Posted: June 27, 2017
FOLLOWING on from its inaugural success in 2015, the Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference returned to Marlborough in June. With the themes Liquid, Life and Label, the Conference looked to build on the solid platform it established in 2015, where…
Comments Off on BUILDING ON A SOLID PLATFORM / 35 View / June 27, 2017
Posted: June 27, 2017
VOYAGER Estate, one of the leading destination dining eateries in Margaret River, has a new head chef in Santiago Fernandez, who took over in May. Spanish-born Fernandez joins family-owned Voyager from Sault in Daylesford, Victoria, where he spent five years…
Comments Off on NEW WESTERN ALLIANCE / 37 View / June 27, 2017
Posted: June 27, 2017
AUSTRALIA’S highest-profile winemaker on the global stage has a new role as South Australia and Adelaide’s Great Wine Capitals’ global ambassador. Penfolds’ Peter Gago adds the role to his already onerous duties with Treasury Wine Estates. The Great Wine Capitals…
Comments Off on GAGO ON THE GO / 37 View / June 27, 2017
Posted: April 12, 2017
CHINA continues to boom as Australia’s most valuable wine export market. In 2016, exports to mainland China grew by 40 per cent to a record $520 million. A decade ago, Australian wine exports to China were valued at $27 million….
Comments Off on EXPORT BOOM CONTINUES / 56 View / April 12, 2017
Posted: April 12, 2017
YALUMBA, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, will in May launch a landmark wine that has been 168 years in the making – The Caley Coonawarra & Barossa Cabernet & Shiraz. “The Caley is the pinnacle of a long winemaking journey seeking…
Comments Off on CELEBRATING FAMILY / 37 View / April 12, 2017
Posted: April 12, 2017
NOOSA Food & Wine Festival 2017 has unveiled a 70-event program for the four-day festival, which runs from May 18-21. A total of 45 visiting chefs from Australia’s best restaurants will flock to this year’s festival, which will have a…
Comments Off on FESTIVAL OF FOOD / 39 View / April 12, 2017
Posted: March 12, 2017
THE Bangor Wine and Oyster Shed recently celebrated its second birthday but remains something of an insider’s secret for Tasmanians. Just off the main road between Hobart and Port Arthur, the 6200-ha property is a working farm with a vineyard,…
Comments Off on CELEBRATING ALL THINGS LOCAL / 44 View / March 12, 2017
Posted: March 12, 2017
THE Taylor family were originally wine negociants rather than winemakers. Patriarch Bill Taylor Sr, who owned hotels and bottle shops in Sydney, worked with South Australian wineries and co-ops to “tailor” house brands for his licensed properties. The publican later…
Comments Off on A ‘NOD’ TO THE EARLY DAYS / 54 View / March 12, 2017
Posted: March 12, 2017
THE Brand family, who sold the Brands Laira label in 1995, is back in the Coonawarra wine industry with its own label for the first time in over two decades. The Brand family has maintained its position as key vignerons…
Comments Off on BRAND POWER / 80 View / March 12, 2017
Posted: November 1, 2016
A WEARY look into the early night sky after a long day’s pruning provided the inspiration for a new WA label – Singlefile Wines. Silhouetted on a hilltop against the fading light was a row of geese making their way…
Comments Off on OVER THE RAINBOW / 66 View / November 1, 2016
Posted: November 1, 2016
JUST over a decade ago a wine revolution occurred in Australian supermarkets. A Frenchman with a sense of humour started selling wines with critter labels to Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores. Featuring a cartoon frog on the label, the wines…
Comments Off on FROG FUELS FRENCH REVIVAL / 55 View / November 1, 2016
Posted: November 1, 2016
WHEREVER you go in the world you’ll find wine bars, cocktail bars and bars devoted to artisan beers. Less common are bars with a cider focus like The Cidery Bar and Kitchen in Sydney. The Cidery is one of the…
Comments Off on STAR ROLE FOR CIDER / 52 View / November 1, 2016
Posted: November 1, 2016
IAIN Riggs, the driving force behind Brokenwood Wines in the Hunter Valley and one of the industry’s most passionate advocates, has been named the 2016 NSW Legend of the Vine, by Wine Communicators of Australia. The award was presented at…
Comments Off on RIGGS WINS LEGEND STATUS / 26 View / November 1, 2016
Posted: November 1, 2016
He’s trod grapes on the set of his famous show and blended Marlborough sauvignon blanc into an award-winning wine in a London apartment. This year, though, top talk show host Graham Norton and winemakers Invivo headed to Graham’s own back…
Comments Off on GRAHAM NORTON RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS / 90 View / November 1, 2016
Posted: September 1, 2016
AROUND 12 months ago, a human whirlwind by the name of Hugues Villemain, a charming, urbane Frenchman, landed in Australia and started to contact wine industry and media folk. Villemain said he was representing a new Champagne house, Brimoncourt, that…
Comments Off on NEW CHAMPAGNE HOUSE / 55 View / September 1, 2016
Posted: September 1, 2016
