite Americans’ hankering for South Australia’s premium wines after years of underperforming exports. Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell said Australian wines have been out of favour in the US after cheap labels flooded the market damaging the brand of our top shelf ranges.

Since 2003 smoke taint in wines has been on the rise and the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) says it expects the problem will worsen. Grapes exposed to smoke from bushfires and controlled burns can leave more than just an ashy taste in the mouth, with some smoke compounds causing wine to smell and taste like plastic, band aids or even faecal matter. Recently 25 Adelaide Hills vineyards tested positive for smoke taint from bushfires earlier this year and in 2009 40 per cent of Victoria’s wine production was affected.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) employees from across the world are banding together to lend a helping hand in their local communities. From making hot meals to collecting litter and planting trees, employees will be out in force this week to support charities and not-for-profit organisations across the world as part of the company’s inaugural Global Volunteering Week, running from 18-22 May 2015.
While TWE employees have been involved in volunteering activities in previous years, this is the first time all activities are focused on a single week across the globe.

Dear Colleague, We’d like to share some news with you which we feel is very important to your business and the wine industry. As many of you will know, independent opinion in wine has come under pressure from several fronts: 1. Excessively high scores by some critics, which undermines the credibility of wine ratings for the consumer; 2. Wine writers being paid directly by retailers, or entering into revenue share arrangements, for reviewing wines; 3. Advertorials masquerading as independent opinion…

Domestic New Zealand wine sales soared 18 per cent in the year to March following a bumper 2014 vintage. New Zealand Winegrowers figures show nearly 60 million litres of New Zealand wine was sold domestically. New Zealand Winegrowers has about 850 grower members and 700 winery members. Its chief executive Philip Gregan said domestic New Zealand wine sales experienced such high growth because 2014 was a big vintage for New Zealand wineries.

Nicky Grandorge has been appointed as the new National Coordinator for NZ Young Viticulturist of the Year, taking over from Emma Taylor, a previous winner of the title. Grandorge brings with her a wealth of experience from many years in the wine industry and plans to grow the competition even further. She is a WSET Certified Educator and says she is delighted to be involved in such a positive event, which helps encourage and develop young professionals within the industry.

Accolade Wines is upping spend on its flagship Hardys brand and setting its sights on further expansion to strengthen its global coverage. Paul Schaafsma, general manager for UK, Ireland and global partners, said: “Retailers tell us Hardys is by far the strongest wine brand, because no one is spending or doing as much to back anything else. “The Australian category started to take itself a bit too seriously so we needed to inject some fun. The fact an Australian brand is sponsoring the England team gave us the perfect ammunition.