Ara appoints UK BDM

Winegrowers of Ara, the premium Marlborough producer, has appointed Julie Williams to the newly created position of business development manager for the UK and mainland Europe.

Penfolds releases 2004 Grange

Penfolds has released the 2009 instalment in its ongoing Luxury & Icon Australian fine wine range.

Tastings

Winetraders Portfolio Tasting, Hallgarten Druitt Annual Tasting, Maisons, Marques et Domaines Portfolio Tasting, Mentzendorff Portfolio Tasting, Australia Day Tastings and Pol Roger Portfolio Tasting.

Smoke casts doubt over Yarra vintage

The entire 2009 vintage in Australia's Yarra Valley could be contaminated by smoke from the bushfires, a grower in the region has warned.

Foster's to keep wine business

Foster's has decided to hang on to its wine businesses after a review of its operations.

Bushfires show no mercy

Yarra valley winemakers are feeling the heat as bushfires rip through Victoria's vineyards.

Rare Grange at Barossa auction

A collection of limited-release and rare Penfolds wines will be sold at the biennial Barossa Vintage Festival Rare Wine Auction in Australia.

Foster's may have to stick with wine

The global credit crunch may force Foster's to abandon any hopes to offload its wine division in 2009, analysts say.

Foster's delays decision on wine division

Foster's Group has delayed until next year a decision on what to do with its ailing wine business.

Wines in the Press: From old wines to sweet wines

Australia storms to victory in IWSC competition

Australia took pole position at today's annual International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), scooping a total of 34 awards.

Welcome to the future

The July 11 issue of this magazine contained two disassociated snippets of information regarding Australian wine, which have long occupied my own thoughts (in my soon-to-be-published book, The Great Wine Swindle, I speculate on the implications in greater depth).

Wines in the Press: From top wine schools to Tesco

With the summer behind us, so too this week is talk of suitable wines for the warm weather. Jancis Robinson, back from her summer holiday, has a last word of advice on seasonal tipples, but for the most part the wine writers are turning their attentions to other matters. Jonathan Ray gives us his run down of the UK's top wine schools, Victoria Moore has her patience tried out by a good Bordeaux and Anthony Rose indulges in a spot of Tesco's finest.

Foster's reports 88% profit slump

Australian wine giant Foster's Group has reported an 88% slump in profits as sales of its wines continue to fall.

The Observer

TIM ATKIN MW has a 10ft hole in the middle of his dining room: he is having a wine cellar built.
You don't have to spend a fortune to start a modest wine collection,' he says, and recommends four reds at under 10, including: 2004 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot (7.99; Sainsbury's); 2004 Domaine de Fontsque, Corbires (8.99; Marks & Spencer); and 2005 Peter Lehmann Tempranillo, Barossa Valley (7.99; Waitrose).

The Times

Ignore 2006 Burgundy and lavish all your attention on Australian Pinot Noir, says Jane Macquitty. However this was not always her view, as she admitted "how typically presumptuous of the Aussies, I thought, to pick Pinot Noir as one of their six regional heroes". But on tasting 20 of the featured wines in this category at the Australia Day tasting, MacQuitty begrudgingly says she was "wrong, wrong, wrong". Her recommendations include the "classic" 2006 Ninth Island Pinot Noir (,9.99, Waitrose) and the 2006 Pirie South Pinot Noir (9.99, Majestic) for its spice. Jeffrey Grosset's 2006 Adelaide Hills (26.95, Liberty) is also "deliciously smoky".

The Observer

TIM ATKIN MW, in giving his pick of 2006, detects a number of trends. He feels that alcohol levels may be falling in response to consumer demand and that oak levels are reducing. His wine country of the year is Spain, most improved is Chile and country to watch is Argentina. His grape variety of the year is Garnacha/Grenache; top winery, Peter Lehmann; winemaker, Aurelio Montes; wine region, Loire; supermarket, Waitrose; off-licence chain, Threshers/Wine Rack; by-the-case merchant, Majestic; mail order, The Wine Society; and independent merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd.

The Observer

Who is the best wine producer in the world?' TIM ATKIN MW has his work cut out for him after this opening line, but he manages to whittle the possibilities down to six: Chteau Margaux in Bordeaux, Leroy in Burgundy, Chave in the Rhne, Gaja in Piedmont, JJ Prm in Germany and Kracher in Austria. No one from the New World gets a look in with this first line-up, but the tables are turned when the subject switches to dependable brands. Atkin's favourites for quantity, quality and consistency are: Jacob's Creek (Australia), Concha y Toro (Chile), Peter Lehmann (Australia), Montana (New Zealand), Torres (Spain) and Dourthe (France). Readers are urged to put this theory to the test and try a bottle of Peter Lehmann Shiraz, Barossa (7.99; Waitrose).

The Independent

ANTHONY ROSE sweet talks his readers this week, saying forget Liebfraumilch and Lambrusco, 'the fine sweet wines that end a meal beautifully are among the great wonders of the wine world'. If price is a problem, Rose lets slip that 'Australia cunningly replicates the Sauternes experience at a fraction of the price in wines such as the 2002 Peter Lehmann Barossa Valley Botrytis Semillon (5.99-6.99, half-bottle; Booths, Oddbins and Jeroboams). Sweet Riesling from Germany is a classic style, Rose continues, but 'no pantheon of sweet wines would be complete without Tokaji', and one of the best of the best is 1999 Royal Tokaji Tokaji Asz 5 Puttonyos (8.99; Waitrose).

The Sunday Times

JOANNA SIMON compiles a three-page guide to 'a stellar cellar'. Among her listings, there is a panel of 'names you can trust' among the brig brands. Her list includes Torres, Concha y Toro, Cono Sur, Peter Lehmann, Yalumba, De Bortoli, Villa Maria, Montana, Robert Mondavi, Santa Julia, Calvet and Douthe.