Europe Gets Protection in New Wine Accord With Australia

The European Union and Australia sealed an agreement that safeguards wine production in the EU by establishing principles for the protection of regional names as the bloc faces growing competition from “New World” rivals.

The accord signed today in Brussels specifies when Australia will phase out terms such as Champagne, Port, Claret and Sherry, the European Commission said in a statement. It also outlines the conditions for Australia to continue to use certain quality wine terms such as “vintage,” “cream” and “tawny” to describe wines exported to Europe and sold domestically.

“Crucially, we have obtained protection for our geographical indications and traditional expressions, which was of the utmost importance for European producers,” said EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

Peter Lehmann Wines is IWSC Australian Wine Producer of the Year

This is the third time Peter Lehmann Wines has been awarded this trophy, having also won in 2003 and 2006.

“To win the International Riesling Trophy for the sixth time as well as 2 Gold medals for Stonewell Shiraz and Futures Shiraz, highlights not only the quality but also the versatility of this spectacular winemaking district,” said Andrew Wigan, chief winemaker at Peter Lehmann Wines.

Peter Lehmann Wines were awarded:

2 Trophies: Maersk Logistics Trophy for Australian Wine Producer - Peter Lehmann Wines

Aussies thirsty for NZ wines

Recent figures show New Zealand's table wine, contributed to the biggest growth in wine sales across the Tasman.

They accounted for $219 million in off premise sales in the year ending July.

Nielsen spokesman Michael Walton says New Zealand is dominating the Australian wine market, saying after doing analysis of all the Australian wine regions, found that New Zealand had grown the most.

Walton says New Zealand wine increased its value share of the Aussie market by 3%.

Wine harvest up by a third

A high Australian wine crush will see the sector's surplus continue, according to Winemakers Federation of Australia chief executive Stephen Strachan.

Australia’s wine crush grew by nearly a third in 2008 to 1,830,673 tonnes, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The figure was an increase of 433,323 tonnes on the 2006/2007 crush.

But Mr Strachan said the industry needed to downsize.

``We have been in surplus all this year, though not as extreme as up until 2006,’’ Mr Strachan said.

``We need adjustment in the industry…it’s starting to happen.’’

Australians map wine yeast code

Australian wine researchers have become the first in the world to map the genetic code for wine yeast.

Researchers from the Australian Wine Research Institute started work on the code this year, after a four-year head start for their northern hemisphere counterparts.

The Institute's managing director, Professor Sakkie Pretorius, says the discovery means new strains of yeast can be developed without genetic engineering.

"To tailor-make your wine making process in such a way that you can shape your aroma profile, or the composition of your wine according to market specifications is absolutely critical, and that critical element in that process is the choice of yeast," he said.