On The Grapevine wine column

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2001
On The Grapevine wine column

By Steve Larkin



OVERSEAS FLAVOUR TO BAROSSA VINTAGE

Organisers of the Barossa Vintage Festival are predicting record numbers in the famous
South Australian region over Easter.

The festival officially starts on Easter Monday and more than 130 events are planned
until it winds up the following Sunday.

While many South Australians flock to the festivities, organisers say 45 per cent of
revellers are from interstate or overseas.

Organisers tip more than 70,000 people will be in the region during the week and expect
10 per cent of them to come from overseas.

SA Premier John Olsen officially opens the festival on Monday night.





WINE AGREEMENT SIGNED

An international agreement to free up wine trade has been signed in Adelaide.

Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand are all committed to the agreement
to ensure standard international winemaking standards.

Under the agreement, all countries will accept winemaking practices of the other with
a view to reducing possible trade disputes.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer presided over the signing at a New World Wine Producer
Group meeting at a winery in McLaren Vale in Adelaide's south.





GRANGE AN ICON

Penfolds Grange has been officially bestowed the title of a heritage icon by the National
Trust of South Australia.

The trust identified eight items in an inaugural list of 'items of moveable heritage'.

Trust chairman Lew Owens waxed lyrical about Penfolds Grange, describing it as "extraordinary,
monumental, original, special, revolutionary".

Penfolds' chief winemaker since 1986, John Duval, says the original creator of the
Grange - Max Schubert - would have been rapt with joy at the latest honour for the wine.

"During his life Max was regarded as a national treasure so it's very apt his creation
has now too been formally recognised as a heritage icon," Duval said.





PUT A CORK IN IT

Australia's independent wine research body is angry at reports it has endorsed a new
wine bottle closure, NuKorc.

The Australian Wine Research Institute denies its scientists have given NuKorc's product
its blessing as "the most technically correct synthetic closure available".

The comment attributed to the institute has been aired recently in the media and on
wine websites.

But the institute says it has never made such a claim about the NuKorc product.

"As an independent industry body, the institute considers it to be of the greatest
importance that its reputation not be compromised by having incorrect assertions of its
support for commercial products appear in the press," the institute says.





BAROSSA DECANTED

Influential British wine magazine Decanter will launch a 32-page booklet on the Barossa
Valley in late May.

The magazine has previously produced booklets on regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy
and Champagne but it's the first time an Australian wine region has been featured.



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KEYWORD: ON THE GRAPEVINE

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