On the 1st February 2025, our wondrous government decided that one of the best ways to raise tax in our struggling economy was to hit the average wine, beer and spirits drinker as well as every single hospitality establishment. As if hospitality hasn’t faced enough in recent years… Rising costs have rather been the theme since Covid but there are none quite so close to our heart as, of course, alcohol. Alcohol is taxed according to its ABV on drinks over 1.2% ABV. The initial increase on alcohol…

As we are all aware, sustainability is one issue that will simply not go away. The first things that come to mind when you think sustainable range from reusing pots, recycling plastic and cutting down on car journeys, but the wine world actually plays quite a role itself. Not just in leading the way in logistics and distribution sustainability, but also farming techniques helping reduce harmful chemicals, wastewater and even using drones. Check out my article on sustainability in Bordeaux for…

When you hear about Australian wines there are a few names that should come to mind: Penfolds, Yellow Tail, Wolf Blass, Peter Lehmann and Jim Barry. Jim Barry helped shape the world-famous Clare Valley as a Riesling powerhouse and one of Australia’s greatest wine regions. He was in fact the first qualified winemaker to work in the entire region, taking a job as winemaker and chemist at Clarevale Cooperative soon after graduating in 1946. It wasn’t until 1959 that Jim and his wife bought their…