Wine exports are up for 2010, but grape harvests have fallen as growers trim yields because of oversupply last year. Exporters are getting much less for each litre of wine, according to New Zealand Winegrowers' annual report released yesterday. It shows a 5 per cent increase in exports pushed revenues to a record $1.04 billion for the year ending June 30. But at the same time, the grape harvest fell 7 per cent to 266,000 tonnes.

For growers of wine grapes in north west Victoria things can only get better, according to the head of the Murray Valley Winegrowers, Mark McKenzie. A report released by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) shows the estimated value of the total grape crush for the Murray Darling and Swan Hill regions dropped by 31 per cent between 2009 and 2010.

It wasn't the shirazes or merlots that stood out at the Boutique Wine Awards but the rarer types of grape. In Australia's vineyards, 72 per cent of vines grow shiraz, cabernet, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc grapes. That leaves 28 per cent for the other 100 or so varieties we grow.

I was lucky enough to visit esteemed chef Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar & Grill on Melbourne's Southbank last Monday. It might just have been my most revered long lunch ever.

Local wine grape growers are struggling. The combination of drought, increasing costs of production and a drop in the grape price are conspiring to make life difficult for local producers.

THE CANBERRA district is the talk of the wine world after a local red picked up one of the country's most prestigious wine awards. Collector Wines scooped the pool at the Sydney Royal Wine Show, picking up four trophies including the coveted gong for best red wine of show.

Despite being described by a panel of wine buffs as ''excellent lighter fluid'', Casella Wines' Yellow Tail brand transformed a small family business into one of Australia's largest wine companies in less than a decade.

Vineyards occupy a tiny fragment of the Australian landmass: less than 0.02 per cent of the continent. Their psychological importance, though, is wildly disproportionate to their size. The unparalleled export success of Australian wine over the past two decades has won more friends for the nation than sporting conquest, iron ore or marsupials on yellow road signs.

Keeping a watchful eye over his member's prized bottles, Wine Ark chief executive Dean Taylor. Penfolds Grange has topped the list of most collected wines in the country. One of Australia's largest wine cellaring companies Wine Ark has reviewed more than 3 million bottles stored by its members and come up with a list of the top 50 wines Australians love to keep. Awards were given for the most popular wine of each varietal.

Penfolds, whose flagship wine is ultra–premium Grange, is the most popular brand among Australian fine wine collectors, one of the country's largest wine storage companies claims.

ONE of nature's cruel ironies is that, right when this year's brightest, freshest pupils are released into the world, most of us don't want to know about them. I'm talking about rieslings, by the way. Fresh, zippy, citrus tree floral and lemon and lime juicy drops from the 2010 vintage are making their way to our wine lists or store shelves. So far, many of the ones I've tasted are smart, keen to impress, perhaps a little naive but mostly pure and beautiful.

Ascend into the small towns huddled around the towering Mount Macedon such as Woodend or Kyneton, which are located an hour North-West of Melbourne, and you can’t fail to miss the faintly Northern European feel of the place. Perhaps it is the crisp bite of a cool Spring day, the historical streetscapes or even the patches of greenery from recent Winter rains but this is a very unique and beautiful landscape; not just in geography but also the climate that envelops it.

When it comes to matching wines with food, there are no hard and fast rules. The best way to learn what works and what doesn’t is to try out different combinations. That’s all very well when you have time on your side and several bottles lined up at a relaxed weekend dinner party, but not so helpful at a business lunch when the wine list is in your hands.

For decades the Hunter Valley has been Sydney’s playground, a place to enjoy a weekend away in the country with family and friends all washed down with a healthy dose of local shiraz, semillon and chardonnay. Just close enough to make the two-hour drive along the F3 from Sydney an easy run, the magical mix of vineyards, some outstanding wines and the imposing Brokenback Range continues to draw people, both local and international visitors, to the Hunter in ever increasing numbers.

On the fertile and steep hills of Piedmont in North-Western Italy, ancient towns sit upon dramatic hills, dotted among a patchwork of vines. In these quiet and sleepy villages, seemingly far removed from the nearby metropolis of Milan, life has remained relatively unchanged for centuries with grand food and wine an important part of the everyday existence. With local treats, such as the cherished black truffles, in addition to wines made from varietals such as moscato, barbera, arneis and dolcetto, Piedmont, and the Langhe region in particular, is one of the world’s great food and wine destinations.

A HANDFUL of wineries based in New Zealand's celebrated Marlborough region have gone into receivership, and more are expected to follow, as the area's popular sauvignon blanc suffers from a high New Zealand dollar, over-supply and a resurgence by Australian chardonnay.

