Australian wine industry a shining light

"Last year’s abolition of import duty on wine saw a 90 per cent increase in wine imports over 2007. While the global economic downturn has put pressure on Australian wine exports, China and Hong Kong continue to provide a silver lining, recording strong value growth. In the year ending January 2009, wine exports to China and Hong Kong increased by 34 per cent (up A$18 million) and 20 per cent (up A$6 million) respectively, according to the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation.

"Hong Kong is rapidly becoming a major Asian hub for the international wine industry, a role that will bring with it jobs and investment, and discussions are under way to further the collaboration on wine trade between Hong Kong and Australia.

"The Hong Kong Trade Development Council held its first international wine fair last August, attracting more than 240 international wine merchants from more than 25 countries, and over 40 Australian wineries were represented there."

2006 Inkberry Shiraz-Cabernet (Australia)

With a name like Inkberry, I thought I knew exactly what the wine was going to be like. Instead I was surprised by the finesse of the wine. While I would hesitate to call it elegant, there is a brightness and freshness that I found appealing. Apparently the winery's vineyards are at an elevation of about 1,900 feet, giving the grapes an unusually cool environment. This allows the grapes to have a long, slow growing season, which keeps the sugars low and the alcohol in check. It also makes for small, intensely colored berries, which is why the wine is named Inkberry.

The choice of blending shiraz (syrah) and cabernet sauvignon is so Aussie. While the rest of the world tends to group varietals that grow in the same region (e.g. cabernet with merlot, or syrah with grenache), if a blend sounds good to an Aussie it will wind up in the bottle. They have taught everyone else how to think out of the box.

Australia's Wine List Awards Open

Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards open for entries today (Feb 9) in a bid to seek out the leading wine and beverage lists from around the country.

Fine Wine Partners and Gourmet Traveller WINE have again combined to run the program, which is expected to draw more than 300 entries from restaurants, wine bars, clubs, pubs and international hotels.

Last year’s winner of Australia’s Best Wine List and the inaugural Judy Hirst Sommelier of the Year award, Lincoln Riley — sommelier at Melbourne’s Taxi Dining — will join the 2009 panel of Australian and international wine experts.

Chaired by Peter Forrestal, the panel will judge entries with one, two and three glasses — the highest ranking signifying their ability to compete with the world’s best.

Australia's wine exports have collapsed, falling for the first time in 15 years

The industry said that as the global economic crisis took grip of key markets in 2008, Australia exported 11 per cent less wine by volume and 18 per cent less by value than a year earlier.

Australia's wine industry at a crisis crossroad

MURRUMBATEMAN (Reuters) - From a picturesque hill overlooking the hazy distant foothills of Australia's eastern ranges, Bruce March can see a crisis facing the country's A$2.4 billion (£1.1 billion) wine export industry with crushing clarity.

March, chief winemaker at Doonkuna Winery, in prize cool climate vine country north of Canberra, had been looking forward to a bumper 2009 harvest, tripling production capacity last year in anticipation of rocketing China demand for his wine.

But the global financial crisis has exploded that interest, bringing with it a soul-searching for Australia's vignerons, ironically when good rains and a late summer are set to bring one of the best harvests for years.