A new hospitality group, running under the name Goodtime Hospitality, has officially set up in Sydney this week. The group is co-owned by entrepreneurs James Bodel and Locky Paech, who made their mark with the opening of their first venue and renovation in the inner west on Monday (November 2). Formerly The White Cockatoo, the duo have reopened the Petersham favourite as the West Village, following three …

Leading alcohol distributor, Lion, has launched an initiative that will see the company commit to being more transparent in the labelling of its beers. New labelling will now include information about the sugar and preservative content of Lion’s beers. The company says that it hopes the next stage of its campaign, ‘Beer the Beautiful Truth’, will challenge consumers’ misconceptions of the category and pro…

This week marked one of the biggest events on the industry’s calendar – the drinks association’s 2015 Annual General Meeting. First established by a small group of liquor merchants in 1897, today the association’s Board of Directors represents a group of 28 of the industry’s most influential suppliers, who are driving the next big decisions. Following a significant year for our industry, this year’s AGM p…

The drinks association is pleased to welcome global leader in human resource consulting and outsourcing solutions, Aon Hewitt as its newest Corporate Partner in 2016. Launched in late 2014, Corporate Partnerships offer mutually beneficial business opportunities that further the association’s aim of building stronger, progressive, competitive and valued services to the drinks industry. Rachael Finnemore,…

Following its recent acquisition of Peter Lehmann Wines, Casella Family Brands has appointed two new roles to its marketing team to help with the expansion. Clive Coleman, formerly Head of Brands Cider and Contemporary Beer at Carlton & United Breweries, will now join Casella as Global Head of Marketing, while Olivia Barrie, who has worked in global marketing with some of Australia’s largest wine comp…

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has announced that it is closing its Matua Auckland winery in New Zealand, as well as its Great Western winery here in Australia. The closures form part of the company’s supply chain optimisation plans. Instead, the winery, packaging and cellar door site in Auckland will be consolidated to the Matua Marlborough winery, while operations at the Great Western winery will cease and…

Intercontinental Sydney has announced John Toubia as its new Bars Manager. Toubia comes with past experience from Magazin, Grasshopper and Zeta Bar and will be responsible for overseeing the beverage agenda across its city outlets, as well as driving the InterContinental’s new Supper Club. On his appointment, InterContinental Sydney said: “John will bring great skills and new disciplines to the role and t…

Four Pillars has officially opened the doors to its own, brand new distillery in the Yarra Valley. The distillery has been opened to help meet growing demand for the gin, first launched through crowd-funding in December 2013. The new bar at Four Pillars Distillery A former timber yard, the Four Pillars Distillery spans across 700 square metres and features Four Pillars’ two German sister-stills, Jude (60…

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a new app that can calculate the size and density of the vine canopy through an image. The VitiCanopy app is free, with the aim to help users monitor their vines and manage the required balance between vegetative growth and fruit production. As opposed to the traditional, often time consuming ways of measuring leaf area, the iPad and iPhone app uses…

From this November, trade will be able to create their own personalised vodka, gin or whisky at Archie Rose Distilling Co. The distillery, which opened earlier this year, prides itself on being able to bring members of the public face-to-face with the world of distilling at its Sydney location and  hopes the new initiative will take that one step further. Through an online custom application, trade will b…