The Riverina based Casella Wine [yellow tail] range of wines have taken the world by storm. And so they should. They are excellent Australian wines which are consistently good. They have clearly won the battle for everyday wines at their particular price range.

Of all the wine types there is no more seductive grape than Pinot Noir, maker of the best red wine. With its brilliant ruby colour, complex aromas of earthy summer fruits and silky texture, Pinot Noir is the grape that many find irresistible. While Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay impress with power and dexterity, it is the subtlety and elegance of great Pinot Noir that can soothe the savage beast.

The simple art of finding those special wine labels can needlessly bring on a mild anxiety attack in many inexperienced wine drinkers as they search for the best Australian wines to serve at home. I have seen it happen – the wine drinking equivalent of a fish out of water. The plethora of grapes, countless regions, and abundance of labels leaves our shopper flat-lining, sweating and sometimes almost trembling with fear, all of which in an ever increasing world of grapes, wine regions and labels, is completely understandable. So how do you find that killer wine on the shelf?

It is human nature really – to stick with the tried and true and shy away from new types of wines. Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir, syrah/shiraz, merlot, Marlborough, Central Otago, Yarra Valley, Barossa Valley.

There wouldn't be much doubt that if I asked people around the world to name just one Australian wine region, most would say "The Barossa Valley", which produces some of the best Australian wines. Why is this? Well, some excellent promotion over the years has helped, it is the home of Penfolds Grange, plus there are a myriad of other reasons.

Check out any wine shops and there is a fair chance you’ll notice that things have changed a bit on the wine menu over the last five years. Firstly there are new wineries and grape varieties coming out of the woodwork all over this wide, brown land, giving us a greater range to choose from than ever before. The second is that alongside these new local wines is an expanding range of imports from countries such as New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain.

The blankets and jumpers are coming out of the cupboards, a sure sign that Winter is on the way and it is time to crack the types of wine well suited to the cooler months. And so are the hearty red wines that suit the cooler seasons so well. So pack away your Rieslings, Rosés and Sauvignon Blancs, wines that look great chilled down to refresh on a warm Summer day, and get stuck into some big reds and weighty whites to suit the season. The blankets and jumpers are coming out of the cupboards, a sure sign that Winter is on the way. And so are the hearty red wines that suit the cooler seasons so well. So pack away your Rieslings, Rosés and Sauvignon Blancs, wines that look great chilled down to refresh on a warm Summer day, and get stuck into some big reds and weighty whites to suit the season.

Dinner party time can send almost everyone into a bit of a spin with the pressure to serve up good food and wine matching, especially to the wine connoisseur. Perhaps the in-laws or the boss and his wife are coming over and you want to impress them with a masterful display of entertaining prowess.

Wine fashion can change in the blink of eye. For years Chardonnay was the top of most white wine lists but this season another grape is proving a worthy challenger, that being Pinot Gris.

The change of season is well and truly in the air. Leaves falling off the trees, brisk mornings and warm clothes emerging from bottom drawers across the country while our taste for wine bottles changes dramatically.

There is one thing that a wine lover really can’t do without and that is good wine cellar design or wine storage to store their best wines as they improve with age

There are literally hundreds of ways to spend Australia Day. Whether a game of cricket with friends is on the cards or a day down at the beach, Australia Day is all about celebrating what makes this country great. So here are a couple ideas and, of course, a drink or two to make the day even better.

Well it is that time of the year again when all the family come over and it’s your duty to feed, and water, the masses with the best wine bottle labels you can find. So here are some tips to get you through Christmas day without any serious wine-related disasters.

Chinese is one of the great cuisines of the world. And we are spoiled with it here in Australia. Go to almost any city or town and you will be able to find an outpost or two serving Chinese food. Better still supermarkets are full of ready-made sauces that can bring the taste of China into everyone’s home. But the question is, what are the best expensive wines to serve with Chinese food?

Different occasions call for different styles of wine, although discount wine tastes best of all. Most wines are quaffers; just made to sip and enjoy without too much thought. But then there are others that are there to impress, with their style and finesse, on special occasions. Sitting at the beach, a little quaffer will do very nicely indeed. But then as a gift for someone who likes a good drop of red, a bit more care is needed. The question here is how to find a good bottle out of the crowd?

Dinner party time can send almost everyone into a bit of a spin. Perhaps the in-laws or the boss and his wife are coming over and you want to impress them with a masterful display of entertaining prowess. Adding to the stress of what to cook is wine-matching, or the art of finding just the right bottle to go with every dish.