THE COUNTRY town of Mudgee in Central Western New South Wales is a popular weekend destination for lovers of food and wine. And now Mudgee is aiming to lift its profile among gourmets with a new ‘Let’s Skip Town Together’…
Comments Off on MAKE IT A MUDGEE GETAWAY / 59 View / September 1, 2016
Posted: September 1, 2016
BROTHER JOHN May, the man who helped transform the Clare Valley wine industry and the fortunes of its Jesuit-run Sevenhill winery, has been admitted as a member in the Order of Australia in recognition of his significant service to winemaking…
Comments Off on INDUCTED INTO THE ORDER / 33 View / September 1, 2016
Posted: September 1, 2016
THERE is a new look to the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort after an extensive refurbishment and the opening of the The Cellar Kitchen Restaurant and Bar. Previously Harrys Restaurant and Bar, the restaurant’s new name and complete interior re-design, supports…
Comments Off on NEW LOOK NOVOTEL / 37 View / September 1, 2016
Posted: September 1, 2016
ONE OF the world’s leading wine consultants has teamed up with an Argentinian oil and gas billionaire in a multi-million dollar vineyard and winery development in the Barossa Valley. Alberto Antonini, who has been named by both Decanter magazine and…
Comments Off on WORLD CLASS REDEVELOPMENT / 49 View / September 1, 2016
Posted: June 9, 2016
THE Angove family is among the quiet achievers of the Australian wine industry – and the Angoves made very little fuss about the 130th birthday of their business making wines and spirits. Established in 1886 by Dr William Angove, the…
Comments Off on QUIET ACHIEVERS / 84 View / June 9, 2016
Posted: June 9, 2016
KEN HELM, one of the pioneers of the wine industry in the Canberra region, was told the region was far too cold for quality grapes. This year, Helm Wines is celebrating its 40th vintage and is regarded as one of…
Comments Off on PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF / 41 View / June 9, 2016
Posted: June 9, 2016
PARKER Street Project is the new lunch and dining option at one of Australia’s most famous gourmet destinations – the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld in Western Victoria. The new offering opened mid-March in the area of the Royal Mail…
Comments Off on GOURMET DESTINATION / 61 View / June 9, 2016
Posted: June 9, 2016
THE Australian Women In Wine Awards returns this year to reward the good work of women throughout the Australian wine industry, and champion equality and fairness for all sexes in the workplace. Categories for entrants have been increased, offering acknowledgement…
Comments Off on WOMEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT / 45 View / June 9, 2016
Posted: June 9, 2016
MULTI-talented Tasmanian winemaker Rebecca Duffy, of Holm Oak Wines, has been recognised for her services to primary industry, winning the Tasmanian Rural Women’s Award. Conducted by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the award recognises the contribution of…
Comments Off on DUFFY WINS RECOGNITION / 72 View / June 9, 2016
Posted: April 20, 2016
FONTY’S Pool in Manjimup, Western Australia, is the venue for the Truffle Kerfuffle festival, which celebrates the start of the renowned black truffle season in the Southern Forests. The event is a showcase for what is the third most expensive…
Comments Off on CELEBRATING LOCAL TRUFFLES / 51 View / April 20, 2016
Posted: August 3, 2015
Visitors to Tasmania have a new opportunity to combine a wilderness experience with fine food and wine. Pumphouse Point, a striking 18-room property in the dramatically beautiful and remote Highlands, is a three-hour drive north-west of Hobart in the Cradle…
Comments Off on WINES IN THE WILDERNESS / 133 View / August 3, 2015
Posted: August 3, 2015
Andreas Clark is the new full-time CEO of the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA). Chairman Brian Walsh announced Clark’s permanent promotion after he served as acting CEO. “We’re pleased Andreas has agreed to continue in this key leadership role,”…
Comments Off on PERMANENT LEADERSHIP ROLE / 46 View / August 3, 2015
Posted: August 3, 2015
Is there anything that can effectively cure or prevent a hangover? The spiel for Australian-made HeadsUp is compelling: “Forget the coke and fries on the way home. Bypass the Berocca and the bacon and eggs in the morning. Don’t even…
Comments Off on GOOD TIME CURE? / 38 View / August 3, 2015
Posted: August 3, 2015
Want to know the difference between natural, organic and biodynamic wines and to learn about the philosophies behind all three? A new two-day tour devised by wine educator and freelance writer Daniel Honan focuses on organic, biodynamic and natural wine…
Comments Off on TASTE THE DIFFERENCE / 55 View / August 3, 2015
Posted: June 10, 2015
Pioneering Margaret River winery Vasse Felix has joined Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia (UWEA), a collection of award-winning wineries offering “beyond the cellar door” experiences, food and wine matching, wine education and gastronomy in spectacular locations. Vasse Felix is known as…
Comments Off on GO BEYOND THE CELLAR DOOR / 80 View / June 10, 2015