Highlights of Australian Wine Industry

Australia is known for its New World wines. The country ranks in top ten international wine producers and exporters. The key to success of the Australian wine industry is innovation, technology, consumer-specific approach and fruit-driven wines. The Australian wine is mainly “fruit-driven”, because the wine exhibits flavors of the fruit used instead of features of the wine making region. Some producers even add acid to the wine to achieve an appropriate level of acidity as the industry permits acidification.

In Australia, grape growing and winemaking are two separate commercial activities. The wine makers purchase most of the grapes required for wine production. Well-developed refrigerated transport system facilitates grape purchasing from different parts of the country irrespective of the distance. The industry is highly mechanized, for there is a shortage of labor and water in the country. Handpicking of grapes is a rare phenomenon.

Many Australian wine producers undergo formal training to learn the nuances of the wine making. The Australian Wine Research Institute of Adelaide has international reputation for its high wine academic standards. The annual wine show, where best products are awarded, is a norm in the country. The show takes place in all state capitals.

The country uses Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz grapes for red wines. White wines are made from Chardonnay, Riesling and Semillon grapes. The industry also uses Grenache, Marsanne, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot and Verdelho grapes for wine making.

Main Wine Regions

Although all Australian states grow grapes, there are four principal wine producing regions: New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, and Western Australia.

New South Wales excels in world famous Shiraz and Semillon wines.

South Australia offers more than 50% of raw material used in the industry. The region makes more than half of red wines produced in the country, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Shiraz. Almost all big wine producers have their headquarters in the region and many small companies have their offices too.

Victoria and Tasmania produces classy Chardonnay, fruit-driven Pinot Noir, honeysuckle Marsanne, peppery and sparkling Shiraz, and fortified wines.

Western Australian wines are fruity in flavor. The region focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon, medium-bodied Pinot Noir, Riesling and Shiraz wines.

Leading Wine Producers

The five leading Australian wine companies control the industry:  Southcorp Wines, Orlando-Wyndham, BRL Hardy, Beringer Blass and McGuigan Simeon Wines.

Southcorp Wines is known for its high-quality Chardonnay and Shiraz. Blass’ specialty is the best Rieslings and red wines. Hardy is popular for its sparkling wines. Orlando owns the world-famous wine brand, Jacob’s Creek.

Popular UK Supermarkets Selling Wines

You can buy wine at many leading supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Do not forget to review their special promotions before purchasing the wine. Read on to know more about the wine departments of six supermarkets.

Tesco, the most popular wine retailer in the country, boasts a wide selection of wines, including fortified, sparkling, rose, red and white. Currently, the retailer is offering 25% discount on champagne and wines excluding fine wine. Its fine wine collection consists of wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. You can browse wine catalogue by country, drink type, grape variety, price per bottle, special offers, bin ends and award winners.

Sainsbury’s, the winner of Drinks Retailer of the Year 2010 award, features a reliable array of wines comprising House wines. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference wines are sourced from small co-operatives, family-run wineries and big producers dealing in the New and Old World wines. Enjoy 20% rebate on spirits. Buy two wines for GBP 10.00. Buy six or more bottles of wine to get extra 5% off. This discount can be clubbed with other special offers.

Asada specializes in everyday wines sold at great value prices. The retailer offers a variety of Champagne, rose wine, white wine and red wine. You can seek advice from its wine experts. Buy wine at Asada to create your own case of wine. A wine case of six bottles costs as low as GBP 20.00.

Marks and Spencer has an extensive array of wines, including crisp whites and full-bodied reds. Award-wining wines are available at great prices.  You can search its wine catalogue by price, country and type. The M&S Case of the Month is a perfect choice for tasting different types of wines. The store offers Top 10 Deals for its bestseller wines. Browse through its Deals of the Month sections for more discounts.

Booths, located in North West of the country, sells high-quality wines, small producers’ wines and unusual products. A family-run company’s website allows choosing wines on the basis of bottle price, country, grape variety and style.

