The weather bureau says struggling winegrape growers in South Australia’s Riverland should prepare for more rain in coming weeks. Thousands of tonnes of grapes were affected by diseases such as downy mildew last summer. Growers had been hoping for a drier season but rain and warm weather during the weekend forced them to spray fungicides in their vineyards, reports ABC News.
Local winemaker, Bruce Dukes was honoured with the prestigious Winemaker of the Year Award at the WA Wine Industry Awards on Friday. Bruce is director and senior winemaker at the Naturaliste Vintners custom-crush winemaking facility at Carbunup, a project he started in 2003. This year’s award follows on from the company taking the Best Winemaking Facility award last year, reports Busselton Mail.
Margaret River has suffered no vine damage due to the bushfires, the Margaret River Wine Industry Association has said in an open letter. Thanking emergency personnel, volunteer firefighters, community groups and government agencies who helped fight the fires and their aftermath, Margaret River Wine Industry Association vice president Stuart Watson said the region had been saved by their efforts, reports Decanter.
Water Minister Tony Burke was yesterday confronted by an angry farmer over the controversial Murray Darling Basin plan. Just minutes into a press conference outside Griffith Council chambers, John Bisetto, a grape and citrus grower, shouted “shame on you” as he marched up to the minister, reports The Daily Telegraph. “You only came here for a photo opportunity,” Mr Bisetto said, adding farmers were killing themselves because of the water shortage.
Ed Carr, Accolade Wine’s long term sparkling winemaker, is a one-man industry. He clearly produces the finest most internationally styled wines in Australia – and perhaps in Australasia. Ed consistently wins the majority of the show circuit’s Methode Champenoise trophies and last week won the National Wine Show Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine…again, reports In My Community.
Lebanese producers hailed an “exceptional vintage” for 2011, as they advanced their campaign to develop the UK market in a series of tastings last week. Summing up trade reactions from a tour which took place in Manchester, Bristol and London, Lebanese-based wine writer Michael Karam said: “People are beginning to recognise that Lebanon deserves a place in the wine constellation.” Although the majority of the flagship wines presented at the tastings remained Cabernet or Syrah-based blends, Karam highlighted interest from the UK trade in some of the newer styles coming through, reports The Drinks Business.
When you purchase a bottle of Penfolds newly-released 2008 Bin 620 Cabernet Shiraz you are purchasing a time capsule, according to chief winemaker Peter Gago. That’s because the first make of the wine hasn’t been released to the public since 1966. The small volume made Bin 620 Cabernet Shiraz, sourced from Penfolds grapes in Coonawarra, was released this month in Shanghai. Gago said Penfolds only released extremely limited batches of rare special bin wines from exceptional vintages, and only then when the quality of the flagship Grange and Bin 707 are not in any way compromised, reports The Barossa & Light Herald.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of a high risk of fire across the state later this week. The warning comes after more than 40 properties were destroyed when fire ripped through the Margaret River area last week. The Bureau of Meteorology says the southern Gascoyne and central west will be the worst affected areas in the state, but residents in the Wheatbelt and south of the state should also be wary. Bureau spokesman Neil Bennett says the conditions will be similar to those during the Margaret River fires, reports ABC News.
Wines from Down Under were described as “thrilling” and “exciting” at yesterday’s first Australian Wine School in London. Speaking at the event, Tim Atkin MW said: “Australia is more exciting today than at any point in my life as a wine writer.” Atkin was joined by commentators Andrew Jefford and Nick Stock to discuss Australia’s soils, geology, climate as well as viticultural and winemaking developments, before conducting a tasting of Australia’s signature wines. The event was held by Wine Australia, reports The Drinks Business.
Nothing in life is without surprises, wine shows included. Well, in this case not any old wine show but the most prestigious of the many held each year in this country – the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The first of those surprises at this year’s show was, for the fourth year in a row, the dominance of Pinot Noir in the medal count. The second was the trophy-winning wine; the third the champion wine of the show; and the fourth the dismal failure of Hawke’s Bay’s much-vaunted Syrah to gain traction with the judges, writes Warren Barton in The Southland Times.