At this early stage of vintage 2011, some Bordeaux vintners are expressing relief that they haven’t produced another great harvest this year. It is not a universal opinion – Paul Pontallier at Chateau Margaux said the grapes he has brought in so far are ‘excellent’ – but some insiders are happy to report a good but less-than-stellar vintage, reports Decanter. ‘After 2009 and 2010, 2011 brings us back to reality,’ David Pernet of consultants Sovivins said

Wine and Spirit Trade Association chief executive Jeremy Beadles has admitted that the industry body is still “a long way” from convincing the UK Treasury to introduce a new tax band for low alcohol wines. Speaking to The Drinks Business, Beadles said he remained “hopeful” of a breakthrough, but conceded the process might take as long as “nine to 12 months”. Beadles last week told the WSTA conference in London the organisation was keen to work on “opportunities for a new wine tax band between 5.5% and 8% abv.”

Can’t decide between a dry Maxime Magnon Grenache Gris, a fruity Rockford Frontignac or a fragrant Kaltern Pinot Bianco? Today that’s less of a problem than ever before – have a glass of each. With an increasing number of restaurants and bars offering a wider range of wines by the glass, customers are being encouraged to try a taste of more expensive wines, new labels and unusual varietals – and boost bar profits, reports The Australian.

The wine named in honour of Andrew Wigan was the pick of the bunch at Thursday’s Barossa Wine Show and delivered an emotional trophy to the Peter Lehmann winemaking team. Andrew (or Wig as everybody at Peter Lehmann Wines knows him) has only been back at work for a month after his second major abdominal operation in the past year, reports The Barossa and Light Herald. “I was incredibly sick 12 months ago, but I’m all good now and have been back at work for the past four weeks – and I’m pretty happy about it too,” Andrew said.

The Andrew Thomas juggernaut rolls on with his award for best red wine of show at the Hunter Valley Boutique Winemakers Show. Last month Mr Thomas collected six trophies at the bigger Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association Awards, including best red wine of show. But this time, just to show the strength of his portfolio, he won it with a different wine, reports The Maitland Mercury.

Three Barossa winemakers have been nominated in the Wine Society’s 2011 Young Winemaker of the Year Awards. Hentley Farm’s Andrew Quin, Orlando’s Dan Swincer and Troy Kalleske from the Kalleske family winery are all in the running to win the 11th title, reports The Barossa and Light Herald. Troy said it was great to see two of his Barossa peers in the running. “There’s only 10 finalists, so to have three in from the Barossa says some good things about the region,” Troy said

Homegrown winemaker Invivo Wines has built early success in its Japanese export market using strong in-store presence and its strategy of regular face-to-face meetings with consumers. For the Kiwi winemaking company, having a Japanese customer drive four hours to meet co-founder Rob Cameron is a good sign that small measures can lead to great events. Cameron, Invivo cofounder and winemaker, visited Tokyo and Yokohama recently where he poured heaps of Invivo wine and got up close and personal with Japanese wine lovers, reports NZ Exporter.

In the green foothills of the Brokenback mountain range in the Hunter Valley, the first buds of spring have begun to flower, but this is not likely to be a season of great cheer in one of Australia’s oldest wine producing regions. New figures show sales of Australian wine have fallen sharply as the industry faces its worst slowdown in a decade and a half. Growers here talk of the “perfect storm” whipped up by a strong currency, oversupply and cautious consumers, reports BBC News.

Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of cancer because ethanol is itself a carcinogen on certain parts of the body, scientists have found. Researchers said they found that when ethanol is broken down by the body, it can cause DNA damage that may lead to dangerous changes to the cells. The U.S team from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Maryland, used human cells engineered to produce an enzyme that is found in liver and breast tissue, reports Daily Mail.

Wine connoisseurs quaffing the red stuff for the sake of their heart health should know the myth has been busted. The Alcohol Policy Coalition, made up of Australia’s leading health groups, released a paper today challenging the common belief that red wine helps prevent heart disease. A review of the evidence shows any positive effects of alcohol have been “hugely overestimated”, reports The Herald Sun.