EU mulls wine reform to take on New World competition

BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union agriculture ministers on Monday discussed proposals to overhaul the bloc's wine industry to reduce surplus production and better compete with New World producers.
The reforms are aimed at reversing falling sales and reducing "wine lakes" costing hundreds of millions of euros to get rid of.
The European Commission says the bloated wine sector must cut overproduction or risk further decline against cheaper wines from New World and other overseas producers.
Its plan suggests pulling up unprofitable vineyards, ending subsidies for massive and costly distillation of unsold wine into industrial products and harmonizing labeling to make it more consumer-friendly.
It also foresees a ban on adding sugar to wine produced in regions with a cooler climate - a plan the majority of countries in the 27-member bloc oppose. Vintners in areas with a lack of sun, including Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic use extra sugar to produce higher-quality wines.
"The blanket ban on sugar is a problem. The European Commission will have to modify its proposal," said Czech Agriculture Minister Petr Gandalovic.
The Commission and the Portuguese EU presidency were to discuss the draft reform separately with each of the 27 EU member nations, sounding out conditions under which they would go along with the proposals, officials said. The debate was to continue into Tuesday.
An agreement on how far the reform will go could be reached by the end of the year, diplomats said.

Trinity Hill triumphs with Air New Zealand Wine Awards Champion Wine of the Show
November 2007
The 10th major award in as many weeks, but also the most prestigious, Trinity Hill has claimed the Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show for the Homage Syrah 2006. The wine also received the Fruitfed Trophy for Champion Syrah.

Chairman of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Steve Smith MW said, "The Trinity Hill Homage Syrah 2006 can only be described as an iron fist in a velvet glove. It has extremely complex flavours which are simply fantastic, but it is not flamboyant or hard-hitting. This is a very serious wine."

It is the first time a Syrah has been awarded the trophy for champion wine of the show. "This is New Zealand putting its hand up and saying hey; we're not just about Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir." Smith continues, "You could take this wine anywhere in the world and people would drop their jaw when you said it was from New Zealand."

In another first, Trinity Hill recently won the trophy for champion shiraz/syrah at the 2007 Liquorland International Wine Competition with the 2006 Gimblett Gravels Syrah - the first time in the show's 14 year history that the trophy has been awarded to New Zealand.

Director and Chief Winemaker, John Hancock said, "We are incredibly proud to have won the Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show - it is great testament to the quality of our vineyards, our viticultural and winemaking teams and confirms an exciting future for Hawke's Bay Syrah."

Stunning new vintage 2007 Clare Valley Riesling released

Angove's Vineyard Select range has been a standout success in raising the profile of the 121 Year Old family owned winery since it was launched in 2003. The single region, and in many cases, single vineyard, wines all speak of the region and variety for which they are most renown and showcase the winemaking skills of the Angove team.

The newly released 2007 Angove's Vineyard Select Clare Valley Riesling continues this tradition and with the four preceding vintages all receiving 90+ points in Wine Spectator (USA) it has some tough acts to follow.

Sourced from two distinctly different vineyards in the Watervale sub region, this wine epitomises why Riesling has long been linked with the Clare Valley as they regions "hero" variety. One vineyard has slate over loam soil and faces the North East at a "high elevation". This site provides the mineral characters to the wine. The other vineyard sits atop terra rossa soil with underlying limestone looking to the West and contributes the lifted citrus aromatics.

"2007 was an extremely challenging vintage. Dry conditions, with extreme temperature spikes meant timing the harvest ones of the earliest on record, was critical. These conditions greatly reduced the fruit available and as a result only 2416 (9L) cases were produced. Careful removal of any shrivelled fruit in both the vineyard and in pre pressing tirage resulted in the pressing of pure, unspoilt Riesling fruit with intense flavours that have flowed through to the finished wine," Tony Ingle, Angove's senior winemaker, said.

New Capel Vale Debut range flying high

At this year's National Canberra Wine Show the Capel Vale 2005 Debut Cabernet Merlot collected a well earned gold medal, highlighting the success of this stylish new range of wines from Western Australia.

The Debut range was only launched this year by the innovative team at Capel Vale. Led by father and son Peter and Simon Pratten, the Debut release lives up to the company's reputation of foresight and boldness and enhances the already successful Capel Vale portfolio, which now includes 3 perfected ranges, namely the Debut, Regional Series and Whispering Hill Single Vineyard Series.

Although at a lower price point, the Debut range is crafted using the same passionate mission that made Capel Vale pioneers within the Western Australia wine industry and has created many highly regarded, high quality wines since 1974; to relentlessly locate the very best regions in south Western Australia for each of the main premium grape varieties. Over the last 33 years this challenge has seen Capel Vale secure some of the best vineyard sites in Geographe, Mount Barker, Pemberton and Margaret River, making Capel Vale the only original family-owned winery to have mature premium vineyards in all of the best cool climate regions of WA.

This latest honour given to the Debut range, quickly follows the 2005 Debut Merlot's Trophy at the Melbourne Wine Show and the Blue Gold at the Sydney International for the 2005 Debut Shiraz, which also received a Gold at National Canberra 2006; and there is no ducking the fact that it is a tribute to Capel Vale's success at over-delivering on quality, price and style.

In fact many Debut wines are made from the same vines that previously produced more expensive wines and all Debut's posses the ability to present the optimal fruit characters from each variety, grown in its most suitable cool climate vineyards.

Nelson region's first contract winery under way

Nelson region's first contract winery under way
Two of Nelson's larger wine companies - Anchorage and Kahurangi -- have united to build the region's first contract winemaking facility, Torrent Bay Vintners Ltd.
The first stage, a 1000 tonne processing winery, is already under way on the outskirts of Motueka and will be operational by March in time for Vintage 2008.
A former apple packhouse, owned by Ray Drummond and family in Umukuri Rd, Brooklyn, is being converted into a contract winery to process grapes for Nelson producers. Much of the winery will be purpose-built to allow for fast and efficient processing of red and white varieties at a top rate of 25 tonnes per hour.
General Manager and head winemaker Justin Papesch said Anchorage and Kahurangi would continue their existing businesses as well as being major clients of Torrent Bay Vintners Ltd.
"The project started because Anchorage was ready to build a winery and Kahurangi needed to expand and secure its future winemaking. Added to that was an increased demand from Nelson-based wine producers and vineyard owners for contract winemaking in their home province.
Having a contract winemaking facility in the Nelson province would enhance the region's winemaking industry and also have wider spin-offs, including financial advantages, for local contractors and associated industries, Mr Papesch said.
"Grapes that might in the past have been processed in Marlborough will now be able to be made into juice or wine right here," he said. "The focus will be on quality and on meeting the specific needs of Nelson's expanding aromatic wine industry, using some of the latest technology available for wine processing.
"We're involving as many local contractors, suppliers and other businesses as possible."
Much of the equipment is sourced from wine industry giant Diemme. Equipment includes a 15 tonne tipping receival hopper, comprehensive computerized monitoring system, and state-of-the-art filtration units, one of which is portable and which will be available for contract work at other wineries in the region. New tanks and equipment will add to the uniformity of the winery.

Milan, Italy SIMEI
Bigger than the Unified trade show in January and the ASEV show in June,
the massive twin trade shows of SIMEI and EnoVitis proved to be a good
place to see the latest products and services from practically all the
international-oriented industry suppliers. The five-day-long exhibitions
this week were being staged for the first time in a complex of five sprawling
new buildings on the gigantic, futuristic grounds of Fiera Milano in Rho,
a suburb of Milan, in the north of Italy. Most of the visitors are Italian
growers and winemakers, and a majority of the suppliers are based in
Italy and France, but nevertheless a multicultural atmosphere exists
in this spacious show.

A troupe of 90 journalists from as near as Rome and as far as Germany,
Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Russia attended, too, going elbow to
elbow with winemakers searching for new equipment and solutions.
American attendees were definitely in a minority, but we met one
Pennsylvania winemaker, Richard Carey of Tamanend Winery in
Lancaster, who bought a mini bottling line at SIMEI. He's about to
open a custom crush facility on the Tamanend property and needed
to complete his outfitting.

North American exhibitors were also in a minority, but 14 U.S. companies
were represented, usually by their Italian or European agents. A total of 778
companies exhibited in an area of 800,000 square feet.

A central wine bar was often packed three deep with tasters, and an olive bar
beside it had a much smaller but interested clientele. Espresso and acqua
minerale were readily available in cafes and bars throughout the complex,
and amusements included an extensive exhbit of wine-related cartoons.
Stopping at stand after stand, one found newly introduced products that
are being sold in Europe, but won't come to our continent until late 2008
or 2009 in many cases. Look for a report in Wines & Vines' January issue
on a few of the many promising new products that were shown here.

Programs presenting new research and professional advice from international
experts accompanied the trade show. A session whose title was poorly translated
as "The Management of the Green in the Vineyard" compared mechanical vs.
manual operations for canopy management. Other programs covered
"The Challenges of Modern Olive Growing" for this was not strictly a
wine event, and "Marketing Drinks for Tomorrow's Lifestyles."
Smaller workshops also attracted interest.

