Invited to a chef’s flat in Bethnal Green to meet two winemakers from down under, Nick puts on his hipster beard and gets on the tube.

Renwick is the heart of sauvignon blanc country, surrounded by vineyards and wineries producing the wine that put Marlborough on the map. You can probably find a few bottles of savvy in the Woodbourne Tavern, but being a classic Kiwi pub most punters tend to favour a pint.

Consultation on reform of the Wine Equalisation Tax Rebate starts next week with exactly who will be eligible for the scaled back rebate high on the agenda.

Morgan Stanley is understood to be one of the banks that will secure a joint lead manager role to float Accolade Wines, according to sources.

Head winemaker for Wolf Blass Chris Hatcher recently visited Phuket to host an exclusive dinner at Bliss Beach Club, to mark the newly inked partnership, and showcase the brand’s range of premium wines.

Hawke’s Bay – the historical homeland of New Zealand’s red Bordeaux varieties – could be due for a shake-up, with high-cropping Merlot vineyards replanted with Syrah according to Craggy Bay winemaker Matt Stafford.

“We know how to make wines that will get higher Parker ratings, but we want to stay faithful to the terroir.” Marie-Hélene Dussech, Commercial Director, Château Brane-Cantenac.

Penfolds has won this year’s James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge for its 2015 Reserve Bin A Chardonnay, taking out Best Chardonnay in Australia as well as Best Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills. With an overall score of 98 points from the panel of judges, the Penfolds wine was deemed the most complete and balanced of the 600-plus entries.

Before me are nine hand-labelled samples of cabernet sauvignon picked in March 2015 from two parcels of land at one Coonawarra vineyard, fermented two ways and then collected four ways (or is that five?) in five kinds of barrels of two sizes.

After 40 years devoted to creating and developing his award-winning vineyard and tourism complex, the time has come for Luigi Bazzani to retire.