Ernie Loosen, the exuberant Mosel winemaker, has said that he believes New World Pinot Noir shouldn’t have high alcohol levels which can mask its subtle expression and upset “its balance and finesse.” Popping over to Hong Kong and Macau in what he jokingly calls a “one week Blitzkrieg”, Ernie Loosen said he forecasts steady growth in the Asia region, and is triumphant about the popularity of his Kabinett Riesling among Chinese drinkers in Hong Kong who prefer the lighter, fruitier style which can pair well with Cantonese cuisine.

THIS has got to be Australia’s craziest wine. And no — it’s not picked by naked maidens under a blue moon. It’s not even foot-stomped by unicorns. And it’s certainly not some unpronounceable grape variety imported from Outer Mongolia. In fact it is made from an astounding 108 different grape varieties, grown in the Barossa Valley and mashed together into an extraordinary rose blend that defies all winemaking conventions.

Orchardists and grape growers have backed up Prime Minister John Key’s comments on the difficulties of getting beneficiaries into seasonal work. He said the New Zealand Seasonal Workers Scheme, which is designed to give unemployed locals a job as opposed to a separate programme which brings in people from the Pacific Islands, had issues with locals who “just can’t muster what is required to actually work”.

Alibaba has launched a flagship Australian wine store through its Tmall platform, providing an opportunity for Aussie winemakers to tap into the lucrative Chinese market. Australian winemakers are set to benefit from Alibaba’s latest offering — a flagship business-to-consumer wine store offering Australian wines through the Tmall.com platform.

The Federal Government’s tax reform of the wine industry is squarely targeted at those producing bulk and unlabelled wine. Big retailers like Coles and Woolworths, which produce wine, will also lose the rebate. The government is currently meeting with the industry as part of its consultation into the changes.

NSW wine industry personalities including Bruce Tyrrell, Iain Riggs, Darren De Bortoli and Bill Calabria helped launch the inaugural First Planted Lunch in Sydney on Friday. The Langtons-sponsored event featured a live wine auction conducted by Matthew Caillard MW which included a number of rare and unusual items including a barrel of Tyrrell’s 2016 Vat 47 Chardonnay which sold for $12,232 and a double magnum of Lake’s Folly Cabernet which sold for $990.

Tasmania’s East Coast wine region is booming, with 19 vineyards in operation. Many were started by farmers wanting to diversify and value-add to their land. Businesswomen Helen Bain and Subi Mead are capitalising on the local industry’s growth with their new business, The Farm Shed East Coast Wine Centre at Bicheno.

The WEA Conference and Exhibition WineEng 2016 will be held at the Serafino Winery in South Australia’s McLaren Vale region this week (September 7 and 8). The conference is a significant and unique event on the wine calendar, concentrating on many aspects of wine production and aimed at production operations personnel (winemakers, engineering and maintenance staff, bottling and packaging management, general management as well winery suppliers). The common goal for those who attend is to ensure that the Australian wine industry remains competitive both in the domestic and global markets.

Wine storage business Wine Ark keeps a keen eye on the two million bottles it keeps for customers to see what they’re collecting and this year, for the first time in since 2007, Penfolds Grange has lost the title of Australia’s most collected wine to its cheaper relative, dubbed ‘baby Grange’, at one-10th of the price. But luckily for Treasury Wine Estates, owners of Penfolds, it’s another wine from that portfolio – the Bin 389 Shiraz Cabernet, which sells for around $75 compared to the $750 the current 2011 vintage of Bin 95 Grange commands.

Global architectural firm The Buchan Group has uncorked its design of the Mt. Beautiful Tasting Room in Cheviot, New Zealand, aimed at introducing food and wine enthusiasts to this internationally successful, locally grown wine label. Mt. Beautiful is a premium North Canterbury wine brand grown and produced at Spotswood, nine kilometres north of Cheviot. The tasting room based in Cheviot showcases its varieties in Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Chardonnay. Sympathetic to the timber-themed design of the adjoining Two Rivers Cafe, the fitout uses a blend of natural materials to reflect the environment of the vineyard.