Despite the size and sophistication of the show, the grass-roots nature of
the Italian wine industry showed in displays of small, even micro destemmers,
presses and other equipment. SIMEI produced census figures showing a
staggering 768,000 wine producing firms existed in Italy in 2000, using
2.3 million acres of vines. Professor Giancarlo Spezia of Sacred Heart University
in Piacenza said the average Italian farm is just one hectare in size (about 2.5 acres)
Milan, Italy -- Bigger than the Unified trade show in January and the ASEV show
in June, the massive twin trade shows of SIMEI and EnoVitis proved to be a good
place to see the latest products and services from practically all the international
-oriented industry suppliers.

The five-day-long exhibitions this week were being staged for the first time in a
complex of five sprawling new buildings on the gigantic, futuristic grounds of
Fiera Milano in Rho, a suburb of Milan, in the north of Italy. Most of the visitors
are Italian growers and winemakers, and a majority of the suppliers are based in
Italy and France, but nevertheless a multicultural atmosphere exists in this spacious show.

A troupe of 90 journalists from as near as Rome and as far as Germany, Australia, New Zealand,
Brazil and Russia attended, too, going elbow to elbow with winemakers searching for new equipment
and solutions. American attendees were definitely in a minority, but we met one Pennsylvania
winemaker, Richard Carey of Tamanend Winery in Lancaster, who bought a mini bottling line at SIMEI.
He's about to open a custom crush facility on the Tamanend property and needed to complete his outfitting.

North American exhibitors were also in a minority, but 14 U.S. companies were represented,
usually by their Italian or European agents. A total of 778 companies exhibited in an area
of 800,000 square feet.

A central wine bar was often packed three deep with tasters, and an olive bar beside it had a
much smaller but interested clientele. Espresso and acqua minerale were readily available in
cafes and bars throughout the complex, and amusements included an extensive exhbit of wine-related cartoons

Stopping at stand after stand, one found newly introduced products that are being sold in Europe,
but won't come to our continent until late 2008 or 2009 in many cases. Look for a report in
Wines & Vines' January issue on a few of the many promising new products that were shown here.

Programs presenting new research and professional advice from international experts accompanied
the trade show. A session whose title was poorly translated as "The Management of the Green in
the Vineyard" compared mechanical vs. manual operations for canopy management. Other programs
covered "The Challenges of Modern Olive Growing" for this was not strictly a wine event,
and "Marketing Drinks for Tomorrow's Lifestyles." Smaller workshops also attracted interest.

Despite the size and sophistication of the show, the grass-roots nature of the Italian wine industry
showed in displays of small, even micro destemmers, presses and other equipment. SIMEI produced
census figures showing a staggering 768,000 wine producing firms existed in Italy in 2000, using
2.3 million acres of vines. Professor Giancarlo Spezia of Sacred Heart University in Piacenza said
the average Italian farm is just one hectare in size (about 2.5 acres)

Milan, Italy -- Bigger than the Unified trade show in January and the ASEV show in June, the massive twin trade shows of SIMEI and EnoVitis proved to be a good place to see the latest products and services from practically all the international-oriented industry suppliers.

The five-day-long exhibitions this week were being staged for the first time in a complex of five sprawling new buildings on the gigantic, futuristic grounds of Fiera Milano in Rho, a suburb of Milan, in the north of Italy. Most of the visitors are Italian growers and winemakers, and a majority of the suppliers are based in Italy and France, but nevertheless a multicultural atmosphere exists in this spacious show.

A troupe of 90 journalists from as near as Rome and as far as Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Russia attended, too, going elbow to elbow with winemakers searching for new equipment and solutions. American attendees were definitely in a minority, but we met one Pennsylvania winemaker, Richard Carey of Tamanend Winery in Lancaster, who bought a mini bottling line at SIMEI. He's about to open a custom crush facility on the Tamanend property and needed to complete his outfitting.

North American exhibitors were also in a minority, but 14 U.S. companies were represented, usually by their Italian or European agents. A total of 778 companies exhibited in an area of 800,000 square feet.

A central wine bar was often packed three deep with tasters, and an olive bar beside it had a much smaller but interested clientele. Espresso and acqua minerale were readily available in cafes and bars throughout the complex, and amusements included an extensive exhbit of wine-related cartoons

Stopping at stand after stand, one found newly introduced products that are being sold in Europe, but won't come to our continent until late 2008 or 2009 in many cases. Look for a report in Wines & Vines' January issue on a few of the many promising new products that were shown here.

Programs presenting new research and professional advice from international experts accompanied the trade show. A session whose title was poorly translated as "The Management of the Green in the Vineyard" compared mechanical vs. manual operations for canopy management. Other programs covered "The Challenges of Modern Olive Growing" for this was not strictly a wine event, and "Marketing Drinks for Tomorrow's Lifestyles." Smaller workshops also attracted interest.

Despite the size and sophistication of the show, the grass-roots nature of the Italian wine industry showed in displays of small, even micro destemmers, presses and other equipment. SIMEI produced census figures showing a staggering 768,000 wine producing firms existed in Italy in 2000, using 2.3 million acres of vines. Professor Giancarlo Spezia of Sacred Heart University in Piacenza said the average Italian farm is just one hectare in size (about 2.5 acres)

Winemakers Learn From The Pinot Noir Experts

Funding from the New Zealand-France Friendship Fund has assisted three Central Otago winemakers to immerse themselves in the history and culture of pinot noir during a recent six-week educational trip to Burgundy, France.
Assistant winemaker Todd Stevens of Quartz Reef Wines, Kurt Lindsay from Ian Cunliffe Contracting and Jeff Snape, vineyard supervisor of Three Miners Vineyards returned enthused and armed with a deeper understanding of the wine and where it originates from. The trip was part of an on-going learning exchange programme between the two regions.

They spent six weeks working in vineyards in the region as well as receiving a three-day introductory course at Centre de Formation Professionnelle et de Promotion Agricole (CFPPA), a viticulture technical institute in Beaune.
Todd Stevens thoroughly appreciated his experience and while he won't be trying to replicate the wine, he has gained a greater understanding of what defines pinot noir, "There is no better place to learn this than in an area that has been producing the wine for hundreds of years. Their passion behind the wine runs deeper - their vines and history are just so much older."
Nick Mills from Rippon Winery and an executive member of the Central Otago Winegrowers Association with Florence Zito of the CFPPA, instigated the inaugural exchange last year and both are delighted that the programme has continued. Nick believes the symbiosis between the regions underlines the importance and significance for its continuity.
"The exchange offers a great opportunity for these two wine regions, both renowned for their production of pinot noir - yet from entirely different contexts, to learn each other's techniques and share in each other's culture," he said.
This second exchange trip to France was principally funded by the New Zealand-France Friendship Fund.
Students from the CFPPA will visit Central Otago for the harvest in April. The programme for the French students differs in that there is a greater focus on the technical and scientific approach to wine-making while Central Otago exchange members get a feel for traditional wine-making. Their trip will be funded by participating businesses and with some financial assistance from the Central Otago Winegrowers Association.

Top champagne house may buy English vineyards


Champagne house Louis Roederer has been in discussions with English winemakers about the possibility of buying vineyards there. Photo / Martin Sykes
The leading champagne house Louis Roederer is considering buying vineyards in England.
A team from the makers of Cristal, the world's most expensive bubbly, say they have held "very interesting" discussions with new English winemakers.
"Maybe in three to five years this will go further in a joint venture," said the vineyard director, Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon.
The news is hardly a surprise in the industry. First, there is a global champagne shortage. The Champagne region is struggling to meet demand, so much so that the French authorities are considering expanding the appellation into 40 new communes.
Last year, champagne houses shipped 333 million bottles worldwide, more than the average annual supply in the past 10 years of 330 million bottles.
Second, as a result of decades of experimentation with grape varieties and a warming climate, English sparkling wine has become a sophisticated and respected drink.
The soil and temperature of southern counties such as Sussex and Kent almost exactly match the 32,000 hectares in Champagne.
But land here is much cheaper, as little as £4,000 an acre compared with more than £100,000 for Champagne vineyards.
Louis Roederer, an acquisitive family-owned house, has already bought foreign vineyards and is producing wine in Australia, California and Portugal.
It will soon buy land in Britain, according to Simon Field, champagne buyer at Britain's oldest wine merchant, Berry Bros.
"I think it's only a matter of time," he said. "I know quite a few of the grand crus, Tattinger, Veuve Cliquot and Moet & Chandon have been making exploratory inquiries; aerial photography, soil studies and so on. I know that Louis Roederer has been interested for some time."
During the house's visit at the end of September, Louis Roederer's president, Frederic Rouzaud, toured one unplanted site and three vineyards, two in Kent and one in Sussex.
Earlier, Roederer's group president Jean-Claude Rouzaud indicated that the company would wait to see how climate change affected viticulture before deciding to invest in England.

Hospices de Beaune makes record sum despite less wine
November 19, 2007
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Sophie Kevany in Burgundy

The Hospices de Beaune, the world's oldest charity wine auction, made a record €4.29m at the weekend - 27% more than last year, and for less wine.

The success of the auction - which has been held every year in Burgundy since 1859 - was despite French train strikes, doubts about the 2007 vintage quality and fears of overpricing.

The auction took place over the weekend, 17 and 18 November.