Waitrose, situated in central and southern United Kingdom, is known for quality wines and wines from small companies. Its wine inventory consists of red wines, rose wines, white wines, fine wines, fortified wines and champagne. Buy wine at Waitrose and get free delivery. You can also make your own case of wines

Four Categories of French Wine

The French’s extensive knowledge of vines, climates and soils, and twenty centuries’ experience of viticulture ensure the quality for which French wine is known throughout the world. The modern French wine industry follows stringent production criteria defined by the law for quality control. The French wines are divided into four categories based on quality: Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée / Appellation of Controlled Origin (AOC), Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), Vins De Pays and Vins De table de France.  Pursuant to the European Union classification of wines, AOC and VDQS qualify for Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) category.  Vins De Pays and Vins De table de France are placed under its table wine category.

AOC is the certification given to the French butters, cheeses, wines, etc confirming their authentic features associated with the geographical area of the production. The AOC wines follow strict norms spelt out for winery processes, vineyards, yield, grape varieties and different geographic areas. The wines also meet various standards related to climate, agronomy, geology and know-how. Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO), the national regulating body, grants the certificate. AOC, based on the principal of “local, loyal and constant”, accounts for 35% of the French wines. The country produces more than 400 AOC wines.

VDQS, Delimited Wines of Superior Quality, is of AOC quality. The wines, accounting for just 2%, follow the regulations laid out for AOC wines, but leniently. VDQS are thus inferior to AOC and better than Vins de Pays. The delimited wines should meet pre-defined criteria regarding organoleptic, analysis, cultivation techniques, maximum yield and alcohol content to qualify for the INAO certification.  

Vins De Pays (country wine), a recently developed category accounting for 15%, follows lenient production regulations, but requires tasting and analysis. About 150 wines fall under this category, which is divided, into three sub-categories: les vins de pays à dénomination départementale, les vins de pays à dénomination de zone and les vins de pays à dénomination régionale. Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins license these wines.

Vins De table de France, contributing 38% to the market, are entry-level wines featuring consistent aromas. There are strict marketing norms for these branded table wines of the French origin. The French wines mixed with other wines cannot be sold under this category.  The least regulated table wines meet minimum production criteria defined by the European Union but are not subject to specific approval and quality criteria.  

Reasons to Plan for Wine and Spirits Asia 2012 Exhibition

Next Wine and Spirits Asia (WSA), a global event focusing on wine and spirits, is scheduled for April 17-20, 2012. The WSA has evolved over more than two decades into a prestigious event that emphasizes on expanding Asian wine and spirits industry. The industry representatives from over 25 nations will present their products. The seven group pavilions will represent South African, Singaporean, Italian, German, French, Austrian and Australian markets. The event at Singapore Expo in Singapore will draw trade visitors from 75 regions / nations. The biennial event is exclusively organized for professionals from food, hospitality and wine trade.  The WSA offers numerous opportunities for wine professionals, enthusiasts and consumers alike.

Knowledge Sharing and Wine Tasting

Experts will share their trade knowledge and experience during various workshops and seminars planned for the event.  Asia Sommeliers’ Forum will be organized on April 18 and April 19. Complimentary wine tasting sessions are a big plus.

A Variety of Products

A wide selection of products, including champagne, dessert wines, fortified wines, non-grape wines, organic wines, still wines and sparkling wines, will be displayed.

Networking opportunities with Wine and Spirits professionals

All people associated with the industry will join the events. Distributors, importers, retailers and wholesalers of wine and spirits, accessories’ importers, bartenders, chefs and Sommeliers who influence the wine purchase decisions, common buyers of wine and spirits, including airlines, bars, clubs, convenience stores, cruise liners, hotels, hypermarkets, resorts, restaurants and supermarkets, wine journalists… A big opportunity to network with representatives of different sections of the industry, thus, awaits you at the event.

WSA Wine Challenge 2012

The challenge will be held on all four days. You can taste all wines that win the challenge. Wine tasting will be held from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM between Tuesday and Thursday. All visitors to the exhibition can taste the complimentary wines on first-come-first-serve basis. The challenge winners will be honored with five different types of awards: Best of Awards, Gold Awards, Silver Awards, Bronze Awards and Recommended Awards. Best of Awards are given to the best products like best wine, best white, best red and best sparkling.

