The Young Gun of Wine Awards was held in Melbourne on the 20 th of June to highlight and commend emerging Australian winemakers. Now in its eleventh year, the event has become the go-to for what’s new in winemaking talent and trends in the industry. This year, the winners were selected from over 200 winemaker entrants. This was narrowed down to a Top 50, before the 12 finalists were announced. The aw…

When the new Sydney International Convention Centre opened at the end of last year, it released a wine list containing 80 per cent of wines produced in New South Wales. This was a fantastic result for NSW winemakers, highlighting the quality and diversity that is being produced from New England in the north to Perricoota in the south. And a great way to start 2017, with our state wines being exposed to te…

Scotchmans Hill’s new Single Vineyard series has seen the release of three limited edition wines from their premium Sutton, Norfolk and Armitage vineyards. The 34-year-old vineyard sites produce some of the best quality grapes on the estate, which were then handpicked, crafted and cellared for years before release.  The three wines released are the 2010 Scotchmans Hill Sutton Vineyard Chardonnay, t…

De Bortoli Wines has been awarded NSW’s first Sustainability Advantage Platinum Project. At a ceremony held in Sydney last week, NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton presented the award to the winery in recognition of their efforts in environmental leadership and innovation through ‘The De Bortoli Method’. The system recovers potassium from the winery’s wastewater to pro…

McWilliam’s have released their newest sub-brand McW, celebrating the elegance of high altitude, cool climate wines and encapsulating the relationship between the Australian landscape, climate and wine. The range features the McW 480 and 660 reserve series, each named after the altitude at which the grapes are ripened. The McW 480 series consists of three complex, flavoursome wines all cultiv…

Sydney Wine Academy held their 5 th annual WSET Diploma Graduation on Tuesday 13 th of June. Jude Mullins, international marketing director for WSET, bestowed the 10 graduates with their WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits before an audience of over 40 people.  Michael Anderson, graduate and senior copywriter for Laithwaite’s Wine People, Australia, was presented with the KPMG Sydney Royal W…

The number of Australian candidates enrolling in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) programme has increased 18 per cent in the last 12 months according to Ian Harris, WSET chief executive. Harris also announced today that Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family owned winery, has become a Bronze Corporate Partner, joining Accolade Wines, Australian Vintage, Treasury and Wine Australia at var…

To commemorate the release of their 2014 vintage flagship wine, The Dead Arm Shiraz, d’Arenberg will be broadcasting a live meet the maker session on their Facebook page. At 7pm ACST on Thursday 29 th June, chief winemaker Chester Osborn will be discussing d’Arenberg’s time-honoured winemaking methods and the quality of the 2014 McLaren Vale vintage during a showcase of the 2014 Ico…

Industry leaders and representatives from Wine Australia met with the Victorian Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, the Hon. Jaala Pulford, on the 9 th of June to unveil the Victorian Wine Industry Development Strategy. At the launch, Minister Pulford announced the commitment of nearly $900,000 in funding to the Victorian Government’s Wine Growth Fund. The grant will be used in c…

In celebration of 125 years since Scottish emigrants planted the first vines in the Clare Valley, Taylors Wines have released new vintages across their St Andrews range. With grapes first planted in the vineyard in 1892, St Andrews has a rich history in the region. The Taylor family acquired the land in 1995 and released the first vintages of the St Andrews range in 1999. Since then, Taylor family win…