UK buyer James Rackham of Emporia Brands, who bought two barrels - a Volnay premier cru for €4,200 and a Meursault for €7,000 - said prices were up overall for the grand crus.
Related stories: · Hospices de Beaune sign with Christie's until 2010 · Burgundy prices post healthy rise at Hospices sale · Hospices: 2006 whites up 63% · Rangers chairman buys Burgundy estate · Search Hospices for all related stories
'You could see the bids coming in from three directions, the salesroom, the phone lines and the internet, but there were still some good values to be had,' he added.

The higher prices paid at this year's auction, particularly for the reds which were up 38% in value, are a reflection of growing international demand for red Burgundy, said Anthony Hanson, Christie's international wine consultant.

Another factor was the high quality of the vintage, despite weather-related mildew and rot outbreaks which reduced harvest volumes by up to 30%.

Held annually in Beaune and now in its 147th year, the auction sells Burgundy by the barrel from vineyards owned by the local Hospice, an ancient charitable hospital. Each barrel, locally known as a 'pièce', holds 228 litres or 288 bottles of wine.

The bulk of the auction proceeds are used to maintain hospice and hospital facilities, but every year the sale of one barrel - known as the President's Barrel - is used to help a range of other French charities.

This year the selected barrel, a Beaune premier cru, was bought for €65,000 by David Murray. One of Scotland's richest men, Murray - who bought a Burgundy vineyard, Domaine Jessiaume, in November last year - is also chairman of Rangers football team.

He got a bargain compared to the €200,000 paid last year by Jacques Rouvory, director of Belvedere a French wine and spirits distribution company.

A total of 607 barrels were sold this year, compared to last year's 680 barrels, which went for a total of €3.8m.

Buyers were able to bid over the internet for the first time this year. Hanson said there was 'sustained interest from the web' throughout the sale. The first Hospices de Beaune barrel sold over the web was a Pommard premier cru that went for €4,500.

New WFA board announced

Former managing director of BRL Hardy and chief executive of Constellation Wines, Stephen Millar, has retired from the board of the Winemakers' Federation of Australia following 15 years of service. During WFA's recent annual meeting in Adelaide, Millar received tributes from various board members for his invaluable contribution to the organisation. He will be replaced on the board by Hardy Wine Company president John Grant.

As before, the Board of 12 members will comprise four representatives from each of the Small, Medium and Large Winemakers' Membership Committees:

Small Winemakers' Membership Committee
1. John Ellis, The Hanging Rock Winery
2. Evan Hiscock, Petaluma Ltd
3. Denis Horgan, Leeuwin Estate
4. Michael Matthews, TVN Consulting
Plus permanent alternate: Trevor Drayton, Drayton's Family Wines

Medium Winemakers' Membership Committee
5. Kevin McLintock, McWilliam's Wines
6. John Angove, Angove's Pty Ltd
7. Robert Hill Smith, Yalumba
8. Mitchell Taylor, Taylors Wines
Plus permanent alternate: Darren De Bortoli, De Bortoli Wines

Large Winemakers' Membership Committee
9. Philip Laffer, Pernod Ricard Pacific (Alternate: Stephen Couche)
10. Jamie Odell, Foster's (Alternate: Richard Wise)
11. John Grant, Hardy Wine Company (Alternate: John Whelan)
12. Brian McGuigan, McGuigan Simeon Wines (Alternate: to be advised)

First time's a charm

It's understandable that Joel Pizzini's feeling just a bit overwhelmed. Humbled and honoured too. After all, the Pizzini nebbiolo 2002 took out three major awards at the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show last week, including best wine of the show.
It was the first wine he ever made. He accepted the award during a superb lunch on the Avoca, an 1877 paddle steamer that's also a restaurant moored on the banks of the Murray River at Mildura. An emotional Pizzini said: "I am sure my father would say the wine was already made in the vineyard."
Fred Pizzini planted nebbiolo in 1989 long before anyone here had even heard about this variety. And while the Pizzini family has been pioneering varieties ever since, there had to come a time when Fred officially passed on the winemaking crown to his son. Hence the importance of the 2002 for Joel.
So why is this wine special? Firstly, there aren't any aged Australian nebbiolos on the market. More than that: apart from being quite aromatic, it's a variety distinguishable by its powerful tannins and needs time to arrive at its best. "And it's hard to tell someone who wants to try nebbiolo to wait five years," says Joel.
"But we do make these wines to age." Hence the decision by the Pizzinis to hold them back and release them with bottle age. The '02 has been out for about six months. Pizzini describes the winning wine as complete. "It has power, structure and tannins that start on the tip of the tongue and finish at the back of the tongue. It's smooth and thick."
What makes this show such a joy to judge at, which I did, is to see all the amazing varieties being grown in Australia. Many of these wines wouldn't get a shoe in at a mainstream show - who would know what to make of a rondinella corvina, lambrusco maestri or sagrantino? In terms of winemaking and viticulture, there's certainly a long way to go with many varieties even with the more widely planted tempranillo and sangiovese.
Many of those wines tended to lack varietal character, were over-oaked, confected and held together by clumsy tannins. Their essential savouriness was missing. Vignerons are still working out how these grapes will settle into an Australian landscape. But thank goodness there are souls who are brave, innovative and proud enough to plant such exhilarating varieties. It bodes well for the future.

Tax rebates are still grape expectations

The campaign to allow small wineries to claim back excise tax is gathering momentum with the industry's statutory producer board, NZ Winegrowers, throwing its weight behind the plan.
All wineries must pay excise tax of about $1.80 on every 750ml bottle of wine they sell on the domestic market.
A similar tax exists in Australia, but wineries there and NZ wineries exporting to Australia are refunded the first $A500,000 ($590,000) of tax they pay each year, a move designed to help smaller wineries remain financially viable.
Calls for New Zealand to adopt a similar regime have grown louder since the release of a Deloitte report on the financial health of the wine industry showed what many had long suspected: that while the overall industry had grown strongly in recent years, most small wine companies with revenue under $5 million a year were making a loss.


Konkurrenz strukturiert sich neu, EDEKA kauft PLUS

Edeka als Branchenführer übernimmt Märkte von Tengelmann.
Edeka und Tengelmann bringen ihre Discounttöchter Netto und Plus
mit Wirkung zum 01.05.2008 in eine gemeinsame Gesellschaft ein.

Deren Anteile werden 70% Edeka und 30 % Tengelmann halten.

Winemaker invents sulphur removal tool

An Australian winemaker has patented a method of removing sulphur dioxide from wine
immediately prior to consumption. James Pennington, of Rivendell Wines in western Australia,
patented his PEWA (Preservative Elimination in Wine At consumption) system earlier this year.
The system consists of a levered plastic stopper which is placed on the top of the recently-opened
bottle of wine. When the lever is raised and dropped, a small amount of hydrogen peroxide is released.
The hydrogen peroxide neutralises the sulphites and the stopper can be removed. According to
Pennington, once the proceedure has been performed the wine is almost completely sulphur free.
Sulphur dioxide is regularly used in winemaking, and many winemakers add up to 250ppm to wine
bottles prior to prevent oxidation and development of 'off flavours'. In some cases, however,
the sulpur dioxide can give off a very unpleasant smell and, in large quantities, can provoke
severe asthma attacks. In November 2003, European supermarket chain Lidl had to recall a
line of Australian Cabernet Shiraz, found to have massive amounts of sulphur dioxide -
in some cases 17 times the permitted level.

Wine & Spirits Asia 2008 - improving with age

one of the specialised events in FHA2008 - Asia's largest international food and hospitality event,
is bubbling with opportunities for producers of sparkling, fortified and table wines. Network and meet
'face to face' with over 37,000 trade professionals who are on the hunt for the best products and
services in the food and hospitality industry.
More than just an exhibition, Wine&SpiritsAsia2008 will highlight the Wine&SpiritsAsia Challenge.
This contest which promotes world-class wines to Asia, received 629 entries in 2006,
an overwhelming 121 more entries compared to its first showing in 2004. Of all the entries
that were submitted, 10 emerged with gold, 90 were awarded silver, 302 were awarded bronze,
while 144 obtained Merit.

EU/Agrar/Wein/
(Zusammenfassung 1845)
Deutschland kritisiert EU-Kommission für Weinmarktreform =

Porto (dpa) - Deutschland macht weiter Front gegen Pläne der EU-
Kommission für eine Reform des von Überproduktion geplagten
Weinanbaus in Europa. Zu Beginn eines dreitägigen Treffen der EU-
Agrarminister im portugiesischen Porto kritisierte der deutsche
Staatssekretär Gert Lindemann vor allem die Rodungspläne der
Kommission. Es habe überhaupt keinen Sinn, jetzt bis 200 000 Hektar
Rebenflächen zu vernichten, wenn es von 2014 an keine Begrenzung für
Neuanpflanzungen mehr geben werde.

Agrarkommissarin Mariann Fischer Boel will vor allem die
Destillation von unverkäuflichen Weinen zu Alkohol abschaffen, für
die die EU etwa eine halbe Milliarde Euro jedes Jahr ausgibt.
Insgesamt gibt die EU 1,3 Milliarden Euro zur Stützung des Weinbaus
aus. Der Beihilfenbetrag soll auch nach der Reform erhalten bleiben.

