Sauvignon Blanc has become the powerhouse of the New Zealand wine industry, almost to the point that you cannot bring up one without the other. However, its history in the country is not as long as one would expect, and many are working to ensure the future of the country’s most important grape variety. Harrison Davies explores why Sauvignon Blanc has come to define New Zealand.
Read more >Pinot Noir is the ultimate expression of site. It’s a variety that producers love because no two wines end up quite the same, and the smallest variations of site can create a world of difference. Harrison Davies explores how this humble grape can help to explain the character of wines from completely different countries.
Read more >In recent years there’s been a fascination in the wine industry with the idea of low intervention alternative varieties. Spearheading this charge has been Alexander Copper, a Clare Valley based viticulturist who has been studying the viability of growing vines without water. Harrison Davies spoke with him about his work to date and what’s to come.
Read more >Paul Baggio is amongst the most high-profile members of the Australian wine community. His name can be found in all corners of the sector’s supply chain, and now, for the first time, as a winemaker himself.
Read more >Nero d’Avola loosely translates to ‘the dark grapes of Avola’. The variety hails from the south-eastern end of Sicily, near the village of Avola, and is one of two principal varieties from the island. In Australia, many producers have brought the variety under their wing as it thrives in the warm conditions found in many of Australia’s growing regions. Harrison Davies spoke to experts and producers about this up-and-coming variety in Australia.
Read more >The Harlequin Ladybird was first discovered in New Zealand in 2016 and the population has made its way from Auckland, where it was first found, down to Marlborough and other southern wine regions. The pest represents a big threat to winegrapes and strategies are being created for producers to fight back. Journalist Harrison Davies explores how to manage this new threat.
Read more >Although still a small segment of the market for wine products, cans saw the greatest increase as a proportion of wine packaging market in the 2010s. Changing technologies and attitudes toward alternative wine packaging have allowed a niche to become more accepted.
Read more >Albariño is known as part of a legendary blunder in the 1980’s where it was mixed up with fellow white variety, Savignin. However in recent years, producers have gotten their hands on real Albariño and many are excited by the prospects found while making it. Harrison Davies spoke with experts and producers about the variety.
Read more >WINEMAKERS MAKING MOVES FOR WOMEN: Too often we hear stories of women having to break a glass ceiling to break into an industry. Alysha Moscatt and Lucy Kendall decided to make a platform for fellow winemakers above the glass to help others get a foothold in an industry that has long been a boys club. Harrison Davies chatted with Moscatt about what was next for their joint venture, Allevare Wines and the Joans of Marc.
Read more >Warming temperatures and harsher conditions are forcing Australian producers to look to varieties that can stand up to the conditions – and many are looking toward Vermentino. Harrison Davies explores the variety that is being heralded as part of the future for Australian whites.
Read more >The New Frontier With COVID closing cellar doors, producers have been looking for new ways to bolster direct to consumer (DtC) sales amidst lockdowns and restrictions. Harrison Davies looks down the avenues producers have to get their products in consumers’ hands. The pillars of many wineries’ business is their cellar door. They have weddings, […]
Read more >Charlie O’Brien continues the tradition of wine running along family lines. And he has been exposed to the industry since he was just a boy. Harrison Davies spoke with the young man who is quickly becoming a household name amongst those in the know.
Read more >YOUNG GUN Dan Sigurd Graham Wines from Valhalla This month, journalist Samuel Squire took the longboat to Norway (not really) to chat to November’s Young Gun, Dan Sigurd Graham. Dan has a remarkable family history and a heritage that has helped shape his career in Australian wine. . In Norse mythology and legend, Sigurd was […]
Read more >ROLE: Senior winemakerESTATE: KatnookLOCATION: North of Penola, Coonawarra, South AustraliaCURRENT SIZE OF PRODUCTION: 800 tonnes (mostly red wine) What are your earliest memories of wine? A school visit to a McLaren vale winery, I recall the peace and quiet, obviously not a visit during vintage. How did you get your start in the wine sector? […]
Read more >The ongoing effects of the pandemic have caused the emergence of labour hire issues for the wine industry on both sides of the Tasman. Stephen O’Loughlin looks into the impact on seasonal staffing and how this is likely to be addressed for next year’s vintage.
Read more >Matter other than grapes, known by the industry as MOG, presents a logistics challenge with its separation from the yield and, ultimately, its disposal.
Read more >