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Australian owned wine brand Penfolds has been named ‘World’s Most Admired Wine Brand’ in Drinks International’s 2016 poll, toppling two-time Spanish winner Torres. Penfolds was the only Australian wine brand to make it into the list, while Villa Maria took the title for New Zealand. Almost 200 global industry experts take part in the poll each year, including buyers, sommeliers, wine writers, Masters of Wine and wine critics. To be voted ...

The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia has rejected the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education’s proposal to increase wine taxes. Federation Chief Executive Paul Evans said FARE’s claims come around like a broken record and are based on incomplete analysis on the impact a tax hike would have on regional communities. “Not only is Australian wine heavily taxed already when compared to our global competitors - in fact we are among the highest ...

Bacardi has released its newest rum Fuego in Australia. Fuego, meaning “fire” in Spanish, is a premium spiced rum and the second spiced rum to join Bacardi’s portfolio alongside OakHeart. What makes this spiced rum unique, is that it can be served neat. Like other Bacardi rums, Fuego is bold yet smooth and its premium quality and fiery nature make it enjoyable simply over ice or as recommended, half and half with ginger ...

Chandon has announced a new partnership with the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 Team, which will be seen for the first time at the 2016 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. This year’s McLaren-Honda Team is being led by British F1 legend Jenson Button and Spanish racing star Fernando Alonso, who will be on the track in Melbourne, between 17-20 March. The sparkling wine brand’s name will appear on both Button and Alonso’s suits and ...

Wine industry stakeholders have told a Federal Senate Committee that national representative bodies, the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia and Wine Grape Growers of Australia, should be consolidated. The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee spent 18 months speaking with winemakers, grape growers, representative bodies and other industry stakeholders to produce a report containing 12 recommendations on industry issues, including the Wine Equalisation Tax rebate, private label, the supermarket duopoly and ...

John Freeman, former General Manager of Delegat Group in Australia, has been appointed as CEO of Nugan Estate. Freeman has been enlisted to help drive growth for the family-owned Australian wine business. Over the last fifteen years, with the active involvement of family members Matthew and Tiffany Nugan, the estate has grown to become one of Australia’s Top 20 Wine Brands and Top 20 Exporters in volume and value. The ...

Individuals from the drinks industry gathered on Wednesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney for the 2016 International Women’s Day Luncheon. The annual event is hosted and organised by the Women in drinks group - an initiative of the drinks association - and this year focused on empowering women to lead. “Today is testament to the new Board of Women in drinks and the renewed focus in reaching out and promoting ...

Champion Large, Medium and Small Australian Breweries of last year’s Australian International Beer Awards have begun producing the 2016 Collaborative Beer, scheduled to be unveiled at the 2016 AIBA Presentation Dinner during Melbourne’s Good Beer Week, Thursday 19 May. The Collaborative Beer is an initiative conducted by The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, the organisation behind the awards. Each year, previous year Champions are asked to come together to produce a ...

The Huon Valley Mid-Winter Fest is set to return for its third year this July, running between Friday 15 - Sunday 17. Over the three days, festival goers and local cider producers will celebrate the history of Tasmania’s ‘apple valley’ by reenacting pagan traditions used in the cider producing regions of south-west England. The festival will be located at The Apple Shed in the Huon Valley, where Festival Director Sam Reid and his ...

Pith & Vinegar is the new bar and beverage consultancy that’s quickly making a name for itself on the Melbourne scene. The business is being headed by well-known, former Senior Bartender of The Black Pearl, Fred Siggins, who has hung out his shingle to help the independent brands of the south. The business officially launched mid way through last year and offers marketing advice and brand advocacy, combining Fred’s knowledge of ...