Lindemann verteidigte auch die in Deutschland genutzte Zugabe von
Saccharose, um den Alkoholgehalt des Weines zu erhöhen. Das Verfahren
will die Kommission abschaffen. "Eine Abschaffung des Verfahrens hat
nichts damit zu tun, den Sektor zu reformieren", sagte Lindemann.
Deutschland stehe damit nicht allein. Insgesamt 20 Mitgliedstaaten
seien dafür, die Zugabe von Saccharose beizubehalten. Die Kommission
ignoriere eine Drei-Viertel-Mehrheit der Mitgliedstaaten. "Das ist
schon ärgerlich."

Fischer Boel wehrte sich gegen den Vorwurf, sie plane die
Grundlagen europäischer Weinwirtschaft zu zerstören. Alle seien sich
einig, dass angesichts massiver Konkurrenz aus Übersee-Ländern wie
Australien, Chile, Südafrika und USA Europa konkurrenzfähiger zu
machen. Eine Reform sei nötig, sagte sie in Porto. Winzer, die keine
konkurrenzfähige Qualität anbieten könnten, müssten die Chance haben,
aus der Produktion auszusteigen. Sie verteidigte ihre Pläne. Kein
Winzer werde zu Rodungen gezwungen.

Quelle: dpa rom xx z2 mg

Schiffsbau/Geschichte/Tourismus/
(Vorausmeldung)
Nachgebautes Römerschiff wird getauft - Name noch geheim =

Trier (dpa/lrs) - Ein Römerschiff, das ab Oktober Touristen zu
einer Fahrt auf der Mosel einladen soll, wird morgen (Freitag/15.00)
in Trier feierlich getauft. Bei dem Festakt wird auch der Name des
originalgetreuen Nachbaus bekannt geben. Mit einer Länge von 18 und
einer Breite von 4,20 Metern wird es das größte Römerschiff sein, das
auf deutschen Flüssen unterwegs ist. Seine Jungfernfahrt tritt das
Holzschiff am 29. September zu seinem künftigen Heimathafen Neumagen-
Dhron (Kreis Bernkastel-Wittlich) an. Das Schiff ist nach einem
Modell des Museums für Antike Schifffahrt in Mainz gebaut und
orientiert sich am Grabmal eines römischen Weinhändlers, dem
"Neumagener Weinschiff", aus dem 3. Jahrhundert.

An Bord haben 42 Ruderer oder 50 Touristen Platz. Das Schiff, das
mit zwei Motoren ausgestattet ist, ist in einem Werft-Zelt bei der
Handwerkskammer Trier gebaut worden. Ursprünglich war für Freitag
auch der offizielle Stapellauf geplant. Für Funktionstests sei das
Schiff aber mit vier Tonnen schweren Betonelementen beladen worden,
die Bewegungen des Schiffes unmöglich machten, hieß es. Seit einem
Wassertauglichkeitstest vor zwei Wochen liegt die Galeere bereits in
der Mosel.

dpa rt yyrs n1 löb

Agrar/Wein/
(Vorausmeldung)
In Trier wird die neue Mosel-Weinkönigin gewählt =

Trier (dpa/lrs) - An der Mosel wird morgen (Freitag/19.00) eine
neue Weinkönigin gewählt. Sieben junge Frauen bewerben sich in Trier
um die Nachfolge von Amtsinhaberin Katja Fehres aus Brauneberg (Kreis
Bernkastel-Wittlich). Die 19 bis 28 Jahre alten Kandidatinnen
stammen aus dem gesamten Mosel-Anbaugebiet von der Terrassenmosel bis
zur Saar. Die Bewerberinnen präsentieren sich zunächst einer Jury von
Weinbauexperten, dann auf der Bühne vor rund 500 Gästen. Bei den
Tests müssen sie ihr Fachwissen über Weinbau, ihren Charme und Witz
sowie Schlagfertigkeit unter Beweis stellen. Die scheidende Regentin
Fehres wird am 6. Oktober bei der Wahl der Deutschen Weinkönigin in
Neustadt für die Mosel antreten.

dpa rt yyrs n1 löb

Nachrichtenüberblick/dpa/Wirtschaft/
dpa-Nachrichtenüberblick WIRTSCHAFT - 13.9.2007 - 16.30 Uhr =

IfW erwartet schwächeres Wachstum - Aufschwung aber nicht zu Ende

Kiel (dpa) - Unter dem Eindruck der Immobilienkrise in den USA und
der dort schwächeren Konjunktur hat das Kieler Institut für
Weltwirtschaft (IfW) seine Prognosen für das Wirtschaftswachstum in
Deutschland deutlich gesenkt. Für das laufende Jahr rechnet das IfW
nun noch mit einem Wachstum von 2,7 Prozent. Allerdings lag die zuvor
erwartete Steigerung des Bruttoinlandsprodukts (BIP) um 3,2 Prozent
auch klar über den Prognosen der meisten anderen Wirtschaftsforscher.
2008 soll die gesamtwirtschaftliche Produktion um 2,4 Prozent
steigen; erst im Juni hatte das Institut seine Prognose für das
kommende Jahr noch auf 2,7 Prozent erhöht.

Merkel gibt Autoindustrie Rückendeckung im EU-Klimastreit

Frankfurt/Main (dpa) - Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat sich im
Klimaschutz-Streit mit der EU-Kommission hinter die deutsche
Autoindustrie gestellt. Die deutschen Hersteller hätten ihre
Unterstützung bei der Forderung, dass die Reduktion des
Treibhausgases Kohlendioxid auf die verschiedenen Segmente fair
verteilt werden müsse, sagte Merkel bei der Eröffnungsfeier der
Automesse IAA in Frankfurt am Donnerstag. Sie sehe gute Chancen, "zu
vernünftigen Regelungen zu kommen". Zugleich rief sie die Branche
auf, "an jeder Stelle des Automobils" zu denken, wie der CO2-Ausstoß
reduziert werden könne. Es gebe keine andere Wahl, als dem
Klimawandel entgegenzuwirken. Die EU-Kommission will den CO2-Ausstoß
bis 2012 im Flottendurchschnitt auf 120 Gramm pro Kilometer
begrenzen. Vor allem die deutsche Autoindustrie fordert verschiedene
Grenzwerte für unterschiedliche Fahrzeugklassen.

Bahn gegen "Volksaktien"-Modell - Streit um künftige Trassenpreise

Berlin (dpa) - In der Debatte um den geplanten Börsengang der Bahn
hat sich der bundeseigene Konzern gegen den SPD-Vorstoß für spezielle
"Volksaktien" ausgesprochen. Dies sei ein "unausgegorenes Konstrukt",
sagte Bahn-Finanzvorstand Diethelm Sack am Donnerstag in Berlin. Der
Renditedruck auf das Unternehmen würde sogar erhöht, da das Konzept
eine garantierte Dividende von fünf Prozent vorsehe. Üblicherweise
rechneten Investoren mit drei bis vier Prozent. Berlins Finanzsenator
Thilo Sarrazin (SPD) warb dagegen für die Idee, bis zu 49 Prozent der
Bahn-Anteile als Vorzugsaktien ohne Stimmrechte an Kleinanlager zu
verkaufen. Der SPD-Vorstand hatte beschlossen, das Modell zu prüfen.

Alcatel-Lucent nach Fusion weiter in der Krise - Aktie stürzt ab

Paris (dpa) - Neun Monate nach der Fusion zum Weltmarktführer der
Kommunikationstechnik steckt Alcatel-Lucent weiter in der Krise. Der
französisch-amerikanische Konzern korrigierte seine Wachstumsprognose
für 2007 von fünf Prozent auf annähernd null. Für das dritte Quartal
werde nur ein ausgeglichenes Betriebsergebnis erwartet. Vorangegangen
waren Gespräche mit US-Mobilfunkkonzernen. Diese hätten ergeben, dass
die Unternehmen weniger investieren wollten, teilte Alcatel-Lucent am
Donnerstag in Paris mit. Die Aktie brach daraufhin um 10,2 Prozent
auf 6,51 Euro ein. Das Jahreshoch hatte Mitte Januar bei 11,86 Euro
gelegen.

Studie: Zahlungsmoral der Deutschen noch nicht verbessert

Hamburg (dpa) - Trotz der guten Konjunktur verschulden sich die
Deutschen weiterhin auf hohem Niveau. Zu diesem Ergebnis kommt die
Wirtschaftsauskunftei Bürgel in einer am Donnerstag in Hamburg
vorgelegten Studie. Danach sind die gerichtlichen Zwangsmaßnahmen
gegen säumige Schuldner im ersten Halbjahr 2007 im Jahresvergleich
lediglich um 0,8 Prozent zurückgegangen. Gläubiger mussten fast
792 000 Mal die Justiz einschalten, um an ihr Geld zu kommen.
Zwangsmaßnahmen sind die Eidesstattliche Versicherung (früher:
Offenbarungseid) und Haftanordnungen.

