Australia’s wine exports have grown to $2.1 billion annually, and the average price paid for wine grapes has grown by 14 per cent to $526 per tonne. This has been attributed to massive surge in demand from China according to wine critic James Halliday in a recent interview with ABC news. He said: “It’s all being pulled by enormous demand from China. It takes more than 50 per cent of our highest-priced wines, and that’s where we really want to be.”

Almost a month since the ‘no’ came from the UK to Europe, the most immediate response in consequences on the economy was the low level of the pound. The time passed since the referendum has inspired one to envision various possible economic scenarios, especially in the field of food and wine, in which the UK has a primary role as a buyer.

A stink bug that has decimated crops in the United States and Italy could be catastrophic for the Marlborough wine industry if it breaches border control. New Zealand Winegrowers biosecurity manager Edwin Massey said the bug, called the brown marmorated stink bug, was public enemy No 1 when it came to biosecurity risks.

Two high-level executives have stood down from their respective roles within the Marlborough wine industry. Cloudy Bay Vineyards estate director Ian Morden left last week after seven years at the label, which is owned by luxury goods company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. He was unable to be reached for comment. Jason Judkins, chief executive of the sixth largest wine exporter in New Zealand, Yealands Wine Group, also announced he was stepping down.

Grapegrowers are keeping their eyes on their crops at a dozen wineries in Carmel Valley closest to the Soberanes Fire, which has burned over 60,000 acres since it began more than two weeks ago in Monterey County. The grapes have been exposed to heavy levels of smoke as they undergo veraison, when the berries change colour indicating they’re moving closer to ripening, and many growers can’t do much to protect their crop, Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association executive director Kim Stemler said.

As Margaret River winemakers are busily preparing for 50th anniversary celebrations next year, Credaro Wines has revealed the region’s origins in fact date back to the 1920s, from an Italian grape variety called Fragola. It is often regarded that Vasse Felix, Cullen, Cape Mentelle and Leeuwin Estate were the region’s pioneers for producing world-class Bordeaux style wines from the late 1960s.

For better or worse, Australians like to drink wine. And these days, we drink almost as much wine as we drink beer. It’s an increasingly competitive market, with wine retailers and producers are heavily promoting ratings from wine critics in an effort to influence consumers. But there’s growing concern within the industry about the integrity of these wine scores.

The suburb of St Peters in Sydney’s inner west is better known for aircraft noise than a noteworthy food and wine culture, but the laidback suburb next to boisterous Newtown is coming into its own. Precinct 75, a warehouse space in St Peters, is a creative zone divided into suites. It houses a cafe, bakery, gym, microbrewery, hair studios and small businesses. On a recent Sunday, 40 people went looking for suite 6.1, where Urban Winery owner Alex Retief has started hosting a series of chef lunches.

On Monday 15 August a panel of local, national and international judges will sip their way through the Hunter’s most outstanding wines in 33 different classes at the 2016 Clear Image Hunter Valley Wine Show. This year, award-winning international wine blogger and author of ‘Drink Me’, Matt Walls, will be joining the judging panel. In total 644 entries have been received from 70 exhibitors (winemakers).

THE RECENT spate of vineyard sales continues with Del Rios, one of the largest vineyards in Australia, changing hands following strong interest from a range of local, national and international buyers. Colliers International’s Tim Altschwager and Nick Dean have brokered the sale of the Del Rios vineyard in Victoria to Melbourne-based GoFarm Australia on behalf of Belvino Investments. The property is understood to have sold for between $22-$25 million.