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WINE INDUSTRY NEWS

Our weekly wine news is a service for our members and winemaker subscribers. A compilation of the world's wine news from the Internet, it is accumulated throughout the week in our member's news section and distributed on the weekend.

To read daily updates or to view past archives, click here.

Headlines: week ending September 4, 2004

Fri, 03 Sep, 2004

US: Hot Summer Prompts Early Harvest in Pacific Northwest
After a hot, arid summer, producers in Oregon and Washington are preparing to begin the 2004 harvest a week or so earlier than usual. As is the case in California, winemakers had to cut their vacations short to get ready for the early start. Tonnage across the two states is expected to be lower than normal, but new vineyards will bring overall crop levels close to the size of the 2003 harvest.

UK: Vineyards flourish in wet summer
British wine producers are looking forward to a bumper harvest after a wet summer which left many other farmers' crops in ruins.

US: TTB approves latest California "appellation"
California's newest American Viticulture Area (AVA) was made official yesterday.

PORTUGAL: 2004/05 wine production looking good
Portuguese wine production is expected to rise slightly in the 2004/2005 season. The association of local wine producers, ViniPortugal, said yesterday that the country?s wine sector is expecting an increase of around 4% for the period, hitting 7.5m hectolitres.

US: Costco to launch own-label Aussie
The US wine retailer Costco is to launch an own-brand Australian wine label, according to reports in the US trade press.

Grape Mapping Gets Serious
Genome Canada is spending CAN$6.2 million over the next three years to find out the molecular breakdown of wine and table grapes. The research might help growers to identify problems before they become physically visible.

Thur, 02 Sep, 2004

PORTUGAL: 2004/05 wine production looking good
Portuguese wine production is expected to rise slightly in the 2004/2005 season. The association of local wine producers, ViniPortugal, said yesterday that the country?s wine sector is expecting an increase of around 4% for the period, hitting 7.5m hectolitres.

Waste action globally, refilling bottles locally
Green MP Mike Ward is marking the Third Global Day of Action Against Waste today with a call for wine bottles to be refilled, rather than being recycled or, even worse, thrown away.

AUS: Wine glut hits Foster's hard
Australian alcoholic beverages group Foster's has been denied what could have been a magnificent turnaround by a poor showing from its wine trading division during the 12 months to June 2004.

AUS: Palandri signs wine deal with Norway
West Australian wine producer Palandri has signed a new Scandinavian distribution agreement with Solera AS, one of Norway's largest wine distributors.

Winery admits to mislabelling
Chard Farm winery has apologised after authorities seized two vintages of rose wine that had been mislabelled as the more expensive rose de pinot noir.

Wed, 01 Sep 2004

Rare International Wine Sourcing Service Finds Wine from Titanic
Wineflyers.com has located what has been considered the world's rarest wine, that from the Titanic. This has been a major coup for the company and one that will put Wineflyers.com on the top of the list when it comes to sourcing the world's hardest to obtain wines.

Tue, 31 Aug 2004

Falsely labelled wine leaves leading maker blushing
An anonymous tip has forced a winery to apologise for falsely labelling one of its wines, but one connoisseur questioned how the mistake could have happened.

AUS: WET Rebate Legislation is now law
Australia's 1800 wineries breathed a collective sigh of relief on learning that the Senate had passed the Bill implementing the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) Rebate, shortly before adjourning for the election campaign last night. The Bill implemented the Government's May Budget commitment to apply a producer rebate of the Wine Equalisation Tax paid on the first $1 million in annual sales.

India aims to sparkle as leading wine producer
Today noses might wrinkle at the thought of an Indian sauvignon blanc or cabernet but tomorrow India's winemakers hope it will be as acceptable as a Chilean merlot or an Argentinian shiraz.

Cold January temps reduce wine yields
The Finger Lakes grape and wine industry is bracing for lower yields this fall in the wake of a January freeze that killed buds and wiped out some vines.

Sun, 29 Aug 2004

FDA Labels, Nutrition Info and Wine Bottles
People are naturally curious about what they eat and drink. In the US, people have become used to the FDA requiring labels on all prepared foods, listing calories, amount of iron and calcium, potential allergens, you name it. Some people would even like to see these charts taped onto their apples and cabbages, and provided for their wine, beer and vodka. We're not quite at that stage yet, but here is the basic information on a glass of wine.

Wine tourism will open doors for SA wines
If the South African wine industry wants to become a serious player in the international wine market, the local industry has no option but to embrace wine tourism as an important component.