Betrugsverdacht: Zwei Tönnies-Mitarbeiter in Haft

Rheda-Wiedenbrück (dpa) - Zwei Mitarbeiter des größten
europäischen Fleischverarbeiters Tönnies sind wegen Betrugsverdachts
in Haft. Ein Haftrichter habe Haftbefehl gegen die Männer erlassen,
sagte der zuständige Bochumer Staatsanwalt Bernd Bienioßek am
Donnerstag der dpa. Es handele sich um einen Techniker und einen
leitenden Mitarbeiter einer Tönnies-Tochtergesellschaft. Beide hätten
sich zur Sache nicht geäußert. Die Haftbefehle ergingen wegen
Verdunkelungs- und Fluchtgefahr in einem Fall, wegen Fluchtgefahr im
zweiten Fall. Die Behörde ermittelt gegen den Fleischverarbeiter
wegen des Verdachts, Lieferanten und Kunden betrogen zu haben.

DAX dreht ins Plus

Frankfurt/Main (dpa) - Die meisten deutschen Standardwerte haben
am Donnerstag nach einem von Verlusten geprägten Handelsverlauf ins
Plus gedreht. MDAX und TecDAX erholten sich von ihren Tiefs im
Handelsverlauf, verharrten allerdings im Minus. Positive
Konjunkturdaten aus den USA hätten dem DAX Auftrieb gegeben, sagten
Händler. Der Leitindex stieg bis zum Nachmittag um 0,5 Prozent auf
7509 Zähler. Der MDAX verringerte seine Verluste und lag nur noch 0,4
Prozent niedriger bei 10 034 Punkten. Der TecDAX verlor 0,7 Prozent
auf 908 Zähler. Am Rentenmarkt stieg die durchschnittliche
Umlaufrendite der börsennotierten Bundeswertpapiere auf 4,14 (Vortag:
4,12) Prozent. Der Kurs des Euro stieg zeitweise auf einen neuen
Höchststand bei 1,3927 US-Dollar: Die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB)
setzte den Referenzkurs auf 1,3897 (Mittwoch: 1,3885) Dollar fest.
Der Dollar kostete 0,7196 (0,7202) Euro.
dpa ur yyzz n1 uw

Nachrichtenüberblick/dpa/Vermischtes/
dpa-Nachrichtenüberblick VERMISCHTES, 13.09.2007 - 16.30 Uhr =

Massive Erdbebenserie vor Indonesien - mindestens neun Tote

Jakarta (dpa) - Eine Serie schwerer Erdbeben hat auch am
Donnerstag in West- und Ostindonesien sowie auf den Philippinen und
in Nachbarländern Millionen Menschen in Angst und Schrecken versetzt.
Auf Sumatra kamen nach ersten Angaben neun Menschen ums Leben.
Hunderte Häuser wurden zerstört oder beschädigt. Auf den schweren
Erdstoß der Stärke 8,4 vor der Westküste von Sumatra am Mittwoch
folgten zwei Dutzend kräftige Nachbeben mit Stärken bis zu 7,8. Am
Abend bebte auch die Erde im Ostteil des riesigen Inselreichs vor
Sulawesi mit einer Stärke von 6,6.

BKA legt kriminellen Konto-Ausspähern das Handwerk

Wiesbaden/Bonn (dpa) - Das Bundeskriminalamt hat einer
Betrügerbande das Handwerk gelegt, die über das Internet die
Bankkonten zahlreicher Bürger ausgespäht und geplündert hat. Bereits
am Dienstag seien neun Büros und Wohnungen durchsucht sowie zehn
mutmaßliche Täter festgenommen worden, teilten das BKA und die
Staatsanwaltschaft Bonn am Donnerstag mit. Die Beamten griffen in Bad
Homburg, Frankfurt, Köln, Düsseldorf und Elsmhorn zu. Den Schaden
bezifferte die Staatsanwaltschaft auf 600 000 Euro in den bislang
bekannten 109 "Phishing"-Fällen.

Lange Haftstrafen für Skinheads wegen Lindauer Überfalls

Feldkirch (dpa) - Ein Gericht im österreichischen Feldkirch hat
zwei Skinheads zu langjährigen Haftstrafen verurteilt, die im August
2006 einen 20-Jährigen fast zu Tode geprügelt hatten. Die beiden 24
und 21 Jahre alten Männer wurden zu neun beziehungsweise acht Jahren
Gefängnis verurteilt. Sie hatten ihr Opfer im benachbarten Lindau
(Bayern) derart brutal zusammengeschlagen, dass der Mann
voraussichtlich den Rest seines Lebens ein Pflegefall bleiben wird.

Britische Sprachschützer kämpfen gegen unnötige Schilder

London (dpa) - Britische Sprachaktivisten haben den Kampf gegen
unnötige Schilder aufgenommen. Die Aktion Plain English Campaign
kritisierte am Donnerstag, Warnhinweise wie "Begehe kein Verbrechen"
oder "Benzin muss bezahlt werden" an Tankstellen seien vollkommen
überflüssig und würden Verbrechen nicht verhindern. Die Warnungen in
der Grafschaft Hertfordshire nördlich von London seien gar "eine
Beleidigung der Intelligenz", beschwerte sich ein Sprecher der
Kampagne. Das "beste" das er gesehen habe, sei "Achtung: Bei Regen
Wasser auf der Straße".

Seehofer will Kampf gegen Allergien verstärken - neue Internetseite

Berlin (dpa) - Bundesverbraucherminister Horst Seehofer (CSU) will
den Kampf gegen Allergien verstärken. Sie seien eine "Plage des 21.
Jahrhunderts", sagte Seehofer am Donnerstag am Rande einer
Fachkonferenz in Berlin. "Mediziner schätzen, dass bei uns derzeit
bereits rund 40 Prozent der Menschen von dieser Krankheit betroffen
sind", sagte er laut Redemanuskript. Verbraucher sollen nach dem
Willen Seehofers vom Herbst an beim Fleischer oder Bäcker mehr
Informationen über Stoffe bekommen, die Allergien auslösen können.
Die Verbraucherzentralen forderten gesetzliche Regeln zur
Kennzeichnung unverpackter Ware mit Stoffen, die Allergien auslösen
können.
dpa ei yyzz n1 he

131630 Sep 07

Napa, Calif. -- As harvest heads for its midpoint, wineries throughout the
west predict slightly lower yields than last year, but exceptional quality.
Rebounding from last year's big crop, vines are a bit stingy with their fruit,
but the mostly cool weather has created storybook conditions.
Even a heat spike around Labor Day couldn't compare to those of many
past years, and the grapes soon rebounded.

Napa County

In Napa Valley, Michael Silacci of Opus One in Oakville summed
up the situation many other winemakers report, "The heatwave that
began at the end of August and rolled into the first part of September
almost knocked the wind out of our vines. Given that the season up to
that point had been picture perfect, the vines were able to tolerate the
high temperatures and low relative humidity. Grape berries shrunk a bit,
a few permanently, but they have largely bounced back and are ready
to provide the elements of a great vintage."

He expects yields to be down 10% to 15% from the winery's original estimate,
consistent with other wineries.

Craig Williams, the winemaker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena, agrees,
"Things look good. The heat of the last two weeks caught everyone off guard,
but it's been yet another mild growing season." The usual fog wasn't there in August,
however. "Sugar is a little higher than we prefer, but there was more warmth in the nights,
so that improved the flavors." He says it's a fairly light crop.

Winemaker Janet Myers at Franciscan in Rutherford notes that harvest 2006 started
Sept. 19, while this year it began August 10. "Our first grapes, Sauvignon Blanc from
Rutherford, came in two-and-a-half weeks ago, with luscious lemongrass and lychee
flavors." This time last year, the estate Chardonnay in Carneros wasn't ready to pick
until Sept 20. This year, Franciscan began picking Chardonnay over Labor Day weekend.

Myers sees maturity two weeks ahead of the 2006 vintage, and around one week ahead
of normal across all varieties. Oakville Bordeaux varietals look very promising, with a
lower crop than last year, and small loose clusters.

Winemaker Genevieve Janssens says Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville has finished
picking its Sauvignon Blanc from To Kalon and Wappo Hill. "The weather is very cooperative.
We have seen cooler temperatures this week, in the 80s. Pinot Noir from Carneros will
be mature shortly. Cabernet Sauvignon is maturing at a slow pace, and should be ready
for the end of September.

She adds, "The lack of rain in spring helped the vines balance the crop and the canopy."

Also in Oakville, Garen Staglin of Staglin Vineyards says the year has been a little
like 2004, with heat at the end bringing accelerated maturity. "The crop size and quality
are excellent. The sugars and flavors are coming in together."

He's brought in his Sangiovese and a little Cabernet; he would have been crushing Saturday
but the winery was the scene for the Music Festival for Mental Health, and the cave winery
was full of guests.

In outlying Pope Valley, Norm Alumbaugh of Eagle & Rose Winery says he's brought in
all his Sauvignon Blanc, and a little Syrah. "This is the first year we've gone to night harvesting,
and it makes a tremendous difference in the fruit," in his hot region. The harvest is a few weeks
earlier than usual, but Cab is still a week away.

In nearby Chiles Valley, Charlotte Williamson of Dalraddy Vineyards says the Sauvignon Blanc
yield has been 20% below average, and came in almost two-and-a-half weeks early.
She has also started picking Zinfandel. She expects the Cabernet and Petite Sirah in
a couple of weeks. "The quality is outstanding; other than the last heat spike, it's been
good growing conditions."

