Matthew Hill Smith grew up in winemaking and after selling out of the Yalumba business, leaving it to his cousins Robert and Sam, his passion for wine led to 28 hectares in the Adelaide Hills. There’s a lot of history behind Marko’s Vineyard, both in family lines and winemaking. The cool climate, high altitude site was planted in 1994 by Matthew’s parents, Mark and Margie, and was managed by the family, ...

Ben Hasko has become Australia’s third Master Sommelier, joining Franck Moreau MS and Sebastian Crowther MS. The Master Sommelier examination is considered one of the hardest to pass in the wine industry globally. Hasko is based in Sydney and runs Cru Wines, a specialist wine importer and distributor, and Bootleggers, an exclusive online wine retailer. After successfully completing the exam, Hasko can now proudly wear the letters MS after his name. ...

Treasury Wine Estates is set to relaunch the Truvée wine brand globally this month - starting in Australia - with a new look and marketing strategy that has been designed by women for women. Truvée joined TWE’s portfolio in 2015 when the company acquired Diageo’s wine business. Unhappy with the way that the brand had previously been marketed and even some consideration into dropping the brand, TWE looked to a group ...

Winners of the 2016 NSW Wine Awards were announced today at the Gala Presentation Lunch at Pier One Sydney Harbour. For the first time in the awards history, a wine from Cowra - a region in Central NSW - received the top NSW Wine of the Year trophy. The Windowrie Estate 2015 ‘The Mill’ Shiraz was described by Chair of Judges, PJ Charteris, as “a wine that expresses its beautiful fruit first ...

Wine Communicators Australia has announced the finalists for the 2016 Wine Communicator Awards. Established in 2004, the awards program is now in its fourth year, recognising outstanding contribution to, and excellence in, wine communication in all its forms. Ten wine industry professionals have been selected to judge entries to six of the awards categories, while the New Writer of the Year Award will be independently judged by Gourmet Traveller WINE ...

Stephanie Jacob, Assistant Wine Buyer at Supernormal in Melbourne has won the 18th Daniel Pontifex Scholarship. Awarded by the Daniel Pontifex Memorial Trust and Wine Australia, Stephanie will now receive a trip to Europe in 2017 to gain experience in some of the region’s finest restaurants and visit its wine regions. The scholarship is awarded to a recipient based in Australia and the UK in alternate years to give each ...

Wine Australia’s September quarterly report has named Victoria’s Yarra Valley as one of Australia’s top 15 Geographical Indication (GI) regions. This identifies the wine produced in the region as possessing a given quality, reputation, or other characteristics of the wine attributable to the geographical origin of the Yarra Valley. The September report showed an overall growth of Australian wine exports, with more than half the value growth being in wines ...

During the cooler month of September, drinks’ very own Tasting Bench, comprising nine industry experts, tasted 65 of the latest wines from Pinot Noir producers in Australia and New Zealand. Here are the Top 20, ranging from RRP $80 a bottle to just $20 and categorised by region. All distributors are listed so that you can arrange stock before these wines run out! The Tasting Bench: Anna Mantchakidi DipWSET & National ...

Chairman of the Board of Australian Vintage Limited (AVL), Richard Davis, has told investors that growing its export business, increasing sales of its three key brands - McGuigan, Tempus Two and Nepenthe, and controlling costs are all part of the company’s strategy to increase sales over the next year. The ASX-listed Australian winery was hit by the termination of a large vineyard lease and Brexit in FY16 as it transitioned from ...

A boutique winery in Margaret River has won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, awarded at the 2016 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards. Deep Woods Estate received the accolade for its 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, marking the first time in six years since a cabernet has won the coveted trophy. The same cabernet also won the trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon of the show. Punt Road in Victoria was also among successful wineries this year, receiving ...