Wineries in South Africa give a boost to blacks
South Africa -- When South Africa held its first fully democratic elections in 1994, Patrick Kraukamp, a day laborer, was just starting a job as a forklift driver at the Paul Cluver wine estate in this lush mountain valley.

US: Wine flows freely, but many glasses still half empty
A growing supply of wine in California continues to pressure prices, giving some Wine Country vintners such as Beringer Blass Wine Estates, a nasty headache.

French wine exports continue to fall
French wines are still performing badly in the export market according to figures released yesterday. The figures, released by the French wine and spirits export federation (FEVS), show that compared with the first six months of 2003 still wine exports have gone down by 4.2% in volume and by 8.4% in value.

Italian winemakers expect good - but small - vintage this year
Italian winemakers are expecting a small but high-quality harvest this year, a farmer's association said Tuesday. "Quality, however, will be excellent, thanks to good weather conditions," the organization said in a statement.

AUS: Redrawing the wine world map
Foster's Trevor O'Hoy, Southcorp's John Ballard, Constellation's (BRL Hardy) Stephen Millar and Woolworths' Roger Corbett are poised to make big changes to the Australian wine industry and have a big effect on the global wine sector.

Wine exports at $300m and growing
New Zealand wine exports have topped $300 million for the first time, as the industry continues to set new records. The New Zealand Winegrowers' annual report 2004 highlights new peaks in exports, harvest, area planted in grapes and number of wineries.

US: Aus knocks Italy off export top spot - report
Italy has lost its top spot in the US wine market, according to local press reports. The Italian Wine & Food Institute said yesterday that, in the first half of this year, Australia exported more wine to the US than Italy, knocking the country from a top spot it had held since 1974.

US: Genetic altering to halt grape-killing disease shows promise
Since the discovery five years ago that a ravenous insect was spreading grape-killing Pierce's Disease in California, grape growers have contributed millions of dollars to fund research projects they hope can end the scourge.

B.C. scientists are raising the bar on wine research
Tasting the fruits of laboratory labour is not a typical perk for most scientists. But when Steven Lund sips a delightful cabernet sauvignon, he is, in fact, doing research. Lund is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia's Wine Research Centre, and as he savours the ruby red liquid, he's considering more than its integrated tannins, rich flavour and cassis nuances -- or was that a hint of chocolate? Lund is also thinking about the grape's genetics, wondering exactly which biochemicals signalled the fruit to begin ripening or which contributed to the wine's bouquet.

[END]