Sonoma County

In Sonoma, winemaker Steve Reeder says Simi Winery started its 131st harvest on Aug. 21,
one of the earliest in recent memory, with Pinot Gris in the Russian River Valley, Goldfield,
at 21.6º Brix, 9.2 g/l acid and low pH, assuring crisp, bright, citrus tinged flavors.

Roger Roessler of Roessler Cellars says about 40% to 45% of his vineyards in Sonoma Valley
have been picked, but other vineyards in Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Sonoma Coast and
Santa Barbara are still hanging. He says yields are down slightly.

At Alexander Valley Vineyards, Andrew Fegelman says picking started Aug. 24 with Pinot Noir,
and the winery is now picking other varieties. "It's a little bit down in yield, but a great season overall."

At Amphora Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, owner/winemaker Rick Hutchinson says, "Thank God
for the last five days of cool weather. Now it's not just the sugars rising, but the acid and pH
leveling out." He's picked about 25% of his Zinfandel and Sangiovese from Dry Creek,
but is 10 days to two weeks from picking Russian River Pinot. He expects the Pinot to be
down 20%, Zinfandel 15%.

Sacramento Delta

Clay Shannon is a grower in Lake County who also manages vineyards in the Sacramento Valley.
He's almost done picking in the Sacramento Delta, where he says crops are about 10% to
20% higher than usual.

Lake County

In Lake County, Chardonnay is off 25% to 30%, because of a lack of water, but Shannon says
his Sauvignon Blanc brought in a heavy crop, 15% above normal. Because of the light rains
during the winter, he started irrigating early, and that helped a bit. He's picked some grapes,
but most are yet to come.


Mendocino County

Paul Dolan of Mendocino Wine Company says harvest started Saturday with Grenache.
"It looks like a moderate harvest overall. Chardonnay is light, while Zinfandel is average
and Cabernet and Merlot good." He adds, "It's been mild, almost perfect weather."

Monterey County

On the Central Coast in Monterey County, Jason Smith of Paraiso Vineyards, who also manages
vineyards up and down Salina Valley, says, "We're currently in a hu rry up and wait mode.
The Pinot Grigio is finished, but nothing else is ready. It looks like it all will come in at once
starting next week."

He says that oddly enough, all the vineyards seem to be keeping in step, whether Cabernet from
warm Hames Valley to Pinot from cool Santa Lucia Highlands. He adds that Chardonnay is 15%
to 20% below normal. "That's okay. It will pay the bills and make the off-season much more interesting,
" presumably without the worry of excess wine on the market.

Also in Monterey, winemaker Scott Kelley at Estancia sees quite a few varieties ripening all at once:
Pinot Noir from Pinnacles Ranch, Sauvignon Blanc from Monterey and Paso Robles, and Merlot and
Zinfandel at Keyes Canyon.

Paso Robles

At the Paso Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, winemaker Chris Todd says Zinfandel is ripening fast,
as is Petite Sirah.

Santa Barbara County

In Santa Maria, Nicholas Miller, the owner of Bien Nacido Vineyards, has picked Pinot Grigio plus
some Pinot Noir from Sullivan Hills Vineyard, but most of the Pinot is still a week out. Crops are
light both in Santa Maria and at his Paso Robles French Camp Vineyard. Picking is about half finished
in Paso Robles.

He notes that the Chardonnay crop is very light. "It could significantly affect the bulk market.
" He adds, "It's been a picture perfect year. The quality is superb, and we haven't had rot issues
like last year, or heat spikes to fry the grapes."

John Falcone at Rusack Estate Vineyards in Santa Ynez also gets grapes from Santa Maria.
"A little Pinot Noir is trickling in from Santa Maria, and the Sauvignon Blanc is doing the same here.
" He feels it will be a normal crop.

In cool Santa Rita Hills, Chad Melville reports that he's not picking yet. "The grapes are slowly ripening.
" He thinks yields will be a little light.

San Benito County

In San Benito County, Alessio Corti, the winemaker and vineyard manager at Pietra Santa, has started
picking Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, but says the grapes are ripening slowly. He hasn't picked reds yet.
"The production is down, but quality is high." He attributes the drop in yield to an exceptionally cold winter,
which kept buds from flowering. It also resulted in small canopies and more balanced berries.

Oregon

The report from Oregon is short, as growers haven't started picking yet. Winemaker Melissa Burr
at Stoller Vineyards in Dundee Hills expects to start the last week in September. "It's been an
average to cool growing season. We've had lower heat unit readings this year in August than usual."

Sheila Nicholas at Nicholas Vineyard in Chehalem Mountains is more emphatic: "It was a dismal August,
cold and miserable." Fortunately, the weather has improved.

In Umpqua Valley, Terry Brandborg of Brandborg Vineyards and Winery reports being about 10 days
from bringing fruit, with Viognier likely to be first. "I don't even think we had complete veraison until
near the end of August," he complains. He adds that last year was a big year, so he expects this one
to be down a bit.

Washington

In Washington, winemaker Doug Gore of Ste. Michelle says picking started a few weeks ago. Chardonnay
started last week. "It's coming in with good flavors, without the need to hang in and get sky-high sugars
as in some years." The Cabernets from Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain are earlier this year.

And in Walla Walla, Norm McKibben of Pepper Bridge Winery, who also farms a lot of vineyards, says
harvest started a week ago with Seven Hills Vineyard, but won't be going until Thursday at Pepper Bridge.
"The crop levels look good, but nights have cooled down a bit and the Brix hasn't moved."

Helping Australian restaurants

Wine distribution success story Origin Wines has announced a growing need for restaurants and
cafes to get support with their wine selections as well as storage, freight and delivery.

Origin Wines managing director Scott O'Hara said recognising this growing need and the opportunity
to give small wine makers greater market opportunities saw the evolution of the wine wholesale and
distribution business in 2006.

O'Hara said since its inception into the marketplace, Origin Wines had developed strong relationships
with key suppliers, clients and business partners.

"We are strengthening relationships everyday with many of Australia's restaurants and cafes through
our dedication to keeping our focus on - premise support," O'Hara said.

O'Hara said many clients reduced and limited their wine orders for fear they would be overstocked.

"Our automated systems allow our clients to receive a second delivery as required so that if someone
has an unusually large trade on a Wednesday, for example, they will have enough stock to get through
the weekend rush," O'Hara said.

"We also provide a free storage facility so we can do staggered deliveries.

"In the past, large scale restaurants would traditionally have to deal directly with wineries or wholesalers
to buy a volume that would achieve price break and by doing that the wine would actually be sitting on their
floor, in the kitchen hallways, causing all sorts of OH&S issues, not to mention the impact fluctuating
temperature has on the taste of wine," he said.

O'Hara said while they not only kept wine in a climate controlled environment, Origin Wines streamlined
distribution operations to ensure wines were delivered efficiently and were affordable.

Origin Wines, a national unlisted public company, offer a complete end to end package for clients; export,
wholesale and freight forwarding of quality Australian wine product to the benefit of clients and partners.

Origin Wines also offers clients further support with the added option of buyers own brand or corporate branding
which creates original bottle labels to promote a specific event, launch, function, restaurant, bar or even
a special occasion like Christmas.

Highest price ever paid for a 750ml Australian wine post 1970

A bottle of first vintage 1973 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon achieved a record price of $2301 this week
at Langton's on-line auction in Melbourne.

It is the highest price ever paid for a single 750ml bottle of Australian wine post 1970. A bottle of 1974
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon fetched $1726

Stewart Langton, managing director said "Moss Wood is regarded as an Australian First Growth and was
classified Exceptional by Langton's in 2005. The 1973 and 1974 vintage is extremely rare with only a
few bottles in existence. Clearly collectors have competed against each other at any cost to secure this
incredible fragment of Western Australian Wine history. This is a highly prized vintage which has not come
up for auction for several years. The price illustrates an increasing awareness of our Australian wine heritage
and the reality of the secondary wine market. In recent months we have seen strong price realisations for
the best and rarest Australian wines."

The record price could not come at a better time. Langton's will be holding its first 2007 vintage,
Great Wine Estates of Western Australia en-primeur offer between the 9th November and the 10th
December 2007. This special on-line futures sale is the first of its kind in Australia and promises
to attract significant interest from the cream of Australian and International wine collectors.
The sale will include spectacular 2007 en-primeur vintages of Cape Mentelle, Cullen, Devil's Lair,
Leeuwin Estate, Howard Park, Moss Wood, Pierro, Plantagenet, Vasse Felix Voyager Estate & Xanadu.

Andrew Caillard, Master of Wine said "Margaret River and the Lower Great Southern enjoyed a brilliant 2007
vintage. The wines are beautifully perfumed and structured with plenty of cellaring potential. The winemakers
are very excited by the overall quality of this vintage. The record price for the 1973 and 1974
Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon will improve overall market confidence and sentiment."

