California winemakers think the days of rice wine in China are waning as vintners find success marketing high-end cabernets to a new generation of upscale consumers. Wine exports crushed international sales records in 2011, due in large part to growing demand for California wines in China and Hong Kong. Lower quality California appellation wines have sold well to middle-class consumers in recent years, but the increasing demand for top quality vintages is evidence of China’s growing upper class, reports the Huffington Post.

A little spring cleaning is usually in order before moving to a new job, but when David Dearie agreed to head the Foster’s Australasian wine division a few years ago, he took it as an opportunity to clean out his cellar. While work moves spanning the Middle East, Asia, Britain and the US meant it was a relatively modest 1200 bottles, a long-term romance with wine meant its size was no reflection of the quality of a collection that included premium French wines, reports the Brisbane Times.

Golfing superstar Greg Norman has emerged as our newest wine tycoon with vineyards in Australia, California and Argentina. And he has not one but two fabulous cellars with precious vintages such as Penfolds Grange and Chateau Margaux. Norman is in partnership with global wine colossus Treasury Wine Estates and his bottles carry the famous shark logo, reports the Herald Sun.

The first Nelson Bay ‘Blues, Wine n’ Food Festival’ will take place on March 3 and 4 to coincide with the upcoming 50th anniversary of the NSW Game Fishing Interclub Tournament. The event will take place along the Nelson Bay Foreshore and will feature nine wineries, a range of food stalls and four entertainment stages. According to event coordinator Marian Sampson an event of this kind had ‘‘never been done before’’ in the area, and she said she was expecting around 10,000 to 12,000 visitors to the event, reports the Port Stephens Examiner.

Marlborough entrepreneur and winery owner Peter Yealands never thought he was worthy of a biography, but after seeing the finished book he admits he’s “done a bit” in 50 years of business. A Bloke For All Seasons: The Peter Yealands Story, by Marlborough author Tom Percy, was released yesterday. The founder of Yealands Estate has been in business since leaving school at 14 to run his father’s grocery business, reports The Marlborough Express.

Hawkes Bay winery Church Road is set to expand the Australian distribution of its range of New Zealand wines, which is uniquely focussed on Chardonnay and Bordeaux red varieties. The Church Road wines are currently exclusive to Woolworths, but owner Pernod Ricard will be expanding distribution to include independents and other chains from 1 July. While Church Road does make smaller quantities of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, they will not play a role in its Australian range, reports The Shout.

Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates, the world’s second-largest wine firm, posted first half net-profit in line with analysts’ forecasts, with a slump in U.S. earnings offset by solid gains in Australian sales. Net profit before one-offs was A$58.6 million ($63 million), a touch below market forecasts of A$59.8 million according to a Reuters survey of five analysts, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Wander along the Bund in Shanghai and you might be surprised to see a Tasmanian Pinot Noir among the vintage Chateau Latours and Lafittes gracing a luxurious hotel’s wine list. Even more surprising is its price: the equivalent of $270. That’s not bad for a wine from the Nocton Park Vineyard between Richmond and Campania. Like its neighbour Domaine A just down the road, China is by far Nocton Park’s biggest customer, reports The Mercury.

Mary Retallack was 13 when her greatest motivation in life came with the death of her father and the family’s need to sell its Renmark fruit block. It taught her to adapt and find her own path in life, leading eventually to her starting Retallack Viticulture, an independent consultancy offering a range of advisory services to the wine industry. Her success led to her winning the 2012 South Australian Rural Women’s Award yesterday and a $10,000 bursary from the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, to enhance her skills and share the reward by giving back to her local community, reports Adelaide Now.

Ask Stephen Bennett any question about wine and expect an answer so long you’ve time to leave the room, wash the car, mow the lawns and walk the dog – come back and he’ll still be answering your question, oblivious to the fact you have been absent. This is not a criticism or even a cheap shot… the Master of Wine is bursting with enthusiasm, knowledge and experience that comes from almost 25 years’ involvement in the New Zealand wine industry as merchant, educator, writer, taster and producer, reports The New Zealand Herald.