Registration has now opened for the 2016 Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory and Certified accreditation program, to be offered in Sydney and Melbourne this June. The Introductory Course and Exam will take place in Sydney, at the ivy Sunroom, 330 George Street, between Wednesday 8th - Friday 10th of June. The certified exam will take place on the Friday. Melbourne will host the Introductory Course and Exam between Sunday 12th - ...

South Australian brewing company Malt Fiction has released its second brew and first in can. Session Ale follows its older brother ’13’, the first beer launched by Malt Fiction in February last year. The beer is made from all natural ingredients and the brewery has added Amarillo hops to make it slightly bitter, but fruity and session-able. As for the trendy 375ml can, Malt Fiction brewers Jared Birbeck, Peter Lynn and Antony Tropeano ...

The fourth annual One Day Wine School will return again this year in March and April, to educate wine trade professionals on the latest industry trends and Australia’s long wine history. The school aims to provide sommeliers or trade with some prior knowledge of wine with a greater sense of Australia’s wine evolution, its regions and its distinctive terroirs. Wine Educator Aaron Brasher will host the event and take students through several ...

Former Marketing Manager, Matt Rimmer, has been appointed Head of SouthTrade International and Chair of a newly created Leadership Committee within the company. Together, Rimmer and the Leadership Committee will take over corporate responsibilities from founders Tony Stubley and Dave Higgins. Stubley said that the new appointment will allow himself and Higgins to focus on strategic opportunities for the company. “It is with great pleasure and confidence that after nearly ...

Treasury Wine Estates reported net profit after tax of $87.6 million for the first half of FY16, a 39 per cent increase on the previous corresponding period, on a constant currency basis. Analysts roundly praised the company’s performance, under which EBITS rose 72 per cent to $146.8 million. In what TWE termed “a flat overall wine market”, Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) reported EBITS growth of six per cent to ...

Fourth generation bartender, Andrew Bennett from The Classroom in North Perth, is the winner of this year’s BACARDÍ Legacy Australia Cocktail Competition. Bennett won the competition on Tuesday night against fellow contestants Peter Hollands and Igor Pachi, and will now go on to represent Australia in the global finals in San Francisco in April. The winning cocktail was The Seventh Art - a concoction of BACARDÍ Carta Blanca, Yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice, ...

Kegstar announced two new appointments this week as the keg rental and collection business prepares to expand globally. The company had already announced at the end of last year that it would be branching into Europe after one of its existing investors Brambles offered to acquire 100 per cent of the company, providing investment for growth. Now with plans to expand the company even further across the world, Australian and New ...

Treasury Wine Estates has revealed a second portfolio of wines among key focuses and plans that form the next phase of the company’s global brand strategy. The portfolio identifies nine of TWE’s existing Australian wine brands as regional ‘gems’ – brands that through increased focus and investment will expand company’s exports as well as provide growth opportunities for TWE customers in this market. A new team, led by Regional Wines General Manager, ...

Rekorderlig Cider has released its latest TVC Silver Skaters, bringing to life its first ever global brand campaign. The new ad sees Australia’s number one cider brand take a slightly unusual, more authentic approach towards its Swedish heritage, with a scene that will certainly make you look or think twice. Set on the Torneträsk Lake, two unlikely bearded skaters, named after Rekorderlig founders Henrik and Anders, break out into what is certainly somewhat of a synchronised-skating-spectacular - a ...

The wine region of McLaren Vale now has its first dedicated whisky distillery, with several others in the pipeline for other SA wine regions, amid a groundswell of whisky production activity in the state. The McLaren Vale Distillery has been founded by John Rochfort, former CEO of Tasmania’s Lark Distillery, and his family, together with business partner Jock Harvey, who also owns Chalk Hill Wines. They are consulting with undisclosed parties on distilleries that ...