The Great Wine Estates of Western Australia is a group of grand marque wine producers with a reputation
and track record of quality and secondary wine market performance. On the 9th of November Langton's will
offer a remarkable list of 2007 vintages from the Great Wine Estates of Western Australia. Collectors will
have an opportunity to purchase this great vintage at a fixed en-primeur "futures" price. Collectors can
purchase these wines until the 10th December or until sold out. The wines will be ready for delivery
at their normal release date

The 2007 Great Wine Estates of Western Australia will be holding Great Wine Estates of Western Australia
tastings in Melbourne and Sydney during October and November. A live charity auction of imperial bottles
will be held in Perth on the 30 October by Langton's. The proceeds will be donated to the important and
longstanding Busselton Population Medical Research Study first set up by the Late Doctor Kevin Cullen,
the founder of Cullen Wines.

Fund to support wine industry environmental management solutions open

The Tarac Environment Future Fund (TEFF), introduced by Tarac Technologies in 2005, allocates up
to $20,000 per year to individuals, companies, organizations and associations to increase the body
of knowledge about winery waste management within the Australian wine industry.

This year the scope of the Fund has been expanded to include projects which provide environmental
management solutions to the wine industry.

Funding will be granted to applicants with unique and innovative proposals that can be rapidly implemented.
Applications will be assessed by a panel of technical experts from Tarac Technologies and other leading
independent wine industry organisations.

TEFF has support from the Winemakers' Federation of Australia (WFA) and the Grape and Wine Research
Development Corporation (GWRDC) as recognition of Tarac's contribution to Sustaining Success,
The Australian Wine Industry's Environment Strategy.

Lawson signs contract with Casella Wines

Lawson Software, a provider of enterprise software applications, has announced it has signed a contract with
Casella Wines to help the company automate its sales order process and improve information reporting.
The contract was signed in Lawson's fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, which ended 31 May 2007.Under the deal,
Casella Wines will deploy Lawson's M3 Enterprise Mobility solution. This solution is designed to provide
Casella Wines' field sales staff with immediate access to information to help measure activities and events,
as well as information on sales forms, processes and inventory. Casella Wines will also become the first
Lawson customer in Australia to deploy Lawson M3 Sales Automation solution. Lawson M3 Sales
Automation is a management dashboard and reporting solution that will help Casella improve sales
efficiency and implement sales strategies. It also provides managers with the ability to quickly and easily
access and track information on sales activities.The Casella family has been making wine in Australia
for three generations and today it is still a family business. Casella Wines entered the export arena in
mid 2000 with the launch of its brand [yellow tail]. It sells more than 10 million cases per year to international
markets including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Canada. In 2003, Casella began
selling the [yellow tail] brand domestically.Both Lawson M3 Enterprise Mobility and Sales Automation will
help Casella Wines maintain sales orders and deliveries in key markets and help to develop growing markets.
"A key reason behind our decision to choose Lawson was the M3 Enterprise Mobility solution," said
David Alpen, business service manager for Casella Wines. "From the outset, we were very impressed
with its high level of usability, as well as the interface benefits. When we saw a demonstration of the
new Sales Automation reporting solution, this further cemented our opinion that Lawson had the complete
package to suit our needs. It offers the kind of dashboard functionality our managers need to know what's
going on in the field." Up until now, Casella has relied on telephone and fax to process sales orders from
wholesale customers and direct sales representatives. This has meant that sales managers and staff
have often lacked the detailed breakdown of information they have needed. The new Lawson solution
will help provide an accurate and historical view of sales activities and trends in customer demand.
"Our investment in Lawson M3 Enterprise Mobility and Sales Automation will allow us to make our
business processes more efficient," said Alpen. "These tools will help us take better control of our
sales processing, reporting and information management functions. As a result, we will be able to
streamline our order placement and delivery process. Our field staff will have greater access to real
time information about their customers' sales history, which will allow them to be more proactive."
"We'll no longer be reliant on phones to get updates on sales activities, and we won't have to worry
about faxes going missing, or people left wondering if an order's been placed. Orders will no longer
have to be double-keyed as what's entered into the system by the sales rep in the field, goes all the
way through the system. This will reduce the chance of error with the order process." "We look forward
to building a strong relationship with the company as it continues to grow internationally."said Stephen
Moore, managing director for Lawson.
Environment industry to gather in Queensland over summer

Five hundred delegates and 40 exhibitors are expected to gather in sunny Queensland from Wednesday 27
to Friday 29 February 2008 for the EcoForum Conference & Exhibition to be held on the Gold Coast.

Organised by the Quitz event management team of Margaret Bates, Rosalind Vrettas and David Bates,
the EcoForum summer event in Queensland will be a three-day industry function comprising:

o nine conference streams and four workshops within four themes of environmental management
o 500 delegates interested in the themes of Managing the macro environment, Managing contaminated sites,
Managing water systems and Managing communications
o a trade exhibition of 40 suppliers of air, land and water products and services
o an art exhibition on brownfield site rehabilitation
o plenty of networking throughout the event, including a happy hour at the end of each day
o the EcoForum dinner on Friday night.

The event has been deliberately planned at the end of the week, from Wednesday to Friday, to allow participants
and their accompanying persons to make the most of Queensland's holiday atmosphere with a weekend stay on
the Gold Coast after the EcoForum business has been done.

EcoForum Managing Director Paul Howlett said, "EcoForum Limited is a not-for-profit company established
to encourage leadership and best practice in environmental management. We work collaboratively with other
organisations to provide opportunities for environment industry leaders to exchange ideas, network and
demonstrate the latest innovations and technologies in a wide spectrum of disciplines and sectors.
EcoForum is committed to investing any surpluses it makes into activities designed to develop and
strengthen the industry as a whole."

Howlett said EcoForum in 2008 is building on two previous EcoForum events: Contamination Cleanup
07 & Industry Summit and the EcoForum Exhibition held in partnership with the Cooperative Research
Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) in Adelaide
during June 2007; and the Climate change and resource security: building a platform for change seminar
held in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Sydney during September 2007.

Deutschland / Baden-Württemberg
Bei Weinmosternte 2007 gute Durchschnittsernte erwartet
rund 2,6 Millionen Hektoliter

Die Ernte der frühen Rebsorten hat bereits begonnen, die Hauptlese steht unmittelbar bevor: Der richtige Zeitpunkt also für erste Mengenschätzungen des Statistischen Landesamtes. Danach zeichnet sich zum Stand von Ende August 2007 für das Anbaugebiet Baden ein möglicher Mostertrag von 91 Hektoliter je Hektar (hl/ha) und für Württemberg von 108 hl/ha ab, bei allerdings ausgeprägten regionalen und sortenspezifischen Unterschieden. Bei dem bisherigen Umfang der Ertragsrebfläche entspräche dies einer voraussichtlichen Weinmosternte im Land von über 2,6 Millionen hl (1,13 Mill. hl Weiß- und 1,50 Mill. hl Rotmost). Im Vorjahr waren 2,34 Mill. hl Weinmost (ohne Abstichverluste und Selbstbehalt der Erzeugerbetriebe), davon 902 000 hl Weiß- und 1,44 Mill. hl Rotmost, geherbstet worden. Das langjährige Mittel 1996/2005 der Weinmosternte insgesamt im Land beläuft sich auf knapp 2,5 Mill. hl, davon 1,11 Mill. hl Weiß- und 1,38 Mill. hl Rotmost. Von der diesjährigen Weinmosternte entfallen nach derzeitigem Stand voraussichtlich 1,4 Mill. hl auf das Anbaugebiet Baden sowie 1,2 Mill. hl auf Württemberg.

"Durchweg optimistisch" äußerten sich die Weinbausachverständigen des Statistischen Landesamtes zum Rebstand in Baden-Württemberg Ende August/Anfang September. Dem milden Winter folgte der Hochsommer im April. Früh setzte die Vegetationsentwicklung ein und legte ein bislang kaum gekanntes Tempo vor. Wassermangel war zumeist kein Thema. Dennoch waren die ersten Niederschläge im Mai sehr willkommen. Während einer kurzen Hitzeperiode Mitte Juli mit Temperaturen nahe der 40°-Marke wurden viele Beeren durch Sonnenbrand geschädigt. Angesichts der auch in diesem Jahr wieder verbreitet durchgeführten ertragsreduzierenden Maßnahmen dürfte sich der Sonnenbrand nur vereinzelt ertragsmindernd ausgewirkt haben. Insgesamt darf man so auf den 2007er-Jahrgang gespannt sein. Entscheidend für die Güte werden aber erfahrungsgemäß die Bedingungen in den letzten Wochen vor der Ernte sein.

New Zealand Wine Business Symposium 2008

Building Wine Brands is the feature for the 2008 New Zealand Wine Business Symposium held in Napier next June.
The symposium is an initiative of the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) and Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Association with support and approval of New Zealand Winegrowers, and will bring together presenters, internationally recognised researchers and wine industry leaders.
The aim of each Symposium will be to discuss and evaluate the latest research, and successful business models focusing on a particular subject(s) of crucial importance to the ongoing growth and development of the New Zealand wine industry.
The programmes will be tailored to suit the 500 plus boutique New Zealand wineries and will be aimed at owners, marketing executives, sales personnel and winemakers.
This symposium will focus on Building Wine Brands as a company, regionally, nationally and on the global stage. Taking a broad cross-disciplinary approach, the symposium will look to bridge the theory - practice gap by bringing together the top international researchers, successful brand creators, and wine industry leaders.

from Jane Anson

Petit verdot, one of Bordeaux's lesser-known red grape varieties, is on the rise according to figures from the Bordeaux wine trade body (CIVB).

