Wine Atlas

The leaders of the WA Wine Industry gathered to celebrate their own at the Chamber of Commerce & Industry WA Wine Industry Awards 2008 on November 21, held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. The yearly event, hosted by Gerry Gannon, aims to recognise the quality performers in all aspects of the WA wine industry.

WIAWA Chief Executive Officer Sue Vidovich said the awards succeed in recognising excellence in all aspects of the wine industry, from viticulture through to tourism and exporting. “We are delighted at the standard of entries received this year, and love to celebrate our own at this event,” Mrs Vidovich said. “These awards aim to recognize excellence in all aspects of the wine industry and are reflective of what we aim to achieve - premium quality and excellence at every stage of the winemaking, marketing and selling process.”

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Australian researchers believe they have cracked the key to the lucrative Chinese wine market, with a study of Chinese tastes.

The Australian Wine Research Institute found that most preferred Australian red wines over other international wines, and enjoyed light fruity flavours.

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A WINE that can be bought off the bottleshop shelf for $17 was the star of the Cairns Show Wine Awards.

The 2005 Gramps Shiraz was awarded Champion Wine of the annual awards yesterday, with a host of other wines awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.

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Barossa Valley, Australia

Jarrett Osborn, Riverwalk Wine & Spirits April 30, 2008

Barossa Valley produces beautiful red wines, particularly shiraz. The 2006 Earthworks Shiraz is not as dark and rich as most from this region. Instead, it’s a nicely balanced, medium-bodied wine that still displays dark berry and light mint characteristics, with a teeny-tiny hint of toasty oak on the finish. Light acidity keeps the finish clean, while a meaty, earthy body makes this red anything but a lightweight.

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The 2008 Australian grape harvest is set to produce higher yields than first thought.

Mid-harvest figures suggest up to one-point-six million tonnes will be picked, up around four hundred thousand tonnes from earlier estimates.

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An innovative approach to developing a cohesive wine industry at all levels is being pioneered in the Clare Valley by a group of enthusiastic and committed winery and vineyard staff.

Their initiative grew from participation in a wine industry leadership program, held in Adelaide in November, where nine of the 14 attendees at the initial two-day course came from the Clare Valley.

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FROM the mid-1980s through to the end of the '90s, the term flying winemakers meant Australian flying winemakers. Some were new graduates, eager to gain vintage experience in the northern hemisphere during September, October and November, returning home to do much the same thing from March to May.

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THERE are hopes Australia's wine glut could ease slightly with early indications of only an "average" yield from the 2006 winegrape vintage.

While yields might be down, grape quality is expected to be "good to excellent" overall due to generally good weather conditions.

The Australian Wine and Brandy Council yesterday said that with 20 per cent of the crop picked, the harvest was expected to be about 1.8 million tonnes, down about 7 per cent on 2005. This figure does not account for grapes left on the vine.

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Seasonal conditions have had an impact on the 2006 wine harvest with local vineyards reporting they are three weeks behind schedule.

Due to the colder spring yields, harvests are expected to be lower than previous years.

However general opinion is that 2006 will be a good year for whites with more elegant and intense flavours.

More fruit flavours are expected for reds, but it will be a difficult season making sure fruit comes in without disease and before the season breaks.

Xanadu Winery vineyard manager Aaron Paganoni said Margaret River's iconic whites should produce wines of excellent flavour.

"It is an excellent year for whites with more intense flavours in our chardonnay, sauvignon blancs and semillons," he said.

There is an expectation of high quality due to slow and well-ripened fruit.

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THE significant oversupply of wine in the Australian market could last for at least two years, McGuigan Simeon Wines Ltd said today. The winemaker's net profit tumbled 61 per cent to $6.19 million in the first half of the financial year on the back of continuing oversupply and increased competition in its markets.

McGuigan Simeon chairman David Clarke said the group expected another significant vintage this year, with an update to be provided in May.

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NEW YORK (BUSINESS WIRE) Feb. 13, 2006--GreatAustralianWines.com, an Internet-based wine distributor, today announced the launch of America's first Australian Wine Club. Wine lovers who join the Great Australian Wine Club receive a quarterly selection of fine Australian wines delivered to their door. In addition, consumers can order their favorite Australian wine or send a wine gift or Club membership to someone special. Shipping is free for the Club and for all orders of six or more bottles, and there is a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee for all the wines.

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As Australian wine companies retreat from the use of European geographic regions in relation to their products, one Western Australian wine producer has managed to hold firm.

While European names such as Burgundy and Champagne have been gradually forced from local labels, WA’s Feet First has survived a challenge to its name resulting from similarities with the wine growing region of First, in Germany.

Following a treaty signed in 1992, wine makers have been required to phase out the use of more than 3,000 European geographical regions to represent wines that do not include grapes from that region.

The best known case involves the the French region of Champagne, with Australian wine makers re-branding to ‘sparkling wines’.

Other names now barred from use include Chablis, Cognac, claret, Marsala and Moselle.

Last week, WA Business News reported that WA winery Houghton Wines has re-branded its iconic White Burgundy as Houghton’s White Classic in order to comply with obligations under the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation Act.

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A red wine made by a boutique Victorian winery from Barossa Valley shiraz grapes has been acclaimed as Australia's best exported wine.

The Mt Toolleen 2002 Ebenezer Vineyard Shiraz won the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation's award for the best wine exported in the 2004/05 financial year.

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Clive Otto received some belated industry acknowledgment last week when one of Australia’s best-read wine magazines, Winestate, named him the Australian Winemaker of the Year 2005.

Not bad for a man who was relatively recently made redundant after 16 years as winemaker at Vasse Felix.

And for good measure the publication also thought Mr Otto’s 2001 Heytesbury Cabernet Sauvignon was the best wine of the year, ahead of 10,000 entries from Australia and New Zealand. Mr Otto says the award is a great honour and one he is immensely proud of.

“To me, the award is recognition of all the hard work that went into 16 years at Vasse Felix,” Mr Otto says.

“The Winestate award is acknowledgment amongst my peers. and to receive it in this way is very pleasing.”

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It was out with the old and in with the new during November as Houghton Wines made two important decisions about its future.

On the one hand David Woods, CEO of parent wine company Hardy Wines, and Houghton senior winemaker Rob Bowen were on hand to officially open the winery’s new cellar door facility.

On the other, Houghton’s White Classic was announced as the new name of Houghton’s White Burgundy.

Both events will prove pivotal for Houghton’s viability in the coming decades of growth for the Western Australian wine business.

Having decided to expand its base of operations in the Swan Valley, Houghton unveiled its $1 million cellar door facility on November 20.

A dramatic increase in visitor numbers forced Houghton to revamp its existing resource, making this new work the biggest growth in more than two decades.

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