Highlights of FENAVIN

Feria Nacional Del Vino (FENAVIN), the Spanish Wine Trade Fair, will take place from May 10-12, 2011 in Ciudad Real, a 50-minute train ride from Madrid. The annual national level fair, focusing on the Spanish wine, stimulates both international and domestic wine businesses. Wine distributors and importers from over fifty countries, including Germany, the United States of America, Great Britain, Poland, Japan, Czech Republic, Holland, Belgium and Sweden, will participate in the fair. Many educative, entertaining and informative events have been planned. Browse through the following highlights and select events to attend as per your taste and convenience:

• The Provincial Government of Ciudad Real, the Spanish Confederation of Employers Association (CEOE), the Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium Sized Companies (CEPYME) and the Chamber of Trade and Commerce will organize Showcase Dressing Contest. Merchants of Ciudad Real will decorate their shop windows with wine growing motifs / viniculture elements. Five best decorations based on enology and viticulture will receive prizes worth EUR 12,000.00. The best decoration will be awarded EUR 4,000.00.
• Guillermo Burgos, a well-known musical instrument maker and composer, will play his 12-string guitar during wine tasting sessions to pair music with wine. He will interpret rhythms of all wines that will be tasted.
• Paloma Mayordomo who teaches at the Alonso Quijano School of Writers will demonstrate two ways to use wine as a tool. Paloma’s workshops will illustrate that wine can be used as ink to write literary works and paint.
• The Contact With… program, a computerized tool designed for the fair, will enable interaction between all wineries and buyers participating in the fare. Buyers and producers can place their agendas on the tool for an easy and a wider reach.
• The Wine Gallery will feature most of the brands of the exhibitors, ensuring that wine professionals can taste all products in calm and comfortable ambience without visiting each and every pavilion.
• Ramón Tamames, Jean Monnet Chair holder and Full Professor of Economic Structure, will review the Spanish wine market at the fair in his lecture “An Enological Country of 100 Wines and 4000 wineries”. The focus will be on governance or management of growing number of the Spanish wineries.
• Balzac Communications & Marketing’s President and noted wine consultant Paul Wagner will deliver lecture “The Sales Approach That is Used with Spanish Wines in Need of a Change of Strategy”. He will focus on the US wine market and elaborate on “disadvantages” of the Spanish wines.

What are Wines?

Art of winemaking has been practiced since antiquity all around the world. Sipping wines and celebrating with wines are age-old traditions. But what is a wine? Wine is a fermented juice of plants, grains and / or fruits. Wines are made from dandelion plants, rice and fruits, including grapes, mulberries, peaches and pears. Grapes are the most commonly used fruit for winemaking. Each wine has its unique personality, but it could be golden, pale, rose, ruby red or white in color. The wine color depends on the color of grapes’ skin. For instance, white wines are made from yellow and pale green grapes, whereas red and dark colored grapes are used for red wines.

Purity of a wine is measured in terms of clarity. Light passing through a wine free of floating sediments / un-dissolved substances appears brilliant and sharp. That is characteristic to wines with high level of clarity. Sediments / un-dissolved substances make wines cloudy / hazy.  Wines could be brilliant, clear, cloudy, dull, hazy, transparent and turbid depending on the amount of substance. Taste of wines changes with every passing day.

The alcohol content of a wine depends on the amount of sugar present in the grapes used for winemaking because sugar accumulating in ripening grapes converts into alcohol during fermentation process. So, the more sugar accumulates, the more alcohol is produced.  Even adding brandy and other spirits to wines enhance alcohol level. These blended wines are known as fortified wines. For example, Madeira (Portugal), Marsala (Italy), Port (Portugal), Sherry (Spain) and Vermouth. Spirits also modify wine flavor. But, taste of the fortified wine depends on time of blending the spirit i.e. before or after the fermentation process. Shelf life of an open fortified wine bottle is longer than that of traditional wine. Fortified wines are available in sweet and dry styles, and white and red colors.

 

Sparkling wine contains substantial amount of carbon dioxide, making the wine fizzy. For instance, Cava (Spain) and Champagne (France) are sparkling wines. Non-sparkling wines (still) are without carbonation / effervescence. Both sparkling and non-sparkling wines could be of any color.

Depending on usage, wines are also classified in three categories: aperitif, dessert and table. Aperitif and dessert wines are sipped before and after dinner respectively. Dessert wines are generally sweet. Table wines are served with meals. So choose your wine accordingly.