Statistics provided by the CIVB show an increase of over 10% of petit verdot in the region with plantings growing from 422 to 479ha (hectares) in recent years.
According to producers, this increase is mainly due to the recent run of warmer harvests.Other less-used grapes such as the red malbec and white muscadelle are also finding their way into blends in greater quantities, particularly in Cotes de Bourg and Premieres Cotes de Blaye.
Jerome Eymas from Chateau la Rose Bellevue in Premieres Cotes de Blaye has up to 30% muscadelle in his unoaked white wine.
The less well known appellations have started to understand that they need to stand out,' Eymas told decanter.com. 'It's not enough to have Bordeaux on the label for the lower priced wines. You need to have a real identity, and better weather has meant it is less of a gamble to try grapes like malbec or petit verdot.'
Chateau Bel Air La Royere, also in Premieres Cotes de Baye, has at least 25% malbec in its mix. Thierry Bos of Domaine de Bouillerot in the generic Bordeaux appellation area makes a blend of petit verdot, carmenère and malbec, all in equal parts.
Appellation rules in Bordeaux allow six red and seven white grape varieties, but only four are widely used (merlot and cabernet sauvignon; sauvignon blanc and semillon), as the maritime climate means more delicate grapes often have a hard time ripening.
The other allowed grapes in Bordeaux incude ugni blanc, merlot blanc, mauzac, odenc and colombard (white), and cabernet franc, petit verdot, malbec and carmenere.


An estimated 90 million bottles of wine will be made lighter in the next year as retailers aim to go green.

According to the government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) the UK wine industry will save around 6,000 tonnes of glass packaging every year.
Retailers including Morrisons and Tesco have confirmed they are working towards using lighter weight glass bottles. Tesco aims to put its branded wines in lighter bottles by the end of the year.
Tesco category manager, Andy Gale, said: "The lightweight bottles will make a significant contribution to our target to cut packaging by 25% by 2010."
Constellation Europe also plans to put the Stowells and Echo Falls range in lighter glass, saving 2,800 tonnes of glass every year.

McGuigan Simeon, Dutch firm form jv

McGuigan Simeon Wines Ltd has formed a new strategic partnership with Holland's second biggest importer and distributor, Groupe LFE.
Owned by Castel, Groupe LFE currently sells more than 250,000 cases of Australian wine a year in The Netherlands and will exclusively distribute wine label Tempus Two in the on-trade, and other McGuigan brands in the off-trade.
From October 1, McGuigan will be the only brand distributed by the company.
"The partnership between our group and the strong focus on quality and innovation of McGuigan Simeon will provide us with exciting new opportunities to further increase and strengthen our market position in the Australian category," LFE commercial director Ben Slaghekke said.
McGuigan said it had experienced double digit growth for its European sales in the last two years, and the partnership reinforced its two-pronged strategy to grow its branded portfolio and its international business.
The pair said wine consumption in The Netherlands had grown to more than 20 litres per capita over the last 10 years.
"Holland, with its growing wine consumption and thirst for new world wines, has significant potential for a fast-growing brand such as McGuigan," McGuigan Simeon chief executive Dane Hudson said.
"We are excited to have joined forces with such a dynamic, forward-thinking organisation and look forward to establishing and cementing our brands in this market."
Playford invests in billion-dollar opportunity
Playford Capital has invested in Cavitus, an Australian company with world-leading High Power Ultrasonics (HPU) technology that may rid the global wine industry of a 'dirty secret'.

Cavitus has raised an initial investment round of $2 million to further develop and protect its HPU
technology and to deliver to market a breakthrough wine barrel-cleaning and disinfection system that can effectively eliminate Brettanomyces Dekerra ('Brett'), both in maturing wine and in oak barrels, themselves.

'Brett' is a naturally-occurring yeast, by-products of which cause the destruction of hundreds of millions of dollars of value in wine and oak barrels each year. Industry participants and academic experts estimate that 'Brett' destroys more than five per cent of the value of wine annually.

HPU is a new powerful technology that generates high-energy micro-bubbles within a liquid medium - a process called cavitation. Cavitus has used HPU to design a proprietary barrel-cleaning and disinfection system that is much more effective than current methods, such as rinsing barrels with high-pressure water or applying chemicals. The Cavitus solution is uniquely able to rid barrel interiors of tartrate residues and other detritus, providing markedly more uniform cleaning, and destroying 'Brett' yeast cells on the interior surfaces and in the wood pores.

'Brett' is the 'dirty secret' of winemaking. Although the flavour-impairing yeast is widespread, wineries are reluctant to admit its extent, often back-blending wines to cover 'Brett'-damaged product.

Cavitus successfully negotiated a Research and IP Commercialisation agreement with a global food and beverage company in 2005 and is currently negotiating with international winemakers to trial its barrelcleaning and disinfection system. Cavitus continues to develop product solutions and register patents for unique applications of its HPU technology in the multi-billion-dollar global food and beverage industry, in vertical markets as diverse as brewing and high-value food ingredients.
Memstar wows judges with competition triumph
As proud sponsors of the inaugural Wine Industry Suppliers Association (WISA) WOW Award, Grapegrower & Winemaker congratulates Memstar as the winner with the company's Alcohol Adjustment (AA) innovation. The prize? A trip to the SIMEI exhibition in Milan in November 2007.

The ability to lower alcohol levels in wine is important for the wine industry and Memstar was able to demonstrate that in the past six months with about 50 million litres of wine treated through the AA process.

In 2005-06 Memstar processed 5- 6 million litres so in terms of a measurable and demonstrable WOW
factor, and impact on the wine industry, that growth is what got Memstar the judge's vote.

The quest to please the palates of winelovers is never ending. Some like robust reds, while others prefer a fruity white, and there are some who prefer wines that don't pack such an alcoholic punch. That was the cue for Memstar to become acutely involved in the wine industry.

It embarked on the trail of lowering the alcoholic level of wines but without lowering the quality and it found the answer with the innovative use of a specialised membrane.

In the past two years the technology has rapidly been embraced by winemakers around the world. In the past year the technology has been used in Australia, New Zealand, United States (Oregon, California), Chile, and South Africa. In June the technology was undergoing trials in France and similar trials are scheduled to be held in Argentina.

"The technology enables the energy-efficient reduction of alcohol in wines without heating the wine, Memstar business development manager Tim Grosser said.

"It is done entirely onsite with minimal wine volume reduction.

"It reduces alcohol concentration without damaging flavour and aroma compounds.

"It is an economic process and the energy consumption is very low compared to traditional alternatives."

The technology makes innovative use of a specialised membrane.

"This membrane is a hydrophobic hollow fibre or perstractive membrane," Grosser said.

"Memstar applied this technology to use a strip water to remove alcohol from wine RO permeate (liquid to liquid). By applying RO permeate to this perstractive membrane the membrane performs very well with very infrequent cleaning required and stable performance.

"This approach also ensures that, essentially, only alcohol is removed from the wine with no loss of flavour or aroma compounds," Grosser said.

A Hunter Valley wine experience in Southport

Discover a new side to Southport with the inaugural Southport Revealed with Hunter Uncorked event as part of the opening weekend celebrations of Tastes of Gold Coast 2007 from Saturday 18 to Sunday 19 August.

The fun-fuelled weekend for food and wine lovers will feature some of the world's best wines from the Hunter Valley alongside award winning Gold Coast Hinterland wines. Southport Central's newest retail food outlets will provide an array of delicious foods for two days of wining and dining.

Will Creedon, Promotions Sub Committee Chairman for the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association, said "this is a great opportunity to take the Hunter Valley's food friendly wine styles to the Gold Coast. Queenslanders are great supporters of the Hunter Valley and it's great to be able to bring a taste of the Hunter Valley to the Gold Coast's stunning outdoors for a winning recipe of indulgence and fun."

"This two day event allows great opportunity to showcase the Hunter's wines, along with those from the Gold Coast, with fabulous foods on the magnificent Gold Coast," Creedon said.

Entry to the event is free with wine tastings costing $8 per person and including a free souvenir wine glass, tasting vouchers and entry to a signature Hunter Uncorked Wine Masterclasses. Visitors can test their skills in wine barrel racing and grape stomping, or enjoy a game of gateball (the new croquet) and the chance to win gourmet packs. Free entertainment will also be featured.

Tastes of Gold Coast 2007 runs from 17 August to 2 September. The annual festival is an initiative of the Gold Coast City Council supported by Gold Coast Tourism.

For more information visit http://www.uncorked.hvva.com.au

Chile overtakes Spain in UK

Chile has overtaken Spain in exports to the UK - and is now snapping at the heels of South Africa.

According to figures released by AC Nielson, sales of Chilean wine in the UK have exceeded those of Spain for the first time.

Chile now has its highest-ever share of the UK market at 6.9%, taking 6th place from Spain. 'South Africa [is] now firmly in its sights', a Wines of Chile statement said.

Wines of Chile director Michael Cox said, 'This is testimony to the hard work being done by the wineries, and the growing awareness of Chile's naturally diverse styles of quality wines.'

Sales of Chilean wine in the £5-£10 sector increased by 26% over the last 12 months. Chile now sells 14% more wine priced above the £5 mark than South Africa.

The