As far as journeys go, John Duval has certainly had his fair share. Once the creator of Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds Grange, John was the globetrotting, all conquering ambassador for Australian wine, dining at the finest tables and serving up South Australian jewels he had helped create from scratch.

Thirty years ago you’d have been lucky to find more than a handful of wines direct from New Zealand wine on shelves anywhere in this country. At the time there were only small, isolated pockets of vines spread largely around the North Island, and few had tasted, or even heard, of the miracle that is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

You might have heard the rumor around town that Australian wine is in a spot of bother. Exports heading South, international wine hacks dropping bombs left, right and centre with the Victorian bushfires and water shortages in the inland and engine room of commercial Australian wine certainly not likely to help the situation in a hurry with many wine varieties in a sport of bother.

A voyage of hope. There are few if any Australian wine regions that can quite match the majestic beauty and splendor of Western Australia’s Margaret River. First there are the pristine white beaches that stretch up and down the coast. Behind the sand dunes lie rolling hills punctuated by the occasional outcrop of beautiful forest. It is a place that draws people from around the world, such is the mix of natural beauty, attractions and the enviable lifestyle.

Few things will chill the central nervous systems of Australian winemakers as thoroughly as the mention of Coles and Woolies, especially with the wine glut Australia. This duopoly can make or break a wine business: between them they own nearly all the wine shops. Woolies opens the battling with Dan Murphy’s and BWS, Coles will respond, perhaps more smartly, with Vintage Cellars and 1st Choice.

Total Australian wine grape production is forecast to fall by seven per cent to 1.62 million tonnes in 2009-10, reflecting the heat wave in November 2009 in parts of inland south-eastern Australia, according to ABARE.

California has its two-buck chuck, while English supermarkets have introduced their customers to the three wines for £9 ($16) special. It is not a good time to be exposed to the markets that have been the poster boys for global recession. And this doesn't take into account the massive gains by the Australian dollar against their respective currencies, which has meant that prices have been squeezed even further in Australian-dollar terms just to keep them flat in local currencies.

Consumers have plenty of reasons to party on, but for Australia’s winemakers, the hangover has begun, reports Colin Kruger. You know the Australian wine industry is in trouble when filtered water costs more than wine. In the lead up to Christmas, discount liquor merchant Dan Murphy's had cleanskin bottles of chardonnay and cabernet merlot for $1.99, a price point affectionately referred to in the US as "two buck chuck". It means, litre for litre, it is possible to buy wine that costs less than some bottled water.

WANT TO buy a vineyard? Not only will you be spoilt for choice - but when it comes to Australia's iconic winemaking regions, the prices have never been lower. Take Australian Vintage's historic 300ha vineyard Cooraminta, in the New South Wales Central Ranges west of Sydney. When it was planted in the 1980s, Cooraminta was touted as the largest single planting in the southern hemisphere and its fruit went to a range of major wine labels, including Jacob's Creek Reserve. Now, like so many other famous vineyards, it has been sold for a relative song. Cooraminta's new owners, local lawyer Grant Chamberlain and his brother-in-law, didn't need much encouragement to pounce once the "for sale" sign went up. The price was more than right.

The market leaders are overproducing but it’s not preventing poorer-quality buyers’ own brand from making big sales. With the serious wine glut, you might think better quality wine would filter down to cheaper labels such as Buyer’s Own Brands (BOBs) but you’d be sadly mistaken. By my palate, at a tasting comparing BOBs with regular market-leading brands, there was little difference in quality between the two. Both groups were somewhat disappointing.

John Casella, the boss and patriarch of Casella Wines, the Griffith-based winery that owns the Yellow Tail brand, has thrown his weight behind calls for vineyards to be ripped out to fix the oversupply facing the sector. Mr Casella said there had to be a readjustment of grape supply to end a wine glut that has seen prices and profit margins tumble, marking some operations uneconomic.

Plonk or premium can be picked up for half the price on the internet, writes Julie-anne Sprague. A resident of Picketts Valley n the NSW Central Coast is typical of a relatively new breed of wine consumer heading to the internet to snare a bargain at auction. Under the hammer recently were 12 bottles of award-winning 2002 merlot from premium West Australian winery Sandalford.

THE quality of Australia's 2010 wine vintage promises to be the best in a decade, and drinkers will also continue to savour some heavy discounting. Fewer grapes were produced in the 2010 harvest, with the Winemakers Federation of Australia estimating the winegrape crush to be 1.53 million tonnes, down 12 per cent on last year, which was 5 per cent less than the year before.