Category: International Wine Industry News
Hailstorms ravage French Bordeaux vineyards
Violent hailstorms have ravaged parts of the Bordeaux wine region in southwestern France causing major damage in hundreds of vineyards with thousands of hectares of vines destroyed, producers said. This comes just a year after the Bordeaux region suffered one of its worst harvests in history with a fall of 39% on year due to […]
Read more >Beaujolais launches new marketing campaign
Beaujolais has unveiled a new marketing campaign with the intention of boosting awareness of its wines in Asia. The French region’s new campaign, Beaujolais of Character, was revealed by its wine board, Inter Beaujolais, celebrating its wine and casual bistro culture. The wines to benefit from the ‘Beaujonomie’ push will include Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages red, rose and white, but also the majority of crus priced between €7 and €15. Source, VINEX Market IQ
Read more >No EIT wine course in Gisborne this year
Suspension of Gisborne’s wine course at EIT Tairawhiti Polytechnic this year, after operating for nearly three decades, has been described as “disappointing” for the region. It is one of four courses the polytechnic did not run in 2018 because of a lack of enrolments. EIT chief executive Chris Collins said it was regular business process for EIT not to run some programmes if they did not get sufficient enrolments. Source, Gisborne Herald
Read more >UK agent to distribute te Pa Family Vineyards
Buckingham Schenk has been appointed exclusive UK agent for Maori wine business te Pa Family Vineyards. As of May 1, the UK-wide importer will be representing te Pa’s portfolio in the UK, distributing the Marlborough winery’s te Pa and Pa Road ranges. Founded by the MacDonald family, whose Maori lineage goes back to 1350, the te Pa estate spreads over 400ha in Marlborough’s Wairau and Awatere regions. Source, Harpers.co.uk
Read more >Oregon’s wine economy is expanding, report says
Oregon’s wine industry has cultivated growth with a focus on higher-priced, high quality wines and recent numbers show that growth according to an economic impact study from Full Glass Research. The last study was conducted in 2013 and the figures show a 67 percent jump from a $3.35 billion industry three years ago to $5.61 billion in 2016. Source, The Newberg Graphic
Read more >Spain beats Italy, France as biggest exporter
Spanish wineries led the world’s exportation of the red stuff in 2017 with sales of 22.8 million hectolitres, according to data released by the Spanish Observatory of Wine Markets. This puts the country ahead of its main competitors Italy (21 million hectolitres) and France (15 million hectolitres). Source, Euronews
Read more >Irrigation robots in California
We all know by now that robots are the future of farming, and things are no different for winemakers in The Golden State. Faced with the shortage of water and workers, they asked researchers from the University of California to create an irrigation system that needs minimal human input. Source, engadget
Read more >Château de Lagorce sold to Chinese buyer
Bordeaux winery Château de Lagorce has been sold to a Chinese wine merchant for an undisclosed amount, adding to the growing list of Chinese investors snapping up vineyards to sate domestic consumers’ thirst for the region’s wines. Source, Drinks Business
Read more >DiBuduo retires as CEO of Allied Grape Growers
After nearly two decades of leadership, Nat DiBuduo will retire as president and CEO of Allied Grape Growers (AGG) at the end of June. The AGG board has appointed Vice-President of Operations Jeff Bitter as the next president of the 500-member statewide winegrape marketing association. DiBuduo made the announcement at the AGG April Grower District Meetings. Source, Wine Industry Insight
Read more >Pioneering Nelson winemaker remembered
On March 27 this year Nelson lost one of its pioneering winemakers, Dr Dave Glover passed away. He always had a huge smile at the ready, scoffed at fools and probably at people who didn’t agree with him too, but he was also determined to make the best wines he could and share his passion with anyone who would take the time to drop in to see him at his Upper Moutere winery, a winery he established in 1988 after planting the first vines in 1985. Source, Stuff
Read more >‘Winter storms’ for NZ vineyards
The year’s first "winter storm" arrived yesterday, bringing plunging temperatures, heavy rainfall and the occasional claps of thunder to the region. Although, Hawke’s Bay is expected to get off lightly compared with other parts of the country. Metservice Meteorologist, April Clark said this was the country’s first cold outbreak this year and the drop in temperature would be felt. Source, New Zealand Herald
Read more >US vintners fear Chinese consumer backlash
Despite the short term negative effects of sales, U.S. vintners are concerned about the potential backlash from Chinese consumers, said Michael Parr, vice president of international sales for Wente Family Estates, on Sunday. The escalation of the tariff battle between the United States and China has made the California winemakers worry about the potential backlash from Chinese consumers not only on wines, but also on overall US products. Source, Xinhua Net
Read more >Bargain Booze and Wine Rack retailers sold
In a statement published this morning, Conviviality has confirmed the sale of its retail businesses, which includes Bargain Booze and Wine Rack, to UK grocery retailer and wholesaler Bestway for £7.25 million. The statement added: “The sale secures continued employment for circa. 2,300 employees of the Conviviality Retail business and provides continuity of trade for suppliers and franchisees”. Source, Drinks Business
Read more >Jefford: Savoie – the hunt for greatness
What is Savoie’s greatest wine? The question is a fascinating and complicated one – and it’s not easy to answer. Savoie is better at exporting its vines (20 to 30 million plants are grown each year by Savoie nurserymen) than its wines, most of which are consumed in the region by thirsty skiers and hikers. ‘We regard any wine which gets beyond Lyon as an export,’ joked grower Philippe Ravier. Source, Decanter
Read more >California’s new wine labels
The California Certified Sustainable labels were recently approved for use on the states’ 2017 vintage wines. They will first appear on white and rosé wine bottles later this year, with a separate category for reds set to be rolled out by 2020, reports the Washington Post. The CSWA developed the labels to “enhance transparency, encourage statewide participation and advance the entire California wine industry toward best practices in environmental stewardship,” according to a statement on the organisation’s website. Source, Drinks Business
Read more >NZ’s Misha’s Vineyard 2018 harvest
Despite a season that was off the chart in terms of heat we ended up with a vineyard that was possibly the healthiest it’s ever looked through to harvest. This was due both to the lower incidence of wind over the whole season and because harvest was much earlier/compressed so leaves were still in good condition. Source, Misha’s Vineyard
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