WINE INDUSTRY NEWS
	Our weekly wine news is a service for our members and winemaker subscribers. A compilation of the world's wine news from the Internet, it is accumulated throughout the week in our member's news section and distributed on the weekend. To read daily updates or to view past archives, click here. Headlines: week ending September 4, 2004
	Fri, 03 Sep, 2004 US: Hot Summer Prompts Early Harvest in Pacific Northwest After a hot, arid summer, producers in Oregon and Washington are preparing to begin the 2004 harvest a week or so earlier than usual. As is the case in California, winemakers had to cut their vacations short to get ready for the early start. Tonnage across the two states is expected to be lower than normal, but new vineyards will bring overall crop levels close to the size of the 2003 harvest. UK: Vineyards flourish in wet summer British wine producers are looking forward to a bumper harvest after a wet summer which left many other farmers' crops in ruins. US: TTB approves latest California "appellation" California's newest American Viticulture Area (AVA) was made official yesterday. PORTUGAL: 2004/05 wine production looking good Portuguese wine production is expected to rise slightly in the 2004/2005 season. The association of local wine producers, ViniPortugal, said yesterday that the country?s wine sector is expecting an increase of around 4% for the period, hitting 7.5m hectolitres. US: Costco to launch own-label Aussie The US wine retailer Costco is to launch an own-brand Australian wine label, according to reports in the US trade press. Grape Mapping Gets Serious Genome Canada is spending CAN$6.2 million over the next three years to find out the molecular breakdown of wine and table grapes. The research might help growers to identify problems before they become physically visible. Thur, 02 Sep, 2004 PORTUGAL: 2004/05 wine production looking good Portuguese wine production is expected to rise slightly in the 2004/2005 season. The association of local wine producers, ViniPortugal, said yesterday that the country?s wine sector is expecting an increase of around 4% for the period, hitting 7.5m hectolitres. Waste action globally, refilling bottles locally Green MP Mike Ward is marking the Third Global Day of Action Against Waste today with a call for wine bottles to be refilled, rather than being recycled or, even worse, thrown away. AUS: Wine glut hits Foster's hard Australian alcoholic beverages group Foster's has been denied what could have been a magnificent turnaround by a poor showing from its wine trading division during the 12 months to June 2004. AUS: Palandri signs wine deal with Norway West Australian wine producer Palandri has signed a new Scandinavian distribution agreement with Solera AS, one of Norway's largest wine distributors. Winery admits to mislabelling Chard Farm winery has apologised after authorities seized two vintages of rose wine that had been mislabelled as the more expensive rose de pinot noir. Wed, 01 Sep 2004 Rare International Wine Sourcing Service Finds Wine from Titanic Wineflyers.com has located what has been considered the world's rarest wine, that from the Titanic. This has been a major coup for the company and one that will put Wineflyers.com on the top of the list when it comes to sourcing the world's hardest to obtain wines. Tue, 31 Aug 2004 Falsely labelled wine leaves leading maker blushing An anonymous tip has forced a winery to apologise for falsely labelling one of its wines, but one connoisseur questioned how the mistake could have happened. AUS: WET Rebate Legislation is now law Australia's 1800 wineries breathed a collective sigh of relief on learning that the Senate had passed the Bill implementing the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) Rebate, shortly before adjourning for the election campaign last night. The Bill implemented the Government's May Budget commitment to apply a producer rebate of the Wine Equalisation Tax paid on the first $1 million in annual sales. India aims to sparkle as leading wine producer Today noses might wrinkle at the thought of an Indian sauvignon blanc or cabernet but tomorrow India's winemakers hope it will be as acceptable as a Chilean merlot or an Argentinian shiraz. Cold January temps reduce wine yields The Finger Lakes grape and wine industry is bracing for lower yields this fall in the wake of a January freeze that killed buds and wiped out some vines. Sun, 29 Aug 2004 FDA Labels, Nutrition Info and Wine Bottles People are naturally curious about what they eat and drink. In the US, people have become used to the FDA requiring labels on all prepared foods, listing calories, amount of iron and calcium, potential allergens, you name it. Some people would even like to see these charts taped onto their apples and cabbages, and provided for their wine, beer and vodka. We're not quite at that stage yet, but here is the basic information on a glass of wine. Wine tourism will open doors for SA wines If the South African wine industry wants to become a serious player in the international wine market, the local industry has no option but to embrace wine tourism as an important component. Wineries in South Africa give a boost to blacks South Africa -- When South Africa held its first fully democratic elections in 1994, Patrick Kraukamp, a day laborer, was just starting a job as a forklift driver at the Paul Cluver wine estate in this lush mountain valley. US: Wine flows freely, but many glasses still half empty A growing supply of wine in California continues to pressure prices, giving some Wine Country vintners such as Beringer Blass Wine Estates, a nasty headache. French wine exports continue to fall French wines are still performing badly in the export market according to figures released yesterday. The figures, released by the French wine and spirits export federation (FEVS), show that compared with the first six months of 2003 still wine exports have gone down by 4.2% in volume and by 8.4% in value. Italian winemakers expect good - but small - vintage this year Italian winemakers are expecting a small but high-quality harvest this year, a farmer's association said Tuesday. "Quality, however, will be excellent, thanks to good weather conditions," the organization said in a statement. AUS: Redrawing the wine world map Foster's Trevor O'Hoy, Southcorp's John Ballard, Constellation's (BRL Hardy) Stephen Millar and Woolworths' Roger Corbett are poised to make big changes to the Australian wine industry and have a big effect on the global wine sector. Wine exports at $300m and growing New Zealand wine exports have topped $300 million for the first time, as the industry continues to set new records. The New Zealand Winegrowers' annual report 2004 highlights new peaks in exports, harvest, area planted in grapes and number of wineries. US: Aus knocks Italy off export top spot - report Italy has lost its top spot in the US wine market, according to local press reports. The Italian Wine & Food Institute said yesterday that, in the first half of this year, Australia exported more wine to the US than Italy, knocking the country from a top spot it had held since 1974. US: Genetic altering to halt grape-killing disease shows promise Since the discovery five years ago that a ravenous insect was spreading grape-killing Pierce's Disease in California, grape growers have contributed millions of dollars to fund research projects they hope can end the scourge. B.C. scientists are raising the bar on wine research Tasting the fruits of laboratory labour is not a typical perk for most scientists. But when Steven Lund sips a delightful cabernet sauvignon, he is, in fact, doing research. Lund is an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia's Wine Research Centre, and as he savours the ruby red liquid, he's considering more than its integrated tannins, rich flavour and cassis nuances -- or was that a hint of chocolate? Lund is also thinking about the grape's genetics, wondering exactly which biochemicals signalled the fruit to begin ripening or which contributed to the wine's bouquet.